posts tagged “Darker than Black”
[Anime Reviews]
16 Dec 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: ABC, Darker than Black, Twelve days of Christmas]
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… 
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[Anime Reviews]
13 Jul 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: Darker than Black]
Thanks to my unintended hiatus, this was the last episode I could download before Funi staked their claim on it so this will be all until next year. Fortunately it was an even-numbered episode so I saw the arc through to the end, which was a pretty decent one if not outstanding. Now that we’re learning a bit about Hai, his companions and the DtB universe in general, I was a little impatient to get past the humourous stuff and get into the meat of the story. Oh well.
The more obvious aspect, that of Gai still looking for a missing cat (Scrumptious noticed a Wind-up Bird Chronicle vibe to this as I did) and so on, is wrapped up well enough although I was expecting something a little more surprising. As Gai points out, the whole setup looked a little too cliche and convenient, which led me to believe that the widow really wasn’t a widow, etc, etc. As it was, the conclusion was somewhat ‘ordinary’ (although in keeping with the Raymond Chandler-esque feel, which I liked) it led to some quite funny scenes in which Mao gets caged as a regular stray cat would.
This brings me onto what I viewed as the more interesting aspect of this episode: we learn a little about Mao and how this episode’s Contractor of the Week ties in with his own situation. Since we’re only a third of the way through the series at this point these revelations are far from being explained fully so it was nice to see a little more info about the regulars dropped in and of course there are the ongoing run-ins with other Contractors for Hai to contend with.
This all gives me the impression that there’s the ‘obvious’ side in a new story every two episodes that introduces a new character and situation to show the nature of the story’s setting, but also within these episodes there’s also an ongoing story arc featuring the regulars (namely Hai, Mao, the bloke in the cloth cap and the Doll who seems to hang around near water a lot). I think that once I get the DVD and watch it all a second time around I’ll be able to catch onto and follow this other central thread to the series and appreciate its complexities more. As it has been so far, I’ve followed it one episode at a time so didn’t stand back to look at the bigger picture, as it were.
So, congrats on Funimation picking up the licence and with a reluctant temporary farewell I look forward to seeing this show on DVD. Thanks to Shinsen Subs for their hard work too. I’ll leave the show for now on another cool pic of a Darker than Black cat; subtitles quoted for truth.
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[Anime Reviews]
05 Jun 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: Darker than Black]
Darker than Black takes a decidedly comedic turn as a private eye and his pink-haired teenage assistant are sent by an attractive widow on the trail of a missing cat. This change in tone would be bad news for many shows but in this case the end result is really entertaining: the parody aspect raised many a smile while still progressing the story.
I’m a huge fan of the hard-boiled detective stuff, having read a number of Raymond Chandler stories as well as enjoying the Humphrey Bogart classics such as The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon. Because of this, the cliches and general atmosphere really struck a chord with me in a big way. Kurosawa, the gloomy, cynical private eye, introduces himself by a melodramatic monologue that’s rudely interrupted by his hyperactive sidekick Kiko; from then on it’s a screwball comedy as we learn that he’s short of work but has an aversion to cats - something that unsurprisingly gets in the way of his investigation!
Occasionally the comedy didn’t work too well - every anime comedy I’ve seen so far seems to involve a lecherous male character getting hot under the collar over an attractive female - but it’s another fascinating arc that features a new Contractor. This guy is able to possess the body of his victims, and appears to be connected to Kurosawa’s investigation in some way. As the old gumshoe points out, the combination of beautiful widow, creepy maid and old mansion is a little too convenient: the whole thing looks like a set-up to me.
As always, the music and visuals are impressive: the jazzy soundtrack captures the Film Noir vibe and the brief action scenes are great too. I mean, when Hei trips the Contractor over you almost feel how much it hurts when he hits the deck! While I’m usually disappointed when story arcs in this series only last a couple of episodes, I think this one will outstay its welcome if it were any longer. The comedic approach works really well as a refreshing change but I can see the series going back to its dark and hard-hitting self by episode #10.
