DNAngel

D・N・ANGEL [ディー・エヌ・エンジェル] #1

by Yukiru Sugisaki

Daisuke Niwa is an ordinary middle school student who has an inherited an interesting family tradition. Upon seeing Risa, the girl he adores, he transforms into a daring phantom thief. When the phantom thief sees his own object of desire, he turns back into Daisuke. The only way to cure this craziness is if Daisuke can get Risa to fall in love with him, but how can she love someone she can't see?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Comics Manga

184 pages, Library Binding

First published November 17, 1997

About the author

Yukiru Sugisaki (杉崎ゆきる; Sugisaku Yukiru in Japanese) is a Japanese manga artist. Her hobbies are dramas, video games, and "collecting rabbit things".
Sugisaki's face is rarely seen, as she prefers to draw herself with a rabbit face or mask in her manga profile images. She also seems to have developed a trait of leaving her series unfinished before moving on to different projects (Notably D.N.Angel, which has seen multiple month-long droughts between chapters. She has just recently done many Lagoon Engine installments, including the Japanese release of volume 7.
Previous to that, she completed a small series entitled Eden, which had its debut in the October 2006 issue of Shōnen Ace, and finished in February 2007. It saw a departure of sorts from Sugisaki's previous series, with a darker, sci-fi noir theme and older protagonists.

Currently, she finished D.N.Angel in 20 volumes (5 released only in digital).

Her work

She made her debut in "Asuka Magazine" with "Namaiki no N". Her other works include "D.N.Angel (13 volumes, unfinished) ", "Rizelmine (1 volume, finished)", "Lagoon Engine (7 volumes, unfinished)", and "Lagoon Engine Einsatz (1 volume, unfinished)". Her "D.N.Angel" manga and "Rizelmine" manga have also been adapted into anime series. Because the D.N.Angel manga was incomplete at the time, the anime has many differences to the original manga, most notably the ending.

Sugisaki is also the artist of the "BrainPowerd" and "The Candidate for Goddess" manga, both of which have been turned into an anime. Her "Neutral" artbook contains artwork from "D.N.Angel", "BrainPowerd", and "The Candidate for Goddess". Her second artbook, [FEDER:] (which is no longer available for purchase), contains newer artwork solely from D.N.Angel. She has also penned the well-known "Sotsugyo M", and created doujinshi for series such as "Tenkuu no Escaflowne", Neon Genesis Evangelion, Lets&Go , and King of Fighters.

Most of her works feature young, cute main characters and elements of Yaoi, though not considered Yaoi.

Her current project is D.N.Angel, which has finally begun serializing in Monthly Asuka again.

Reviews

[Lynn Dubinsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't mind me, I'm just cheating on my 2015 challenge just a bit. Bahaha.


Haven't read this series in a long ass time. Forgot how sexy Dark is. Yummmy

[Jessi (Novel Heartbeat) · Rating 5 out of 5]

From my blog Auntie Spinelli Reads

This is another one of my favorites! I absolutely LOVE this series! The main reason? This guy right here:



DARK MOUSY. Sexy phantom thief. *swoon* He's one of my top 3 favorite manga crushes ever! I love him so much.♥
And of course the cute lil furry guy on his shoulder - Wiz! He's freaking adorable, I love him too! Plus he transforms into Dark's wings, it's awesome. I want a Wiz stuffie so bad, haha.




I love the plot of this one, too. Riku and Risa are twins, and Dark and Daisuke are two halves of the same person, and they have this crazy love square going on (not in a bad way, I promise)...it's great! I love that Riku makes Dark change and Risa makes Daisuke change.
Side note, I forgot how much Risa pissed me off. She's so shallow and superficial! It drove me crazy.

If you enjoy manga and love shoujo, I highly suggest this one! The series is AMAZING, and it gets better as it goes on. Plus it has some of the best art I've ever seen in a manga.


