Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
AhiruArima
This is a must watch anime. Everything is so perfect here. I am a huge fan of Agatha Christie. I love to read novels like Agatha Christie's Poirot and Miss Marple. I would gladly recommend this anime to any fan of Agatha Christie or anyone who likes detective novels and movies. But I have to say that it is not so good as Gosick and Death Note. Those two are on the top of my list.
First I'll start with the story. I give it a 9/10. It has a really interesting plot. After Huey's grandfather dies he was told to take the custody of the Bibliotheca Mystica de Dantalian in order to inherit his estate. He was also given a key. He later meets Dalian who is the Black Bibioprincess. It is also known that Huey's grandfather was a Keykeeper. So after his grandfather's death he becomes the keykeeper. T…
Read at the sourceGrowler
Some people agree that having all the answers in the universe our lives would have meaning, however some other people agree that ignorance is bliss. The only way we find out which ones make a better point is by experience.
The Story spins around these mysterious items called Phantom Books which contain forbbiden knowledge left behind by their writers. One could read them and tap into a well of unimaginable powers. Tempting as far as normal lives go yet forbidden knowledge comes with a great price. It is the job of the two protagonists to solve the mysteries that these books shroud and recover as many as possible.
Classical Artwork emphasizes this series and its characters yet notable would be the backgrounds wich act more like a cardboard greenscreen. From some points it can be better, e…
Read at the sourcePilar_S
[English and Spanish review]
[English]
Why you should watch Dantalian?
If you are a bookworm, like me, you must watch this show. The story, even though is simple and sometimes repetitive, leads you to increase your fascination about books, their magic and the wonderful worlds that are inside each one of them. Good short stories, with great character design, and the "lovely" Dalian, which is kind of my model to look up to.
The only thing I can complain about is that some of the characters are not well developed. I think it should have been a longer season, to fill up some holes in the story and in the link between characters, and to dig deeper in each one of them as well.
Why do I love it?
Because everyone makes fun of you when you are a chronic reader. This anime is able to represent…
Read at the sourceratchet573
Dantalian No Shoka is a Gainax anime. That’s all I really know about its background other than the fact it is based off of a light novel series, which seems readily apparent when watching any anime. It’s either based off of a manga, light novel, or visual novel. So either a book, a comic book, or a book with pictures that is a mixture of a manga and a book.
Is this anime worth your time? Well, let me tell you.
Story
Dantalian No Shoka is twelve episodes long and when I think of twelve episodes, I think of a cohesive plot that has a satisfying climax. Dantalian No Shoka is like the polar opposite of that. While the series does have a small amount of cohesive plot (a lot more during the final episode), most of the series is episodic in nature. The plot revolves around Hugh Anthony Disward,…
Read at the sourceMicsupreeme
~ May the doors of wisdom open ~
In essence, Dantalian no Shoka, or "Dantalian" as i will refer to it from here on is an anime that made the best of an unfortunate situation. If anime production meant compacting carbon at high temperatures, then Dantalian is a diamond that refused itself the right to form...
A simple, yet vivid and interesting context of "Magical Tomes" makes up Dantalian, and allows it to attract an audience range primarily from both the mystery and fantasy realms. It's not revolutionary, though it's certainly a context that captures my attention much better than the majority of shows with similar paths. Literature is an important theme for Dantalian (not only due to the tomes), and generally the mystery genre as a whole. It serves to add some weight to this otherwise m…
Read at the sourceAoiy25
"There are things better left unknown"-Dalian
At first glance, Dantalian no Shoka seems like a mediocre anime,which is full of mysteries but I think it's more than that.
Story: 8/10
Summary- The story follows Huey who inherits a mansion and a library with many valuable books from his grandfather but there happens something unexpected. He meets Dalian,the custodian of the Bibliotheca Mystica de Dantalian and he becomes Dalian's Keykeeper. Bibliotheca Mystica of Dantalian is not an ordinary library. There are books that should not exist.
Point of View- I think that the story was told pretty well. Even if the anime is episodic , the mystery is complex. The storyline is unique and interesting. I think the pacing is pretty good. The ending is good too but you must understand it.
Art: 9…
Read at the sourceAkumuX
Dantalian no Shoka is a show about of books. Therefore, if you don't have an interest in literature (e.g. poetry, books, etc), this show probably won't resonate with you. The story progresses at a relaxing pace which can also throw people off. Has a soundtrack that I am very fond of. That art style isn't amazing but is still done well.
