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Title: D. Gray-Man Vol 11

Author: Katsura Hoshino

Publisher: Viz

ISBN: 9781421519982

May Contain Spoilers

Uh-oh!  The atmosphere is tense again, as Allen and the gang attempt to escape from the Ark that is rapidly disintegrating around them.  Members of Noah keep popping up to slow them down, and things are getting a bit sticky for the Exorcists.  Having already lost Kanda (sob!) in the battle with Skin Boric, their numbers are steadily decreasing.  Will they be able to find a way out of the Ark before meeting their doom?

Argh!  Kanda!  Kanda!  He’s…gone!!!!  But wait – his picture is still in the character introductions, so maybe he’ll be back??  One can only hope. 

There is a no holds barred battle with David and Jasdero in a library, of all places.  How could they so emotionlessly destroy all of those precious books?  I cringed every time a new fireball or wave of ice was thrown about the room, thinking,
“Be careful of those books!”  I am sure that I am the only person plagued by these thoughts while reading this volume.  Most others would probably think – Allen, watch out!  Or Lavi, dodge, quickly!  Me, I just worried about the books.

David and Jasdero, or Jasdevi, as they are collectively referred to, just didn’t capture my imagination like previous villains in the series.  Road and Tyki are so delightfully evil, I can’t help but like them, and anticipate what unpleasant schemes they are going to cook up for Allen next.  Jasdevi, on the other hand, lacks charisma.  Things got a little more interesting after they merged back together, but it still wasn’t enough to make me want to learn more about them and their background.  Sure, they are reasonably snappy dressers, but even their overabundance of leather and lace couldn’t spark my imagination.

Arystar is the hero of this volume, and he proves that even vampires can have a heart of gold.  He’s one tough cookie, losing gallons of blood at a time, and refueling with Chomesuki’s flasks of akuma blood.  He certainly takes a beating here, and I was starting to feel achy as he is slammed into one panel after another.  How could those little containers of blood replace the globs he’s lost? 

True to the series, there’s an abundance of action.  My biggest complaint?  The bad guys were kind of boring this time around

Grade: B

Rated for Older Teen

Review copy provided by Viz