ASSESSMENT
Plot: 5/5
Art: 5+/5
Originality: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Pace: 5/5
Cover: 4/5

[Niina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vaikka lukiossa ollessani, vuoden 2004 paikkeilla, pidinkin todella paljon D.N.Angel animesta, ei tämä mangana oikein toiminut. Alkuteos on vuodelta 1997 ja piirrosjälki näyttääkin tosi ysäriltä, eikä aina hyvällä tavalla. Olin myös onnistunut unohtamaan kaiken sisällöstä. Wiz oli edelleen söpö.

Päähenkilö on 14-vuotias Daisuke Niwa, joka on ihastunut Risa-nimiseen tyttöön, jolla on kaksossisko Riku. Daisuke on kertonut Risalle tunteistaan kirjeessä, mutta ei saa vastakaikua. Daisuke saa pian tämän jälkeen kuulla, että on perinyt sukunsa vuosisataisen kyvyn muuttua Dark-nimiseksi mestarivarkaaksi ja vaikka voikin muuttua omaksi itsekseen keikan jälkeen, hän voi palata kokonaan tavalliseksi nuoreksi vasta kun ensirakkautensa vastaa hänen tunteisiinsa.

[Christie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is pretty generic and so is the art. It was disjointed in places and several times it felt like a panel was missing. I think I would have liked it better if I were a teenager (middle age is definitely not the target demographic, lol) and if I were new to manga.

[K.S. Trenten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes it was hard to me to follow the intended love story in this, if it was the intended love story. The plight of our adorable, unfortunate, yet carefully trained heir to the Niwa clan, Daisuke Niwa captured my heart every time I looked into his enormous eyes. The fact that he got manhandled all the time at school (what’s Takeshi’s problem any way?), while being more than capable of picking locks and dodging traps his mom set up for him was an intriguing paradox. The Niwa family, their history of art thieves, and providing host bodies for the Phantom Thief Dark, of one person having the power to transform into Dark was all fascinating. What I didn’t understand was the love Dark and Daisuke were supposed to fulfil. Was it really about the Harada twins? Why? Risa Harada had moments of beauty, yet she was more interesting in obtaining a boyfriend as a status symbol than having a connection with another person on an intimate level. She wanted a status symbol and a means of outdoing her twin sister, neither motivation really impressing me or showing enough strength to really be impressive. Nor was I clear why Dark liked Riku Harada. Riku acts more as an obvious foil for Risa or a means to keep Daisuke from transforming than anything else, someone for Daisuke and Dark to react to than a desirable character in her own right. The most intriguing and desirable character was Satoshi Hiwatari, whose adversity towards Dark heated up the pages, yet his sweet, almost tenderly menacing moments with Daisuke (or Wiz) were some of the most intense parts of story as well as the most eye-catching panels. This is where the emotional energy and conflict leapt out at me, showing what truly felt like first love. It was those panels which sucked me into the story, along with my desire to see more of the connection between Satoshi and Daisuke/Dark. Second in power was the mysterious bond between Daisuke and Dark himself, sharing the same body, yet two different people. This bond was intriguingly intimate when removed from a forced sense of romantic rivalry over the twins. Or is there more to this rivalry than meets the eye? Perhaps the twins will grown and develop into characters I’ll understand the appeal of. The short story at the end was cute, but really didn’t grab me about a girl trying to summon a shikigami and the awkward relationship between herself and the shikigami she got. The artwork in this book was truly stunning. Satoshi and Dark were exquisite art candy while Daisuke’s sweetness and innocence was a striking contrast to both of them. All of the characters were quite distinctive. Risa’s most desirable moments were in some of the illustrations which made her beautiful while Riku was more subdued, yet her eyes held more depth and emotion. The twins stood out the most as potential romantic interests in the artwork itself, yet the story, text, and dialogue didn’t quite live up to this imagery, not did it convey why Dark and Daisuke are in love with them. What beauty, character strength, and plot energy this volume contained was enough for me to really enjoy it, though, and pick up the next book.

