Darker than Black: Kuro no Keiyakusha [Archive] - Page 2

Ryllharu

Fri, 10-16-2009, 05:50 PM

I personally think that contractors do have emotions and feelings, but have a mind that is bound to follow logic. They cannot make irrational decisions (given what they know of course), but that does not mean that they do not feel anything.I'm inclined to believe you are more correct than I was after watching the first episode again. Tanya specifically mentioned that she didn't even want to have his children yet. If the translation is right, then she still feels pretty strongly towards Nika, she will simply claim his genes when she thinks the time is right.

I'm a uneasy toward their relationship after seeing the preview for next week however. Things don't look that great, and the FSB very well may have wiped her memories as part of "training."
------------------------

Concerning Hei and this episode, the evidence seems to support it being a Contractor Suppressor. Hei's power is derived from his sister Bai, who is the real BK201. If the power transferred or was completely destroyed, BK201 would either fall or still be there. Instead, it simply faded (as the lovely as ever, and still interested Misaki noted). In my mind that would indicate some form of suppression rather than transfer.

Personally, I like that Hei isn't the primary focus this season. I liked many of the side characters and bit parts just as much as I liked Hei during the first season. They were just as fleshed out in the majority of cases, and had their own views of the events. Hei had his series, and his development. I rather enjoy seeing how an "outsider" views the whole situation. Their perspective is as equally interesting.

I also very much enjoy that they added a real combat equal to Hei in Hazuki. Hei didn't have any true equals in the first season, he was able to use his brains and experience to defeat a number of other martial arts based contractors. Hazuki's ability counters a number of Hei's strengths in terms of his equipment with her infinitely sharp wooden objects, and her physical capabilities mirror many of Hei's own. Not to mention that her price is fairly low. They ended in a draw here, but I am very much looking forward to further engagements between the two.

It seems more likely that Hei and Suou will become partners.

digitalrurouni

Fri, 10-16-2009, 06:16 PM

While I found this episode very good, I would be massively disappointed if freaking Hei loses his powers...that is what made this show so good is Hei and the way he fights with the other contractors in the world of contractors. That little girl is quite annoying...please god dont ruin this show!

Anyway isnt this show supposed to be following the manga? Maybe I should start reading the manga.

Buffalobiian

Fri, 10-16-2009, 07:39 PM

Anyway isnt this show supposed to be following the manga? Maybe I should start reading the manga.

No, it isn't.

I'm inclined to believe you are more correct than I was after watching the first episode again. Tanya specifically mentioned that she didn't even want to have his children yet. If the translation is right, then she still feels pretty strongly towards Nika, she will simply claim his genes when she thinks the time is right.

I took that as meaning "Since I don't want to reproduce yet, you are not needed."

It's basically saying Nika's only value is in reproduction (if and when she needs it).I couldn't see any sign of emotion between Tanya and Nika.

If only Hei was a woman, Hazuki would be rendered powerless if they were isolated, and neither could escape the other. It was good that Hei couldn't defeat her in 30 seconds flat.

Ryllharu

Fri, 10-16-2009, 08:13 PM

Found Suou's rifle in the OP.

A soviet PTRD (http://www.rt66.com/~korteng/SmallArms/antitank.htm) anti-tank rifle.

Pretty nasty rifle. 25 mm of armor penetration.

RyougaZell

Fri, 10-16-2009, 09:51 PM

Loved episode 2. Period.

Hiei is still badass. LOL at him molesting a young girl without knowing it...

Pandadice

Fri, 10-16-2009, 09:52 PM

^nice find.

so yeah, this series so far is like 10x better than the first season. i'm really glad i decided to watch this, because these fist two episodes have been awesome.

Kraco

Fri, 10-16-2009, 11:56 PM

Found Suou's rifle in the OP.

A soviet PTRD (http://www.rt66.com/~korteng/SmallArms/antitank.htm) anti-tank rifle.

Pretty nasty rifle. 25 mm of armor penetration.

It doesn't really seem like a weapon for a little girl. It even weighs more than 17 kg empty and the ammunition must be equally heavy. The recoil is likely crazy as well, despite the rather interesting mechanics that page you found described.

On second thought, it's perfect for a little anime girl.

Xelbair

Sat, 10-17-2009, 01:27 PM

Or a strike witch...
One thing strikes me through - in first ep at the end two contractors died right? April and that speedy-guy. So why only one star has fallen?

Lucifus

Sat, 10-17-2009, 03:58 PM

So then, anyone else think Mao has possessed Pecha somehow since the death of that supposedly random cat in episode one? They sure went with an annoying little critter this time though.

Haha, loving the second season. Hei is more badass than ever. Just wish there was more Yin to go around.

It seemed to me like the transfer was heading straight to the orange thing Suou was wearing around her neck(Meteor Core/Fragment?).

I'm guessing Pai is gonna remain dormant for awhile or that the fragment/core will be giving Hei a power boost of some kind. I'm leaning towards Pai's abilities becoming dormant because after the credits, if anyone noticed, Misaki saw BK-201's star fade.

Fade, not fall.Thoughts anyone?

Archangel

Sat, 10-17-2009, 04:06 PM

Board of Command

Sat, 10-17-2009, 06:53 PM

The OP is really awesome mainly because Misaki is in there for half a second.

KitKat

Sun, 10-18-2009, 12:12 AM

I'm not really liking this haggard alcoholic Hei that we see in this season. It doesn't look like life has been kind to him since leaving Japan. Before he was fairly perfunctory about carrying out his mission, but now he looks almost hopeless. He needs something to be happy about.

Anyone else think that Pecha is just like Momo from Samurai Champloo?

I thought Suou's method of finding Hei was hilarious. She's got spunk and determination. It'll be a good balance for this season's depressed-looking Hei.

shinta|hikari

Sun, 10-18-2009, 01:24 AM

I would become a haggard alcoholic too if I lost Yin after being with her for so long and having only her as a pillar of emotional support. Well, if only I weren't one already.

fireheart

Fri, 10-23-2009, 07:33 AM

BSS Darker than black 03 (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BBSS%5D_Darker_Than_Black_-_Gemini_of_the_Meteor_-_03_%5BAAB4C0AC%5D.mkv.torrent) The font is kinda small so there'll probably be another version of it coming up later

Kraco

Fri, 10-23-2009, 08:43 AM

The release is missing font styling. If you know what you are doing, you can fix the .ass by simply Find-Replacing (style Default->btb) and remuxing.

Looks like Hei really lost his powers. Sucks big time and Suou awakening hardly compensates for that plot device. I guess Hei continues to drink all the more to forget all of his troubles piling up.

shinta|hikari

Fri, 10-23-2009, 09:27 AM

Still, losing his powers means we get to see the original Black Soul Reaper in action, even before he got his hax free usage power. There should be even smarter battle scenes to compensate the loss of offensive capability.

Kraco

Fri, 10-23-2009, 10:06 AM

shinta|hikari

Fri, 10-23-2009, 10:36 AM

I don't think that Hei needing saving necessarily means that the series has fallen. While I would not enjoy it either if it became a regular thing, once or twice is fine since it adds a bit of variety, as well as humanity to Hei's character.

If you ever need to drink while watching this, I shall gladly join you. Alcohol and anime has always been a great mix for me.

Kraco

Fri, 10-23-2009, 10:44 AM

Yeah, I didn't mean special circumstances like happened in this very episode when those whatever machines rendered him comatose and Suou saved him. I mean if Hei suddenly starts to suck so much he starts to fail at jobs he should be able to handle no problem and Suou comes to rescue. Well, I like DtB enough to not worry overly much yet but losing the contractor powers was already a troublesome sign.

Ryllharu

Fri, 10-23-2009, 03:42 PM

Yeah. We already saw spetsnaz is nothing against him, but considering he might be facing other contractors as much as he always did, his original skills, no matter how impressive, might be far too lacking. Aside from that I really wouldn't want to see Suou saving him with her new powers. I will start drinking if the series falls so low that Hei needs saving.
I was under the impression that Hei was actually more than enough to take down the majority of contractors in the Brazilian jungle though he himself was not one of them at the time. He got help from Amber, and he certainly was no Pai, yet he still took them down. It just wasn't at the proficient pace we were accustomed to. he could take down two or three at the same time in the series, but in the past, he could still take one down during a prolonged fight. Even with his powers, it was clear from the flashbacks that his sister outperformed him in every possible way.

He even would have killed Tanya had he not run out of bullets. I think Hei's faults are that he became too reliant on his powers. If anything kills him, it will definitely be his drinking and years of over-dependence on Pai's borrowed powers. We have to face that Hei slipped, but he can definitely get back up to his old proficiency.

I'm more concerned about what Hei started to say to Mao about Yin, and how much of a contractor Suou really is. She still seems to have her emotions about her, as much as Hei did, and she was clearly possessed, the power coming from the meteor core around her neck rather than from her directly. I would say she is as much of a contractor as Hei is.

Kraco

Fri, 10-23-2009, 05:32 PM

What you said doesn't really prove my worries wrong in any way. If he kicked contractor ass in the past without his own powers, it was probably due to the fact the opposing contractors were too fresh and inexperienced (just like Tanya, who could only kill a civilian that wouldn't have hurt the snow under her feet). Now, like you said, Hei is rusty from depending too much on electricity and drinking, whereas the world is full of battle scarred contractors with perfected powers. It's not like Hei is the only person in the world developing or degenerating.

I want Hei to kick ass, not fail and be saved by a musume who was still sucking her mom's breasts when Hei was already sending enemies to permanent vacations in third world jungles.

shinta|hikari

Fri, 10-23-2009, 07:21 PM

I think they would work more as a team instead. Suou's powers have a major flaw, one that all snipers have. Hei losing his powers means he has lost a significant amount of lethal firepower, which Suou has. They simply have to cover each other's backs if they want to survive. I don't really mind such a setting, since it is more of a symbiotic relationship between two fake contractors than one out of sheer dependence.

RyougaZell

Fri, 10-23-2009, 09:29 PM

Personally... I loved the episode. Despite Hiei losing his powers.
Maybe because Im becoming a Suou-tard here...

animus

Sat, 10-24-2009, 12:59 AM

Not gonna lie, I'm pretty annoyed they took away Hei's powers and reduced him to what he is now.

KitKat

Sat, 10-24-2009, 03:39 AM

Seems there are some mixed reactions to this episode, but personally I loved it. So much exciting mystery! I love having Mao back, though I liked him better as a cat. The flying squirrel is just.....too much. It seems that Mao and Hei have their own agenda, which is separate from that of the various official groups.

I don't think his loss of powers is permanent, but neither do I think it's a bad thing for the moment. Hei's the kind of person who will accomplish what he needs to no matter what, given whatever resources he has available. This just adds to the difficulty level for him for the moment, but his resources have increased as well with the aquisition of Suou and July. They will be valuable allies, but add a measure of unpredictability.

I don't believe Suou has truly become a contractor either. If anything, the signs she showed were more similar to the girl who went into moratorium. Becoming a contractor seems more like a one time irrevocable change. I'm confused about what sort of a role July is playing in this, but hopefully next episodes will clarify some things.