And for you neko fans out there, here’s a pic of one of the aforementioned darker-than-black cats. Because darker-than-black cats are cool.
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[Anime Reviews]
21 May 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: Darker than Black]
A great conclusion to the Havoc arc, this. As promised with the detail thrown in at the end of ep #5, there’s some backstory to Hei filled in that sheds a little light on things. I particularly enjoyed the exchange between Havoc and Hei - initially it was the standard torturer/victim setup but the barriers begin to fall and the fact that they’d worked closely together in the past begins to show. In between the action, technobabble and gory bits, it’s always good to throw in some characterisation.
I actually feel a bit sorry for Havoc by the end. She tries to distance herself from her past but ultimately there’s no avoiding it: the pain she felt was almost tangible. It only left me more intrigued about the nature of the Contractors though - I’m speculating that they make a conscious decision to sign their contract, so maybe it’s not the inborn curse of supernatural abilities that I initially thought it to be. Additionally there’s more evidence on offer here that suggests that Hei is no ordinary Contractor either…if he’s not a Contractor at all, what the hell is he?
November 11 also runs rings around Kirihara and her men yet again, painting the MI6 agent as a slippery bastard overall (if R.O.D. is anything to go by, we Brits are all like this as far as the anime industry’s concerned). The battle between November 11 (what is the significance of that date??) and Hei was excellent however, and showed off their abilities to great effect. It only heightens my hopes that we will learn more about Hei’s motives and feelings: behind the cold Contractor exterior I reckon there’s a very human character who is looking for answers in the only way he knows how.
Darker than Black is still consistently awesome. There are some welcome explanations (not too many, I might add) and moments of character development before the inevitable removal of one of the characters from the scene just as I’m getting attached to them. This last point is still a bit of sticking point for me but otherwise this is a superb show that I’m continuing to follow this season. I still want that coat, dammit!
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[Anime Reviews]
12 May 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: Darker than Black]
This episode begins with a lengthy pre-credits intro sequence that introduces a new character in the form of the very English-named(!) Jack Simon, who is trying to clinch a deal with some shady types and ends up getting the info he needs with the help of a Contractor and what appears to be another Doll. The subject of all this snooping around is Havoc, a Contractor who has been off the radar for some time - intriguingly known as being one of the ‘Lost’ - but whose knowledge (be it real or presumed) is in great demand.
I enjoyed the change of setting for this episode, not to mention the introduction of some new characters. Sadly with past experience taken into account I’m not expecting them to reappear any time soon after the next episode but it’s interesting to meet some new Contractors with their indvidual quirks and abilities. That particular side of things gives it a ‘monster of the week’ feel, not unlike Speed Grapher; only with decent animation and no gratuitous sexual content. Simon is interesting enough but I’m particularly looking forward to learning more about Havoc, whose demeanour and attitude is strange even by Contractor standards and is probably hiding significant information (a suspicion borne out by Hei’s interrogation in the last scene).
This episode strikes me as important because it shows the ‘Contractor phenomenon’, or whatever we’re supposed to think of it as, to be an international situation. Until now I thought they only operated in the area surrounding Hell’s Gate in Tokyo but the UK intelligence division seems to have Contractors of its own and presumably past dealings with them too; we even learn of a Heaven’s Gate that is located elsewhere, a considerable distance from the manifestations in Tokyo. This has serious implications, of course: an investigation into the likes of Havoc means working alongside (not to mention against!) other organisations that are outside of the country and its juristiction.
This is something that Kirihara learns to her cost, as she discovers first-hand that hunting down Contractors is much more complicated in a case such as this. I’m really warming to her character now: put it down to years of seeing strong female leads in Ghibli movies, but I appreciate a gutsy gal such as her bravely trying to work around others and getting her own job done. In this episode the worldview of Darker than Black opens up considerably, which gives the story a much greater breadth and depth; the second half of this story arc is probably going to be the most insightful so far.
