It’s a story about the power of books; about the keeping of promises; about the magic that exists in simply believing in miracles. About “madness. Or perhaps fear. Emotions so strong that they burn. A desire strong enough to break through boundaries.”

And about a fully-grown man shoving his hand into a young girl’s chest in order to access a mystical library.

The contract-with-a-magical-cohort angle and the Victorian/Gothic aesthetic have led me to call this the poor man’s Black Butler. It’s as though Dantalian set out to achieve the very same things but just couldn’t quite hit the mark: the character designs aren’t nearly as extravagant or polished, the audience never really understands the rules of Huey’s world (how many people know about the Phantom Books? How many mystical archives and Keykeeper’s are there?), and even at only twelve episodes long, the show still feels like it wanders around a bit aimlessly.

But Dantalian is a perfectly serviceable show in its own right – I would never warn anyone to stay away from it, for example, but the only people to whom I would recommend it are those who might object to some of the seedier sexuality in Black Butler. The artwork has moments of brilliance, particularly when it comes to the magical effects spawned by the Phantom Books themselves. Characters are memorable despite their relatively simplistic designs. (The biggest issue with the designs comes from the fact that all but one of the prominent male characters are blonde and have light colored eyes – they begin to run together visually if you aren’t careful.)

The problems that I had with No. 6 and its short length are absent in Dantalian. The latter doesn’t attempt to have a cohesive story from episode to episode, choosing instead to focus on individually contained tales that end when the credits roll. Some thread to tie it all together might have been just the thing to bump the show up from intriguing to impossible-to-look-away, but the lack of it doesn’t break the experience completely. Still, my favorite episodes were those that seemed to offer some glimpse of a greater plot at work: episode 6 introduces another anthropomorphized archive and it’s Keykeeper, one who chooses to burn Phantom Books rather than shelve them; episode 11 delves into Huey’s fighter pilot past and also introduces an antagonist just in time for the rushed finale of episode 12.

Speaking of antagonists, there really aren’t many to speak of. Each episode has its villain that struts about the stage, but they never feel like true threats to the world. As a result, the so-called conclusion offered by the final episode seems more like the end of an episode rather than of the whole series, and leaves the show on an unsatisfying note. More time probably should have been dedicated not only to Huey and Dalian, but also to the various other named characters who crop up here and there only to rarely (if ever) be heard from again.

If you have some time to kill on a weekend or late at night, click over to Crunchyroll and watch an episode of Dantalian to see if it’s for you. It’s a show that doesn’t require any real investment. You can put it down and come back much later without ever feeling that you’ve forgotten or missed something, but in return, it isn’t the visual equivalent of a page-turner, either.

Yes, Huey, this show would have been better with a few more simple and universal answers.

It’s no Neon Genesis Evangelion or FLCL, but there are a lot of extremely thought-evoking elements and little backstory to the characters, which leaves a lot open to interpretation. I kind of like it.

As the Great War comes to a close, Hugh Anthony Disward leaves his fighter pilot days behind him to settle into an estate that he inherits from his recently deceased grandfather. In the estate, he meets a strange girl named Dalian who, he soon discovers, is a custodian of the Mystic Archives of Dantalian, which is a library of Phantom Books containing forbidden magic. Through a set of circumstances, Hugh forms a pact with the girl and becomes able to read and use the magic contained in the books so long as Dalian approves of the usage. The pair works to find other Phantom Books that are in the possession of people throughout Europe and destroy them.

There are a few series that I could compare this one to, but considering the era and its emphasis on mystery and the supernatural, I’ll hand it off to Gosick, all the way down to the gothic loli-girl female lead dressed in a frilly black Victorian dress. What is different, however, is that the male protagonist is supremely capable of not only handling himself, but protecting his charge, Dalian. It’s a refreshing change of pace, since many of the recent series that I’ve watched have a male lead with some amount of bumbling idiocy lodged in his brainstem. This is definitely not the case with Hugh, though he is often treated in a condescending manner by Dalian. It’s great, though, to actually have a male lead that isn’t overly reliant on the unusual powers of his magical partner.

Though there doesn’t seem to be much of a greater plot that is seen throughout the anime, each episode provides several thought-evoking questions about humanity and the characteristics of humans in turmoil. When a person is in possession of a Phantom Book, they typically obtain the powers of that book and it’s interesting to see the different ways that they use it for personal gain or otherwise. Plus, some of the books are just really cool – there’s one book that allows a person to be resurrected from the dead if another is killed. It linked two characters together and they would trade off in phases of being alive and dead in order to interact with Hugh and Dalian at different times. So all in all, the ‘powers’ in this series are pretty neat and creative.

I'll just reach in and ...

The animation is fluent and vibrant as well. It brims with style – Hugh literally reaches into Dalian’s chest to access the Mystic Archives and although I could say a few crass things about the location of the special ‘locks’ on the custodians (Dalian’s is on her chest, another actually has it on an eyepatch, which is awesome), the series maintains an overall serious tone. No fanservice here, guys.

I was also very pleased with Ono Daisuke‘s performance as Hugh. I’m not a huge fan of him, despite his popularity (I’ll admit, my dislike of Koizumi Itsuki from the Haruhi series has a lot to do with that) but he does a wonderful job portraying the laid-back, level-headed protagonist. I’ll also note that  Noto Mamiko does the voice of a supporting character (but an energetic one!), so that’s always a plus in my book.

I’m really hoping that this series isn’t over. I haven’t read the novels or anything so I don’t know exactly how many volumes were covered throughout this season, but there are enough unanswered questions and brewing conflict to last for a while. Did I mention that the Phantom Book powers are really cool?

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Dantalian no Shoka – Character Ranking

1. Dalian
2. Hugh Anthony Disward
3. Shoujo no Shoka
4. Rasiel
5. Camilla Sauer Keynes
6. Vance
7. Flamberge

The first title is “Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan”. The synopsis of this series is “Rikuo Nura lives in Ukiyoe Town and looks like your typical junior high student. But unlike his classmates, he lives in an old, Japanese-style house full of yokai that serve him. Unbeknownst to many, Rikuo is the grandson of Nurarihyon, who is the leader of all yokai. Rikuo is regarded as the Third Heir of the Nura Clan, but he has yet to officially take his seat.“

Currently the first seven episodes are available for viewing HERE.

The second series is “Mystic Archives of Dantalian”. The plot (as described by Anime News Network) sees “Hugh Anthony Disward inherit an old mansion and a personal library from his grandfather. In the basement of the mansion, he meets a mysterious girl—Dalian. She is a Dantalian and a gateway to “Dantalian’s bookshelf”, which stores the prohibited books of the demons.“

The first three episodes are now available for streaming HERE. It’s the intention of Anime On Demand to make this a weekly simulcast once they are parallel with the Japanese viewing schedule.

There are more title to be added in the coming weeks and we’ll be sure to notify you once they are available. For more information on Anime On Demand, visit their website HERE.