It was weird to see Hei fighting without his signature black coat and mask. You can actually see his facial expressions as he's fighting. Crazy.

Buffalobiian

Sat, 10-24-2009, 07:28 AM

I enjoyed the episode, since like previously mentioned, it adds variety. I don't share Kraco's worry, but I for sure don't want that to happen. DtB 2's been kicking ass so far, so I'll just put my faith into them and hope to see it through.

We finally got a longer scene featuring Hei and Yin back then, and to me that was the most interesting part of the episode. Yin's naked with dead bodies all over the place. They showed more footage without explaining anything. Awesome (in a good way, since I want them to "reveal", but keep it a mystery for a bit longer).

Hei's team right now is much like his Syndicate team on a smaller management scale. Back then there were the big boys and the mysterious syndicate playing things up. Now Hei's betrayed the CIA while July and Mao seem to be doing their own thing and disregarding the MI6 (or whoever Mao was with before).

Mao actually, should be still connected to the Syndicate or whatever's left of it, since he'd have to retrieve his memory from the backup server. I expect they would have had to retrieve that cat as well, since memory is nothing without the soul, which I presume was still in the black cat.

Edit: Oh, and patch fix for the vid: http://www.bssubs.net/DtB2_03_PATCH.zip

Ryllharu

Sat, 10-24-2009, 07:55 AM

Buffalobiian

Sat, 10-24-2009, 08:32 AM

The cat was never Mao's original body. He transferred into an animal when he was a contractor, and then found out he could never go back into a human body because his power only worked on animals. In exchange, he never had to pay renumeration again, since he wasn't in his body.

That's worded a bit confusingly, but I believe you meant he transferred to an animal, when his body got destroyed, so he's forever stuck in animals.

The words Hei and Mao used there seemed to imply that Mao's memories and mind aren't anywhere, they're just...wherever they are. No server, and therefore no Syndicate needed.

That's what it seemed to me at first, but then Mao called it a "fixed term backup", which kind of computerized the whole thing for me.

However, it's quite possible that for someone who's able to transfer bodies that his memories aren't "fixed" in a body, nor "transfers" with him. His mind, however, is another issue. Thinking back to the cat incident, he just gradually lost control of the cat before the animal went completely wild again.

I should check that episode out again, since it may explain what happened to Mao. Either the chip got fried in an attack and his intelligence degraded (momentarily) to that of a cat, or Hell's Gate kicked him out.

KitKat

Sat, 10-24-2009, 01:28 PM

Yeah, I'll have to re-watch it too because my memories of it are fuzzy. I was always under the impression that Mao's collar when he was in cat-form was his receiver, and allowed him to wirelessly store his memories on a computer somewhere, and use the extra computational processing power because animal brains were too small for him to retain his full personality and memories.

digitalrurouni

Sat, 10-24-2009, 09:58 PM

I think my prediction is that towards the end of the show we will see Hei having regained his 'badassness', given up his alcoholism, got his powers back etc etc and be back to the old ass kicking Hei that we knew and loved from the first series. That said I enjoyed the 3rd episode.

Archangel

Sun, 10-25-2009, 12:40 PM

This anime does love its mysteries doesn't it? We pretty much solved every question asked from the first series, only to have the second season dump twice as much question marks.

Well... i wasn't completely right about the power transference but the end result was the same with Hei now powerless and Shion gaining contractor abilities. Hopefully the situation won't last too long.

And fans of both Hei and Yin seem to have something of a dilemma on their hands

shinta|hikari

Sun, 10-25-2009, 07:47 PM

Nah, I'm pretty sure Hei won't ever kill Yin. All this is just to hype up the mystery of Yin's disappearance.

Archangel

Sun, 10-25-2009, 07:50 PM

Unless she's already dead and her body is being used by the syndicate for some evil plot

Dum Dun Duuuum!!!

Well bad theories aside, the scene with her crying and that previous statement does make me think that our precious Yin is no longer with us.

Pandadice

Mon, 10-26-2009, 06:02 PM

dang. this episode was crazy ridiculous. I think the point where i stopped looking at it seriously was when the dude rammed the train into them. yeah i think that's when i just started laughing at how ridiculous this entire episode was.. i wouldn't even know where to begin to complain about it...

animus

Tue, 10-27-2009, 12:45 AM

Why complain? I thought the episode was great besides my obvious dislike of Hei's current disposition.

EpyonNext

Wed, 10-28-2009, 09:41 PM

Does anyone know if a group is dropping their subs into something like megaupload? I leave for Afghanistan in 5 days and BT goes out the window as an option to download with.

Pandadice

Wed, 10-28-2009, 09:57 PM

well, Animetake (http://www.animetake.com/?s=darker+than+black&x=0) offers MU DDL links for pretty much all of the currently airing anime.

KitKat

Thu, 10-29-2009, 02:16 AM

I can't torrent at my place either, so I've been going DDL from lolipower.org.

Stay safe, ok? Keep posting here to reassure us of your well-being :)

Kraco

Fri, 10-30-2009, 05:23 AM

Drunker than a Drunkard:

Episode 4 - BSS (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BBSS%5D_Darker_Than_Black_-_Gemini_of_the_Meteor_-_04_%5B8767FC3C%5D.mkv.torrent)

Archangel

Fri, 10-30-2009, 12:00 PM

Is the single for the OP out yet?

Kraco

Fri, 10-30-2009, 12:24 PM

Archangel

Fri, 10-30-2009, 12:34 PM

You have to love it when a lesbian's remuneration is to kiss guys

And i get what you're saying Kraco, but that doesn't change the fact that drunk Hei is one hell of an unlikable cunt. I can already imagine that he'll slowly revert to his old self as he opens his heart out to Suou as they begin to know each other better but it's gonna be quite annoying to put up with him until then

Everon

Fri, 10-30-2009, 03:29 PM

Maybe I missed it, but what's Suo's remuneration?

Archangel

Fri, 10-30-2009, 03:34 PM

You mean Suou? It's to make paper cranes

Pandadice

Fri, 10-30-2009, 05:11 PM

this show is ridiculous. this is childish garbage, and I'm not joking when i say it. this show doesn't do anything other than severely irritate me. how do you people find this to be entertainment?

the only good thing about this series is Hei. as I said with season one, Hei is the only good thing about the show. in fact, I like him more in this one. yeah he lost his abilities and he isn't all black reaper so much, but they took a popular character, and turned him into a drunken child beater, and I think thats awesome. I love the new Hei, because he's such a morally and socially bankrupt shell of his former self.

but of course with that said, I owe some credit to Suou. Her time with Hei and Hei himself were what got me through this episode.

of course, every other character I hated. I hated every other character and scene that wasn't exclusively hei and suou. the mall rats? that was ridiculous and irritating. the transvestite greeting Hei when they first got to the town? that was annoying and I truly wish it was pointless, but I know they're gonna bring him and his son into the series as more prominent characters, and that pisses me off. I hope Hei stays exactly how he is.

I laughed off the 3rd episode as ridiculous. but I just honestly could not laugh this one off. it was just too horrible.

if the show wasn't only 12 episodes, I would drop it here. but since it is 12, I'll stick it out i think.

Buffalobiian

Fri, 10-30-2009, 10:01 PM

According to Nipponsei it will be out 4th of November.

Half of me feels pity for Suou for having a drunkard Hei as a mentor, the other half recognizes it's actually exactly the kind of teaching she needs. There's no doubt Hei can teach a lot of really useful technical skills to a no-skill like Suou and furthermore when the sensei isn't all polite and friendly her adaptation to the ruthless world of contractors is much more rapid and thorough. It won't make her any happier but it may have a significant impact on her life expectency.

Still, the other half of me regrets not seeing a more wholesome and mutually supportive relationship between them.

I'm 100% for this child-beating relationship, since we all know Hei's doing this for Suou's own good, whether that's his own intention or not. Nothing will come out of being all soft and papa-ly to Suou. She'll either have to learn to take care of herself, or die.

Hei also knows Suou despises him, and plans to do nothing about it. If he starts acting all nice to her, it will only confuse her, as she'll no longer know what to do. Does she kill the man who killed her father and friend?

I'm sure they'll end up seeing each other as co-workers and friends later on down the track, but it's much better letting Suou come to terms with this later when she has more of an idea of what's going on, rather than now or soon when she's still green, learning to hold her own in a world where death's drunk and beating you up just around the corner, and has no idea what's going on in the bigger picture.

I really liked the humour and character development too. July's finger-smile looked exactly like Yin's. :o If there was any solid proof that Suou's not a full contractor, it would be her illogical choice to eat overdue food.

RyougaZell

Fri, 10-30-2009, 11:39 PM

if the show wasn't only 12 episodes, I would drop it here. but since it is 12, I'll stick it out i think.

Only 12 episodes? Nooo :(

Hei is cool. But I wanted to hit him for each time he hit Suou :mad: Even if it was for her own good.

KitKat

Sun, 11-01-2009, 01:17 AM

Well, as much as I'm predisposed to like everything about this show, I have to agree with Pandadice in that I'm starting to find the secondary characters extremely irritating. One thing I really liked about the first series was that they limited the 'silliness' to that one detective and his cosplaying sidekick. They managed to keep the rest of the show fairly serious in tone. With this season, I feel like they're just too all-over-the-place with smiling at a transvestite one minute and then having Hei hitting Suou the next.

I also cringed when they had the Sailor Moon-esque transformation scene again when Suou used her power. Unless there is something drastically different about her from other contractors, why can't they just have her eyes glow and the gun appear like they would for any other normal contractor?

I would have really liked to see more of this episode focusing on how Suou has changed since becoming a contractor, and more importantly, how much she's still the same. They touched on it briefly, but not enough for my liking, and in what seemed like a fairly contrived manner. I miss her spunky enthusiasm already. But yeah, Bill, I've been wondering too whether she's a full contractor, since they draw quite a bit of attention to that pendant her brother gave her, making me suspect that it somehow is connected to her new powers. Unlike Hei, she actually has a renumeration, but I wonder...is it possible for her to revert to being a human and give up her contract if she, say, destroyed the pendant? Or perhaps the pendant has some sort of a shielding effect. We haven't yet heard mention of a new star appearing representing Suou.

I'm also unclear on the timeframe of Suou's training. It seems like she's made an awful lot of progress in a short time, going from being a regular schoolgirl to being a fairly competent fighter.

I'm of the opinion now that nothing is going to get through to Hei until he deals with whatever it is that is killing him inside, regarding Yin. Right now he's in a place where he just doesn't care about anything else, and Suou only registers very peripherally on his list of priorities. If the first season showed us a Hei that was more human than other contractors, this season is giving us a Hei that is losing his humanity. It's almost painful to watch.

Ryllharu

Sun, 11-01-2009, 05:41 AM

I don't know if saying Suou was a "regular schoolgirl" is completely right. Tanya and Suou's friends were regular schoolgirls before everything happened. Suou has been exposed to a lot since even before Shion became a contractor. She was already taught how to shoot when she was very young, and she practiced some of those skills with her camera work.

