Most of us spend our days trying to make ends meet and bring home the basic necessities for our family.  We tend to do what we do because it is a way to protect those we care for.  In D. Gray-man, this protection of our loved ones is at the core of the series. Our protagonists have dedicated themselves to protecting those whom they feel are their family and  they are also driven to release others who have been trapped by pure evil.

D. Gray-man is the story of the Black Order and its members who are fighting against the Millennium Earl.  The Millennium Earl is out to destroy the world and enslave all of the souls.  He was defeated once by the Black Order, but over the centuries has regained his power and has also gained the added strength of the Noah Family.  With his growing army of Akuma and the Noah Family, his task is to find and destroy that sacred power used by the Black Order known as Innocence.  This Innocence is a mysterious power that will connect with individual humans to give them the ability to take on the Earl and his lethal weapons. For those who accept this Innocence, they will become Exorcists and thus become the real power behind the Black Order. 

With the constant attacks from the Millennium Earl's minions, the Akuma and the mysterious power of the Noah Family, the Black Order has come up against something that may lead to their end. D. Gray-man Season 2 Part 2 begins with the discovery that many Black Order members have already been killed. Several of the Exorcists have also been defeated and killed. The goal for our team is to find General Cross and use his knowledge to defeat the Millennium Earl. The path is littered with danger and even a few surprises. 

Overall

As it is often the case with episodes that are in the middle of a series, there is somewhat of a letdown. There are exciting battles and the introduction of a foe that has enormous power, but there is a flatness to these 12 episodes that made it hard to stay focused. Repetition can be a fatal move for many series like this. With 52 episodes remaining it appears as though the writers have come to a point that they needed to stretch the story line. 

I did enjoy the continued character development with the four main protagonists. They continue to bond and give the viewer the ability to empathize with these characters. For me, that is always an important draw to a series. I need to care about these heros and in D. Gray-man I do find it easy to care. I also find that the antagonists do not have any redeeming characteristics. In many anime series, you will find some redeeming qualities to the foes, but in this series the enemy is pure evil,  bent on only one thing and that is to destroy the world. I am grateful for this clear delineation between our combatants.

For all of you D. Gray-man fans I am sure that you will want to have this as part of your collection, but for everyone else I am not able to recommend this one. I feel like it is possible to miss these episodes without having any real impact on understanding what is going on. 

ComicsOnline gives D. Gray-man Season 2 Part 2 2.5 out of 5 maids with killer fans.