[Categories: Anime Reviews]
2007 in 12 day 3: Darker than Black
Hell’s Gate!
My viewing of Darker than Black was cut temporarily short at its licencing but from what I’ve seen it climbs right up to the top of my DVD wishlist. I can’t say I was surprised at how this, effectively a Wolf’s Rain staff reunion of sorts, grabbed my interest from the get-go; my only reservation being the frustratingly short nature of each story arc (some would have easily filled the alloted two-ep segments several times over with ease).
Tensai Okamura first came to my attention with his darkly comic Stink Bomb feature but I feel he came into his own with Wolf’s Rain; Darker than Black takes the more serious approach of the latter for the most part, although the The Gardenia Shoots the Fragrance in the May Rain… arc flips into screwball comedy at times. What I especially enjoyed was how Okamura’s sci-fi/fantasy themes blended with a Chandler-esque film noir aesthetic and mystery subplots, especially concerning the nature of the Contractors and Hell’s Gate…not to mention the delightful Kirihara… 
I could go on about the music, such as how Yoko Kanno has yet to compose a soundtrack of even average quality, but in all honesty I outline enough evidence of her talents in my OST reviews. Similarly it goes without saying that the visuals are impressive and add weight to my argument that BONES are consistently proficient in their presentation. Apart from the fact that the series looks and sounds stylish as hell it portrays a small number of recurring characters who are interesting and individual - in particular a protagonist who shows more gravitas than you would ever dare expect from a tortured action hero archetype. From what I was able to glean from the early episodes I have seen so far, he is more than a guy in a cool coat and mask with some nifty moves; whether or not he’s even a bona fide contractor I still can’t figure out but there’s an overwhelming sense that he’s driven by something profound and powerful. After being introduced as a heartless killer, his humanity and complexity was all the more fascinating as a result.
Memorable moment
Hei’s search for his sister is a major factor in my enjoyment of the show but if I had to pick out a particular point that sticks with me it would be Mai the firestarter in episode #4. She was quite clearly an innocent victim who nevertheless had to deal with the consequences of actions over which she had no conscious control; it was a harrowing experience to see the poor girl see friends and family die before her eyes, without even understanding why. I really hope to see her story followed up later on in the series in order to assure myself that things may have worked out okay for her after all.
Other ABC bloggers’ posts for the Twelve Days of Christmas
Drop your url into the comments section below if I’ve inadvertantly left you out. ^_^
Posted on December 16th, 2007 @ 8:38 pm
I was actually quite disappointed by the way this series turned out at the end. It goes along quite nicely with a few great episodes along the way, but the ending was kind of a mess. Very little explanation, a lot of loose ends untied, and we were even deprived of seeing the final battle (it happened off screen) between the protagonist and his enemy. A sequel OVA could rectify these problems, but as a whole, it kind of fell flat at the end.
Posted on December 16th, 2007 @ 8:42 pm
‘Chandler-esque’ is a criminally underused adjective, and your effort here to bring it to the attention of the otakusphere is laudable. But I suppose the title of the show really should indicate a noir element (unlike Crest of the Stars‘ sudden and surreal noir phase, which creeps up unnanounced).
Posted on December 16th, 2007 @ 9:09 pm
I didn’t get very far with Darker than Black, I found it incredibly boring. Although its impossible to deny how wonderful the animation and soundtrack is.
Now you’ve brought it up, I wouldn’t mind watching it to the end.
Posted on December 17th, 2007 @ 1:19 am
Why aren’t you watching the fansubs, again? Syndicate, aka Shinsen in disguise subbed the entire thing to completion, and it was quite the journey. As an added incentive, the tracks that Kanno introduces later on are unlike anything she’s done before — the quality here comprising of an odd mix of Escaflowne’s symphony, Wolf’s Rain’s soul, and GITS:SAC’s grittiness, all at once.
Too bad the second OST is nowhere to be found. I’m dismayed at what looks like a prolonged delay or possible no-show since the best tracks are all missing from the first OST, especially that epic post-rock battle theme, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it’ll be released soon.
Posted on December 17th, 2007 @ 3:26 am
Darker than Black starts off really really well. But I see that you havent finished watching it, so I’ll warn you not to expect too much. I was a little disappointed by the ending.
Posted on December 17th, 2007 @ 4:29 am
Just to counterbalance all the negative opinions here, I thoroughly enjoyed Darker than Black all the way to its conclusion. The story intentionally did not explain any of the “important” details that many were waiting for, because that’s not the point of the story. DtB is about using the fantastic world and setting as a canvas on which they can tell their thematic stories about humanity.
Posted on December 17th, 2007 @ 11:13 pm
@Brikhaus and G: My extensive exposure to slice of life in recent months has led me to put more value on the story itself rather than the endpoint so if the journey’s fun, a lacklustre ending won’t bother me too much. Re: Orion’s comment.
@IKnight: I suppose the jazz tinged soundtrack and mystery themes got me onto the Chandler tack (Phil Marlowe FTW) - I love his taught plotting and cynical wit. There’s a distinct film noir aspect to the show of course - the dim lighting, harsh worldview and the retro clothing designs help.
@Jayme: it’s a show that requires perseverence I guess. If nothing else, get the OST!
@Owen: for reasons I’ve yet to fathom, BT isn’t downloading ANYTHING right now, be it new files or those that were partially downloaded. I’m checking links, torrent files and firewall settings but unless something miraculous happens my fansub viewing is on hiatus indefinitely. What’s especially galling is that there are no outwards signs of anything being wrong apart from a very obvious movement of zero data in either direction; oddly, my browser is working fine.
Posted on January 26th, 2008 @ 12:55 am
cb -
I’ve just finished the series, and IMO it gets better and better as it progresses.
Don’t suppress your instinct to place it out high on your dvd list, as you said.
I will relish watching this series again sometime, and apparently there IS an OVA that may tie up loose ends, so that’s something to look forward to.
Posted on January 30th, 2008 @ 9:22 am
Regarding not being able to download- bleachexile.com, of all places, has direct download links for all the DTB episodes. You just have to make a free account on the site (it’s where I’ve been getting them). Just finished episode 12 myself, and I have to admit, I’d be curious to see your thoughts on the arc, since it’s started giving more answers. (And more questions at the same time. You know how they do.)