If you're wanting to see a "Should you watch this show" type of thing, then I would say: watch the pilot and see for yourself Mr.I'm-to-cool-to-watch-the-pilot-of-a-show-that-I-don't-know-because-I-read-MAL-reviews.
Read at the sourceLord_Odous
Back in the days of post-WW1 era, books and written words were the main medium in passing down knowledge from one to another. However, some books contain knowledge that are too dangerous to the world.
These books were known as ‘phantom books’, and should be returned to their rightful place.
Story – 6/10
The story revolves around Hugh Anthony Disward (Huey), a retired WW1 soldier who inherited his grandfather’s Bibliotheca Mystica no Dantalian, made contact with Dalian, who happens to be the library herself. They are to find those misplaced phantom books, and return them to the library.
This sets up to an episodic plot. Each episode features a different phantom book which is and affects its user and the world in various ways. The common issue of an episodic plot remains, some episodes may…
Read at the sourceUnculturedWhitey
Interesting dark 'n' mystic atmosphere. Perhaps I should say *this* is reminiscent of Amnesia (rather than Another) due to it being placed in a similar (I think?) era and with supernatural frights. Nowhere near as spooky, though I'm still with Diablo II's necromancer: I enjoy the darkness.
We of course need the ill-fitting, tsuntsun loli to bring in a wider audience, too. Mouthy, dinky and childish? Pedopaaaanderiiiing.
The gothic storybook ambiance makes it easy for me to forgive this being formulaic & monster-of-the-week (even if they weren't always "monsters"). Harder to forget this having Angel Beats!-levels of disjointedness, though.
Could have been a lot better had they tied things together, did more digging into the interesting and potential-filled world they created, and relied…
Read at the source_Rika
I've always had this habit of picking up stuff to watch and read on a whim, and lately I have been doing that quite frequently. Without giving it a second thought, I put Dantalian no Shoka on download. Not that I was expecting anything much from it to begin with but to be honest, Dantalian no Shoka is a letdown.
- STORY -
Adapted from the light novel of the same, Dantalian no Shoka (also known as Bibliotheca Mystica de Dantalian or the Mystic Archives of Dantalian) is set in the backdrop of England after World War I. Hugh Anthony "Huey" Disward, a young man and ex-Pilot inherits a mansion including a vast library from his late grandfather. He encounters and soon befriends a mysterious, petite girl named Dalian who is the guardian of the Bibliotheca Mystica de Dantalian accommodating sev…
Read at the sourceLina-chan87
Dantalian no Shoka: Ten reasons why.
1. Great anime.
2. Great concept.
3. Spectacular characters. (Although, the development of some characters lacked that oomph.)
4. Great storyline. 5. Plenty of action, plot twists and books.
6. Loli AND tsundere. Lol. I know tons of people who would watch this anime for that.
7. Blonde guy in trenchcoat + book ftw.
8. Is it just me, or is the part where he sticks his hand into her chest amusing?
9. EPIC AND DAZZLING EFFECTS, AUDIO AND ART.
10. Hey, what's not to love about a dramatic ending?
And that's my story. (Your cue to say, "Cool story, bro.")
Read at the sourceJigoku-n3ko
This is an anime about a loligoth tsundere and her generic male sidekick romping around a historically inaccurate yet picturesque England looking for magical books. It is a story perfectly exemplifying the phrase “golden mediocrity”. You can actually see how everything in this anime is just mediocre. Not bad, or at least, not all the time, but mediocre. You can almost feel how a talented touch would have raised this above the slush. Oh, well, better luck next time.
Story:
The story format is episodic. This means that while there is a lot of diversity in tone and feeling, inevitably episodes will be hit or miss depending on their chosen subject. Some episodes really caught my interest while in others I was constantly hitting the pause button so I could go do some important stuff like watch…
Read at the sourceArchaeon
These days we take the written word for granted, but for the majority of human history this has not been the case. Over the millennia, those with the ability to communicate using these strange markings have been viewed with awe and suspicion in almost equal measure, and many believed that anything written was magical in some way. It's only logical then, that people would begin to think that certain works were holy writ handed down by a deity, held the secrets to immense power, or contained forbidden knowledge that would bring misfortune and death upon anyone who read them.
Eventually certain books were, for one reason or another, deemed too dangerous for the general public ...
Originally a light novel series by Mikumo Gakuto, Dantalian no Shoka (The Mystic Archives of Dantalian), takes p…
Read at the sourceForganesolid
'Art thou mankind?' 'Nay. I am the world. The world inside the gourd.'
