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To everyone thinking "Oh, joy. Another cliche shonen anime!", you'll be surprised how different and fresh D.Gray-Man is from most other anime. OK, it starts off slow and has a sort of simple, definitely cliche plotline at the beginning. It seems really boring with simple and boring characters, right? Wrong.

DGM (aka D.Gray-Man. I'll use this from now on - easier to type up) is definitely a more character-driven anime, instead of the usual plot-driven ones. The characters are all real and tangible; they have emotions and they show them. Each of them have different backstories, which are revealed as the story progresses and each of ... them faces different enemies and situations. Each of them has different abilities that they show as the danger increases and they all play unique and vital roles in the story. But wait, I'm jumping a bit ahead of myself. That's all in the second half of DGM; the first half is simply an introduction to their world, powers and enemies. The story arcs are very short; around 4 episodes max and quite decent. But after the 50th episode mark, DGM shows its true colours. The detailed introduction of the creator of the Akuma and his "family" really kicks off the story and raises the bar for everything to come.

The story, as I've said, is more character-based, and is one of DGM's stronger points. It's unique and interesting, but the earlier episodes don't really compare story-wise to the later episodes; all hell breaks loose and it kicks into overdrive after episode 50 or so. Also, whilst watching DGM for the first time, I had no idea most of the episodes I was watching in the first half were fillers; the story arcs are so short they seem to be part of the story and just slot in with the more crucial episodes that introduce important characters.

The art and animation quality are top-notch. The special effects and art styles are quite something, and the character models and backgrounds are superb. There's a lot of detail for those who care to look, and there's nothing really I have to complain about.

The sound now. The sound's... well, decent. The openings and endings are excellent, but the background music doesn't really do much for the anime. To be honest, I just sort of blanked out the background music and when I saw a soundtrack for DGM in the shops, I thought "D.Gray-Man had background music?" Japanese voice acting is excellent. English? Not so much. Definitely watch in Japanese with subs.

The characters in DGM are by far its strongest aspect. They develop and mature as the series goes along, and they have real emotions, emotions which they have to accept and overcome. They aren't afraid to show their emotions, not afraid to cry or laugh, and they do so regularly. It's quite astounding how Katsura Hoshino has managed to make convincing characters and then throw them into different situations, showing them reacting accordingly without the slightest hint of forcing them to, or pushing the story along.

So, in conclusion, I think D.Gray-Man mixes a cliche shonen storyline, convincing characters and a beautiful art style to create something completely fresh and unique. Definitely give it a try, no matter what. And if you don't like it, watch on anyway; it gets much better the further along you watch.

Feedback much appreciated ;)