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onomatopagu-et-cie · 1 year

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Again some other personal notes on D. Gray-Man (Link, part. 2)

First impressions after re-reading DGM Some theories and observations Notes on Link, part 1

Here's the second part on the notes more focused on Link's character! They will also touch on Johnny's (and Kanda!!!) wholesome character and how their relationship to Allen is portrayed!

One day I'll dedicate a whole post on Kanda because there's A LOT to say about him, I love how he fits the story's themes!

Again have a nice week!

(SPOILERS UP TO CH247!!!!)

▶ The Allen-Kanda-Johnny trio, Johnny and Link parallels

THEM!!!!

I love how Allen is slowly reconnecting with his world through Johnny and Kanda! The way they are portrayed is really interesting.

Johnny offers Allen full emotional support when he didn’t think he even needed it in the first place (eg. when he realizes he’s been feeling lonely all this time) and will never let go of their bond. I loved how Johnny’s involvement with the story gradually developed too!

Kanda is determined to help Allen despite his unyielding rejections ; even if the truth hurts, he will search for it and won’t sugarcoat it in order to move things forward and have the keys to help Allen. He understands Johnny is someone Allen needs the most beside him right now: he has his best interests at heart and an unwavering faith in him, just like Alma made him believe in a future together.

I wonder how Link’s presence will factor in this situation, especially now that he revealed his role to everyone.

I love the parallel here between ch211 (Johnny reunites with Allen) and ch247 (Allen reunites with Link). When Johnny reminded Allen how lonely he was, his line of thoughts strayed to the last time he saw Link: Apocryphos was the root cause of his isolation and at that time, he believed Link was dead by its hands.

Allen probably wouldn’t have accepted help if Johnny didn’t give him unconditional support, so I wonder if just like Johnny, Allen will be able to help Link somehow?

It’s interesting to look at Johnny and Link side to side:

At the beginning, Johnny completely relied on Allen’s help as an exorcist (pretty understandably, he’s a scientist and the Level 4 attack was a tragedy) and failed to realize the soul-crushing burden he carried on his own. Stricken with guilt after the Level 4 attack, he strongly wanted to save everyone to make up for Tapp and the others then, as the next arcs show.

When Allen escaped the Order, Johnny decided to go after him because he understood how lonely his friend must be, and was also convinced he would never have killed Link. He gave him his full support and trust. (I’m just digging these kinds of plot lines, just like Ochako’s « when heroes suffer, who is there to help them? » in MHA!)

Link failed Allen once: he was torn between Luberrier’s orders and Allen’s plea to trust him, but he was also determined to save the latter from the Fourteenth, that’s why he bound him in the first place. He was also stricken with remorse towards the fate of the third generation exorcists he considered as his own family.

He’s in a place where he can hardly give unconditional trust/emotional engagement to anyone. His role frames him in a passive position: he’s a Crow meant to obey Luberrier’s orders, as his shadow.

His existence as a Crow denies him everything he can claim as his: even the family he found in Tewaku, Madarao, Tokusa, Goushi and Kiredori was taken away from (and also ironically because of) him because he’s a puppet.

And I think Allen could sympathize with his situation, since Neah said the same of him. It could explain his quiet reaction to Link confessing he’s come to aid the Fourteenth, only asking if he’s okay with all ‘that’. It also ties into the general marionette - puppet - doll staged on a play imagery weaved throughout the story (if I’m not mistaken, Hoshino intended to title the story ‘Dolls’ before DGM?).

While Johnny left the Order to stay by Allen’s side as his friend, Link meant to disappear from Allen’s side should he overcome Neah’s memory, probably because he doesn’t deem himself worthy of any kind of bond with Allen.

