Supernatural Sci-Fi Anime Messes With Space And Time In The Best Way
Darker than Black delves into how the world runs after two gates land on Earth, one in South America and one in Japan, the stars are replaced, and some people start to develop supernatural abilities. There are two categories of powers: the dolls who are emotionless but can send ghosts through different mediums to search out people and act as spies, and the contractors who can have a wide range of powers but always with a price to pay.
Darker Than Black
The Darker than Black story follows one contractor in particular, named Hei, who works with a group called the Syndicate. We watch him throughout the anime as he completes missions and avoids capture.
The story is interesting because it’s not very black and white. It’s hard to tell whether Hei is a good guy or not, and what his main goal is in working with the Syndicate, especially at the beginning. The show doesn’t bother to explain much to the audience and instead makes the viewers work for any information.
Maybe Not For Everyone?
It’s one of my favorite animes. However, it’s not for everyone. Despite coming out in 2007, it’s not a widely popular anime. Tensai Okamura (Wolf’s Rain) directed the series with backing from Studio Bones.
One reason Darker than Black doesn’t work for everyone is because it’s more of an episodic anime. While there is an overarching plot, it’s rather minimal, especially at first. By the time the series starts getting into the actual storyline, the show’s almost over.
There Is A Second Season
For some, this is a bit of a disappointment because the whole Darker than Black situation is convoluted and never really gets finalized or explained.
Depending on how much you’re enjoying the show, there is a second season of Darker Than Black possibly worth a watch.
It’s known as Darker than Black: Gemini of the Meteor. According to a Reddit thread, many fans suggest not watching past the first season as they feel the continuation doesn’t do the show justice or add much.
Things Start Getting Good
While the second season does have some major flaws, certain parts make it worth the watch, if you care to continue.
This is when the Darker than Black story starts building up, breaking away from the episodic storyline. Characters start to show another side of themselves, and we get to see more bonding between the main players in the show.
Conflicting Views
Honestly, despite the suggestion not to watch the second season, it’s not all that poorly rated. Where the first season of Darker than Black has an 8.05, the second has a 7.43. Based on my experience with the entire show and the reviews, I still feel it’s worth a watch.
While I love Darker than Black and want more people to watch it, I do realize that it’s not one everyone will enjoy.
Darker Than Black Score
REVIEW SCORE
Personally, I give Darker than Black a 4/5, but I think a 3/5 is appropriate for the general audience.
If it’s not due to the episodic style and lack of a solid ending that scares away potential viewers, the lack of availability may be why Darker than Black isn’t very popular. It’s not available on any streaming service and has to be rented from sites like YouTube or Google Play, if you don’t just have to buy it outright.
Even if you find the first season, the second one isn’t usually in the same place, making it a struggle to watch the full show.