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. Found this series on my shelf and decided to read it again.

Maybe my tastes have grown a bit since I last read it, but I don't like it nearly as much as I once did. I find the characters a little whiny. What I once thought was fast-paced now seems poorly paced.

Overall, it doesn't seem as good now than it was when I first got it... Maybe my fondness actually stems from later volumes, rather than the first.

[Rianne Heartfilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided after a long debate with myself that I was going to add all the mangas that I read but to compensate the idea of not adding them all, I will only add the first volumes of the ones I finished reading. I'm actually still reading this. This is my third attempt or my fourth or my thousands attempt (I own the first 8 volumes). It's not that I don't like it, I do love this series, I believed I watched the anime five times already but every time I try to read I end up stopping at some point because I don't have time and I restart every time again. So the beginning of the story and this Volume I know almost by heart. Yet it always makes me itch to watch the series again even if I believe that the series is better.

This time I'm finishing it. I have a manga app, and I'm having time to read it at work, this sounds bad but I work as a centralist, so I have to wait till there is a phone call to answer and in the mean time I decided to read manga. Who knows what more I will read this year!

This is in my book-boyfriend list because of Dark. More I don't have to say, I still love him. The first time I watched this series was around 2007, so it's time to celebrate this ten year anniversary by finally finishing the manga.

The story about a boy that becomes fourteen and shares his body with the famous phantom thief sounds like a tough world to keep up with, a double life and a stealing one for that matter. With a twin that's in love with you that keeps stalking you. What better shoujo does exist?

So to add what I thought about this series:
It was very funny, it was a nice conflict with the switching bodies and the love DNA what it was basically about. It was a total different setting from the series and I think I even prefer this version if you do not count that IT DOESN'T END! I'm slightly hating on this mangaka because it randomly stops because she wanted to do something else (if this is true tho) and the series end with this huge cliff hanger where never will be answers about.. really? Yes really! I thought it was a joke, it is not and it is super frustrating.

[Marta Montell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Con 17 años? me vicié mucho a este manga; me fascinaba su historia y sus personajes, pero por problemas personales de la autora y editorial la saga quedó inacabada y nunca se supo el final.
Con los años Yukiru (autora) terminó la serie e Ivrea (editorial España) decidió editar una nueva edición y darle ese final bien merecido.
Que ha pasado? que han pasado muchos años y quería tantear que tal veía yo ahora esta saga.
La verdad es que ha sido una gran aventura; obvio, ha envejecido bastante mal (feminismo bastante nulo, personajes poco consistentes, historia con lagunas.. etc) PEEEEEEERO tampoco está tan mal, sé que voy con el ojo analizándolo todo, pero he disfrutado de todo más de lo que penaba, mi nostalgia a sido la culpable jaja
Le sigo teniendo mucho cariño a Niwa ♥ es demasiado adorable, leal e inteligente, además todo lo que influye con la historia de amor entre tanto personaje me sigue teniendo intrigada.
Así que, después de haberme leído mis 12 tomos, en cuanto pueda, me haré con la edición nueva de Ivrea y a esperar a que publiquen todos los tomos ^^

[Tyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okey this manga was really good but confusing. Hehe I didn't quite get the who story but what I did understand was really good!

[Nana Spark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't mind me. Just reading purely for nostalgia.

[Sapphire · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting concept!! I love the existentialism we're seeing between Daisuke and Dark at the end there!! I also really loved the N is for Nishiki story at the end of the volume!!

[Hisgirl85 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars...leaning towards a 4.5. I love the anime so much, and now I'm trying to get through the manga. I live Satoshi so much, but Daiske and Rika are adorable, too. I also really enjoyed the short one-shot at the end.

[Aoife · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author, a comparative rookie at his stage, has a definite Shonen tint to their art despite this being a manga for girls. As an introductory volume from a debuting mangaka the standard is relatively decent.
The setup is established, the characters well introduced and everything is prepared for adventures down the line.