Just like Fo said to Allen, everybody comes with their lot of hopes, dreams and struggles, and sometimes it’s difficult to reach out:

Faith is an important theme in D. Gray-man, depicted in a light both positive and negative:

We can see it reflected in Anita, Lenalee and Lavi’s stories. The unshakeable belief that Cross didn’t sink with his float that sustains alone Anita ; the anguish to keep on advancing even though Allen might be gone that both Lavi and Lenalee struggled with. Allen wanted Lenalee to believe they would all come back safely from the Ark when her legs couldn’t synchronize. The doubt that gradually seized Allen’s faith in his bond with Mana. It dissipated once he decided to face the truth and fulfill his promise to him. Allen’s faith in his path as an exorcist and his promise to Mana is also strongly associated to his self-sacrifice. Little by little the story also shows that faith in ‘God’ didn’t even hold any meaning in this staged world. The Order is given prophecies and blindly acts accordingly as Apocryphos and the Heart pull the strings ; the Noah believe in a completely different depiction of the Three Days of Darkness. The cruelty in faith was also strongly introduced with Marc and Claire’s story in the first chapter. Innocence is believed to bring salvation but we get to see how parasitic it is to their holders. Link believed in the uprightness of the Vatican before facing Apocryphos. His faith in Luberrier also seems to waver the more he delves into his true intentions. Cross’s belief in Neah’s promise stuck him in a 30-year-long search for a host. Luberrier hates God but deeply believes in humanity’s ability to take back the control of this war, no matter the atrocities. Zuu was willing to give what was left of his life because he believed Luberrier’s plan would success.

It was just as important when Link didn’t listen to Allen: the thought couldn’t leave Link’s mind and the first thing Allen does after staying silent for a long time is apologizing for the argument.

(This moment even described their relationship in Allen’s chart ;;)

Link then decided to confide in him and share his past but Apocryphos interrupted their talk.

Maybe it was also the first time he shared his past with somebody else, just like Allen did with him in ch183.

(in the bottom right panel on the first page, Link remarks it’s the first time Allen has ever spoken of Mana to somebody)

Their stories are also similar: orphans, they found the comfort of a family but due to tragic circumstances beyond their control (totally for Allen, partly for Link), they found themselves feeling deeply guilty of the destruction of their family:

Allen loves Mana as his father. He holds himself responsible of Mana’s double death, first when he hurt him with his arm because of Apocryphos, who staged all this tragedy, then when he turned him into an Akuma.

Link holds himself, and not Luberrier, responsible of the fate of the third generation exorcists, fully transformed into Akuma in the end. Ch201, where Link stops Allen and fails to save Tokusa and Tewaku, is titled « Desperate sinner »: he’s caught up by the order he was given to retrieve the egg fragment. He was however unaware of how it would be used (and should he have known, I don’t believe he would have a say in it either, as he’s only asked to follow orders), as the chapters before the North-American branch attack clearly establish. And even less that it would lead to experimenting on his family.

The parallels between Johnny and Link don’t stop there. Some moments important to the development of Johnny and Link regarding their relationship with Allen are also associated with rays of light (be it day or moonlight).

1) Rays of lights here add to the dramatic effect of all these moments. They frame them as important moments.

2) Following the empathic environment and cue the sun tropes (Empathic Environment - TV Tropes), the rays could be a symbol of a solace found in the character’s words and/or action. Hunter x Hunter illustrates it well with Killua’s perception of Gon as well as Meruem and Komugi’s relationship.

And this holds more meaning especially since Allen associated his link to this dark world as a lantern: it was first introduced in his conversation with Fo in ch80. Manga often use the light as a symbol of a warm light guiding a character’s path to their ‘home’.

