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Title:  D Gray-Man Vol 12

Author:  Katsura Hoshino

Publisher: Viz

ISBN: 9781421523897

May Contain Spoilers

Krory is still battling it out with Jasdevi, and the odds are not in his favor.  In fact, he’s been squished and skewered by an iron maiden.  How is he going to get out of that one in one unpunctured piece?  Other than seeing Jasdevi take beating, this battle wasn’t all that memorable.  I think it’s because I just don’t like these guys all that much, and I don’t have any emotional commitment tied up in the outcome.  This wasn’t like the duel with Kanda.  I liked him, a whole lot, and I can’t believe that he’s trapped in the Ark and might never make it out again.  Krory just doesn’t have the same style, or that gorgeous hair, and so it’s hard to get all worked up over who wins this particular battle.

Allen and the rest of the gang have run across Road and Tyki, so there’s a bunch of characters that I do like all converging together.  Of course there’s going to be a huge altercation, and of course things look grim for both sides at various times during it.  Allen is disappointed that Tyki is siding with the Earl, because under different circumstances, they could have been friends.  Despite the mutual respect they have for each other, they don’t hold anything back when they duke it out.  They are totally serious and totally committed to defeating the other and bringing an end to the threat they represent.  Theirs is a brutal battle, especially when Tyki realizes that in order to destroy Allen’s Innocence, he must also destroy his body.  So much for humiliating him and leaving him powerless.  Now he’s going to totally obliterate him.

Road effectively keeps Lavi out of the fight, toying with him like a cat  with a helpless mouse.  There doesn’t seem to be much Lavi can do to fight back, either.  Trapped in a world of Road’s making, he can’t find a way out to help his friends.  When the fight with Tyki and Allen swings into Allen’s favor, Lavi is the one to pay the price for Allen’s victory.  Road doesn’t take kindly to Allen’s treatment of Tyki, and she’s going to pay him back by taking it out on Lavi.  Now that hardly seems fair, and Lavi looks like he’s going to need some serious help to get out of the mess he’s in.   And in true shounen fashion, we’ll have to tune in next issue to get the low-down on Lavi and all of the zombies surrounding him. 

Grade: B-