Her physical conditioning isn't great, as Hei pointed out, she really is deficient in some of her muscle groups. Seeing a contractor doing belly dancing as exercise was kind of funny, especially with her sporting the contractor facial expression. That said, Suou was clearly very athletic from the "regular schoolgirl" standpoint, so she didn't have the entire way to go. Climbing trees and traincars is nothing to her.

It's her endurance that doesn't match up. Hei can sprint flat out for a long time, and getting dragged along by the arm exhausts Suou. He taught her some basic dodging skills, though I will admit her now knowing a number of submission attacks was a bit much for so short a time.

Pandadice

Sun, 11-01-2009, 09:27 AM

I also cringed when they had the Sailor Moon-esque transformation scene again when Suou used her power. Unless there is something drastically different about her from other contractors, why can't they just have her eyes glow and the gun appear like they would for any other normal contractor?

lol, I know what you mean. But I think they use it because her power is to have an 8' rifle come out of her chest.. i just dunno how you'd make that look natural without a transformation sequence xD

Archangel

Sun, 11-01-2009, 09:28 AM

Only 12 episodes? Nooo :(

Hei is cool. But I wanted to hit him for each time he hit Suou :mad: Even if it was for her own good.

But there will be 4 OVAs afterwards :)

Here (http://myanimelist.net/anime/7338/Darker_than_BLACK_-_Ryuusei_no_Gemini_OVA)

Buffalobiian

Sun, 11-01-2009, 09:31 AM

But there will be 4 OVAs afterwards :)

Here (http://myanimelist.net/anime/7338/Darker_than_BLACK_-_Ryuusei_no_Gemini_OVA)

According to dojin mangaka Guyohmaru's blog, Aniplex announced at a preview for the anime business people that four extra episodes of Darker than BLACK - Ryuusei no Gemini will be released as DVD/Blu-ray only episodes. The four episodes are the side stories bridging the gap between the first and the second series and will be included in the even number volumes of the DVD/Blu-ray Discs.

That's good news and all, but I hope they don't neglect Yin's backstory in the main episodes just because they can make up for it with the DVD specials.

Things are looking good so far, so I guess I shouldn't be so paranoid.

Archangel

Sun, 11-01-2009, 11:25 AM

Awesome OP single is awesome (http://video.yahoo.com/watch/6322378)

animus

Mon, 11-02-2009, 11:08 PM

I really like their OP for DTB, I didn't like their other single for Bleach's Ending 17 as much or Gundam 00s.

Marik

Tue, 11-03-2009, 06:27 AM

[Nipponsei] Darker Than Black -Ryuusei no Gemini- OP Single - Tsukiakari no Michishirube [Stereopony].zip (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BNipponsei%5D%20Darker%20Than%20Black%20-Ryuusei%20no%20Gemini-%20OP%20Single%20-%20Tsukiakari%20no%20Michishirube%20%5BStereopony% 5D.zip.torrent)

---

I love this song.

Pandadice

Fri, 11-06-2009, 03:35 PM

ep 5 is out

[BSS]_Darker_Than_Black_-_Gemini_of_the_Meteor_-_05_[2FC9EC2C].mkv (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BBSS%5D_Darker_Than_Black_-_Gemini_of_the_Meteor_-_05_%5B2FC9EC2C%5D.mkv.torrent)

Kraco

Fri, 11-06-2009, 03:51 PM

Archangel

Fri, 11-06-2009, 05:25 PM

I didn't buy that explanation at all, it's fairly obvious that Suou isn't a proper contractor at all. How is it that nobody noticed yet that the rifle materializes off of her pendant?

And powerless Hei kinda sucks, he couldn't even take down those 3 weaklings and even managed to get himself kidnapped

Pandadice

Fri, 11-06-2009, 05:57 PM

whoa, and yet again we get to sit through the naked loli transformation scene... do people really enjoy watching that over Hei's lightning? did the writers think it would help DVD sales to turn the focus of the series from a chinese mask wearing assassin into a loli with a naked contractor transformation?

I definitely found this episode better than last weeks. maybe it's cause after last week I was used to it.. or actually I think it was the contractor fight. man, when Hei fought that water manipulator chick, that was awesome. Though the fight did draw attention to Hei's loss of powers, which was super lame to begin with. disappointed in the lack of child beating in this ep though :\

I hope she killed that bird.. if she doesn't start killing things as a contractor I'm gonna be mad...

Buffalobiian

Fri, 11-06-2009, 10:02 PM

A good episode. Not a whole lot as such happened yet but pieces were moving to places to form a good setting for the next episode. I was also glad to notice some understanding was building between Suou and Hei, even if it was mainly caused by Hei noticing Suou is incomprehensible for him. Hei "happily" eating Suou's cooking was such a classic scene that I wouldn't put too much emphasis on it in a series like this where anything can happen.

In any case it's good real action began.

Getting Hei to eat is a good start. Hopefully it's the first of things to come until old Hei is back.

I didn't buy that explanation at all, it's fairly obvious that Suou isn't a proper contractor at all. How is it that nobody noticed yet that the rifle materializes off of her pendant?

Probably because of the hundreds, if not thousands, of contractors that exist, along with their mostly unique powers, they just assume it's coming out of her "chest". WE see it as a nude transformation scene, but who knows what the other characters see. I doubt she actually floats in the air while doing it too.

And powerless Hei kinda sucks, he couldn't even take down those 3 weaklings and even managed to get himself kidnapped

Having truck drive off, along with how quickly they made the decision to, probably surprised Hei. Still, it's not too bad a situation. He did shut the door in the smoke so they don't actually know he's inside so continue to search out, giving him time to blow it up. What better opportunity to do so than for them to actually drive away thinking they got out of the mess safely while the boogie is onboard?

If he's quick enough, heck, he could even get out before they notice. (don't ask me how he locked the door from the inside, why the doors didn't swing open when it drove off, or why the soldiers locked the door from the outside and not think anything would have gone in). Of course, the preview would suggest he gets transported to the port swarming with people for his ass.

whoa, and yet again we get to sit through the naked loli transformation scene... do people really enjoy watching that over Hei's lightning? did the writers think it would help DVD sales to turn the focus of the series from a chinese mask wearing assassin into a loli with a naked contractor transformation?

I'm not going to comment about rifle vs lightning. As for the transformation scene, I agree with whoever said this before: I can't think of a better way for a rifle to materialize. It's not that bad, really. Some times she even has the rifle out already, and at least she doen't have to do it every time she attacks. Maybe I'm just desensitized because of another series (http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php?t=17689) with excessive figurative attack/summoning sequences.

I hope she killed that bird.. if she doesn't start killing things as a contractor I'm gonna be mad..

I'm pretty sure she did. There's no reason to cry otherwise.

I had a bad feeling that what Misaki saw in that chamber was....Yin.

Archangel

Fri, 11-06-2009, 10:12 PM

Yeah it's not too bad but compared to the bamofo from season one I still find him quite lacking

RyougaZell

Fri, 11-06-2009, 11:55 PM

Misaki is so boring of a character. I prefer Yin and Suou any day.

Buffalobiian

Sat, 11-07-2009, 12:24 AM

Misaki is so boring of a character. I prefer Yin and Suou any day.

I'm not much of a Misaka fan myself, but now that most of her appearances are accompanied by the lesbian contractor, it's a different story. I'm hoping she'll make a move on her again.

edit@below: my bad.

RyougaZell

Sat, 11-07-2009, 12:33 AM

I'm not much of a Misaka fan myself, but now that most of her appearances are accompanied by the lesbian contractor, it's a different story. I'm hoping she'll make a move on her again.

Dude... please don't confuse the greatness of Misaka (Mikoto) with this Misaki... :( :eek:

Ryllharu

Sat, 11-07-2009, 07:20 AM

I had a bad feeling that what Misaki saw in that chamber was....Yin.My first thought was actually someone just as good. Amber. Did we ever see her star fall?

------------------------------

I'm tired of hearing the whiners every episode say that Contractor Powered Hei was so much more entertaining than all the contractors shown thus far. This is the way they wrote it, you don't like it.

Get over it.

As far as I'm concerned, powerless Hei is just as badass. He just lacks that final effortless lethal punch. How many normal humans can face off with a contractor and not die? His electric powers were actually the most mundane thing about his combat. The acrobatics, the choke holds after mysteriously being able to get to the backside of his opponent allowing him to press them for information, his hand to hand combat skills, etc. Hei only used Pai's powers for killing. In what way has his overall badassness diminished in any way?

He could knife those soldiers if he had wanted to. He could have thrown a grenade at their feet. He could have killed the Mother/Contractor. Why didn't he? Because killing them would have interfered with his objectives. He didn't kill her because that wasn't the goal. Letting Suou and July escape completely unseen was. All he needed to do was distract them long enough for the other two to escape. He did that, and took off himself. His second objective wasn't to kill the soldiers, it was to destroy the package, and if he couldn't, Suou was going to do it for him.

Hei even admitted that Suou can out-snipe him. She's the final lethal punch this season. Hei had partners in South America that he had to rely on, he was pretty happy content about it. Hei has partners again, big deal.

----------------------------------

I've always liked Misaki. She has a nice body, a weird relationship with Hei, and looks great in clothes that aren't her standard business suit.

Archangel

Sat, 11-07-2009, 08:02 AM

I'm tired of hearing the whiners every episode say that Contractor Powered Hei was so much more entertaining than all the contractors shown thus far. This is the way they wrote it, you don't like it.

Get over it.

And i'm tired of you whining about... well, everything else

I'll complain about what i feel complaining about ( in this case the differences between this and the last season that i'm not so happy with ), but please by all means feel free to ignore me, i know i do when someone starts bitching about too much image posting in one thread or some other idiocy like that.

Kraco

Sat, 11-07-2009, 08:18 AM

Archangel

Sat, 11-07-2009, 08:24 AM

Buffalobiian

Sat, 11-07-2009, 08:35 AM

I see Ryllharu has already conveniently forgotten how badly Hei was faring right after losing his powers, at the train station. He's lucky he didn't get killed by the absolutely n00b contractor Tanya. Nobody's saying Hei needs his powers to fight against ordinary grunts. But things are different when fighting against other contractors. It's not like using electricity in his limited manner would be any uber skill compared to some we have seen. It was only so powerful because it was the also otherwise exceedingly potent Hei using it.

Well, in Ryll's defence, Hei then was still confused at why his powers didn't work. As Archie mentioned, Hei's fighting style had also adapted to relying on his powers more and more, but it's not a stretch to say he can't get back to his Shinigami days (once he actually eats).

His missing bulletproof coat is also one reason he's not quite as competent right now. It was actually less of a necessity in BK-201 days since electricity can be a ranged attack. Even if he still kicks ass right now, the missing coat makes approaching the enemy unharmed a lot harder, so I'm not blaming it all on losing his powers.

Hei's still badass. I would actually compare him to Layfon (Chrome Shelled Regios).

[spoiler comparison follows]

While one locked away his potential willingly, the other simply had it taken from him. One refused to use his preferred weapon while the other lost his coat.

[end spoiler]

PS: before I forget, that random telephone out in the middle of nowhere was funny.