The dialogue goes like that: « F: You said it was dark, so I brought you a light. Here! A: Oh, um… I was speaking figuratively. Thank you. … F: Your poor arm… You’ve been working so hard. It must be tough. A: Huh? Oh, well… Actually, I’m ashamed of myself. My progress has been pathetically slow. F: You shouldn’t feel that way! Honest, you’ve been working really hard! A: What good is hard work if it accomplishes nothing? F: Nothing? After all you’ve experienced? A: Huh? F: New friends… The Noah… The Heart… Battles, massacres… The Fallen One… And… Your loss… Yet after all that you still want to look after your friends… And defeat the Noah. It’s like… You’re carrying the burden of all the people you couldn’t save. Are they… Who you’re fighting for? The fallen? What drives you, Allen? Is it your concern for others? Is that what makes you feel you have to fight? Is that why you bury your own feelings and press on? You’re not fighting because you like to fight… or for your own survival. You’re fighting to protect something. You’re fighting to save human lives! »

(What destroyed me was the fact that yes, Allen desperately fights for anything to grasp because he’s lost everything before… especially if you link it to his conversation with Bak when he banged his arm on the door AAAAaaaA)

The lantern’s image shows up again on ch132’s cover, Hoshino described this cover as a representation of all the symbols revolving around Allen (two black and white moon shapes opposing each other in a lantern and in Timcampy's shape, his left arm, the Fourteenth and the Piano, a cross/rosary). And finally in ch230, titled « Lamp and Tears », when Allen compares his link to Johnny and Kanda to a lantern he never wanted to let go once he got a taste of it.

3) The rays of light:

(Look!!!!! at!!!!!!! The golem’s eye!!!!!!!! It twinkles!!!!!!!)

-> Shine on Johnny in Allen’s pov: when he makes it clear to Allen he’s here to stay by his side as his friend, and as a consequence when Allen looks for him to call his name as he resurfaces.

-> Shine on Link in Allen’s pov and vice versa after the Level 4 attack: it was perhaps the first time Allen saw a gentle, compassionate side to Link, crying on his back. It was also maybe the first time Link felt a connection to Allen that he’s only supposed to observe as Allen found comfort in him after the attack.

-> Shine on Link in Allen’s pov in ch247: Allen discovers Link was alive after all this time (at least a month since Kanda and Johnny found him), the backlight of the moon shines on his silhouette as he turns around. His eye takes in the moonlight once he faces Link, Link’s silhouette is surrounded by a light screentone, as though to indicate he’s the object of Allen’s focus/the moonlight.

-> Shine on Allen in Link’s pov in ch247: Link promises he’ll never be near Allen if he overcomes his fate as Neah’s host, even though that pains him: his mouth left corner looks downturned (on the upper right panel), his bangs hide his eyes and his expression. Allen will have none of that and interrupts his thoughts: he wants them to go together no matter what.

Note: the succession of the first two pages was awesome, I was breathless seeing Allen’s reaction! I don’t know if this has a name, but the trope where A stops in his tracks to slowly turn around in disbelief as B shows up for an emotionally loaded reunion is really nice for the drama haha -> the dramatic backlight of the moon which makes us focus on Allen’s expression, he might have interrupted his sentence because he had an inkling of who might be behind, completely in disbelief ; -> his inattention to Johnny’s calls as he turns around and proceeds to open ; -> the eye wide open and glowing once he sees Link and the speedlines inside his lashes to maybe show his inner turmoil ; -> the big « ga-cha »/clank onomatopoeia and the speedlines indicating he rushes to open the door, gaping at the silhouette in the foreground -> the contrast between Allen’s shaky bubble and Link’s collected ones aaaaaa -> the full moon, the particles suspended in the air, the wind suggested by leaves and Allen finally calling out to Link with Johnny in the background + the hand stretched out in the next page (shadowed by screentones to emphasize the dramatic effect)… I love how in just two pages time stopped for this reunion!

Allen still wants to reach out to them by extending his hand (ch225, 247 & 212):

(The hand as a visual symbol of Allen's reconnection to his world while fighting against Neah's memories contrast how hands are also drawn in the manga as a vector of influence, control and violence, I'll talk about it in another post!)

The same way Johnny (and Link, even though he doesn’t voice it) cares about Allen, Allen also voices out his relief to see Link alive.

