D.N.Angel

D.N.Angel
Genre	Kaitō
Manga
Written by	Yukiru Sugisaki
Published by	Kadokawa Shoten TOKYOPOP Chuang Yi Bonnier Carlsen
Anime
Directed by	Koji Yoshikawa, Nobuyoshi Habara
Studio	Dentsu ADV Films
Video game
D.N.Angel: Crimson Wings (～紅の翼～)
Publisher	TAKARA
Genre	Fantasy, Romance
Platform	PlayStation 2

File:Dn angel ps2.jpg

D.N.Angel: Crimson Wings (～紅の翼～)

D•N•Angel is a manga by Yukiru Sugisaki (杉崎ゆきる) which was later adapted into an anime and a PS2 game, subtitled "Crimson Wings".

Yukiru Sugisaki's wildly popular D•N•Angel manga began its manga run in Japan in Asuka Magazine in 1997 and inspired a hit 26-episode anime show in 2003. Although an action series, its artstyle, character design, and romantic context may be classified as shōjo manga. The manga is published in English by TOKYOPOP. The Manga currently consists of 11 volumes in tankobon form.

The 26 episode television series aired in Japan from April 3 2003 on TV Tokyo, and has been released on DVD in the US by ADV Films. The anime series has a different storyline than the manga series, therefore a two-volume special manga series was released by Asuka titled "D・N・ANGEL TV Animation Series" on 01.08.2003 (First Volume) and 01.10.2003 (2nd Volume), which follows the anime storyline. It finished broadcasting on September 25 2003, where it is the same date as the release of the game, which carries the story from where the anime left off.

Daisuke Niwa is a fourteen-year-old boy who has a "special condition" due to his genes, whenever he has feelings of love or thinks of his crush, Risa Harada, he turns into his alter-ego, Dark, who is called the "Legendary Phantom Thief" or "Dark Mousy". As Dark, Daisuke steals famous works of art in order to seal away the evil that resides in them.

Plot

Daisuke Niwa is a fourteen-year-old boy who has a "special condition" due to his genes: whenever he has feelings of love or thinks of his crush, Risa Harada, he turns into his alter-ego, Dark, who is called the "Legendary Phantom Thief" or "Dark Mousy". However, when Dark sees his "crush," Riku Harada, he turns back into Daisuke {although in the anime adaptation, Dark's transformation back into Daisuke is voluntary, rather than him thinking of Risa). The only cure for Daisuke's "condition" is for him to get his crush (or "Sacred Maiden"), Risa, to return his love, or so he thinks.

Later on, after being rejected by Risa, Daisuke falls in love with Riku. Riku likes him too, but until Daisuke is able to tell Riku about his condition (and she has to accept it), he'll keep transforming.

Interestingly enough, Risa falls in love with Dark, and proceeds to do all sort of absurd things to get him to go out with her, which he eventually does (Only in manga). She has also kissed him on more than one occasion, and it is hinted that Dark might have deeper feelings for Risa as well, but Dark claims that he does not love her, and that Risa's grandmother, Rika, is the only woman he has ever loved.

Characters

Daisuke Niwa

Daisuke Niwa （丹羽大助 Niwa Daisuke）, the 14 year old protagonist of the story, is a typical school boy who has a crush on a girl at his school, Risa Harada. However because of the Niwa family heritage, his special DNA merged with that of the phantom thief, Dark, when he was rejected by Risa.

Daisuke can transform into Dark (usually unwillingly) whenever he experiences feelings of love or intimacy. Daisuke is kind-hearted; the opposite of Dark and always tries to stop Dark from performing crazy stunts to no avail. Later on in the series, Daisuke gradually falls in love with the older twin sister, Riku Harada. Even though he does not look or act it, Daisuke is very perceptive and athletic - capable of jumping from heights that a normal boy could never be capable of. He has daily life-threatening trials from merely entering his home to hone his skills. One of his specialties is his keen ability to picklock (or hack, in the case of electronically acivated locks) any kind of lock in succession.

Daisuke, in the Japanese version of the anime, is voiced by seiyū Miyu Irino, and the younger version by Tomoko Kaneda. In the English Dub he was voiced by the talents of Kevin Corn.

