ANIME - Darker than Black

[jonadrian619]

Darker than Black: Kuro no Keiyakusha (黒の契約者; Darker than Black: The Black Contractor) is a 25-episode anime series created, written and directed by Tensai Okamura and animated by BONES. The 2 volumes manga is written and illustrated by Noki Ya, and serialized in Monthly Asuka.​

Background
Ten years ago an area known as Hell's Gate emerged in Tokyo. Its appearance paved the way for a new race of humans with special abilities, known as Contractors, enhanced humans who possess supernatural powers and are required to complete a certain renumeration for using them. The Gate's emergence changed the sky and replaced the heavenly bodies with 'fake' stars , all which that correspond to every Contractor with their Messier star number. Contractors are unknown to the general public. They are hired by nations and organizations worldwide to work as spies as assassins in the fray of gathering information.

Before Hell's Gate. there seems to be another similar area which is literally huge, devouring much of South America. This was known as Heaven's Gate. It's emergence sparked a large-scale war between Great Britain and Argentina. The Gate disappeared and survivors, Hei, Pai and Amber, were adversly affected by the Gate. These individuals were the first Contractors.

The story revolves around a Contractor named Hei and his team members who are trying to discover the truth behind Hell's Gate. As their journey continues, they encounter various organizations and similar Contractors vying to unlock Hell's Gate as Hei also finds out more about himself.

Main Characters

Hei

[V.A.: Hidenobu Kiuchi (Japanese), Jason Liebrecht (English)]

The main protagonist of the story and a powerful Contractor with the Messier code BK-201. Hei acts as a gentle student from China named Li Shengshun. He does his part-time job. When necessary, Hei takes on the role of an assassin known as The Black Reaper, clad in bullet-proof overcoat and a mask to conceal his identity. Hei continues the search for the whereabouts of his sister, Pai, whom he lost several years ago due to the Heaven's Gate implosion. His contract allows him to generate electricity. Due to his involvements in many murders, Hei is constatly pursued by the Japanese government.

Unlike any other Contractor, he is able to express emotions freely, and doesn't make too much of a logical choice, and he doesn't have to pay any contract price. Actually, Pai is believed to have been inside Hei who channels her abilities, though this is just a fraction of Pai's awesome power. Through this, some speculate him to be human. He seems to have a rather huge appetite, as seen by his frequent stops at the restaurant, eating more than a dozen bowls of Ramen to last a lifetime, without the risk of obesity. To his team members, he is something really difficult to comprehend.

Yin

[V.A.: Misato Fukuen (Japanese), Brina Palencia (English)]

An observer in Hei's team. Yin is a Doll, a spirit medium. She is passive, speaks rarely, as implied by her lack of emotion and the incapability of such processes (As the series progressess Yin shows some hint of developing emotions). Her main role in the Syndicate is to locate individuals that are usually assassination targets. Before the Hell's Gate appearance, she was a girl and a pianist named Kirsi, who lives in Finland. She is taught by a renowned pianist named Eelis Kostinen.

Later in the series, she appears to have been befriended by a young otaku who often talks about anime series and offers some of her anime goodies to Yin.

Mao

[V.A.: Ikuya Sawaki (Japanese), Kent Williams (English)]

He's no ordinary feline, for he was once a Contractor who lost his original body, and now resides within a black cat. His contract is the ability to occupy other animal's bodies. The brains of the animals he occupies are not capable enough to contain Mao's conscience, so an unknown network in the Syndicate supports some of it. When he loses contact with this network, he would become of a feral cat. Mao is often interested in watching Hei unusually react to various situations. Mao gets to recieve direct orders straight from the top and passes it to other members just like Huang does.

Huang

[V.A.: Masaru Ikeda (Japanese), John Swasey (English)]

Huang can be put as a coordinator of Hei's team. He obviously dislikes contractors and dolls though ironically he has to team up with the other three. During missions he is usually the person who provides information and briefing. Before joining the Syndicate, Huang was a police officer who once witnessed a Contractor in action. A Syndicate member gave him the chance to join the Syndicate, or having his memories on the event erased. This was the root of his hatred towards Contractors and dolls.

He is often seen wearing a coat, vest and a beret in the series. He uses his cellphone to relay information. He also serves as backup in situations that led to the loss of one of his team members.

Misaki Kirihara

[V.A.: Nana Mizuki (Japanese), Kate Oxley (English)]

She is the Section-Chief of Foreign Affairs Division 4 who is investigating matters concerning Contractors. Kirihara became a policewoman in order to protect the weak who are in need. She is the daughter of the Superintendent Supervisor of the National Police Agency, Naoyasu Kirihara. She is fixed on finding BK-201's identity who is involved in most of her cases. She hates smokers due to their unpleasant smell, and eats a fat-laden diet, which she believes it has no effect on her because she does plenty of workouts. In the series, she appears to have feelings for Hei.

Amber

[V.A.: Tomoko Kawakami (Japanese), Laura Bailey (voice actress) (English)]

The very first Contractor, bearing the Messier code UB-001. She joined M16 as an agent with the codename February. Later then, she left the group and joined the Syndicate with Amber as her new name. She was lost and went missing with Pai along with millions of people during the Heaven's Gate war, only to resurface and threaten the Syndicate with her new organization, Evening Primrose. Amber's ability is time manipulation, which allows her to freeze and rewind time. Once time has frozen around her, she can pull other people out of the timestream, leaving the others petrified. Whenever she uses this ability, she ages backwards, getting younger.