Ryllharu

Sat, 11-07-2009, 09:05 AM

Just look at his fight with the water woman, he goes for the grab in the face ( completely worthless move for his powerless self ) instead of going for the throat as he apparently did when he relied in his cables.
Hei always grabbed people in the face. That's how he fried their brains with electricity.

He killed people with the cables when it was at range, but when it was close combat, he grabbed them in the face.

Buffalobiian

Sat, 11-07-2009, 09:16 AM

Hei always grabbed people in the face. That's how he fried their brains with electricity.

What Archie means is that his current action of grabbing people's faces is ineffective and unnecessary. He hasn't fully converted back to his original style (of choking/knifing someone's neck), or developed a better technique since the lost of his powers, indicating that he's no longer as awesome as he was in his Shinigami days.

In summary, his point was Shinigami/BK201 > Current Hei.

Archangel

Sat, 11-07-2009, 09:23 AM

What Archie means is that his current action of grabbing people's faces is ineffective and unnecessary. He hasn't fully converted back to his original style (of choking/knifing someone's neck), or developed a better technique since the lost of his powers, indicating that he's no longer as awesome as he was in his Shinigami days.

In summary, his point was Shinigami/BK201 > Current Hei.

Bill nailed it

Also about this talk about the cargo being Yin or Amber, did Misaki ever meet either of those 2?

Buffalobiian

Sat, 11-07-2009, 09:32 AM

Bill nailed it

Also about this talk about the cargo being Yin or Amber, did Misaki ever meet either of those 2?

To my knowledge, no.

Like Ryll, I initially thought of Amber when she looked so surprised (and that the oblong container was big enough to house a human), since they showed some scenes from the previous Hell's Gate conflict.

Yin was my second, evaluated suspicion given how Amber has not been mentioned at all thus far, while Yin's shots had bodies all around her, perhaps from being targeted.

RyougaZell

Sat, 11-07-2009, 10:50 AM

And i'm tired of you whining about... well, everything else

I'll complain about what i feel complaining about ( in this case the differences between this and the last season that i'm not so happy with ), but please by all means feel free to ignore me, i know i do when someone starts bitching about too much image posting in one thread or some other idiocy like that.

Amen.

Non-contractor Hiei is clearly below the level of Shinigami Hiei... he definitely depended on his powers as Arch, Kraco and Bill have pointed out. And the drunkness definitely doesn't help him. Thus is was refreshing seeing him acted, if only for a minute or two, like this first season self, as he ate like a pig regardless of the taste. Dunno why, but I completely liked that scene.

Anyway... seeing as the water contractor is that new dude's mother... I don't think they'll kill her. Unless they kill the boy too.

Kraco

Sat, 11-07-2009, 11:49 AM

Ryllharu

Sat, 11-07-2009, 01:13 PM

Anyway... seeing as the water contractor is that new dude's mother... I don't think they'll kill her. Unless they kill the boy too.

Unless Suou ends up shooting the mom during the mission and then tells that fact to the dude to terminate his dream of a romance.
I imagine the choice will be to watch Hei die through her scope, losing her tutor and chance for revenge, or shoot the mother right in front of the boy's eyes.

It would put her in an interesting parallel with Tanya.

Pandadice

Fri, 11-13-2009, 02:04 PM

ep 6 from BSS

[BSS]_Darker_Than_Black_-_Gemini_of_the_Meteor_-_06_[7867A8A8].mkv (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BBSS%5D_Darker_Than_Black_-_Gemini_of_the_Meteor_-_06_%5B7867A8A8%5D.mkv.torrent)

Kraco

Fri, 11-13-2009, 02:56 PM

No matter what the Hei worshippers say but the fights are getting somewhat unbalanced. Hei is no match for other contractors and Suou of course has her doubts plus she's a n00b obviously. So, we end up having Yin mysteriously assassinating people when both Hei and Suou can't fight back.

I guess it makes the plot much less straight-forward if nothing else. Things won't be solved through brute force. Although seeing how Hei falls for traps, and according to the preview might do it again, I'm not sure he will manage to gather compensating methods either. I hope things won't proceed from now on totally following somebody else's notes, Hei only trying to survive all the twists.

I guess I sound a bit negative but actually I'm not that much. Suou kicking the lamppost was a nice and promising detail.

Archangel

Fri, 11-13-2009, 08:41 PM

What is it with Hei and lolis? Shinta must be banging his head against the wall in a jealous fit, this dude is a literal loli magnet

I liked how this progressed, not only did Hei apparently give up his drinking but Suou is starting to act less and less like a contractor ( lol, she's jealous of Yin now? ) which i'm hoping will eventually lead to someone looking further as to why that is.

Ryllharu

Fri, 11-13-2009, 09:49 PM

I couldn't help but laugh at the scene with Norio stuffing his face with cake. I guess it was meant to be sad, but with big KyoAni style tears leaking from his face, I couldn't take it seriously at all. Kind of ruined the entire sub-plot for me.

I guess it makes the plot much less straight-forward if nothing else. Things won't be solved through brute force. Although seeing how Hei falls for traps, and according to the preview might do it again, I'm not sure he will manage to gather compensating methods either. I hope things won't proceed from now on totally following somebody else's notes, Hei only trying to survive all the twists.
I took the preview as Suou falling for the trap, but I thought the reappearance of the Russian Commander to be more interesting. Hei prevented Suou from killing Tanya, so she may very well be coming back, and soon. It always makes me sad when I remember what she's like now during the beach scene of the OP.

I'm guessing that they were talking about Misaki when they mentioned how elaborate her traps and plans are, but they know about Suou now, at least in terms of Hei having a young female partner thanks to Norio's mother's words about the subject last episode. She may realize that capturing Suou will work just as well, since Hei's lack of prowess and Yoko's confirmation of him losing his powers may indicate to her that Hei actually needs her.

I found the short conversation between Yoko and Misaki to also be fascinating. Yoko came off as subtly threatening Misaki with her ultra cute voice, but also warning her at the same time. It is certainly tough to say where Section 3 actually stands.

Buffalobiian

Fri, 11-13-2009, 10:52 PM

I found the short conversation between Yoko and Misaki to also be fascinating. Yoko came off as subtly threatening Misaki with her ultra cute voice, but also warning her at the same time. It is certainly tough to say where Section 3 actually stands.

-I always thought Section 3 housed the remnants of the anti-contractor groups from Season 1. Her involvement in this mission was a pleasant surprise. I originally thought Section 3 took her in mainly to keep an eye on her and because she seemed to know Hei from past encounters, which made it look like she was going to be a useless tag-along.

-Hei not being the joking type made the vegetable scene all the more cute. I could get used to Suou.

-The same for Mao as well. His actions are a lot more humane as a squirrel, and it translates quite humorously. His black feline form was much more sinister than this wide-eyed, red bibbed. rodent, though his aura from before would be better described as mysterious and informed.

- It has only just occurred to me that only contractors (or at least those with powers) could see Surveillance Spheres. The entire last season was so full of contractors that I never noticed.

Pandadice

Sat, 11-14-2009, 12:02 AM

- It has only just occurred to me that only contractors (or at least those with powers) could see Surveillance Spheres. The entire last season was so full of contractors that I never noticed.

ohh interesting fact to bring up. I had forgotten about that.

I remember it coming up in season 1 sometimes. probably the most notable time was when the syndicate had that chick under cover to infiltrate the cult, and then .. i dun remember if it was Yin's or who's, but an apparatus appears and the undercover girl takes notice of it, which reveals her contract status to the cult leader she's trying to assassinate.

was July the (only?) one who said he saw Yin's thing?

RyougaZell

Sat, 11-14-2009, 12:45 AM

Hoh... was Suou jealous of Yin at the end?

I hate Misaki and the contractors with her.

Buffalobiian

Sat, 11-14-2009, 12:59 AM

ohh interesting fact to bring up. I had forgotten about that.

I remember it coming up in season 1 sometimes. probably the most notable time was when the syndicate had that chick under cover to infiltrate the cult, and then .. i dun remember if it was Yin's or who's, but an apparatus appears and the undercover girl takes notice of it, which reveals her contract status to the cult leader she's trying to assassinate.

That does sound familiar now that you mention it. That's some memory you have there. ;)

was July the (only?) one who said he saw Yin's thing?

He was the first one to notice the Sphere, possibly due to his highly developed observation ability. He later identified Yin as the owner of that Sphere.

Pandadice

Sat, 11-14-2009, 01:46 AM

That does sound familiar now that you mention it. That's some memory you have there. ;)

don't get too impressed. I watched the series for the first time two months ago.. or, a few weeks before the series started, just so I could keep up with S2.

Kraco

Sat, 11-14-2009, 02:58 AM

Hei should have told Suou to shoot at the submarine. Her rifle would have punctured the hull, making the sub unsafe as a watercraft and forcing it back to the port. Although seeing how they had little means of fighting against the enemy contractors I guess that wouldn't have made any difference.

In any case Yoko needs to die before the season is over. She was too happy about Hei losing his powers.

Ryllharu

Sat, 11-14-2009, 05:10 AM

Suou's rifle might have dented the hull, but it wouldn't have punctured it. 25mm (.985 in), the penetration of the PTRD she uses, was enough to penetrate light tanks in the early part of WWII, but couldn't get through the later models.

A submarine's hull is thicker than that (especially one about as long as that one), and the high yield strength steel would take the hit better too. Most submarines can survive a near miss from an explosion. Suou's rifle wouldn't do a lot, even though they've depicted her shooting through stone already.

Kraco

Sat, 11-14-2009, 07:25 AM

Suou's rifle might have dented the hull, but it wouldn't have punctured it.

You must be right. I don't actually have any idea how thick the hulls of submarines are but surely more than that. And it's not like they would have needed to dive to 100 meters on their way to Tokyo, so a small dent wouldn't have slowed them down.

RyougaZell

Sat, 11-14-2009, 01:14 PM

Archangel

Sat, 11-14-2009, 05:18 PM

Is it spoiler free?

RyougaZell

Sat, 11-14-2009, 09:28 PM

The OVA links Darker than Black with Gemini of the Meteor...

Archangel

Sat, 11-14-2009, 09:41 PM

I mean if the trailer spoils the OVAs in any way

I hate it when that happens

animus

Sun, 11-15-2009, 06:51 PM

I was really disappointed that Norio's mother died so fast, and to her own power too.

Buffalobiian

Mon, 11-16-2009, 07:48 PM

3 minute preview of the Darker than Black OVA

[BSS]_Darker_Than_Black_-_The_Black_Contractor_-_OVA_PV_[85117A1E].mkv (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BBSS%5D_Darker_Than_Black_-_The_Black_Contractor_-_OVA_PV_%5B85117A1E%5D.mkv.torrent)

ZOMG! What a frigg'n cocktease!

Loli love - must have!
Badass action - want now!

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

/excuse me.

Kraco

Fri, 11-20-2009, 06:28 AM

Darker than the bottom of a bottle:

Episode 7 - BSS (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BBSS%5D_Darker_Than_Black_-_Gemini_of_the_Meteor_-_07_%5B0C05502D%5D.mkv.torrent)

Archangel

Fri, 11-20-2009, 12:48 PM

Muahaha, i told y'all Hei was gonna be awesome again starting this ep and i was right. That was one hell of an execution, black shinigami style

I noticed that there was mentioning of an Izanami and an Izanagi, do we know who those 2 are?