Dark Mousy

Dark Mousy is the entity passed on from the Niwa generation to each new male once he reaches the age of 14 and experiences love. He was dormant for 40 years due to the fact that Daisuke's grandfather (who was Dark's host before Daisuke) had a daughter, Emiko Niwa. Being female, it was impossible for Dark to appear at that time. He is the phantom thief who constantly steals art pieces made by the Hikari family. Unlike Daisuke who likes Risa, Dark fell in love with Riku, the older twin sister. However, he is constantly being pursued by Risa, who fell in love with him from the first time she saw him on tv. It is not apparent yet whether Dark might return her feelings, or whether he's merely toying with her. She does, however, seem to have an impact on him, shown when he says that he can "feel" her words "right here" in his heart. He uses Wiz as his wings, because using his actual black wings would harm Daisuke severely. In the English version, Dark is known as the Phantom Thief Dark, while in Japanese, he is Kaitou Dark. His real name, however, is Kokuyoku, and he is one half of the exalted Black Wings, with Krad being the other half. It is apparent that they once belonged to the same artwork and were enjoined, but were awakened and separated.

He is voiced by Ryotaro Okiayu in the japanese version, and Vic Mignogna in the English Dub.

Risa Harada

Risa Harada （原田リサ Harada Risa） is the younger of twin sisters of whom Daisuke is in love with. However she inadvertantly rejected him before he confessed to her in a letter on his fourteenth birthday. She sees him as nothing more than a friend, and thinks he is far too normal to be a potential boyfriend. She falls in love with Dark Mousy when she first viewed him on the television and continues to be smitten with him despite his blatant indifference to her. She is supposedly cuter than her sister Riku, and also has an ongoing friendly rivalry with her. She wears her hair much longer, and acts more feminine than tomboy Riku. There is a subtle intimacy between herself and Satoshi Hiwatari, although she still at present loves Dark. Later on in the series however, prior to her original rather shallow, self-absorbed personality; Risa grows into a more mature and stronger character, as her 'shallow' love for Dark evolves.

In the manga, Risa pursues Dark, coming up with insane schemes to get him to go out with her, which eventually work. However, Dark states that he cannot be with her, but that for one day he'll be hers alone. As in the manga, there seems to be a very subtle attraction between her and Satoshi Hiwatari, signified by little occurrences, such as he saving her when she falls off a building, or just simply touching a lock of her hair after Daisuke saves her from drowning.

She is voiced by Masumi Asano in the Japanese version of the anime and by Luci Christian in the English dub.

Riku Harada

Riku Harada （原田リク） is Risa's older down-to-earth twin sister; she is assertive, brazenly stubborn, and outspoken. Unlike her feminine sister, Riku's hair is cut much shorter, and she holds an intense dislike for Dark Mousy ever since she caught him outside her window, right after taking a shower. The fact that he stole her first kiss as well, during their second encounter, contributed to her dislike of him. She falls in love with Daisuke and is very insecure about her feelings for him, as one of the greatest reasons being that she thinks he likes her only because of her similarities to her twin, Risa. She is a very independent and selfless person and learns to get over matters quickly, rather than make a large fuss.

She is voiced by Sara Nakayama in the Japanese version of the anime and by Hilary Haag in the English dub.

With (Wiz)

With/Wiz is the family pet of the Niwa family and Dark Mousy's familiar spirit, responding to Dark's call no matter where he is and transforming into a black, winged creature that becomes Dark's wings by clinging to his back. He can also perform other transformations, for example impersonating Dark or Daisuke, but isn't very adept at communicating and does not like learning new words. When he says "Daisuke", it comes out as "daisuki" which means, "I really like". With normally says "Kyuu." With resembles a hybrid of a dog and a bunny (the closest animal Daisuke could compare it to was a flop-eared rabbit), and it is unknown how old he is. He hates water, is afraid of scary movies, and hates Krad. In the English manga translation, With is known as "Wiz", or 'Wizzy'

With is voiced by Mariela Ortiz in the English dub.

Satoshi Hiwatari

Satoshi Hiwatari is always calm and composed, never showing much emotion. Satoshi Hiwatari is a very distant, cold and silent character, though these qualities never seem to affect how close he keeps to Daisuke Niwa. He is extremely intelligent and has a college degree. However, he attends Daisuke's Junior High School in an attempt to have a normal life. He acts as the police commander in charge of capturing Dark, and due to his family legacy, he is almost obsessive in his attempts to capture Dark. He is the sole living member of the Hikari family, whose artworks are almost always Dark's targets for stealing. He was adopted by a 26-year-old police officer by the name of Hiwatari, and so his named was changed to reflect his adoption. During the course of the story, he begins to care more about Daisuke's safety. It appears that Daisuke is the trigger for Satoshi's other personality, Krad, to appear. Satoshi opposes Krad taking control of his body greatly, and has taken on an uncaring personality to 'seal his heart,' and thus, Krad. Krad is Dark's "evil twin", or opposite, a homicidal blond whose only motivation seems to be getting rid of Dark.

