Conclusion: Dantalian no Shoka

By virtue of being a Gainax series, the Dantalian no Shoka series was at least guaranteed to be a unique series this season, regardless of whether it was a manga adaptation or not. And by virtue of being a Gainax series, it definitely lived up to that expectation - as to whether or not this is a good thing...well, you decide while I do the review.

If my library was like this I'd have much more fun finding reference books for research

As with the other conclusions, I'll start off with the technical details. The soundtrack is pretty cool - not the most addicting song in the world, but certainly one to listen to on a rainy day. The OP in particular (Cras numquam scire) leads very nicely in from a piercing vocal solo to a gentle melody that is at the same time very enthralling and very eerie. Creativity also abounds in the ED (yes, prisoner) but it's more of an out-of-this-world beast than its counterpart, evoking a creepy mood that I try to avoid. Also I think the music video has clowns. Stop creating nightmares for watchers, Gainax.

As for the BGM in general, I think it's quite good - it fits into all the right parts and varies a lot depending on the mood. The overall style is quite like that of Spice and Wolf (you know, the "scratchy violin + random instruments that make people think of the Old World" style, despite the fact that this is at least clearly past WWI), which is definitely an acquired taste, if you ever do come to like it. However, the sudden muting of sounds to have the solo voice wash over everything is a very nice touch, and many conclusions were enhanced by that setting of the mood.

The graphics are also very well done - second to only perhaps Nichijou this season. I'm not just talking about GOOD graphics at this level; after all, most modern series have excellent graphics, or at least ones that fit their style to a T. No, Dantalian certainly demonstrated the power of Gainax's graphics team in both their flashy action scenes and their elegant, doll-like character depictions. I mean, if the main character (Huey) wrecking something with a book that looks like it has 5 years' worth of unspent 4th of July fireworks coming out of it doesn't seem like a cool scene to you, I don't know what will. Dalian and Flamberge also look very cute despite of their attitudes, so props to Gainax with regards to the eyecandy factor.

Favorite character in the series next to the man with the coolest weapon in the series. I still cringe whenever he uses that though, since I don't exactly hate books.

The characters are rather...mediocre. I'm pretty sure that Dantalian should have more of a focus on the main characters, but the Holmes/Watson duo was so busy running around saving England from dusty tomes that they never really got around to making the characters special. All we really know of Huey was that he was a baller during WWI as a fighter pilot, and all we know of Dalian (the main girl) is that she is a magical library, she gets lonely easily, she likes Huey and sugar (probably not together), and that half the time her speeches go well with cheese. In the midst of all the chaos and side-stories and flamethrower-boomsticks (you'll know what I mean if you watch the series), I guess it was hard for Gainax to fit it in, but it would have been good if they tried. As it is, it's definitely a rather incomplete series.

The other characters are also hard to showcase for at least one of 3 reasons:

1) They only appear for a maximum of one episode because they're part of a side-story.

2) They're only useful for a handful of side-stories, so they're "out and about" during the episodes where they're not needed.

3) They're destined to become major characters (e.g.: Flamberge/Hal) but they're doing some other stuff far away from the Dalian/Huey super-combo, and as such, it's hard to transition into their plotline since the main duo takes priority over them. 

This being said, this shallow exploration into the cast's psyche doesn't detract too much from the series somehow - maybe Dantalian is more dictated by what the characters do, rather than what they say, which is a refreshing change.

Badly shaved mustache is making my spidey sense tingle

As for the plot in itself, Gainax does an admirable job of mixing in the main "super-arc" with the side-stories that are the vital part of Dantalian (after all, Dantalian is at its core Pokemon with books). It's hard to really understand what's going on with the main arc unless you've already read the original light novels, but then again the series doesn't expect you to. All you really have to do is sit back, relax, and then let the ambiguous conclusion take you to an obvious season 2. Personally, however, I think the ending nicely tied everything together but did it in a relatively messy and confusing fashion. You'll know what I mean when you see the series. 

The side-stories are, for the most part, quite cute and neatly wrapped up in each episode. Unfortunately, some of them tried too hard to be creepy and grand a la Dan Brown, and the random grotesque scenes did not rub me the right way. The scenes with Flamberge and Hal were also great, since Flamberge's voice makes me squeal (best voice-to-character fit this season, no doubt). Luckily Dantalian manages to spin each new book/episode in an interesting enough way to make me want to keep watching. Overall, the general structure of this series is definitely one that's worth diving into.

This is why I dislike reading eBooks...they just won't blow up zombies no matter how dramatically I read them

I think I've said enough for this series, but if you have time and want an anime series that piques your imagination, take a look at Dantalian no Shoka. Fans of this series, get ready for season 2! (And read the light novel at Baka-tsuki while you're at it!)

Oh and one last thing: Dalian's habit of saying "Yes" in English is probably the worst decision made by a studio with regards to a script in history. DON'T DO IT.