Bryce's Blog

Before, I have been only reviewing anime that I have on DVD. The reason for this is because I get better picture quality than if I reviewed something I streamed online. However, in order to help me keep track of what I have watched, I thought I would start reviewing anime that I have streamed. Today is the first post doing such a thing.

Recently, I have come across an anime that is currently airing in Japan called The Mystic Archives of Dantalian. The synopsis seemed okay, but this was quite different from the last anime that I watched which dealt with using books to solve problems, which were Read or Die and R.O.D. the TV. However, I just watched it, since I have nothing better to do, while waiting for my proofreader to get back to me on my upcoming book, except read and study.

What is the show about? A man named Huey received a letter notifying him of an inheritance that he had received from his late grandfather, who has amassed a huge collection of books during his lifetime. However, to have the inheritance, he must also accept the Bibliotheca Mystica de Dantalian, which contains forbidden knowledge in various magical books known as Phantom Books. When he arrives at his grandfather’s estate, he meets a child name Dalian, who is the guardian of the archives of Dantalian. Once he accepts her, they must hunt down the misuse of the Phantom Books and seal the power of those books.

For a pilot, I would say that this was kind of interesting. After all, most pilot episodes are absolute garbage, such as NBC’s The Event. However, this does not really seem like a unique anime, since there are many where a male and female meet and their lives become intertwined or one or both lives change. For example, we have Bleach, Buso Renkin, and I would also consider Black Cat. Most of those are generic titles, but the lives of each protagonists is changed, when they meet a girl. In the former two, the protagonists gain new power, much like Huey does in this series. In a way, the sealing through books reminds me of D.N. Angel, one of the few Shoujo titles I enjoy.All I can say is that this show does not seem special.

Not special? You only watched one episode of the show. Many stories start the same way, just as many shows do, so I do kind of have a say on this, but if it makes everyone happy, I do not usually drop shows on the first episode. I try to watch most of the show before I can decide whether or not it is good.

Who do you recommend to watch this? I have not seen a whole lot of the show yet, so I cannot determine that right now.

Have you ever watch this show before? Feel free to comment.