He is voiced by Akira Ishida in the Japanese anime, and by Greg Ayres in the English dub.

Emiko Niwa

Emiko Niwa (丹羽笑子) is Daisuke's mother, she is extremely hyperactive and does not act her age. She makes unusual clothing for Dark when he goes out to steal artwork. She is also responsible for sending out the notices to the police that tell them what, when and where Dark's next target will be. Emiko is very much in love with her husband, Daisuke's father Kosuke. It made her very upset as a young girl that she could not become Dark Mousy.

In the Japanese version of the anime, she is voiced by Sakiko Tamagawa, and when in her youth, by Taeko Kawata. In the English dub, she is voiced by Kelly Manison.

Kosuke Niwa

Emiko's husband is the shy and thoughtful Kosuke Niwa (丹羽小助). He married into the Niwa family and adopted the surname meaning he himself is not a Niwa male. He knows a lot about magic and had been journeying often, not having seen his son for many, many years until he finally returned when Daisuke turned 14. He is currently searching for the secrets between the Hikari and the Niwa family. He is very serious when he needs to be, but generally he seems clumsy, exactly like his son. He is easily embarrassed by his wife, Emiko, and her antics. Kosuke was also one of the few characters who arrived late into the series and his true surname is unknown.

He is voiced by Masaki Terasoma in the Japanese version of the anime and by Andy McAvin in the English dub.

Daiki Niwa

Daiki Niwa （丹羽大樹）is Daisuke's grandfather and Emiko's father. He was Dark 40 years ago. Unlike Daisuke, he took the task of stealing as though it was a job. He appears more in the manga then he does in the anime and is more than often goofy and silly.

Takeshi Saehara

Takeshi Saehara (冴原剛) is Daisuke's best friend in school, he serves as comedy relief at times and is the son of Police Inspector Saehara, who pursues Dark under the command of Hiwatari Satoshi. He is very excitable, friendly, rude and irresponsible. He is an enthusiastic reporter or journalist who uses his father's contacts to his advantage. However, he is rather reckless, proven in his plans, which Hiwatari often criticises, calling them ineffective. Saehara also likes to dump his work load, such as homework and cleanup duty, on Daisuke, so he can get out early to find a good spot to get good shots of Dark.

He is voiced by Minoru Shiraishi , and younger version by Yumiko Kobayashi, in the Japanese version of the anime and by Kira Vincent-Davis in the English dub.

Krad

Krad is the complete opposite of Dark (with even Dark's name spelt backwards) and also Dark's worst enemy. Krad is the homicidal blond of the series who is the alter-ego of Hiwatari Satoshi. Apparently, Daisuke was the reason that Satoshi first transformed into Krad. With (Wiz) absolutely despises Krad and always tries to attack him on sight. Krad can be called insanely obsessive, as he attempts to kill Daisuke after their first encounter because he is very possessive over his host, Satoshi, and does not let him get close to anyone. He affectionately calls him, "My everything". Satoshi, however -- like his whole family generation -- despises Krad. On a side note, Krad does not care whether he hurts Satoshi's body physically by using his wings or using his energy. Although feelings of love are what cause Daisuke to transform into Dark, it seems that Krad can force his way out of Satoshi at any moment. Likewise, Satoshi can force Krad back inside his body. One very popular nickname for Krad is Homicidal Blond.

He is voiced by Takeshi Kusao in the Japanese version of the anime and by Illich Guardiola in the English dub.

Rio Hikari

Although only mentioned a few times in the manga, Rio Hikari is an important part of the background story. Rio, the mother of Satoshi Hiwatari, was mentioned in the manga, and shown only in an undetailed way. She was mentioned by Daiki Niwa when he was explaining to Daisuke Niwa that when he was a child, the Hikari was a woman, who gave birth to Rio, then vanished. Rio then had a son, Satoshi. According to Kosuke Niwa in an earlier chapter, Rio Hikari is dead, although there's something important about her thirteenth death anniversary.

