D.Gray-man

When Allen Walker joined the Black Order, he was suspected of being an akuma (demon) because of his cursed left eye, but after a brief confrontation he was confirmed as the pupil of the then-missing exorcist Cross Marian. The Black Order's supervisor Komui Lee was more than happy to welcome Allen into the family especially when he learned from Hevlaska that Allen will someday create a "destroyer of time" against the Millennium Earl. This Earl is the head of the Noah Family intent on destroying humanity. The Earl uses the bereaved's grief to convince them to call on the deceased's soul to come back to life. Consequently, they pay the price by becoming akuma that the Earl can control. These akuma are demon machines that evolve whenever they kill humans and akuma alike successfully.

Allen Walker (showing the cursed eye and part of his Innocence) with Timcanpy on the left

The exorcists have the ability to oppose the Earl, his akuma, and the Noah. They are distinguished from normal humans by their use of a substance called Innocence. It has different types and bestows the exorcists different abilities based on their personality and history. Allen's Innocence is embedded in his left arm and at the start of the series manifests as a huge claw-like hand useful for combat. It will evolve as Allen encounters more powerful enemies. Meanwhile, his cursed left eye has the ability to detect souls trapped inside the akuma. Allen therefore can easily recognize akuma disguising as harmless humans. His past played a role in the acquisition of the eye and will be revealed in the series.

Lavi and Kanda

Kanda Yu

Lavi

The first half of the series is episodic and introduces the supporting cast. Most episodes are devoted to minor missions involving people tricked by the Earl and need rescuing. Exorcists Lenalee, Lavi, and Kanda are introduced as well as most of the important figures in the Black Order, the generals and the staff. Allen's mentor is one of the generals. Later Allen and the others will be asked to find the generals to help them against the Earl's attacks. New exorcists like Arystar Krory and Miranda Lotto are also introduced, showing how Innocence manifests in different ways.

Lenalee Lee

Arystar Krory III

Miranda Lotto

The other half of the series is the beginning of the long battle of the exorcists and the Earl and his Noah family. This time the narrative is continuous and more powerful enemies come into play. The Noah are reincarnations of the 13 of the same name. They oppose the exorcists using Dark Matter and each one, like the exorcists, has skills unique to the ability they have inherited from the original Noah. Their goal is to destroy all Innocence fragments and to ultimately find the Heart to end the war. They believe that one of the exorcists possesses the Heart, thus they begin by attacking the strongest of the Black Order --- the generals.

Allen and the Black Order are taking a lot of damage however and it seems only the generals can fight head-to-head with the Noah. Allen has to be stronger so he can fight but he needs to figure out why he wants to fight and how to fight better using his Innocence; things he thought he already knew until he witnessed a Fallen One.

Tyki Mikk and Road Kamelot

Jasdevi

Some of the Noah

A series is good when it has a lead character who doesn't have god-like skills at the outset, a colorful supporting cast, seemingly invincible opponents, and a variety of explosive fight scenes. Allen Walker may be a promising exorcist but he is not without weaknesses. Granted, it is a common trait in most lead characters but he's not hard to like.

I'd have to admit though that I was not impressed at all when it became clear after ten episodes or so that the series would follow a generic, predictable pattern. It has a lot of cliches that I won't bother mentioning and the first half made me think that the story is going nowhere. Once the Earl actually made good of his plans however, the pace picked up and the story seemed much more interesting. There were fight scenes that were not too long or too short and some casualties right away, which I took for a good sign. I guess what made up for the mediocre narrative are the fight scenes. The match-ups of the various of manifestations of Innocence against the mechanical forms of the akuma are interesting to watch. There is also a brooding sense that the exorcists are losing the war no matter how much Allen and the others improve, something you don't usually see in a series that doesn't have anything new to offer.

Besides a predictable story and generic characters, this 103-episode series does have its highlights. After all exorcists fighting machine demons without the use of prayers and holy objects is not commonplace. And once you start hating the Earl and his tricks, you'd want to keep watching wishing something terrible happens to him. 

Millennium Earl

Rating: 9 out of 10