And did we also know Suou was a kunoichi? Cause that was some crazy shuriken style glass throwing right there...

Kraco

Fri, 11-20-2009, 01:00 PM

Archangel

Fri, 11-20-2009, 01:15 PM

That dude practically killed himself. He had a wire around his neck, Hei was holding the other end of the wire and somehow sticking to the car. The dude renders Hei unconscious. Q: What will happen? A: Asked any hanged man.

Still, Hei slided through the concrete floor to high kick a moving truck and then finish him off on the other side of the car

As powerless Hei goes i think that was pretty darn awesome and the best we'll get, at least for now

Buffalobiian

Fri, 11-20-2009, 06:23 PM

That dude practically killed himself. He had a wire around his neck, Hei was holding the other end of the wire and somehow sticking to the car. The dude renders Hei unconscious. Q: What will happen? A: Asked any hanged man.

I was thinking the exact thing. Give that's his only power though, his only choice was to use it. I guess he bet on rendering Hei completely unconscious and drop his grip on the wire as well as the car.

I noticed that there was mentioning of an Izanami and an Izanagi, do we know who those 2 are?

Izanami was Yin, I think, while Izanagi is Mikoto's new name?

Ryllharu

Fri, 11-20-2009, 07:05 PM

The creep's fingers were sliced off by the garrote when Hei flipped to the other side to increase the tension. I bet the guy figured that Hei was just grabbing the wire, underestimating that Hei's equipment is usually attached to his body via a harness or something. Hei is totally awesome. He also looked really cool when he was dressed up like some yakuza assassin.

Izanami is Yin, and I was guessing Izanagi is Shion. Izanami and Izanagi are the creators of the Japanese islands (among other things) in traditional folklore.

Suou is badass too. Hei's training seems to have done her some good, even if she constantly disobeys him. She's certainly as much of a contractor as Hei is (was), that is to say, they're faking it. The Suou/July relationship also parallels the Hei/Yin one, but perhaps a little bit more brotherly sisterly than the Hei/Yin one sort of came to be.

I am also glad Tanya is back. I expect one hell of an interesting conversation between her and Suou on the train, as well as the one between Hei and Tanya's commander.

RyougaZell

Fri, 11-20-2009, 10:39 PM

Izanami was Yin, I think, while Izanagi is Mikoto's new name?

Mikoto :confused:

The execution was badass.
Suou was badass.

Misaki gets the most boring scene of the episode.

Buffalobiian

Sat, 11-21-2009, 01:25 AM

Mikoto :confused:

The execution was badass.
Suou was badass.

Misaki gets the most boring scene of the episode.

I meant Misaki, but it's probably as Ryll says.

Ryllharu

Fri, 11-27-2009, 06:32 AM

For Information:

WE HAVE NOT RELEASED DTB 8, BLAME THANKSGIVING, THE RELEASE ON TT IS FAKELink was removed from ToykoTosho, but it may be elsewhere. Be advised.

Kraco

Fri, 11-27-2009, 02:31 PM

It's all lies, Ryll. It's out just fine:

Episode 8 - BSS (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BBSS%5D_Darker_Than_Black_-_Gemini_of_the_Meteor_-_08_%5B0A81E45D%5D.mkv.torrent)

RyougaZell

Fri, 11-27-2009, 04:06 PM

Shit... forgot to start the torrent when I was at home. Damn... guess I'll have to wait until I get back at home to download it. I blame the .hack//LINK and Valkyria Chronicles 2 demos for PSP.

Kraco

Fri, 11-27-2009, 05:50 PM

It seems like the Russians were eliminated from the game with this episode. At least Izanami/Yin's power was verified. Not that it really needed verification as such after the demise of the water user. No wonder she's so hot property, though.

Section 3 is really solidifying as a super enemy but its opponents are far harder to grasp. Hei is not acting altogether logically anymore, Suou even less so, naturally. Misaki's position has hardly become any less ambiguous. Quite a fuzzy season all in all.

Archangel

Fri, 11-27-2009, 06:09 PM

Fuzzy season indeed, you read my mind Kraco

I'm curious about so many things, like Yin's true powers and how she obtained them, the true meaning behind Section 3, Suou's true powers...

The 1 thing that's bugging me is Hei's lack of power, i can't help but feel the fights look much less spectacular like this

Ryllharu

Fri, 11-27-2009, 06:44 PM

Did Shion actually have the gun, or did he duplicate Suou's powers to kill Tanya. I was quite surprised that no one believed her (maybe July did).

I'm guessing Yin gained her expanded powers from her direct exposure to the Gate in Tokyo at the end of season one. Her observation ghost expanded fully, and she even pulled Hei out of whatever vortex that was.

Humans get killed in the Gate, Contractors can survive, but Dolls are needed as guides, and they also gain power back from the Gate. (My theory anyway)

From the explanation he gave Misaki about Yin, I'm guessing the reason sweet-voiced big booby super evil genius and Section 3 want Yin is to use her powers the same way the particle accelerator was going to be used.

To kill every single contractor on Earth at once.

Kraco

Fri, 12-04-2009, 03:54 PM

Darker than big booby super evil genius:

Episode 9 - BSS (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BBSS%5D_Darker_Than_Black_-_Gemini_of_the_Meteor_-_09_%5BAEB56D2B%5D.mkv.torrent)

Ryllharu

Fri, 12-04-2009, 07:36 PM

Kiko complaining about gag characters.

How meta.

RyougaZell

Fri, 12-04-2009, 10:43 PM

Kiko complaining about gag characters.

How meta.

QFT

Dang... was Suou somehow... brought back because of Shion's power or some deux ex machina? Is that why her mother left them? Because Shion did something?

Did I mention Misaki on the hate thread?

Interesting that Suou also thought of Hiei when she was asked who she wanted to see. At this point Im okay wheter Hiei recovers Yin/Izanami and stays with her... or ends up somehow with Suou... but please... please... no Misaki...

Buffalobiian

Fri, 12-04-2009, 11:09 PM

Did I mention Misaki on the hate thread?

Interesting that Suou also thought of Hiei when she was asked who she wanted to see.

I thought she was cycling through people she might have wanted to see, and settled with Hei, but she could be going through people she wants to see period.

Good for Misaki though. Her first look at Hei after all these years is the clean-shaven guy she always remembered. I can not see her ending up with Hei at all. It's just a one-sided thing, and she never really did anything for him (and nor does Hei look at her as female). At least Suou was the one to pull Hei out of his drunken stupor.

digitalrurouni

Sat, 12-05-2009, 01:45 AM

I think I whooped involuntarily when Hei showed up and the music started playing and the awesome way in which he took down his opponents!

Ryllharu

Sat, 12-05-2009, 05:53 AM

At least Suou was the one to pull Hei out of his drunken stupor.
I wonder if the reason Hei kicked Hazuki's ass so quickly here is because he's no longer a drunk. He totally stomped her here, and before they were just evenly matched. Perhaps Hazuki being distracted was secondary, Hei was just back on his game.

Did I mention Misaki on the hate thread?

Interesting that Suou also thought of Hiei when she was asked who she wanted to see. At this point Im okay wheter Hiei recovers Yin/Izanami and stays with her... or ends up somehow with Suou... but please... please... no Misaki...
I don't think I asked before in the other thread, but I can't see any reason why you hate Misaki so much. I'm somewhat fond of her character, not so much the relationship (Hei x Amber ftw), though I do find her obsession-turned-love interesting. Do you mind being a bit more specific on why you hate her?

Archangel

Sat, 12-05-2009, 05:54 AM

That was some Black Shinigami awesomeness right there, powerless or not Hei still has it

So Suou died... could it be that the Suou of now is the meteor core itself given human form when it killed the real one 8 years ago?

I don't think I asked before in the other thread, but I can't see any reason why you hate Misaki so much. I'm somewhat fond of her character, not so much the relationship (Hei x Amber ftw), though I do find her obsession-turned-love interesting. Do you mind being a bit more specific on why you hate her?

Smart women scare him :p

Ryllharu

Sat, 12-05-2009, 05:56 AM

Maybe, just maybe, Suou is Amber. That might explain the sudden love for Hei, and jealously over Yin.

One can hope...

Archangel

Sat, 12-05-2009, 05:59 AM

Maybe, just maybe, Suou is Amber. That might explain the sudden love for Hei, and jealously over Yin.

One can hope...

But she hated him at first, how would you explain that? And Amber never acted like she was jealous of Yin before, but then again Yin wasn't all lovey dovey with her yet at that point

Ryllharu

Sat, 12-05-2009, 06:05 AM

Perhaps the "Suou" personality was completely dominant? She also believed that he had killed her father, still does. I think the bigger question would be why she suddenly loved Hei after he killed her father, killed a family friend (April) right in front of her, and all the times he treated her like crap. It's not Stockholm Syndrome, it's something else, I'm just not sure what. Maybe even a plothole.

There's plenty of reason for Amber to dislike Yin. Yin was able to rescue Hei when he refused Amber's offer.

I don't seriously entertain this idea, but I really like Amber.

shinta|hikari

Sat, 12-05-2009, 06:17 AM

It's not Stockholm Syndrome, it's something else, I'm just not sure what.

Hei is handsome and strong, plus girls like bad boys.

EDIT: And did no one notice the flying cars? I knew it wasn't an animation error despite all the stir it caused when it was mistaken for one.

Buffalobiian

Sat, 12-05-2009, 09:31 AM

EDIT: And did no one notice the flying cars? I knew it wasn't an animation error despite all the stir it caused when it was mistaken for one.

No, do you have a timestamp?

I liked Amber, but it was a bit difficult for me to really dig her because...she just kept getting younger and younger. My favourite image of her was during the Heaven's War. Hei's lack of attraction to her also hindered things from heating up like it did when [SPOILER*] Hei took the initiative and grabbed Yin. That was a turn-on, even if Yin looked uninterested.[END SPOILER]

* Spoiler from upcoming DtB OVA preview

shinta|hikari

Sat, 12-05-2009, 09:37 AM

she just kept getting younger and younger.

That is one of her best points.

I no longer have the episode, but it is definitely there.

enkoujin

Sat, 12-05-2009, 12:02 PM

No, do you have a timestamp?

Episode 1, 9:05.

RyougaZell

Sat, 12-05-2009, 01:09 PM

I don't think I asked before in the other thread, but I can't see any reason why you hate Misaki so much. I'm somewhat fond of her character, not so much the relationship (Hei x Amber ftw), though I do find her obsession-turned-love interesting. Do you mind being a bit more specific on why you hate her?

For one... I don't like her character design.
And then she completely obsessed with Hei. Don't know what she will do when she gets her hands on him, but shes so blind to not see she's causing him trouble by keeping Yin and all that. She must be one of those 'dolls' don't matter person.

Weak explanation? Maybe. I just don't like her. She hasn't given me enough reasons to have a stronger dislike than Index or Marina Ismail... heck, she may never get that level. But she's there on the top 20 at least.