Towa no Shirube

Towa no Shirube (永遠の標) is known as Towa-chan (or To-to in the English translation of the manga). She is one of the Hikari's creations but was later released of their services by their last descendant, Satoshi. She is the "symbol/guide of eternity" and was originally in the form of a pelican statue on the lighthouse. A very spunky and lively guardian, she can only maintain a human form at night; during the day, she is a bird-shaped statue or a small bird the size of With. Her first appearance is in volume five where she emerges to assist Daisuke. She appears to have some of her own powers as she can find magical things of power or else sense them and also successfully guides Daisuke into the mirror of the Sleeping Sage. Later on she begins living in the Niwa household and frequently helps Daisuke whenever she can.

In the anime version, Towa is a bird statue that Dark is to steal from the ruins of an old house, damaged by a landslide. She is also able to retain her human form during the day, occupying her bird form only when she is weak, or playing with With. She stays with the Niwa family as their maid.

Towa (in human form, as the Niwa family's maid) dresses in the Gothic Lolita style.

Towa-chan, in the Japanese version of the anime, is voiced by seiyū Rie Tanaka and by Monica Rial in the English dub.

Mio Hio

Mio Hio (桧尾みお Hio Mio) , a character exclusive to the anime version of D.N.Angel, is a transfer student who suddenly shows up at Daisuke's school. While at first glance, Mio might seem to be a simple minded "valley girl" (or American gaijin in the Japanese version, even going as far as to say "Sorry! I can't speak Japanese!" when confronted with certain demands.) she is actually a puppet of Police Chief Hiwatari, being controlled as a voodoo doll with the promise of a real life, in exchange for Daisuke's life.

Mio, in the Japanese version of the anime, is voiced by seiyu Taeko Kawata and by Jessica Boone in the English dub.

Argentine

The newest character, Argentine only appears in the manga. Like Towa, he is one of the Hikari's creations and a very powerful adversary. He takes on the form of a young boy with blonde hair and purple eyes and refers to Dark, as 'Black Wings'. He displays a large amount of power, as he can not only levitate but can also create a power surge large enough to bring an entire area (specifically Azuma Joyland) into complete darkness. Not much is known about this enigmatic character yet except his ambiguous interest in Dark. He kidnaps Risa during her date with Dark and addresses her as, 'Black Wing's Holy Maiden' for reasons yet unknown. He asks Risa if she would marry him, but she refused. The only characters who appear to know him so far are Satoshi and Towa.

List of Episodes

1. Dark Reborn
2. Rekindled Flame
3. Whisper of the Unicorn
4. Between Light and Darkness
5. Double Cooking
6. St. White Memories
7. Adonis in the Garden of Vows
8. Menou's Warning Letter
9. A Little Romance
10. Portrait of a Musician
11. The Temple of Neptune
12. With Rutile...
13. Eternal Guide
14. New Rival
15. Barbeque Panic
16. I Found Her...
17. A Summer Without Dark
18. A Couple Under the Shooting Stars
19. Beautiful Heroine
20. Because I Wanted To See You
21. An Icy Voice Calling
22. Ice and Snow
23. Second Hand of Time
24. Snow Falls in the Heart
25. The Black Wings
26. Eternal Dark

Music

In the anime, serveral tunes are featured:

Opening

Name: "White Night - True Light -"/"Byakuya ~True Light~" (白夜 ～True Light～)
Voice by: Shunichi Miyamoto (宮本駿一)

Ending

• Episode - 1-12

Name: "Gentle Afternoon"/"Yasashii Gogo" (やさしい午後)
Voiced by: Minawo (みなを)

• Episode - 13-23,25

Name: "The Day It Begins"/"Hajimari no Hi" (はじまりの日)
Voiced by: Minawo (みなを)

• Episode - 24:

Name: "Caged Bird"
Voiced by: Shunichi Miyamoto (宮本駿一)

• Episode - 26:

Name: "Michishirube" (道標)
Voiced by: Shunichi Miyamoto (宮本駿一)

External links

• D.N.Angel information at Tokyopop
• D.N.Angel Screenshots Gallery
• D.N.Angel manga information at the Anime News Network
• http://daisuke.volaticus.net/
• http://dnangel.neutralred.org/
• http://dairiku.tz4.com/
• http://dnangel.angst-boi.net/