The problem though that despite the improvements in art and writing as the series progresses is that this series is left incomplete. The english language publisher Tokyopop went under and the series took a generous hiatus from publication in Japan of a couple of years.
IF you choose to follow this series you must be prepared to deal with this rather crucial element and a long wait before reaching the latter half of the series.

The hiatus occurs at what appears to be a midpoint in the series with several new mysteries being introduced and no sense of clarity being offered to any of the pre-existing plot elements.

The series is clearly written for younger girls but is shrewdly designed to appeal to the make audience as well with lots of action and phanthom thief shenanigans to entertain you.

This particular volume is a little short on content, padded with short stories submitted by the same author which really should have been left for later volumes. Average at best and for younger teens only. The plot and characters are too shallow to appeal to older demographics and the art wavers in the first half of serialization. Weaker than much on the market but it does succeed in tacking certain boxes which guarantee a squadron of female fans.

[Ravyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this volume extremely confusing.
I've only ever read one other manga, +Anima, so maybe I just got lucky on my first manga choice, but I felt like the story and characters in this were not introduced well at all. I had a very hard time keeping track of who everyone was because none of the side characters were really officially introduced. Also, it was never clearly stated that Dark would have a voice and conscience of his own, so in the part where Dark and Daisuke first had a conversation between each other, it took several re-readings before I understood what was going on.
Another thing that annoyed me a bit about this volume was that only about the first 2/3rds of it were actually the story. The last part was this random short story thing in a completely different world with completely different characters. After reading the author's note at the end, I found out that this story had been sort of popular (I guess?) and that the author wanted to publish it for fans, but for those (like me) who have never heard of the story it was very confusing.
Anyway, this definitely was not my favorite thing to read, but I will be giving the next volume a go since I had originally picked up the first five volumes from my library. I can't say whether or not I will be finishing the series though. We'll see what happens in the next one.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this series and I absolutely love it. The mixture of chracters and the plot are phenomenal. Especially the contrast between Dark and Daisuke's personalities. Dark is a charismatic, and suave phantome thief, while Daiskue seems to be your typical everday 14 year old middle school kid (although he comes from a family of phantom thieves, and has received special thief training from his mother and grandfather). His life is normal at first until he learns about the abnormality caused by the Niwa genes. Apparently when he sees his crush he transforms into Dark (the legendary phantom thief). You think transforming is the only problem, but then he has Satoshi Hiwatari on his trail. This guy works for the police force (although he is only 14) and wants to uncover Dark's true identity. From stealing rare pieces of art to school life, and romance you get a bit of everyting in this graphical novel series. It will keep you on your toes, on the edge of your seat.

[I'mogén · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: more dipping into a 2.5 stars, but on the higher end of the spectrum (2.75?? If I did my ratings like that xD)

This was such a weird story... I mean its basically about a 14 year old boy who turns into a slightly older boy when he's turned on ("in love" apparently), and steals art too... When you break it down like that, its pretty silly and strange. It can be pretty funny though, so I am some what intrigued to see what else happens.
The transformation of Daisuke really reminded me of Rosario+Vampire, and his little side kick, Wiz, looks like Pikachu....
I really quite liked "N" is for Nishiki. I was confused at first because I didn't understand that it was a separate thing but I really enjoyed it. I wonder if the story was ever continued.

Overall, I would say that I'm somewhat intrigued by where this story goes, so I'll probably check out another few volumes before I decide whether or not to dnf the series.

Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén

[Ace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Daisuke's family has been training him for years to become the Phantom Thief Dark on his fourteenth birthday. D.N.Angel mixes comedy and romance much like Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, though this series doesn't include an equally as magic rival (or, at least it doesn't in what I read). When Daisuke thinks of his crush Risa, he transforms into Dark; to turn back, Dark must see Riku, Risa's twin sister, creating the ultimate love square between the four characters.