Also on another subject, since Kanda will now go back to the Order, will he tell Allen what he meant to say before they part ways?

▶ Panel composition and Link in ch221 & ch225

The positioning of the bubbles can add a visual impact to the speech or even tell another story. One of the recent examples I have in mind is the Requiem of the Rose King by Aya Kanno.

(Please read it! It’s a manga based on Shakespeare’s Henry VI and Richard III! The art is stunning, the characters’ expressions and development complex and gutting!! One of the general themes, agency or lack thereof over your own existence, trapped in power games, is really impactful! There’s a LOT of violence in it just so you know so please be warned!)

(SPOILERS UP TO CHAPTER 31 IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT!!!!)

When Richard was asked by his brother to persuade Anne Neville to marry him, he enacted a love confession, addressed to her at first glance, but inspired from his lost love for Henry:

« (…) It has come to this because of love. The love I have for you made me do it. You were … my light. In dreams and in reality… I sought you out. Thus… »

The bottom right bubble on the left page blocks the viewer’s gaze from Richard’s memory of him and Henry embracing (right page).

This emphasizes that 1) it’s a confession not destined to Anne, Richard mourns his love when the addressee in not there anymore and he now has to ‘weaponize’ these feelings to obey his brother, 2) he blocks himself the very memory of Henry because it traumatizes him (and in fact, chapters later, it is revealed he even forgets Henry entirely because the memory is deeply tied to trauma) & 3) his soul died the day his love was rejected and lost as Anne witnesses it.

Kneeling in front of her, in reality he professes a love to what he thinks is Henry’s body in the coffin beside them.

(also his eye looks like it gazes beyond the panel it’s placed in right into the coffin, as though he alone breaks through the panel walls)

Chapters 221 and 225 showed Link stricken with conflict and sorrow towards Allen’s fate in various ways:

IN CHAPTER 221

Link knew he was dealing with Neah the whole time. For an instant he was disconcerted when he turned around to Neah impersonating Allen, visual elements emphasize his brief shock at how faithful this impersonation could look to anyone at first glance:

-> a shadow cast temporarily on his right eye when it wasn’t hidden until then. Obscuring one or both eyes (eg. with a shadow, bangs or accessories) while the angle and lighting would normally let us see them is sometimes used in manga and other media to show characters hide something/know more than they let on, or to show they’re going through an emotional change.

-> the left eye that can still be seen is widening

-> the interruption of his sentence and his mouth closed

-> the onomatopoeia dokun signaling a heartbeat/throb

Link has been observing Allen and Neah’s escape for three months: he knows Allen’s consciousness is fading away, and even before he left the Order, Neah’s mask already fell in front of him.

When he saved Neah from the Earl, he was probably solely focused on his mission at hand: bind the Earl, save Johnny and Neah, protect them from the Order and flee.

Completely absorbed in the task he’s meant to do as Luberrier’s Crow, seeing a perfect replica of Allen that could have fooled anyone resurfaces his personal regret: it’s a bitter recall of what is now lost.

And the knife gets twisted even more since the contrast between Allen and Neah is visually clear in appearance and personality: Neah’s traits on Allen look more mature, thinner, pointier, harsher and sophisticated, his pupils become gold and are even smaller, his hair curls a little ; Neah is cold-blooded and unfazed. Neah could change his physical appearance and behavior to Allen in the span of a few pages!

Ch220 even gave us this panel on the top left (and as the chapters go/Neah’s control over Allen goes, the contrast is made even stronger by Hoshino’s drawing style).

