like, they all have that syllabe in common, ル (“ru”), but they also follow each other!

So we have:

I-llu-mi  (イルミ)

Mi-llu-ki  (ミルキ)

K-illu-a  (キルア)

A-llu-ka  (アルカ)

Ka-llu-to  (カルト)

I made myself sad wondering how many times someone’s canonically held Allen to comfort him (because this boy desperately needs a hug) and after a quick reread, I realized there are way less moments than I thought.

So here’s a compilation of all the times someone’s held Allen to comfort him AND all the times someone’s just held Allen period, since there’s not enough of the first to go around. :( Special shout-out to Mana, Johnny, Road (and Miranda) who are the only people who’ve actually given Allen the hug he needs.

Bonus chapter 219 spoiler image (which doesn’t technically count because You Know) but I’ll take what I can get at this point:

Aka: Catching Up And Waiting For Each New Update Costs Me A Few Years Of My Worthless Life But Somehow Here I Still Am.

I adore D.Gray-Man. From its lovely character designs to its complexity in plot and character building, this series has a lot to unpack. Now that the story has entered its most shocking and intense arc yet, it promises to give us answers to some of the most long-running and fundamental questions, such as the question of Allen’s beginning, Mana’s identity, The Black Order’s leadership, and Cross and Nea’s true motives. 

Among the things that stay with me over the years of reading this series, I remember the profound impact of reading and re-reading a story about the different ways people choose to hide or overcome their weaknesses, the irreversible effects of knowing, the untold stories behind a beautiful mask, and the various forms of love and how it hurts as much as it heals. So I’m taking a tiny break from BSD analyses to write this down! Here are some of the things that have kept me thinking and maintained my interest in this incredibly well-constructed story. 

(Spoilers warning if you have not caught up yet!)

About Kanda saying thank you to Allen:  Hoshino had no plans to make Kanda stop calling Allen moyashi but when she decided on the Alma Arc, she decided to make Kanda call Allen by his name.  She re-drew Kanda’s smile again and again. She still fusses about drawing his smile. 

About Kanda returning:  The Order left a bad impression because of the Alma Arc and imprisoning Allen. By having Kanda return to the Order, she wanted to make the Order look a little better (t/n: I’m not 100% sure of the ‘look better’ part). She thinks that readers were expecting for Kanda to re-appear when Allen was in a pinch, but she’s glad she didn’t.  (Manager: Seeing Kanda helped Linalee to stop feeling hesitant)

About Kanda’s ‘crystallization’: During the storyboard phase, Kanda wasn’t smiling, but she felt so strongly for the Alma Arc that she personally wanted to see Kanda smile, so during the drawing phase she drew him smiling. She’s worried whether it was okay to make him smile. 

About Johnny: Initially she was going to make him a minor character, but since drawing him during the Alma Arc he got his current role. She believes that if there are no roles like the ordinary Johnny, the world can’t be saved. (Manager: Hoshino worries about the fact that Johnny and the Earl aren’t popular.) 

About Lavi’s story: Lavi is currently going through misfortune but that misfortune is necessary for him to advance to the next level. Initially, she was planning to draw more about Lavi but the Order part got priority so she wasn’t in the time to draw him for the year of the Rabbit, but she’ll return to his story in the future. (Manager: Hearing the plot for Lavi’s story gave him goose bumps.)

The reunion with Allen: Allen will grow and change on the inside. She wants to draw those changes with care. Also, Kanda will still call Allen moyashi in the future. 

These are not readily available online so I scanned them.

Hoshino x Akimoto Interview: link

These are not readily available online so I scanned them.

Q: Is there anything you pay special attention to when you draw a character?

"I draw while thinking very hard about that character."

Q: Are there any mangaka you admire and respect?

"Akimoto Osamu, Obata Takeshi and Tanaka Tatsuyuki."

Q: Is there a manga you read every month or week?

"Nothing in particular. I read whatever I'm interested in at the time."

Q: If you could collaborate with another manga, who would you want to work with?

"Akimoto Osamu."

Q: Which manga did you like when you were a child?

"Majin Boukentan Lamp Lamp." (T/N: official kanji - 魔神冒険譚 ランプ・ランプ)

Q: If you could become one of your characters, which one would you like to be?

"Demon Eye Wisely."

Q: Is there a character line you love?

"Whenever Krory says "Don't call me a vampire!" to Jasdevi."

Q: Is there a profession you would have liked to have aside from mangaka?

"A cafe/coffee lounge owner." (T/N - Just google pictures of 喫茶店.)

Q: Which scene is your favorite?

"The last scene between Lala and Guzol in the Mater Arc."

Q: Please tell us where you pay special attention to in your manga.

"It's a heavy story, so I take care not to forget about the characters themselves."

Q: The character's clothes are very cute. Do you design them yourselves?

"I do. But it's always a struggle because I'm bad at it."

Q: Is there a reason why Kanda has long hair?

All are just copy-pasta’d from D.Gray-Divinity’s thread for the new character book that came out in July! All credit for them goes to the absolutely incredible verduistrings! They’re Hoshino’s comments on the characters in answers to 5 questions.

(I’ll post Road later because I keep posting these kind of long chats I’m sorry OTL) Everyone’s up now~ I’m still sorry for the long posts everywhere OTL

Links to them here on Tumblr (because Allen’s and Krory’s aren’t showing up under the tag? @___@), sourced to her posts on DGD:

Allen Walker

Kanda Yuu

Lavi

Lenalee Lee

Miranda Lotto

Arystar Krory

Tyki Mikk

Cross Marian

Howard Link

---What kind of impression of Road do you have, sensei?

“I drew her as a boyish girl at first but she has slowly become more girlish. I think Road is adorable. The Millennium Earl probably feels the same judging from the way he spoils her (laughs). Being unable to tell whether she’s an adult or a child – that mysterious image of hers is her charm. I like her silhouette and her clothes and her half-closed eyes... Everything about her is cute! She probably turned cuter because I drew her while thinking such things (laughs).”

---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?

“Actually, I recently decided to make her look more mature and changed her bangs. It’s only a small change, but I’ve made her bangs fall diagonally to try and bring out her feminine charm. I want to let Road grow. By the way, Road’s initial hair-style was quite difficult to draw. I struggled while thinking to myself, “What kind of construction is her head turning into!?” But lately I’ve gotten the hang of it. It’s fun to draw her hair nowadays.”

---Why does Road change into various forms?

“In short, Road’s dream shapes Road’s current outer appearance. That’s why she can easily turn into a doll. Road’s current form is just the appearance that she likes most. It’s the appearance of the girl she wants to be – it’s connected to her inner self. She can’t freely shapeshift into anything like the way Lulu Bell can. For example, I think it’s impossible for Road to turn into an animal that’s completely different from her inner self.”

---What is her image-color?

“Pink!”

---What’s in store for Road?