Time for another foray into the striped, ringed and be-skulled world of D.Gray-man in its third 3-in-1 omnibus. This action manga doesn't exactly have a cheery story, what with death, despair, tortured souls and wacko bureaucrats aplenty. (Quick refresher: a psychotic schoolgirl gouged out Allen’s eye in the last volume. Don’t worry, he got better.) Yet this one starts off at an even darker note, and the stakes just keep on rising!

Allen’s encounter with the Noah, Tyki Mikk, ended badly. Really badly. As in, crushed-Innocence-and-punctured-heart badly. Barely clinging to life, Allen is picked up by the Black Order’s Asia Branch. Their journey cannot wait even for the main character, however, and so they must press on, reluctantly soldiering on to Edo while Allen recovers.

Miranda Lotto also returns with a shiny new exorcist uniform and her newly-refurbished Innocence: the Time Record. Back from the last omnibus, this Innocence had given her magical Grandfather Clock the power to lock an entire town into an endless time loop. Now in the hands of the Black Order, the Time Record can prevent all damage to its target—even an entire ship and all its crew—by sustaining it within a set point in the past…at least until she deactivates it, allowing time to catch up.

Hoshino Sensei does some of her best art in the middle, particularly during the battle on the Exorcists’ ship when the Millennium Earl sends a Level 3 Akuma to take out the seafaring Exorcists. The Akuma (named Eshi) has a pretty awesome look too, sporting a massive pair of spider web wings and pretending to take pictures as it attacks the heroes. The battle itself is pretty epic and gives Lenalee a chance to break out some new powers of her own.

Unfortunately for Allen, he’s got a lot to process even after he wakes up. His Innocence has not actually been destroyed, but is still horribly weakened by Tyki’s power. Allen himself simply won’t stop trying to get back to his friends even with all his horrible injuries, never mind how he’s been disarmed.

Literally.

*Ahem* Then there’s the fact that he’s begun seeing strange visions when he falls unconscious, along with an ominous, smiling shadow reaching towards him…but it’s not like he’s got much to be happy about when he’s awake either. Especially when Tyki dispatches a Level 3 Akuma to bring Allen directly to him. Good thing this encounter forces Allen and his Innocence to get their acts together, where they both take a completely new form…

Speaking of which, even more Noahs come out to play: twins Jasdero and David (together called Jasdevi) and Skin Bolic. These fellows sadly don’t get much play yet, but if they’re anywhere near as powerful as Tyki Mikk and Road Kamelot, then the exorcists are in for a whole mess of trouble.  We even get some time on the Ark, the dimension-hopping ship that transports the Millennium Earl’s servants from place to place.

A pretty strong volume. Hoshino Sensei’s art style continues to evolve, and the battles just keep on getting crazier! D.Gray-man’s one of those manga you definitely want to keep your eye on, and even as the story continues with the recent release of volume 22, these omnibuses make for great reading.

Grab your copy of D.Gray-man 3-in1 Volume 3, available now!

by Chris Turner