Main Feature	Special Features
	Video	1080p High Definition 16:9	480i Standard Definition
	Audio	Dolby TrueHD 5.1: English Dolby TrueHD 2.0: Japanese	Dolby Digital 2.0
	Subtitle	English
	Rating	TV 14	NR
	Running Time	300 minutes
	Released By: FUNimation Entertainment
	Release Date: January 05, 2010
	Review Date: April 12, 2010
	Reviewed By: Scott Campbell
	You have not seen “D.Gray-Man  Season One - Part One” until you’ve seen it in High-Definition Rating:

THE STORY IN A NUTSHELL:
Set in a fictional 19th century England, D.Gray-Man covers the story of the main character Allen Walker, who searches the earth for the substance known as “Innocence.” Though lost long ago during an apocalyptic event known as “the Great Flood,” this substance can be used to create weapons to fight demons called “Akuma.” Darkness is moving in, and young exorcist Allen Walker is humanity’s greatest hope against the wicked forces conspiring to bring civilization to its knees. The Akuma – cruel spirits born of tragedy and lost souls – lurk in every shadow, willing and eager to do the bidding of their leader, the dread Millennium Earl. With an eye cursed to see evil in its truest form and blessed with an arm to slay soul-devouring demons, Allen stands ready to confront the gathering storm. Should he fail, Innocence will be lost forever. It is Allen’s mission to locate the Innocence and use it to destroy these foes. Thankfully he doesn’t have to do this alone, and is joined by a variety of unique allies and rivals.

REVIEW:
D.Gray-Man has a wicked blast-off from the very start – it’s extremely quick to throw the viewer into the dark world that Allen inhabits, and the terrors that prey on humanity from the shadows. This series features many things, but of the upmost importance are the epic fights and great action sequences that take place when the Akuma need exorcising. The animation is fantastic, and of course the Blu-Ray format takes the action to the next level both visually, and in relation to the sound. The details and the complexity of the art help to bring about all this action, and the advancement of Blu-Ray allows it to show itself at it’s best – it’s that simple. As for the plot – and relating said plot back to it’s origins in manga - D.Gray-Man Season One Part One does an excellent job sticking to Hoshino Katsura’s manga series, introducing a gothic Victorian world and introducing the akuma, the Earl, and the exorcists. It also lays the groundwork for what the Earl’s plans are, and what the exorcists are doing. It’s a pretty standard “get the artifacts before the enemies do” goal, but with a couple exciting twists. As for the story and the character development, these things are also held in high regard by the production crew, and it’s made apparent by how involving the plot becomes with each advancing episode. D.Gray-Man is one of those anime that has such a perfect balance of elements, that it is easy to see why it holds such a high place in many fan’s minds. There are a great number of well developed characters that are immersed in an involving, but not overly complicated plot – making it accessible to people at both a young and mature age level. The story is epic and chockfull of dramatic and intertwined character relationships and motivations – it’s easy to see why so many people love D.Gray-Man as much as they do. I am very comfortable raving about it, because I think it is awesome too!

TECHNICAL TERMS:
When it comes down to the technical aspects of this anime and its visuals, the main question on everyone’s mind is whether it is worth having on Blu-ray versus DVD. For an anime this fantastic, featuring locations and characters this developed, I would certainly say yes. Along the way, we’re given plenty of explosive, horrific action with macabre creatures, graveyards, little shadowy towns, and the tragic, horrific origins of the akuma – why wouldn’t the viewer want to experience an anime like this in Blu-Ray. Blu-Ray was meant for high quality anime like this, with a big fan base that will appreciate seeing their favorite series in the highest quality format possible. The rich colors and the details of the artwork and animation truly come to life on this new format, as they do with any animation given the Blu-Ray treatment. Anyone who has had some experience with Blu-Ray, and especially that relating to animation, knows full well how much of a difference Blu-Ray can make on an animated piece. Trying to describe it in words is somewhat difficult, but you just have to believe that it “pops” off the screen, and breathes a much different, more exciting “life” into the animation. A part of the point of good animation is to make our minds believe that thousands of drawings in sequence is actually creatings something “real” – so a higher level of technical presentation (ie: the Blu-Ray format and its qualities) will always help the viewer to more appreciate what they are watching, and receive more value from the experience. This is doubled for series with lots of action and movement, and it is no question that D.Gray-Man contains plenty of both those things! The 1080P definition rendering of the visuals makes this the best looking D.Gray-Man DVD set yet,  and should prove to be a fan favorite format version due to its obvious technical prowess.

FEATURETTE:
The D.Gray-Man Season One Part One Blu-Ray set does not contain a “featurette” per say, but it does  however contain multiple smaller features that are worth mentioning. This set includes some great actor commentary, textless songs, and Funimation trailers to show you what else is available from the company for purchase. All of these features really add to the experience, and take you one step farther into the world of D.Gray-Man if you want to see something more about it once you are done watching the series itself. It also gives the viewer a look into a world they might otherwise not get to see or experience in relation to the voice-overs and the voice acting itself. It’s neat to see some of the people behind the voices at work and understand what they go through to bring the characters to life with their acting talent. Features like this add a lot of dimension to an anime, and an understanding about the technical aspects of production that we as fans would otherwise be oblivious of – it’s quite enjoyable and eye-opening! It would be nice if they could get a few more extras on there since it is Blu-Ray, and anyone buying this DVD format is likely a big fan. Maybe Season One Part Two will have more to offer.

CASE IN POINT:
D.Gray-Man is one of those anime that was made to succeed from day one. It had a huge budget, and the creators spent the time and energy necessary to create a series that would be worthy of great attention. Not every anime has so much care put into it, but then again not every anime is expected to make such a big splash, and to impress so many people. From the viewer’s perspective, it only makes sense to choose to watch the best shows, because watching the best isn’t going to cost us a million more dollars to see than a less than great anime sitting next to it on the shelf. D-Gray-Man is so professional in its production, that it literally just makes sense to watch it – it’s “one of the good ones” as they say. Fantastic animation, story and characters all come together to bring us this very entertaining anime series – and it’s made all the better by being on Blu-Ray with all it’s technological glory.