D.Gray-man, Vol. 21

D.Gray-man #21

by Katsura Hoshino

The Awakening of Alma Karma:

Allen has been dropped into a flashback of his surly colleague Yu Kanda's past, where a parade of disturbing secrets reveal themselves--including one that could at long last explain what makes Yu tick!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Shonen, Graphic Novels, Horror, Comics, Demons

190 pages, Paperback

First published December 3, 2010

About the author

星野 桂

Katsura Hoshino ((星野 桂 Hoshino Katsura) was born on April 21, 1980, in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, as the younger of fraternal twin girls and the second of three children. She drew her first manga at twenty-one. In 1998, Hoshino moved to Tokyo. She dreamed of bringing her mother to the city and was able to in 2006.

She made her debut with her comics in July 2003 with the publication of her first manga series Continue and is known for her work, D.Gray-man, which began serialization in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in May 2004.

Reviews

[gabriella escoto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm emotionally drained.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

We get a touch more insight into all the happenings. Kanda and Alma get to have a family reunion, but neither is very excited about, for different reasons, and everyone gets into a fight. The fourteenth, in his human form no less, gets an appearance, as well. Why does he look so much like Tyki, anyhow? Peculiar, I'd say. I feel like the fandom are going to have an overload, considering the new season will be coming out this year, and we get to see all of this animated beautifully. Allen's life only gets steadily worse as time goes by, with Nea strengthening his grasp on Allen's mind and the order not trusting him at all. Sucks to be him, hopefully it will get better, but I highly doubt it. For some reason I feel like Allen will die at the end of the series, considering what's going on, but that may be me. Overall, I think this is one of the best volumes so far, with an equal amount of revelations, action, and emotion.

[Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume starts off with Chapters 194-199.

I'll write more when my editing mode hits.
Happy Readings!
Fly my Pretties! Fly!

[Dxdnelion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unnecessary sad. ARGHHHH so heartbreaking but has a very beautiful plot twist.

I keep falling in love with this series.

[gabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT JUST HAPPENED???!!!!! I am oh so confused. I want to slow down and try to decipher this better, but it is just too intense. I. CAN'T. STOP. READING.

[Thelma · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS SERIE NEEDS TO STOP STOMPING ON MY HEART ALREADY

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 Getting to the end of the Artificial Exorcist story arc. We are wrapping up Kanda’s back story. Things continue to be very tragic and emotional. I’m still enjoying the series but at this point he art style is really starting to change and the story is getting kinda confusing and maybe a little too convoluted. The Allen cover is not my favorite this time around but it’s not bad.

Read 11/7/20 as part of a 3-in-1

[Michelle Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Kanda so much, and I'm so sad whenever he goes through something physically or emotionally painful, but, hopefully, the worst is behind him.

One criticism is that now that I'm kinda starting to like Link, he isn't really here; but if that would have taken away Kanda time to put him in here, well, I guess it's OK that he wasn't! :)

[Natilin Alpaca Saurio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noooooh NO PODES SER ASÍ! NO HAY DERECHO! NO LO HAY! NO PODES FREGAR EL PISO CON MI CONCHUDO CORAZÓN DE ESA MANERA! SABES COMO ESTOY AHORA?! HECHA PERCHA! Y ENCIMA ESTOY ROGANDO A TODOS LOS CIELOS QUE SI PUEDAN ESTAR JUNTOS LA CONCIENCIA SAGRADA DE MI HERMANA MONJA! HERMANO QUERIDO!

ok, ya dejo las mayúsculas por un rato, ya me calmé un poco, que historia de verga(en el buen mal sentido(? Osea bien en el sentido dramático literario y mal en el sentido de que la sufrieron todas y cada una, LAS PADECIERON TODAS!) Tenia al final este Kanda, lo que más me sorprende es que parece que posta todo esto estaba ya planeado desde bien antes, tipo, estos comportamientos raros en Kanda: que se recupere de las lesiones en chinga, que si ese tatuaje raro, que el hijo de fruta no habla, casi parece que no tiene emociones y que hasta vive por para el trabajo, pos en determinado nivel ya era algo raro, y que sobrevivió a lo del noe, cronwley...como se escriba su nombre, pos se entiende más, por su tipo de inocencia, pero medio que el quedaba en el limbo, los lectores: vos te queres que me voy a tragar que Kanda volvió a la vida perfectamente y el noe no? O será porque lo mato antes? ...muchas preguntas y algunas respuestas.

Me rompió el corazón ver como para seguir con su vida habia puesto prácticamente un muro en sus emociones y casi en su cerebro para no pensar ni sentir...ay.
También fue mala idea leer al mismo tiempo Mo Dao zu shi... voy en la parte donde por fin aparece Wen Ning, imagínate como estoy, hecha percha, es más, las perchas están mejor que yo(?