I came into The Mystic Archives of Dantalian/Dantalian no Shoka (Hereafter known simply as Dantalian) with no expectations. The very first thing I noticed about the show was the art. It was simply put gorgeous. My eyes were fully engrossed with the shows beautiful use of color and artistry. To be completely honest with you my readers, this anime is worth a try for the art alone. If that were all I would say this was simply another run of the mill anime and that's all, but not only that, but the music is simply fabulous. Orchestral pieces throughout the entire series fit the dark and enigmatic presence of the series as a whole. Making this a treat for both the eyes and the ears, where could this series go wrong?
I ask…
Read at the sourcekartesian
Gothic and Lolita themed stories often present that vampiric charisma atmosphere that charms an audience so pleasantly. With a story of both Gothic and Lolita elements as Dantalian no Shoka, the remaining ingredient for a charming series lies in the characters. And yes, they did deliver. Although not on their own. As individuals, Hugh is only our calm, cool-keeping lead and Dalian is our standard tea sipping, pastry loving, tsundere loli. The key to the show's success was the interaction between these two as they developed through their journey.
Spice and Wolf fans (and not for the furry aspect of the show), will enjoy Dantalian no Shoka for the chemistry between the two lead characters. As a shift from the romance genre, Dantalian no Shoka steers clear of any suggested innuendos of perve…
Read at the sourceSilentAmarok
This is my first review. Be gentle guise.
P.s I'm only on the second episode.
I'm really liking this anime for the art and story. beautiful character design, intresting plot so far. Young male inherets grandfather's Mansion and large collection of book's. Not as thurough a reader as his grandfather but seeming still intrested. Apon ariving at the mansion, he walks inside to find that the library is completly of books. >.> where could the books be. End's up being led to an underground celler where his grandfather apprently kept his books close by at a table and a chair. And siting in this chair is the next chapter in this man's life. Great anime, I reccomend it to anyone who loves a story that isn't exactly outlined in the begining. Thank's for reading.
Read at the sourceVTOtaku
I started this series with high hopes and an understanding that they may not be met. Unfortunately they weren't on all levels but were on a few. An above average series for some, disappointing for most, but still something that I, in the end, enjoyed and liked, though I would only recommend to a niche audience.
Overall: 7
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Story: 7
The idea in it's very basic form is nothing new. A guy-girl duo out to save people from things they don't understand/are misusing to hurt others. Despite this, I found it interesting still that "phantom books" were chosen as the tools. It's something different and in a sense, philosophical, to see that words are chosen as the weapon. Anyways, the story starts off rather episodic with very little tying one episode to the next other than the main chara…
Read at the sourceRomie-chan
Dantalian no Shoka is a perfect representation of what history actually is. History can be beautiful, serious, mysterious and sometimes down-right brutal. This show does not hide its colors, but emphasizes them. To truly know history you must know every nook and cranny and even the stuff you wish you had never found out. Dantalian no Shoka, shows no mercy.
This is pretty much a random story line, but still has some underlying connections (like relationships). As a young boy Huey, finds and befriends a lonely librarian who watches over a library filled with more than 600,000 books, but that catch is that the library is mystical/magical. Then the show starts with Huey being an adult and befriending another young lady named Dantalian. She and Huey go through many adventures both happy ones a…
Read at the sourcenerdypants
I had high hopes for this show, mostly because I love books, and it sounded like an interesting concept. However, that interesting concept was shunted into a villain-of-the-week formula that soon grew tiresome. While it is possible to do that formula well, these plots ranged from boring to inane. In addition to the stand-alone plots of the episodes was a feeble attempt at an overarching plot, which really failed spectacularly at tying anything together. The ending did little to actually end anything, or explain anything, or give even the least sense of closure.
Which brings me to the characters. This was by far the most negative element of the show: the complete lack of character development. Dalian was your generic bitchy little girl who actually cares more than she lets on. Huey was jus…
Read at the sourceKiritoKun
Updated to Final Episode.
I personally had this anime recommended to me by a friend, saying I might like it. (He had read the novels I believe.) So I came into this show knowing nothing at all since I had decided not to try to get any background on it to be unbiased about it.
I was reasonably surprised by how good I actually found it to be.
Story:
Personally I normally don't like dark atmosphere anime, yet this one does it in a way that I wanted to keep watching since it kept pulling me in to want to know more about the story and these Phantom Books.
Ok, after episode two I find myself mildly lost. At first I thought that the Phantom Books were going to be a tool of destruction in the hands of people who could not control them. But if I understood correctly Huey used two in the episod…
Read at the source