Darker than BLACK

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MBS (ended 2009)

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DragonSpawn2006

User Score: 384
Darker than BLACK
8.5
out of 10
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197 votes
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Episode Guide

S 2 :  Ep 16 Aired 10/18/11
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S 2 :  Ep 15 Aired 10/18/11
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S 2 :  Ep 14 Aired 10/18/11
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S 2 :  Ep 13 Aired 10/18/11
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S 2 :  Ep 12 Aired 12/24/09
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Show Summary

10 years ago an abnormal area appeared in Tokyo and South America. The area in Tokyo was labeled Hell's Gate and the one in South American was labeled Heaven's Gate. The appearance of the areas caused massive devastation to the area and also replaced the stars with false stars. Not long after the appearance of the Gates, many people started popping who had abilities no ordinary human possessed. Known as Contractors, these people could do things that were before, only imaginable. From being able to control gravity to being able to engulf anything in flames. These abilites came at a cost though, for each Contractor there is a different remuneration. Along with the Contractors, Dolls started appearing, emotionless mediums used to do a variety of things. After the appearance of Contractors, many countries started using them as spies and agents.
5 years ago a war was waged involving many Contractors, around the Heavens Gate in South America. The end result of the was the Heaven's Gate and 1500 mile radius around the gate disappearing on the face of the earth.
Season 1: At present date a Contractor named Hei has come to Japan, assuming the identity of Li Shunsheng, a student from China. He is actually an agent for the group called "The Syndicate". With a blind Doll named Yin, a Contractor stuck in the body of a cat name Mao, and their human leader named Huang. Hei completes a variety of missions which often include fighting dangerous Contractors, while searching for his sister who disappeared with Heavens Gate.
Season 2 (Gemini of the Meteor): 2 years have passed since the events in Tokyo. Suou Pavlichenko has been living a somewhat normal life with her brother Shion and their father. Everything changes when their home is attacked by an unknown faction. With her father dead, Suou must team with Hei, the doll July and Mao in order to find her brother and in the process find out who she is.
The Black Contractor: Gaiden (OAV): Following the events of the first season, The Black Contractor: Gaiden follows Hei and Yin as they flee from the Syndicate. As things progress Hei begins to notice changes in Yin that are not normal for a doll. The four episodes link the first and season and explains how Hei and Yin were separated and how Yin progressed into becoming Izanami.

Additional Titles:
Darker than BLACK - Kuro no Keiyakusha
Darker Than Black: Ryusei no Gemini
Darker than Black: Gemini of the Meteor
Kuro no Keiyakusha: Gaiden
The Black Contractor: Gaiden

Opening: "HOWLING" by abingdon boys school. (Season 1 Episodes 1-14)
"Kakusei Heroism ~The Hero Without A Name~" by An Cafe (Season 1 Episodes 15-25)
"Tsukiakari no Michishirube (Guidepost of the Moonlight)" by Stereopony (Season 2 Episodes 2-12)
"DARKER THAN BLACK" by Yasushi Ishii (OAV 1-4)

Closing: "Tsukiakari" by Rie fu. (Season 1 Episodes 1-14)
"Dreams" by HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR (Season 1 Episodes 15-25)
"From Dusk Till Dawn" by abingdon boys school (Season 2 Episodes 1-12)moreless

Cast & Crew

Hidenobu Kiuchi

Hidenobu Kiuchi

Hei
Ikuya Sawaki

Ikuya Sawaki

Mao
Masaru Ikeda

Masaru Ikeda

Huang
Misato Fukuen

Misato Fukuen

Yin
Nana Mizuki

Nana Mizuki

Misaki Kirihara
Kana Hanazawa

Kana Hanazawa

Suou Pavlichenko
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Fan Reviews (8)

SUBMIT REVIEW

  • It's hard to watch Darker than BLACK (BONES' styling, not mine) without getting an immediate Cowboy Bebop feel. It is obvious that BONES wanted to create a world where our heroes could come and go into various situations without any limitation whatsoever.moreless

    5.0
    By Devilman1210, Oct 19, 2011




    Like Spike, Jet, and the crew of the Bebop, we know very little about them at first, and find out more and more as the series evolves. The more we learn, the more we come to like these guys, even the generally ruthless Huang. Bebop was limited, however, in that it had to try to tell each of these stories in one 24 minute episode. Darker than BLACK dedicates two episodes to every story, so you get the feel of an "hour long" format like you'd see in most western network shows.