Her overall goal is to destroy Hell's Gate without running the risk of losing all Contractors in the globe. She has feelings for Hei, to the point of ordering her subordinates to avoid fighting Hei.

Organizations

Evening Primrose (EPR)

An organization of Contractors led by Amber. Their goals are to reveal the Contractor's existence to the public. They also stated that Contractors should have special rights and privileges as a new race of humans.

List of EPR Characters

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department

It serves as the police force of Tokyo, Japan. MPD headquarters are located at Kasumigaseki though this address is within a restricted area, within the Hell's Gate. Its temporary headquarters are at present-day Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation Headquarters in Tokyo.

List of MPD Characters

Secret Intelligence Service/MI6

The Secret Intelligence Service or MI6 is United Kingdom's external intelligence agency much like the CIA of the UK. Its headquarters are located in Vauxhall Cross, an area in London, which is also its location in the series. In Darker than Black, MI6 sent three operatives to Japan in search for a dangerous Contractor named Havoc. There are four MI6 agents with the aliases November 11, April, July and Decade, who have an important role in the series' storyline.

List of MI6 Characters

PANDORA - Physicalquantity Alternation Natural Deconstruction Organized Research Agency

PANDORA is an organization of researchers based within the walls that enclose Hell's Gate. Paranormal research are not uncommon here, due to the facility's close proximity to the gate. PANDORA is a United Nations-driven organization thus it is vulnerable to other research agencies that have already infiltrated the inner workings of the research facilities. One of its high-ranking officials is Eric Nishijima, who has a great influence over the Japanese law enforcement agencies and an advocate of the Gate's destruction.

Characters


Episodes

1. "The Star of a Contract Fell (Part 1)"
2. "The Star of a Contract Fell (Part 2)"
3. "The New Star Twinkles in the Dawn Sky (Part 1)"
4. "The New Star Twinkles in the Dawn Sky (Part 2)"
5. "The Red Dream of a Calamity Disappears in Eastern Europe (Part 1)"
6. "The Red Dream of a Calamity Disappears in Eastern Europe (Part 2)"
7. "The Gardenia Gives Off Fragrance in the Early Summer Rain (Part 1)"
8. "The Gardenia Gives Off Fragrance in the Early Summer Rain (Part 2)"
9. "The Pure White Dress Is Stained by the Girl's Dream and Blood (Part 1)"
10. "The Pure White Dress Is Stained by the Girl's Dream and Blood (Part 2)"
11. "Within the Wall, When You Recover Something Lost... (Part 1)"
12. "Within the Wall, When You Recover Something Lost... (Part 2)"
13. "On a Silver Night, the Heart Does Not Sway on the Water's Surface (Part 1)"
14. "On a Silver Night, the Heart Does Not Sway on the Water's Surface (Part 2)"
15. "The Memory of Betrayal Is an Amber-Colored Smile (Part 1)"
16. "The Memory of Betrayal Is an Amber-Colored Smile (Part 2)"
17. "I'll Sing a Love Song at the Garbage Dump (Part 1)"
18. "I'll Sing a Love Song at the Garbage Dump (Part 2)"
19. "Without Dreaming Shallow Dreams, and Falling Drunk (Part 1)"
20. "Without Dreaming Shallow Dreams, and Falling Drunk (Part 2)"
21. "The City of Regulations Is Moistened by Tears (Part 1)"
22. "The City of Regulations Is Moistened by Tears (Part 2)"
23. "God's in His Heaven"
24. "Meteor Shower"
25. "Is the Dream That a God of Death Has a Darkness Darker Than Black?"
26. OVA: "Beneath the Fully Bloomed Cherry Blossoms"

Terminology
Complete List of Darker than Black Characters

Openings/Endings
Opening Themes

Spoiler

Op 1: HOWLING - Abingdon boys school
[YOUTUBE]u7DwNNW4Xfc[/YOUTUBE]

Op 2: Kakusei Heroism ~The Hero Without A Name~ - An Cafe
[YOUTUBE]Ge6QQ5h7XYs[/YOUTUBE]

Ending Themes

Spoiler

Ed 1: Tsukiakari - Rie fu
[YOUTUBE]U82I1a74mdA[/YOUTUBE]

Ed 2: High and Mighty Color - Dreams
[YOUTUBE]f1G1p6Q5Vo0[/YOUTUBE]

Conclusion:
Darker than Black has a unique and interesting plot, although a bit twisted which leaves you asking for more. The animation is certainly good and commended for the fluid action and fight scenes. It features rock-driven opening themes and ending themes that sound really sweet. The BGM is also great, it feels 'jazzy' on some parts, and there are some dramatic scores as well. Character designs are superb as well. Still, the story is more of plot-twisted, and it feels like a novel after a few episodes, and plenty of characters are introduced with no room for development. This is one of the traits w/c makes this anime series appealing. For those who are seeking for a supernatural anime with action and mystery dashed with comedy, then this brand-new series is the one for you.

P.S. I want to watch this whole series again! I hope Animax re-telecasts the series again soon just like what they did to Fate/Stay Night (w/c I'm currently viewing).

Spoiler

I will have to update and re-review (or review the unreviewed ones) all of my guides, I'm not sure when but if and when the time comes (If I watch them again, leverage for more updates XD), I will.

(Images) ©BONES ・Tensai Okamura/DTB Committee ・MBS

 

[ZugZugZealot]

Misaki Kirihara has the same Japanese voice actress as Hinata of Naruto (hard to believe)

November 11 has the same Japanese voice actor as Kakashi of Naruto (easily to believe)

There's a sequel coming out this October.

 

[The Helper]

Bumping some sweet content from the old Anime forum!