Neah’s act of a relieved Allen is depicted in an immaculate, polished white in the panel on the right: taken out of its context, it would really look like Allen crying if he had learnt Link was alive. And Allen will indeed react like that and say similar words (especially the ‘I’m glad… !’/よかった repeated twice) when he reunites with Link:

The more Neah performs, the white bubbles grow bigger and cover Link’s dark profile on the left, as though it’s them that cast the shadow over his figure, trying to make him believe in his pretense. But another story is told underneath these bubbles by Link’s expression. In contrast, Link’s previously hidden eye appears again to show a wistful expression, accentuated by the dark screentone over his profile. Beside his earlier surprise, this is the only moment Link’s feelings can be seen in the chapter, and it’s also when Neah doesn’t see it as he pretends to cry, closing his eye. Only his eye glows in the panel: the speech rings false and Link sees through it.

He then resumes his mission and heals Neah’s wound like nothing ever happened.

When Neah intended to maintain the act again, Link cuts him off, insisting that not only this is unnecessary when it comes to him (‘私にはウォーカーのフリは不要です’, ‘Pretending to be Walker in front of me is unnecessary’), but it’s even a waste of time for Neah (‘というか無駄です’, ‘rather, it is a waste of time’).

(1, first panel) Once Link reveals he can’t be fooled, the shadow that was cast on him recedes, his right eye again accentuated: despite all the efforts, in Link’s eye, Neah’s act is exposed in broad daylight. (1, second panel) And dark tones finally taint Neah’s framing, his true colors begin to reemerge. (1, last four panels) As Neah tries to deny it and still pretends to be Allen, white comes back again, making the black lines disappear.

(2) Once that forces Link to explain why he’s undeniably the Fourteenth thanks to his bloodlust, the bubble affirming he’s Neah brings the shadow back.

(3) Neah finally drops the act and black speedlines loom over his figure and the white background, overflowing.

When Link describes Neah’s bloodlust that couldn’t be further away from the true Allen he knows, this time the bubble entirely covers his obscured profile. It looks like it was conveniently placed right above his expression to hide his feelings as he’s forced to explain Allen’s conscience ‘died’ and what replaced it permanently.

Also the dokun/badumps in these pages? Whose are they?

-> Are they Link’s?

Ever since he saved Allen and Johnny, and even when Neah intended to pass himself off as Allen, Link could tell it was Neah all along and proceeds to carry on his mission as his aid, healing him as if it was nothing. He didn’t even need a confirmation from Neah, he affirmed it himself.

I think he was coming to terms with the fact that Neah took over Allen’s conscience (as what he thinks as) irreversibly.

Once he collected himself, closing his eyes, he finally puts words to the cold truth he’s facing: the Allen he knows doesn’t give off the bloodlust and the cold aura he’s now feeling in front of Neah.

It’s a call-back to what he thought when he bound Allen at the North-American branch in ch201:

(The bonus cover in volume 25 makes fun of this whole ‘vibe/aura’ thing Kanda and Link feel with Reever and Komui hahaha)

-> Are they Neah’s?

After all, the moment Link affirmed he was the Fourteenth, he was trying to stay in character and deny so that he might still have a chance to keep this cover, since he doesn’t know what the man he’s facing intends to do. The fact that he could totally see through his act and unmask him took him by surprise perhaps, making him antsy.

However, this seems unlikely given his reaction literally two pages later and his overall hardly fazed character: - he banged Johnny’s head against the wall while pretending to be Allen - he promptly made up his mind to cut ties with past!Allen - he directly swithed to Allen once Kanda confronted him - when he faced the Earl/Mana even if it was an emotional reunion - he attempts to strangle Link after this scene - he tries to activate Crown Clown even if it could threaten his life

-> Perhaps they’re from both!

Link’s pain is further portrayed when Neah wants to know his true intentions:

In the original version, Neah’s « If you came to save Allen then it’s too late, you know? » is the only line accentuated in a bold font compared to the rest of the dialogue.

It is then followed by Link’s silent answer, repressed in a clenched fist on the ground (and symbolically using the fist that now holds the power defining his new role).

Link answers he’s been waiting for three months for an opportunity to meet Neah, and not Allen. As he says this while kneeling, his bangs obstruct the view of his expression completely. The original version also puts an accent on ’NOT [meeting] Allen’.