    The problem is that even by the end of the show I really could not connect with most of the main characters. Hei was still more likable when he was running around as his "Li" persona. Yin, being an emotionless automaton "doll", can't grow outside of the limitations set against her by the story. Huang was probably a much more interesting character before we found out his backstory. Section-Chief Kirihara Misaki never manages to be anything but a reason to explain things to the viewing audience. Mao stays his usual pragmatic self to the end. Etcetera. What ends up happening is that the most interesting and dynamic characters often end up dead by the finish of the two-part story. Though these characters serve an important part as a way to give the world more fleshing out and providing later story points, they're gone faster then you'd like.

    Worse, the show's plot suffers from these two-part formats in that they don't maintain a consistent storyline from start to finish. Though you can tell that certain events take place along a time-line, you can also pretend that each part could fit anywhere else in the series without too much required thought. By the time they get to the real meat and potatoes of the story at about episode 20, there is not enough time left to try to bring the viewer on board with what the Contractors, especially Amber's group, are trying to do. The resolution, such as it is, manages to only do one thing and that's end the show. It feels too much like BONES is just saying "Darker than BLACK is over and we are not going to explain anything. Sorry."moreless

  • Darker than Black is a great anime, althought is very hard to get to it.

    9.5
    By Mauro_PB, Mar 05, 2009
    Darker than Black is a great anime, althought is very hard to get to it.

    I prefer action anime with heavy plot, but Darker than Black is more like a drama anime, althought this anime is listed here (www.TV.com) as an action/adventure anime. Despite this fact I really liked it. You won´t like it if you watch only a few episodes, but as you progress watching the story you will find it more amusing and interesting. All characters are wonderfully constructed, even the enemies, althought they tend to die rather easily.

    The end is truly epic, very emotional and hard to understand. In other words, perfect. I won't say more to spoil the fun.

    The animation and sound quality is very good also. Specially the music which is amazing and matches perfectly with the ocasion.moreless

  • A surprisingly original anime show that is well worth a watch.

    8.0
    By drdan2410, Jan 23, 2009
    The story is set in a world where the appearance of two strange astronomical events has lead some people to develop strange powers. These people are known as contractors. However contractors must pay a price for these powers and each remuneration is different. The hero of the piece is a troubled contractor named Hei who can contrl electricity. Along with several other contractors h works as an operative for a secret organisation called the syndicate.



    The premise of the show is actually quite original and works very well. In particular the idea of a cost for the powers that contractors possess is a nice twist. The character of hei is perfect in that he is just nice enough so that we like him but dark enough that we never quite know what he will do in any given situation - which is a nice change for the holier-than-thou type heroes of most anime.



    A great show... watch it and you will like it.moreless

  • It's an interesting anime with a sort-of crazy story that really must be seen to be understood...

    9.9
    By Tom1Kaskla, Mar 08, 2008
    It's really difficult to even find a point where to start describing it as it's really very verhttp://www.tv.com/darker-than-black/show/71800/write_review.html?tag=write_review;button

    TV.com: TV Show Reviews - Best TV Shows - Top TV Showsy unique even amongst other anime,which begins with the fact that it's manga came after the anime.The main character of Darker than BLACK is Hei,who is a contractor.Contractors in this anime are people with unique powers,but they have to pay to use them in unique ways.Some are painful while others are even enjoyed by the contractors.For example November 11 ,who has to smoke to use his power of freezing things hates his remuneration.The fact which makes Hei different from other Contractors is the fact that he at first wasn't a contractor due to which he lacks a remuneration.Overall I really find it hard to describe this anime due to the fact that it really has to be seen to be understood and is very hard to understand for a person who doesn't watch it.moreless

  • Darker than BLACK is an anime focused on the events after the arrival of the mysterious Hell and Heaven Gates in South America and Japan. A worth watching show that becomes an addiction.moreless

    10
    By iiMNOTOKAY, Mar 07, 2008
    Darker than BLACK is most definately a show that's on my top ten list. It's about a group called the Syndicate, which includes Hei, Yin, Mao and Haung. The motives of the Syndicate are unknown pertaining to the Hell and Heaven Gates. These two gates are what caused the appearance of Contractors and Dolls. A Contractor is a person with a special power, but they must perform an remuneration in order to survive. An remuneration could be as simple as smoking a ciggarette or breaking one's fingers. The story is pretty much focused on Hei, a Contractor who has the ability to bend electricity of some sorts. He's undercover as a friendly Chinese exchange student, though while on the job he's very serious.

    As the story flows on, the plot unravels more and more and you quickly become obsessed with this show. Quite honestly one of the best I've watched in awhile, I would recommend it to anyone. A perfect ten.moreless
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Categories

Action & Adventure, Animation

Themes

bloody and violent, cartoon violence, characters with double lives, characters with hidden agendas, epic battles

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