Conclusión: en algunas partes está medio que rengueando la historia pero de la mitad para el final es un subí y baja de emociones que me dejó de cama(obvio por eso y no porque este acostada leyendo...obvio) me gustó y mucho, ahora prendere mis velitas para que los pibes puedan ser felices y comer perdices uwu.
Yo rezando: SOOOLOOOO Le PIIIIDOO A DIOS! QUE POR FAVOR NO SE MUERA MAS GENTE
TENGO EL CORAZÓN FRAGIL Y LA MENTE ENDEBLE
Y NO PUEDO RESISTIR OTRA MUERTE 🎶

[K.S. Trenten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so epic with so many gender twists, revelations, and one of the most powerful battles ever, fleshing out Kanda Yu and the one he’s been searching for. Allen Walker feels like he’s coming full circle, too. In battling both Kanda and Alma, helping them, and getting closer to them. He also gets closer to what’s inside him. Was the Earl’s party with the Noah to “awaken” Allen, using Alma and Kanda to do so while punishing the Black Order for playing with dark matter? Many of those who played with dark matter were just as heroic and determined to protect others as the Innocence accomodators for all their urges to kill, their evolution through violence. Just what does the Earl want? Did he mean what he said? Such an intimate moment between Allen and the Fourteenth, raising more questions in all its beauty. The artwork became even more spectacular in this volume. The series is upping its game in the more recent books. I’m excited to see what happens next.

[Kirsten Simkiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost another full volume of fighting! Man, they need to chill on the volume long battles. It's honestly not that fun to read.

[tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

YUU 👏 KANDA 👏 IS 👏 GAY 👏 AND 👏 THERE'S 👏 NOTHING 👏 YOU 👏 CAN 👏 DO 👏 ABOUT 👏 IT

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much... T.T

[Dara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had me in TEARS. It was great. The art has gotten a lot better too.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still not so much into these battle-heavy volumes.

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story was all over the place. It's kind of messy with so many characters, leaves little room to fully develop story at a good pace. Art was still pretty good.

[Kaitlyn]

5/5
THE ANGST 😩

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I REFUSE TO BELIEVE KANDA IS DEAD

I REFUSE
NO
ABSOLUTELY NOT

[Al Capwned · Rating 2 out of 5]

And as usual, the whole world gets smashed by giant shonen battles in which you can't tell what's going on.

[lobelyys · Rating 4 out of 5]

i’m drained, i want to sleep, i want alma to be happy, i want allen to eat lots of good food, i want tyki to marry me… anyway this volume is so good!

[Lauren C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5

[Sedna Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was completely gripping. The fight was both rapid and yey I loved the more psychological aspect of the battle which was just brilliantly done.

[Katie Rathslag · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the Yu origin story, but the climactic ending was really hard to follow.

[Katie D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is for volumes 21-25

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Alma and Kanda so much.... bonus point the 14th babygirl

[Carolyn Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love me my tragic little gays. I need to think of smarter things to say about it.

[Kravicakatka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why is this so sad

[Cornerofmadness · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes this manga’s story lines are taut and heart wrench and other times it seems they were conceived while taking powerful hallucinogens. This volume is the latter. There were more times than not I couldn’t make sense of it and it didn’t help that Alma and Kanda’s hair alternated between white and black….

It picks up where volume twenty left off, the Order under fire as not only are the Noah and the Earl there but Alma Karma, a boy, no an experiment, of the order has awaken and is totally pissed. He is degenerating into an akuma, feeding off his hatred of what was done to him by the Order and by Kanda.

Most of this was one long fight scene between Alma, Kanda and Allen and its apparent that one of the reasons the Earl wants this fight as it’s forcing Allen’s hidden nature as the fourteenth Noah to emerge, which could destroy Allen for good. And that’s about all I got out of it. I’m not even sure what happened in the end and I wouldn’t want to spoil it with what I think it happening.

It was honestly confusing and long fight scenes don’t interest me so I didn’t enjoy this volume as much as others. The art has really changed since the beginning. It’s much lovelier than the start of the series but the strange coloration issues (I wasn’t sure if they were meant to indicate something or not) were distracting. Kanda and Allen have gotten so pretty I almost didn’t recognize them. Some of the fight scenes were wonderfully rendered. I just wish the storyline had been tighter. It really needed editing (then again you’re never sure just how much of these sorts of issues are because of the translation problems)

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this at the library and was overwhelmed because it's been a year since the I've read the last volume. Reading it made me want to re-read the previous four volumes to at least remember most of the happenings. Anyways after reading it I was satisfied for I believe that books like this in the series especially manga is supposed to be read once the tankobon (trade paperback/collected book) was released.

This volume is the conclusion of a running story and the next volume will open up a new arc. Also speaking of being overwhelmed, the art is effin awesome since day one, one main reason I bought the manga many moons ago (will start buying this volume ongoing), after a hiatus I feel good reading this.

I am not really a fan of the story, but I like the good characterization the mangaka brought into this book/series. It makes up for a really great cast, despite the so-so story of a battle manga, and for the critics who said that she can't draw battle manga is wrong, for me it is a decent work, compared to battle mangas of generations ago.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly do not know what to make of this most recent volume of D.Gray-man except that holy shit, Kanda, even your issues have issues. Hot sexy skinny super-powered issues with a whole lot of ho yay and foe yay between the both of em. Err. Ahem. Aside from that, Katsura Hoshino manages to cram a whole lot of something into one single volume, which in the hands of any manga-ka would quickly become a hot mess of confusion and artistic frenzies. In Hoshino's hands, it only becomes a slightly better than most volume of confusion and artistic frenzies.

Let’s be honest. If you are still struggling to follow the wibbley wobbly plotty wotty line of this story, volume 21 is going to infuriate you. Unless you are like me, who has decided to keep calm and forget about following a dang thing over just following the pretty art and angsty characters.

The full review of D.gray-man book 21 will soon be up at my blog here: http://nagareboshi-reviews.blogspot.com/