Link conceals whatever he might feel in this moment with the truth: the mission Luberrier assigned him as the Fourteenth’s ally.

Just like Neah’s bubbles did earlier, Link’s bubbles now take almost half of the panels space as he explains his role.

But we know how conflicted he actually is since the previous chapter: he’s rooting for Allen but also has to carry on his mission. He’s ordered to just observe and protect the Fourteenth, so for three months he could only watch Allen helplessly as his consciousness was fading away.

When he swears to become the 14th’s aid in front of him, his right eye is out of sight, as though he’s now resolute to fulfill his duty, smothering any personal feelings in order to do so. His bubble is also transparent. This contrasts with Kanda’s clear intention when he meets him: if he’s after Allen, he’ll definitely kill him. The bubble in this panel is entirely see-through: we can see the continuation of Link’s costume underneath. He hides nothing here.

In Link’s bubble, the speed lines in the background and the details of his costume can’t be seen. Only his silhouette’s shadow is opaque, turning the bubble into black and white: what he says and does don’t faithfully reflect the real conflict inside of him, but still, he has to carry on. And in retrospect, we also know this doesn’t align at all with Luberrier’s intentions who merely wants to use Neah as a weapon.

(yes, this was me just overthinking bubbles, i regret absolutely nothing 8D)

Note: interestingly, Link’s right side is also drawn on ch239 cover.

IN CHAPTER 225

I believe it’s not that farfetched to read this scene in various angles:

1) Link was bewildered and shocked at Neah trying to synchronize as the huge ‘throb’ onomatopoeia highlights it, like his heart skipped a beat. And while Neah’s protection is entrusted to him and he has to stop him first and foremost to that end, he could also be worried about Allen’s life being endangered by the Fourteenth’s recklessness: his warnings could address Allen’s safety (ie. Innocence destroying the Noah's organism or turning the body into a Fallen One).

2) While mainly saying that he doesn’t give a damn about anyone, including Link’s concern and that he minds his own business, Neah also thanks him for worrying about Allen’s Innocence/life with caustic sarcasm.

In fact, Neah's speech is in general childish and far from formal. The majority of the lines he addresses to Link are casual in the original version with ～だよ and the suffixes ～な/ね. He also uses with him the pronoun お前/'omae' you can use when you talk to someone you consider of equal or lower status, and it sometimes has a harsh/rough nuance attached to it. When he thanks Link for the concern, he uses a polite form which clashes with his overall casual stance: "ご親切にどーも". ご is a honorific prefix that adds a feeling of respect or politeness to a word (here shinsetsu, kindness). Also his 'thanks', which are casual here with どうも, is written as どーも: the long dash (onbiki or chōonpu) that replaces the う stretches out the preceding vowel, here the 'o'. It puts a strong accent on the thanks he drags out in a totally not heartfelt way, which reinforces the overall sarcasm of his line.

Especially when the chapter ends with these panels (the page on the left):

-> Link is panting unlike up to then: he perhaps dashed to catch Allen, or Allen and Johnny together. A sigh of relief could also be mixed in with the panting.

-> He’s perched over the building’s edge to look down in Allen and Johnny’s direction, as though to check they’ve landed safely. And they did: after a close-up on their conversation, the eye of the reader focuses on their hug that occupies the center of the page to finally follow what’s right underneath, Link’s pov from the outside.

-> As Link is observing them, Johnny’s cry of relief is superposed to his silhouette, as though he shouts what Link can’t express himself: he’s glad, but he has to retreat since Allen came back and he’s not aware he’s alive.

The same panelling is used when Johnny feels pain for Allen after he lost Timcampy, and his speech is superposed to Kanda’s reaction (the pages on the right), averting his gaze from Allen staring into space in ch229.

#dgm spoilers #dgm meta #d gray man #link howard #allen walker #johnny gill #kanda yuu #requiem of the rose king

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