Though the love square is interesting and serves the plot, the entire book is more or less based on middle-school romance. It's not very exciting. Daisuke's crush Risa is painfully shallow and could use some real character development. The plot - of not revealing himself and not being found out by classmate Satoshi - is interesting, but more of it needs to be fleshed out to create a compelling story.

[Kristen (belles_bookshelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

(review for entire series)

"My heart has been stolen by you."

So I started reading D.N. Angel originally way back when I was in middle school. Then I watched the anime and adored it. Then I forgot all about it. I decided I wanted to reread it, because I couldn't remember how it ended. And what do you know - 15 volumes in, I realize, it doesn't end! It's just a cliffhanger ending and now I'll never know! What the heck?!?!

That being complained about, I really do adore this series. The art is just beautiful. The Dark/Krad and Daisuke/Satoshi dynamics are great. I love the concept of a Phantom Thief.

My two biggest issues with it are 1. That's it's unfinished, obviously and 2. Risa. My word she is one annoying little child. I skipped scenes with her in it because she's THAT obnoxious.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Currently my favorite series. Great characters, chaotic but plausible and easily followed plot, intense idea, low-to-no mature content, and all around way too much fun, not to mention incredible art. All the way around, I really can't find anything wrong with this. :D

[Winter Rose Phantom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Mizuki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yukiru Sugisaki, COME BACK AND FINISH YOUR SERIES, DAMN YOU!

[Tsundoku By the Day &#x1f4da; · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark is such a bishi XD

[John Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read these since Middle School, and let's just start with the disappointing news that this doesn't hold up, and definitely didnt age well.

I kinda forgot that the characters are in middle school, with the main character just turning 14. I usually just mentally age up all characters in books any way. (Like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.)

It just makes it weird how young they are because this whole plot is based around a boy, who transforms after he feels emotions of love for his crush. Sure, its supposed to be kinda cute, but it wont stop until his crush returns his feelings which is just...weird. Like obviously it fits for Daisukes situation. But what if somone in his family found someone and it worked out. Like for me, one of my first girlfriends I got along well with and dated for a long time (in middle school terms atleast). So that Niwa family member just....wouldnt be Dark?
Its a flimsy plot element and just kinda dramatic considering they are only 14.

The issues continue when we look at Risa. Daisukes love interest. Who rejects Daisuke and starts this whole dramatic plot. We dont have any history for any of these characters, but to me, it doesnt seem like they were friends before. But after Risa rejects him she just strings him along, (assumedly because she likes the attention), the definition of friend zoning. Shes really annoying and not likable, luckily Riku, her sister is.

But that brings up another weird issue. When Dark, the Phantom thief appears, he falls for Riku....for some reason? It doesnt make sense why Dark, who just appears, likes this girl that neither of them talk to.

The books ends in a really terrible fashion as Dark accidentally ends up in Rikus room, and when she starts to freak out, Dark pins her down, and awkward-flimsy-cutesy-anime physics kicks in and they end up kissing and then Dark flees. This is played off as kinda endearing but no...its kinda horrifying, and really should not be a plot element.
This part is all the more disturbing because earlier in the book the girls are all gushing about how hot he is and he can do whatever he wants because he's attractive. Not. Ok.

So besides all of that I still like the general set up. Mangas are so hard to review and rate because they are so short. I like the art, and its a small aspect, but I like how the creator changes their clothes, its a little touch that isnt found often in anime/ manga and Im a fan. The fashion is pretty cool. I also just really like Daisuke. I think he's cute and kinda awkward and you really feel for him and his weird life. Being a teen is hard enough, and now he's stuck with some family curse.

[Kayli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet yet suspenseful manga about middle school student, Daisuke, who has a secret so mysterious that even he doesn't know about it! Until he transforms into his alter ego, the legendary Phantom Thief, Dark, that is! Except Daisuke doesn't want to be Dark and he certainly doesn't want to carry on the family legacy of thievery. Unfortunately, he may not have any choice in the matter considering he switches into Dark whenever he thinks of his crush, Risa, and switches back whenever Dark thinks of his own crush. I won't spoil Dark's crush but it's a doozy! Oh, and if Daisuke wants to reverse the curse (and stop becoming Dark) then he has to win the heart of Risa, who has openly rejected him. Toss in a newfound arch nemesis and we've got quite the teen romance!