KitKat

Sat, 12-05-2009, 03:23 PM

As much as I'm not a fan of Kiko, I'll take her any day over that transvestite and his ignorant son. Ugh. Really, the writers of this show just need to stop with the comedy bits and focus on what this series excels at: asking hard questions, weaving mysteries, and badass fight scenes. I felt that in the first series a certain amount of humour was needed to break the tension, or else the series would have been too dark and too grim. But they confined it to a small number of episodes and didn't let it really affect the main storyline. In season 2 it just feels careless and slapstick, and I think it really detracts from the story as a whole. I feel like the core of the story is here that we want to see, but the peripheral events and side characters are not very well thought-out at all.

Anyhow, I'm glad this episode got us back on track with the main storyline. Finally, we have our old Hei back. Hei - powers = still awesome! It's not like they were his powers originally though. Maybe at the end of all of this we'll see his sister. Or maybe the anti-contractor weapon killed his sister, therefore removing his powers but leaving him still alive.

It's interesting that they brought Amber back into the story. Looks like her influence still extends over the future, or possible future. I want to go back and listen to the prophecy again regarding Izanami and Izanagi. What is this creature that will come from the gate? It seems like this is the first thing in a while that might give us insight into the nature of the gates themselves and how they came to exist in the first place.

I always forget that these episodes put the end of the ep right after the credits, and have to open up my video file again to find that last little tidbit. Glad I remembed to for this one though. Perahps Suou is a doll that was programmed with the memories of the real Suou that died, and kept alive by the Meteor Core. Almost anything is possible since their father developed the ME technology, and who knows what technological secrets he has hidden away.

Ryllharu

Sat, 12-05-2009, 04:18 PM

Don't know what she will do when she gets her hands on him, but shes so blind to not see she's causing him trouble by keeping Yin and all that. She must be one of those 'dolls' don't matter person.
The rest I can't really argue with, but Misaki is with the police (or at least she was). Hei is an assassin. He kills people. She is, or was, going to arrest him. Over time she and Hei developed this weird relationship. As Li, he saved her a few times, got her confidence back up, etc. To her, he always had a way of showing up and looking completely out of place (usually because he was there for a syndicate mission). To Misaki, who is still a girl at heart, it must have looked like fate. She hates the BK-201 side of him and sees capturing him as a challenge, yet the Li side sends her heart all aflutter. After finding out they are one in the same, she became even more conflicted.

I think the mystery of wondering what she will actually do if she ever catches him is half the fun of her character. She's so wonderfully confused about what she wants.

As for Yin, that is not her doing at all. She has no hand in that, and allowing Yin to be rescued or escape would land her in prison (that they even had Yin was something she didn't even know about until she had already joined them). There is no reason you can fault her for anything with Yin. As I recall, she showed some concern for dolls in the prior season. Not much, but she does not view them as objects. She had numerous interactions with July too, let you forget.

I guess we can say that the divide between your hatred of her and my enjoyment is personal preference.

Archangel

Sat, 12-05-2009, 05:56 PM

You'd be better with the "I just don't like her" explanation Zell, that one feels weak and confusing

The rest I can't really argue with, but Misaki is with the police (or at least she was). Hei is an assassin. He kills people. She is, or was, going to arrest him. Over time she and Hei developed this weird relationship. As Li, he saved her a few times, got her confidence back up, etc. To her, he always had a way of showing up and looking completely out of place (usually because he was there for a syndicate mission). To Misaki, who is still a girl at heart, it must have looked like fate. She hates the BK-201 side of him and sees capturing him as a challenge, yet the Li side sends her heart all aflutter. After finding out they are one in the same, she became even more conflicted.

I think the mystery of wondering what she will actually do if she ever catches him is half the fun of her character. She's so wonderfully confused about what she wants.

I quote that second part for the truth

Not sure if i agree with the first part. For all the time she was with Li we never saw her show any clear signs of romantic attraction for him, if anything she seemed in a way more attracted to the mysterious BK-201 persona

I think what really close the deal for her was that last scene where she confirmed that they were both one and the same and that duality came to be what attracted her so much. Not to mention her social inexperience, at least when it came to these affairs of the heart, meaning that she didn't really know how to deal with all of that

Anyway, i can't offer more than a weak 12th grade analysis on what i think is going on in her head, which is probably why i'm so damn eager to know just how she will react when they finally meet face to face once again.

Ryllharu

Sat, 12-05-2009, 08:04 PM

Not sure if i agree with the first part. For all the time she was with Li we never saw her show any clear signs of romantic attraction for him, if anything she seemed in a way more attracted to the mysterious BK-201 persona
There was a moment or two from my point of view. I will admit I don't remember if the two of them ever went stargazing, but for some reason I remember them doing so. If that did happen, it would certainly fit the bill. I only clearly remember the part with Hei and the scientist inside the Gate. I'd have to watch it again for any Misaki stargazing after Hei inherited the guy's telescope (which Misaki now possesses).

But what I do remember is a scene late in the series where they meet by a true coincidence for once, and have a fairly deep conversation on top of either an air conditioner or a bus stop or some tall object where their legs aren't touching the ground. It was that peaceful moment between two adversaries (with only one of them knowing it) that I took as Misaki developing feelings for the Li persona.

Archangel

Sun, 12-06-2009, 03:42 AM

But what I do remember is a scene late in the series where they meet by a true coincidence for once, and have a fairly deep conversation on top of either an air conditioner or a bus stop or some tall object where their legs aren't touching the ground. It was that peaceful moment between two adversaries (with only one of them knowing it) that I took as Misaki developing feelings for the Li persona.

But you have to remember that at that point she was already highly suspicious that Li and BK-201 were the same person, and although i admit there might have been some flirting going on i also think that she was at all times trying to confirm her suspicions.

Like i said, i think the duality of good guy/dangerous criminal somehow just closed the deal for her

Buffalobiian

Fri, 12-11-2009, 07:46 AM

BSS - Episode 10 (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BBSS%5D_Darker_Than_Black_-_Gemini_of_the_Meteor_-_10_%5BE22637EC%5D.mkv.torrent)

Kraco

Fri, 12-11-2009, 12:37 PM

So, Suou is a copy and Shion's ability is to create copies. Explains easily how Hei killed their old man yet the man is still actually alive and well. Quite an ability. Next we need to learn why a copying man and contractor killing woman meeting would spell the end of the world.

I wish Mao had said: "Stockholm syndrome" when Suou asked why she felt so bad when Hei didn't believe her...

Misaki and Hei's meeting wasn't very emotional, was it?

Buffalobiian

Fri, 12-11-2009, 07:53 PM

lol @ Mao having an ankle-fetish. :o

Interestingly, so Section 3 wasn't going to develop something to kill all contractors with Yin (at least as their primary goal), but to prevent the meeting of Yin and Shion.

This episode leads me to think the Syndicate is still squirming around quite lively underground, and it is they who want to use Izanami's powers to fulfil last season's anti-contractor ideology. I propose that they killed the captured girl too.

Misaki and Hei's meeting wasn't very emotional, was it?

I didn't expect Li to show any emotions, but you'd have thought Li-kun <3 > Youko, at least for a split second. Until that last moment, it's as if Misaki was never obsessed with Li at all.

Ryllharu

Fri, 12-11-2009, 07:54 PM

Most of the stuff with Suou was kind of obvious from the revelation in the car after the credits, so while the explanation was nice, it didn't really have much impact.

Seeing Mao's original body, and the fact that he was an ankle man, was something else, as was the fact that Suou's mother knew that the Gate was coming to Tokyo. That could mean a number of things. That the Syndicate knew already that it was coming and her husband told her, that she isn't quite everything she seems, or something else entirely that I can't even come up with another explanation for.

Perhaps the most interesting thing to me was actually given the most mundane presentation. All of the dolls talk to each other, and do each other favors. It wasn't just July talking to the networked observation ghosts. The twins caught it too, and also agreed to hide Suou and July. So perhaps July decided to assist Suou and help in keeping Section 3 away from her, mostly because she is so nice to him. The same way that Yin gained affection for Hei. When a doll is treated properly, they come off a lot less mechanical. Abused ones or new ones don't really seem to care who they work for, they just do it. Ones that are treated nicely like to stay with a particular caretaker. We saw an earlier version of this last season with the yakuza reject who eloped with one.

More of a side note, but it didn't look like Hei tortured Youko. More like he just drugged her heavily. But when Hazuki and Section 3 found her, she was brutally tortured. Was this censorship earlier, not showing how Hei actually persuaded her to give information (something I'm am positive Hei is capable of, especially for Yin) or did the blond woman take care of Youko after Hei left her dazed but mostly intact?

edit @ bill's post:
It's possible that the Syndicate did it (if Madam Oriele is working as a representative of the Syndicate and not herself). It just seemed odd to see Youko deeply distressed from her session with Hei, him leaving her, and her body being found that brutally assaulted in so short a time.

shinta|hikari

Fri, 12-11-2009, 07:58 PM

Hei left her. Someone else brutally killed her.

Buffalobiian

Fri, 12-11-2009, 08:26 PM

Perhaps the most interesting thing to me was actually given the most mundane presentation. All of the dolls talk to each other, and do each other favors. It wasn't just July talking to the networked observation ghosts. The twins caught it too, and also agreed to hide Suou and July.

I thought there were two ways to look at this:

1) July asked the network to hide their presence. The twins asked the network to hide their own presence.

Given the timing of the scenes though, and the wording, the more likely alternative seems to be

2) July asked the network to hide their presence. (Keep it(our location) a secret. The twins then followed it up with "Keep us(as if the favour's on them) a secret."

In fact, it's as if the twins were familiar with the doll network and asked them to do her a personal favour. From a slightly different angle, you could say it's as if the twins approved and authorised July's request, which should sign some light into the nature of Madame Oriele's information network.

So far, all dolls have to use some form of medium to track. Has it been established what the twins' are yet?

More of a side note, but it didn't look like Hei tortured Youko. More like he just drugged her heavily. But when Hazuki and Section 3 found her, she was brutally tortured. Was this censorship earlier, not showing how Hei actually persuaded her to give information (something I'm am positive Hei is capable of, especially for Yin) or did the blond woman take care of Youko after Hei left her dazed but mostly intact?

edit @ bill's post:
It's possible that the Syndicate did it (if Madam Oriele is working as a representative of the Syndicate and not herself). It just seemed odd to see Youko deeply distressed from her session with Hei, him leaving her, and her body being found that brutally assaulted in so short a time.
_______

Hei left her. Someone else brutally killed her.

I agree with shinta that it's the second case, but I find it weird that Madame Oriele would do such a thing. She's an informant, and plays both sides by using her information to manipulate them with facts and information. If anything, she gives me the impression she likes to keep her hands clean in this game.

She did see Hei leave though, so she could have sold that info to another party I guess.

RyougaZell

Sat, 12-12-2009, 12:57 AM

Hehe... lol at Hei just slapping Misaki away.

I thought Mao got stuck inside a cat and couldn't return to his human body... not that his human body was destroyed. Why did he not ever take another human body then? Interesting to see he knew Suou's mother.