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[Anime Reviews]
06 May 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: Darker than Black]
Bloody hell, this show can be downright brutal when it feels the need to be! This episode delivers some pretty visceral scenes in which hapless police officers get scliced up and some innocent souls get burned alive; the perpetrator of the latter event did not even intend to do so. In a rare moment of levity, Kirihara tells a friend/associate about the nature of the Contractors; it’s not surprising that Mai turns out to be one such person. Kirihara and her fellow officers are not aware of the Contrator’s identity however, and what results is a succession of really nasty scenes in which Mai inadvertantly lets her powers loose to devastating effect.
The hunt is on for Mai with the police trying to identify the new Contractor and other Contractors trying to kidnap her; several nasty deaths later we end up with a tense hostage situation. While all this is great as a sci-fi/fantasy thriller, it’s even more interesting to see how Mai and her father fit into the bigger picture. It gets pretty dialogue-heavy at times but it also sounds like really important stuff in terms of the overall story.
While I feel an immense amount of pity for poor Mai (hopefully her new-found powers will make her stronger emotionally and allow her to drop the whiny little girl persona), her father is, in some ways, a victim too. Through a mixture of bad judgement and even worse luck, his investigations have brought suffering onto both he and his daughter. It makes you wonder what happened to Mai’s mother…
While many questions are answered many more of course are asked, not least those concerning what exactly lies at the Gate and what Mai’s father and his team were doing there. There’s a lot of tragedy in ths episode though, so I can only hope that things work out for Mai later on; by the looks of things ep #5 will be the beginning of a new arc so it might be a while before we see more of her. I’m also interested in hearing more from the old fortune teller who Kirihara sees at one point. It highlights how many separate groups there are, each with its own agenda.
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[Anime Reviews]
30 Apr 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: Darker than Black]
A new arc, a new character…this time it’s a high schooler named Mai who has been suffering from memory lapses. Hopefully she’ll last a bit longer than the previous character did when she suffered similar symptoms because Mai could explain a lot about what the devil is going on. She’s also a pleasant sort of lass who doesn’t really deserve the trouble she ends up in.
The pre-credits opening scene is quite a shocker: one man in protective gear is literally stepping on corpses to escape a place that ‘no human should enter’, only to be greeted by a mysterious flower (giving me a flashback of Wolf’s Rain again). Later we learn that this man Tahara has survived his ordeal and is working at the same place as Hei/Li and has developed a fascination with plants as well as understandably keeping himself to himself most of the time. He is however the father (or at least guardian) of Mai, who has grown to despise his apparent indifference towards her. As the episode progresses we see more connections being made as well as Li showing decidedly ominous amount of kindness towards Mai. The ‘cost’ of his contract appears to be that of eating: whenever he uses his powers he has to stuff himself afterwards! As strange as this sounds, another Contractor has to leaf through an entire book in one go after helping to open a bottle of mineral water…
I was left quite uneasy about Li’s attachment to Mai - he is able to show great kindness to people he meets but that cold, dead-eyed look of a Contractor shows up every now and again, which suggests that he’s just using her too. How I’ll be able to root for a hero who is a deceiving, cold-blooded killing machine remains to be seen but Li does have a coat to die for.
This episode had quite a few humourous moments in between the action scenes and the gory ones, which included the talking cat and the old woman who is Li’s landlady. For now the guy in the cloth cap and the Doll who seems to monitor Li’s movements through ‘feeling’ his presence through water are both minor characters but they are apparently on Li’s side and have a job to do. The policewoman Kirahara only made a brief appearance too, which is a shame unless you’re only following her for the fanservice.
Much of what I made of this episode is pure conjecture so I haven’t set it down here; no doubt my half-baked theories will be thrown out as the series progresses. Once again the visuals are painted in several shades of awesome and the zillions of questions are being thrown up with just enough explained to keep me hooked. It also ends on a literally incendiary clifffhanger…keep up the good work please!