I'll be honest, I was surprised at how engaging I found this manga. It reminded me of Sailor Moon (I've only seen the anime, mind you) in that Daisuke transforms into his alter ego but instead of saving the world he's a thief in the night, literally. I also found myself with many, many questions. Is Dark actually an alter ego? Because he seems older and definitely more mature than Daisuke - in all the ways. I mean, he's got the tall, dark and handsome seductive anti-hero thing down pat. Also, why are we stealing art? Is there a reason or is it just a legacy thing? And where are we hiding it? I'm sure these are questions that will be solved in later volumes but here we are. I gave this volume four out of five stars and am excited to read the rest of the series!

[Owl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite manga as a youngster. Nowadays, I'm left wondering what the hell happened? I know printing dropped way back when. I've read that the series was completed at 17 volumes in 2021.

I loved the art for this series, and by some MIRACLE, found the accompany artbook at an anime convention in 2013. I have some (but not all) of the Tokyopop print editions in English. I have some others in the original Japanese.

In retrospect, this concept was friggen weird. (Thus the 3/5 stars) Even back in the day, I recall not giving a hoot about the twin love interests. I was fully invested in how the hell Daisuke could keep Dark! But of course it didn't focus on that. I may have to hunt down the final volumes online somewhere to see how it ended.

That said, I still love the art style!

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

entertaining. Good art, a lot of shoujo I've been reading has had...middling art so it's nice to have some higher caliber work. A 14 year old boy assumes his destiny as the Phantom Thief Dark when he thinks about his first love (Risa, who turned him down after he confessed his feelings to her) and reverts to mild-mannered Daisuke when Dark thinks about *his* first love (Riku, Risa's identical twin sister). Daisuke can't return to being a normal boy until his first love Risa, returns his feelings for him. Also, there's a weird shape-shifting rabbit-squirrel thing that can change into either Dark or Daisuke if the situation calls for it. Riiiiiiiidiculous.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

D.N.Angel was one of the first manga series I ever read, and it was so much fun to revisit with my nostalgia goggles firmly on. The story is about a boy who finds out his family secret on his 14th birthday; that the men in his family transform into an infamous art thief whenever they experience romantic feelings, until they get their first crush to love them back. It's such an adorably absurd premise. I just wish the two love interests were more fleshed out as characters, as they come across as really shallow in this volume, and the intro to one of them is really cringey. I love Daisuke's mum though! She's so proud of her kleptomaniac son and she makes him pyjamas and is just the best.

[Stacey Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting phenomenon happens to a young boy. Transforming without wanting to into a Dark Thief because it's in his family genes. Love unrequited forces him to turn into the boy who steals and who can't be stopped. Who knows about this besides his family? Who has found him out and knows his identity? I'm intrigued enough to continue reading to find out in the next volumes. I love the drawing. I find the panels and the story a bit difficult to follow sometimes but I can figure it out eventually. I'm already hooked and want to see what happens next.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first manga. Like most comic books, I have trouble figuring out what's going on a lot of the time. I'm used to reading words and tend to gloss over details in the pictures that would give me information needed for someone trying to follow the plot. The story is aimed at a demographic I'm not part of. I'm glad I'm not longer a manga virgin, and I have two more readily available which I plan to read, but I'm unlikely to seek it out for myself.

[Ali's Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gusto muchísimo los dibujos! Y la verdad me estuve sonriendo durante todo el rato que leia la historia. Me gustan los personajes, son livianos y divertidos y me gusta la trama de los dos personajes dentro del cuerpo y que tienen que robar arte! Y el amor como medio de transformación! Ya quiero seguir...