And dang. They went out and say it. Suou did fall for him. Though... if she is a copy... is Shion manipulating her? Or was Shion uver-long-renumeration caused because he made a perfect copy?

Didn't like Youko, but wow at the way to die... Hei is definitely innocent though.

Buffalobiian

Sat, 12-12-2009, 01:50 AM

Hehe... lol at Hei just slapping Misaki away.

I thought Mao got stuck inside a cat and couldn't return to his human body... not that his human body was destroyed. Why did he not ever take another human body then?

His power involves transfering his mind to other animals, not humans. He is able to go cat -> mouse -> bird etc, but the only human he can transfer to is himself.

There was another guy back in S1 who had the ability to transfer to humans. it looked like he had to go back to himself each time though. (and hence was stuck in the current one).

Pandadice

Mon, 12-14-2009, 02:59 AM

whoa, good episode.

2 eps left.. i wonder how they're gonna wrap this up.

lol, that cop chick has been following him because she loves him for so long, and when they finally meet he knocks her to the ground. lol. also, what a useless cop. she has a gun on him, yet he just runs up and hits her. xD

and first collarbones, now ankles? this shows got some weird fetishes going around.. <.<

Archangel

Thu, 12-17-2009, 12:55 PM

Great episode

So, Suou is a copy and Shion's ability is to create copies. Explains easily how Hei killed their old man yet the man is still actually alive and well. Quite an ability.

Misaki and Hei's meeting wasn't very emotional, was it?

I was however quite hilarious, even though i couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. Unfortunately she isn't a loli so her chances with him are 0

There was another guy back in S1 who had the ability to transfer to humans. it looked like he had to go back to himself each time though. (and hence was stuck in the current one).

I don't think he HAD to, he just returned to the original body he stole because it was convenient for him

Didn't like Youko, but wow at the way to die... Hei is definitely innocent though.

She was hot and into Yuri so her death saddened me greatly :(

Still if she had to go that was one hell of a way to go. I wonder if blondie with the big boobies was the one who did her in.

Archangel

Thu, 12-17-2009, 12:56 PM

Great episode

So, Suou is a copy and Shion's ability is to create copies. Explains easily how Hei killed their old man yet the man is still actually alive and well. Quite an ability.

Indeed, but being a paraplegic as payment is also quite the renumeration

Misaki and Hei's meeting wasn't very emotional, was it?

It was however quite hilarious, even though i couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. Unfortunately she isn't a loli so her chances with him are 0

There was another guy back in S1 who had the ability to transfer to humans. it looked like he had to go back to himself each time though. (and hence was stuck in the current one).

I don't think he HAD to, he just returned to the original body he stole because it was convenient for him

Didn't like Youko, but wow at the way to die... Hei is definitely innocent though.

She was hot and into Yuri so her death saddened me greatly :(

Still if she had to go that was one hell of a way to go. I wonder if blondie with the big boobies was the one who did her in.

Marik

Fri, 12-18-2009, 05:42 PM

[BSS] Darker Than Black - Gemini of the Meteor - 11 [070CB5D4].mkv (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BBSS%5D_Darker_Than_Black_-_Gemini_of_the_Meteor_-_11_%5B070CB5D4%5D.mkv.torrent)

Archangel

Fri, 12-18-2009, 07:23 PM

This show seems set in making a lolicon out of me, i noticed Suou's short shorts even before the hentai mentioned them. Kids shouldn't be allowed to use those!!

Anyway i found this episode somewhat lackluster and the preview didn't get me all that excited about the finale either. Maybe i just had my sights set too high seeing how amazing the first season was but this second one never got past "alright" in my book

I fear this whole thing might have been one giant movie trailer "Eden of the East" style for either the prequel OVAs set to premiere soon or maybe an hypothetical movie sequel

Buffalobiian

Fri, 12-18-2009, 10:18 PM

This show seems set in making a lolicon out of me, i noticed Suou's short shorts even before the hentai mentioned them. Kids shouldn't be allowed to use those!!

Sure they should be. I noticed them too. It was great.

Rock-fellow checking her out for the entire season while thinking he was a guy was hilarious. Notice that he said he'll take care of her until hair starts to grow.

That, fellow gotwooters, is a pedophile.

The cliffhanger scene did an alright job. I can't remember the last time Hei had a surprised look on his face like that (though he usually wears a mask on missions).

Archangel

Fri, 12-18-2009, 10:22 PM

I felt somewhat cheated when the rock contractor turned out to be alive

How the hell did that happen? A superficial bullet wound to the middle of the forehead??

Buffalobiian

Fri, 12-18-2009, 11:00 PM

I felt somewhat cheated when the rock contractor turned out to be alive

How the hell did that happen? A superficial bullet wound to the middle of the forehead??

Her bullet did take out the piece of rock near his eye without damaging the eye itself. There was even a slit (hence weakness?) there because of the eyeslit.

If you were then to assume that structural integrity of the surrounding area was adversely effected by the eyepiece damage, then it would be fair to say that a shot to the head would do more than simply take the armour off.

The degree of structural integrity compromise would reflect thd amount of damage he took.

I believe this is the first time Suou's remuneration wasn't a crane, but a star.

RyougaZell

Sat, 12-19-2009, 12:17 AM

Sure they should be. I noticed them too. It was great. .

I kinda missed the rest of the scene od noticing the shorts as well... :o :D

Anyway... killing Suou's father just like that felt a little meh

digitalrurouni

Sat, 12-19-2009, 04:23 PM

Who cares about all that crap? Main thing is Hei vs the contractor!

shinta|hikari

Sat, 12-19-2009, 08:37 PM

It was careless of Hei to get surprised by blade girl's opening attack, but then again, I can't blame him since the last time they met she was unfocused and he was able to take her out easily. I guess this will be a fight with both of them at their peak physically. It is too bad Hei does not have his powers.

Marik

Mon, 12-21-2009, 01:22 AM

[Nipponsei] Darker Than Black -Ryuusei no Gemini- ED Single - From Dusk Till Dawn [abingdon boys school].zip (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BNipponsei%5D%20Darker%20Than%20Black%20-Ryuusei%20no%20Gemini-%20ED%20Single%20-%20From%20Dusk%20Till%20Dawn%20%5Babingdon%20boys% 20school%5D.zip.torrent)

[LonE] Darker Than Black - Ryuusei no Gemini ED Single - From Dusk Till Dawn [abingdon boys school].rar (http://losslessone.fansub-torrents.com/%5BLonE%5D_abingdon_boys_school_-_DARKER_THAN_BLACK_-Ryuusei_no_Gemini-_ED_Single_-_From_Dusk_Till_Dawn_%5Bw_scans%5D_%28mp3%29.rar.t orrent)

Pandadice

Sat, 12-26-2009, 03:37 AM

ep 12, season finale

[BSS]_Darker_Than_Black_-_Gemini_of_the_Meteor_-_12_[8583AD0F].mkv (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BBSS%5D_Darker_Than_Black_-_Gemini_of_the_Meteor_-_12_%5B8583AD0F%5D.mkv.torrent)

Buffalobiian

Sat, 12-26-2009, 06:48 AM

The finale turned out to be another "what the hell was that all about" one. I'm not even going to begin pointing out what holes need to be filled, since you couldn't get through this episode without tripping all over them anyway.

Unlike the first series, this had an overarching story the entire time, but ended up being quite...lackluster, so to speak. The significance of the whole Izanami meets Izanagi thing ended up being really ambiguous, while the Shion side of things seemed to just be the creation of a new Earth for Suou.

Overall it wasn't bad (action and production quality were quite good), but it wasn't the Darker than Black sequel I was hoping for.

The OVAs however...bring them on. :D

Ryllharu

Sat, 12-26-2009, 08:59 AM

I found myself rather disappointed about the insignificance of all the events prior to this. Doing a whole Copy Earth is a cop out but what bothered me more is where it exists. Opposite the real Earth in orbit around the sun? Judging from the telescope that Suou was looking through, they have real stars unlike the old Earth. Orion was pretty easy to recognize. Eventually the Copy Earth will find Old Earth.

Everything just gets wiped clean, and the only real development in the whole series was Misaki, Mao, and Golgo 13 switching sides as America sweeps in (yay more anti-Americanism!) to become the new Syndicate.

They opted to leave out everything that happens with Hei and Yin.

There were some bright moments. Hazuki getting her revenge on the pervert was nice, and it really made sense that he was the one to needlessly torture Youko when he put her through the questionably lethal ME Squeezer (since it is usually used on dead bodies). I also really liked Mao freaking out when he discovered he was on Misaki's head all of a sudden.

While I certainly enjoyed this series, and allowed for plenty of good speculation, it did not really end up as fulfilling or have a nice climax like the first series did. That and I hate Reset Endings. Always have, always will.

Archangel

Sat, 12-26-2009, 01:18 PM

Wtf did i just watch? I got flashbacks from evangelion's finale...

Like many others it's not that i disliked this second season but that i was expecting much more seeing how fantastic the first one was

I wouldn't call this a reset ending though, not entirely anyway. And i guess that if the blurays bring enough money to the pot there are still a few sequel possibilities out of this mess...

RyougaZell

Sat, 12-26-2009, 01:22 PM

eh?.......
That sums it all. But unlike the above posters, who never like anything, I did like the whole series

Archangel

Sat, 12-26-2009, 01:25 PM

The above poster can kiss my ass <3

And like i said i did overall enjoy the series, i was simply expecting more of it. What i can clearly say i disliked was this ending, i hate presumptuous finales that don't make a lick of sense

Board of Command

Sat, 12-26-2009, 02:22 PM

The last scene with Misaki made up for whatever the rest of the series lacked.

Archangel

Sat, 12-26-2009, 02:28 PM

The last scene with Misaki made up for whatever the rest of the series lacked.

Yeah because... she showed up. Who needs finales to make sense when Misaki shows up

Board of Command

Sat, 12-26-2009, 02:45 PM

Yeah because... she showed up. Who needs finales to make sense when Misaki shows up
My thoughts exactly.

digitalrurouni

Sat, 12-26-2009, 04:07 PM

I really dont understand what the heck happened. Alternate reality?!

Ryllharu

Sat, 12-26-2009, 04:25 PM

And like i said i did overall enjoy the series, i was simply expecting more of it. What i can clearly say i disliked was this ending, i hate presumptuous finales that don't make a lick of sense
Agreed. It's not that the series was bad, or even that the ending was bad, it was just disappointing. I expected a few questions answered, and instead they gave us answers to questions that were never asked.

It tried to be a clever ending, and it failed at that. I never really felt like this series had a climax, not in the same way that Amber's War did in the first. The tension just wasn't there.

Pandadice

Sat, 12-26-2009, 04:49 PM

i wanna know what happened to Contractors being able to erase peoples memories.. I don't think that came up at all in this series, did it?

plus the whole like, dolls with fabricated memories/changing regular people's memories was a common thing in the first season O_o. so why was it supposed to be such a shocking realization in this finale?