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[Anime Reviews]
26 Apr 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: Darker than Black]
This ep wraps up the events of the first one but in doing so delivers a nice twist in its second half. Hei (a.k.a. Li) is trying to help his new lady friend Chiaki escape Jean and the other Contractors but they are proving impossible to shake off.
I can’t say Hei’s true nature was that much of a surprise - when a man falls off a bridge into the path of a moving train and survives, you can’t help but wonder whether there’s something unusual about him. 
Still, Chiaki’s identity took me completely by surprise - I was expecting her to be a central character all the way through. Anyway, it looks like Hei and the police officers are going to take centre stage from here on in, perhaps with a nice cat-and-mouse investigation that ought to be interesting - for a Contractor, Hei seems to show a suspicously large amount of human compassion.
I’m quite fascinated by the other Contractors too - the mechanisms that give them their abilities are chock full of technobabble that must be a real headache for the translators and each of them seems to have some quirk that relates to the ‘cost’ of his ability (lining up pebbles or eating dandelions? WTF?). The show seems to be intent on confusing me still, which may or may not be related to my recent lack of sleep in favour of finishing off coursework assignments. At any rate it continues to intrigue and the visuals and music are excellent. Maybe it was just me but the diner scene took a slight nosedive in animation quality though, but it seemed to pick back up when the action kicked in.
There’s still a lot yet to be explained of course but the next episode seems to be the first in an arc of at least one other (I haven’t checked the ANN episode listing yet, before you ask), which leads me to speculate that Darker than Black may take on a pattern of several two or three-part mini-stories before the ultimate revelations concerning the Contractors, Dolls and Hell’s Gate are revealed. Whether or not this will be the case I don’t know but whichever way I look at it, this is still my favourite show of the season so far.
As an aside, I thought a talking cat was odd. Cool, but odd. This cat isn’t darker than black however, it’s just black. And black cats rock.
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[Anime Reviews]
19 Apr 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: Darker than Black]
Nope, Darker than Black isn’t the name of the new Metallica album (unfortunately). It is however the most impressive opening episode of this season’s new shows. Titled The Star of Contract Flowed…Part 1, ep #1 had my eyes glued to the screen, thinking “This is great!” without knowing exactly why. I love it when that happens.
The general setup of the story is that a wall in Toyko has been built around a mysterious entity known as Hell’s Gate. The appearance of Hell’s Gate heralded the appearance of the Contractors and the Dolls, two groups of people who have paranormal abilities and seem to be engaged in some sort of conflict; the police are investigating a case connected with them, concerning a missing scientist. We meet a comfortably small number of characters, including a Contractor whose ability is that of defying gravity, the young female researcher who has knowledge of Hell’s Gate and the Contractors and a Chinese guy called Li who has a habit of bumping into the said researcher (who by a strange coincidence lives next to the flat Li’s moved into). Lots of questions, of course, but it’s not too confusing so I’m eager to see more.
Visually Darker than Black is a winner. There’s no one particular aspect that makes it so damn good but the whole aesthetic style in general just looks…right. Musically it can’t be faulted either - anyone who knows my taste in anime soundtracks is probably aware of how highly I rate Yoko Kanno’s efforts but this is another impressive addition to her CV. The op theme is an energetic rock tune and the end one is a pleasant piano-driven ballad; the background stuff in between is quite blues/jazz based with one or two orchestral harmonies here and there. It’s varied, unobtrusive and has a nice ‘film noir’ vibe to it. Another OST to buy in the future then…
The clincher for me, and probably plenty of others too, is that it feels like the spiritual descendent of Wolf’s Rain: it shares many of the creative staff of studio BONES and if all goes well it’ll be at least as enjoyable. Just don’t do the ‘four episode recap’ thing, okay guys? All in all though, it’s an impressive opening act for a series that shows a lot of promise.
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