Archangel

Sat, 12-26-2009, 04:50 PM

That was simply another application for the ME, but erasing memories became pointless once the existence of contractors became public knowledge

digitalrurouni

Sat, 12-26-2009, 05:22 PM

Pandadice

Sat, 12-26-2009, 05:32 PM

That was simply another application for the ME, but erasing memories became pointless once the existence of contractors became public knowledge

but i mean like, they can still make people pass out and erase their memory. who cares about keeping contractors existence a secret? it's still an awesome ability to have, that wasn't brought up at all..

Buffalobiian

Sat, 12-26-2009, 08:25 PM

Err so you are saying Shion copied everyone on Earth!? And that room that had all the memories were all the memories of all the living creatures on this planet and that after Shion created copies of everyone on the new Earth...they all got their memories there?

Yes. That is exactly what appeared to have happened.

but i mean like, they can still make people pass out and erase their memory. who cares about keeping contractors existence a secret? it's still an awesome ability to have, that wasn't brought up at all..

Memory erasing/brainwashing probably exists in our own Contractor-less world already, just that we don't know about it.

As for why care about keeping it a secret?

a) so as to not freak out the general public
b) so murders can be passed off as accidents.

Lucifus

Sat, 12-26-2009, 08:36 PM

This season couldn't hold a candle to the first. How rushed. =(

Archangel

Sat, 12-26-2009, 08:47 PM

Rush isn't the word, i don't think the plot would have been any less of a mess even if they have had more time.

Lucifus

Sat, 12-26-2009, 08:50 PM

Yea, your right on that one. So many questions and that finale episode just threw a spike in the gears.

RyougaZell

Sat, 12-26-2009, 08:52 PM

This season couldn't hold a candle to the first. How rushed. =(

Rushed? Uhh... first series, albeit it was indeed good, was a mesh of tons of smaller stories, whereas this second season was just one big story.

The ending could have been better, yes, but if we think it slowly... aside from it being a sequel... how can we compare the two series when its format is completely different.

How many mini-arc did we have on the 1st series anyway?

Archangel

Sat, 12-26-2009, 09:04 PM

Lol Zell, i appreciate how very hard you're trying to like this show as a force of opposition against "the above posters" but there's no denying that the first season was just so damn good that it puts this second one to shame

And the format is the one usual to a first season, mini arcs are the best way to introduce the characters to the audience by focusing on one at a time and still giving hints about the overall plot before the big final arc that usually holds all the answers

For this second one they needed only to focus on one character and that was Suou. In fact i could even argue that she took the spotlight from Hei on several occasions and again i'm not so sure that was a good thing. I mean, if they had actually concluded this in a manner that would have pleased me i would have rolled with it but after this mess...

Buffalobiian

Sat, 12-26-2009, 09:09 PM

The biggest problem was as Ryll (I think) pointed out: they answered what wasn't important and left out what was.

So what's this new being that came from the Izanami meeting that world organisations tried so hard to avoid? We got a 2 second glimps of it.

All 12 episodes was arguably focusing on that one point, and that's all we got.

It wasn't exactly the doomsday ending everyone feared.

Meanwhile, we got a conclusion to the Pavlichiko family affairs, which when compared to the bigger picture, hardly matters.

Ryllharu

Sat, 12-26-2009, 09:25 PM

Rushed? Uhh... first series, albeit it was indeed good, was a mesh of tons of smaller stories, whereas this second season was just one big story.

The ending could have been better, yes, but if we think it slowly... aside from it being a sequel... how can we compare the two series when its format is completely different.

How many mini-arc did we have on the 1st series anyway?
The bigger difference was that all those mini arcs that seemed so episodic and pointless came back together at the end of the series in some appreciable (though occasionally minor) way. The second or third arc was with the girl who was wavering between becoming a contractor or rotting away, only to become a full blown contractor and get taken in by the Syndicate. She reappeared at the end, very much like Tanya did here, and was part of the forces fighting against Amber's. She even killed a few contractors so that Amber had to waste energy to bring them back. That told us in full how the Syndicate treats their contractors, like little more than weapons, and that the Contractors themselves are either brainwashed or don't really mind. Tanya actually had to directly mention that to give a similar description of the Russian forces.

Each of the other arcs developed characters or relationships so that we might actually feel something when they died in the final arcs. How much screentime did Hazuki really get? If we weren't told that she found Youko to be special, would we really even know? Just the one kiss, "to get the taste out," was ambiguous enough that we wouldn't even suspect it. I for one was not saddened or thrilled by her death, it was more of an, "Oh, she's dead now, I wonder (but doubt) if Hei really killed her," moment.

So despite the different format, I do think we should have expected more out of the single arc that should not have left any loose ends. Mini arcs seemed to work quite well.

digitalrurouni

Sat, 12-26-2009, 10:08 PM

Ryllharu, I think you need to include in your post the fact that the first season of DtB also had the job of establishing the world in which contractors live and also in exploring the complexities of the main character of Hei. That is why they showed that arc of that moratorium girl. That is why there was that other short story/arc of that young gangster who fell in love with the doll and because of that Yin started to look at Hei differently etc etc (maybe that happened before etc). Also the back story with Yin was great and so was that story with Mao. My point is that all those small arcs in the first season ultimately had an impact overall in the big picture. They all coalesced together very nicely in the end. Not to mention Amber was effing hot.

This season all we got was SOME action, a LOT of confusion, and a prepubescent main character who was at the most...cute. Thats it.

Buffalobiian

Sun, 12-27-2009, 12:09 AM

I agree with most of your post, so this will sound like nitpicking, but it stood out too much for me not to comment.

That is why there was that other short story/arc of that young gangster who fell in love with the doll and because of that Yin started to look at Hei differently etc etc (maybe that happened before etc).

It really wasn't because of the gangster falling in love with a doll that Yin saw Hei differently. Even though all the dolls probably communicate to each other in some way via their network, they seem to develop, respond and grow through their unique experiences individually. That doll grew to smile at the gangster because he was nice to her. Yin grew to like Hei because of their experiences together. July grew to like Suou in a similar fashion.

That arc showed that dolls aren't exactly the emotionless zombies they're made out to be, and/or that they can move on from that state to become something more.

animus

Sun, 12-27-2009, 02:18 AM

What the hell did I just watch 12 episodes of?

Everything was such a mess in this series. I don't even know what the hell they were trying to convey. This meteor stone cop out to retain memories doesn't make any sense. So magically she lives her life with implanted memories then suddenly gets the meteor core so she can retain her memories? Are they gonna go the lame route again and say everything before then was just a fabrication too? How would they explain Tanya and Nika after the stone?

This episode was all sorts of WTF. Unlike the first series, all the previous episodes in this series have no point whatsoever. All that training Suou did? Didn't get to use it a single time. The buildup of Suou's mother? Doesn't matter, the ending doesn't make any sense. The impact of the meteor core and Shion's words in the first episode of it's importance? Lame copout. Misaki's significance even though she got so much screen time? Nada. The point of Hei and Yin? There was one? The explanation of what happened in the first place between Hei and Yin? I sure as hell am clueless. How Yin and Shion even make sense to be Izanami and Izanagi respectively? Shrug. How Yin again has these powers and has the powers to grant wishes as a doll and why she's Izanami? I DON'T FREAKING KNOW.

I was hoping for a great ending, and I got this.

Buffalobiian

Sun, 12-27-2009, 02:33 AM

How is Yin this strong? I don't think they ever explained. She is a doll, and I'm rather peeved they just made her this all powerful mythical being, to aid in a prophecy.

They have always made a point that dolls seemed to evolve, and at the end of S1, Yin seemed to be the most advanced doll ever. How does Skynet take over the world from just being some AI? In my example, we realise the untapped potential of an AI. I guess in dolls, it's not so clear since we didn't build and design them from scratch. As Hei said, what do we know about Contractors?

I agree that in any case, it's still pretty wtf.

Everything was such a mess in this series. I don't even know what the hell they were trying to convey. This meteor stone cop out to retain memories doesn't make any sense. So magically she lives her life with implanted memories then suddenly gets the meteor core so she can retain her memories? Are they gonna go the lame route again and say everything before then was just a fabrication too? How would they explain Tanya and Nika after the stone?.

I was under the impression that she always had the meteor core on her. The previous Suous couldn't retain the artificial memories until the figured out you can retain them with the meteor core. Apparently it can retain contractor powers too.

I don't get your part about Tanya and Nika.

animus

Sun, 12-27-2009, 10:18 AM

What I meant about Tanya and Nika was that even after she put on the meteor core, they remembered Suou and had actual memories with her before she put it on, ie the confession, the feelings between Tanya and Nika, how Tanya wasn't a contractor before, etc.

Knowing them, if they had an explanation it'd probably be something like there's a 2 year limit on how long her memories can retain until she needs the meteor core or something. Since she apparently was created 2 years ago.

Ryllharu

Sun, 12-27-2009, 10:26 AM

I agree there is an inconsistency there, because she wasn't with Hei for all that long really, several weeks or a few months at most. She shouldn't have lost all her memories when the meteor core shattered, but she did.

Marik

Tue, 12-29-2009, 08:52 PM

[BSS] Darker Than Black - Gemini of the Meteor - Original Soundtrack (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BBSS%5D_Darker_Than_Black_-_Gemini_of_the_Meteor_-_Original_Soundtrack_%5BMP3%5D.torrent)

digitalrurouni

Tue, 12-29-2009, 11:52 PM

Whoa thanks for that link! I enjoyed the soundtrack quite a lot especially Dive into the 9...great driving song for hauling ass on the road as an example! :) And I also like Savage Dog Cerberus, Galaxy Train and No. 23!!!

Archangel

Wed, 12-30-2009, 05:17 PM

Why wasn't there any tune of that soundtrack in the anime except for the last 2?

digitalrurouni

Thu, 12-31-2009, 12:32 AM

Why wasn't there any tune of that soundtrack in the anime except for the last 2?

They were all there. Here we go:
Savage Dog Cerberus played when they were trying to get away at the train station where that huge crash happened and Suou first demonstrated her powers.

Galaxy Train happened when HEi cut his hair short and was at the airport.

No. 23 happened when the Russian colonel had them captured in the train and Hei stuck the knife through his hand which was on the remote.

Karura's Flame happened in the first fight between Hei and that other girl contractor with the light saber :P

Dive into the 9 happened as well I just dont remember which episode. Oh wait it was when he fought the Magician :)

So on so on...

Kraco

Thu, 12-31-2009, 05:04 PM

Yeah. The ending surely felt lacking. I felt during the beginning of the show and still towards the end they were building something nice and major here to top the still somewhat stunted events of the first season (like building a real meaning for these gates - if the end of the world through Izanami and Izanagi could be called such). However, it really seemed like they threw most of their original ideas and the plot threads they had already developed to the trash can and instead went with something else in the last two episodes.

It was also a bit sad story with Suou dying. Granted, she was a copy to begin with, but like Hei said, she was the current Suou and had been for a while, living her own life and gathering her own memories. Simply creating another copy on another Earth hardly means anything. A different soul, to use such a concept to sum the personality, memories, experiences and everything that make a person in addition to the body and DNA.

digitalrurouni

Sat, 01-02-2010, 09:59 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1pcx_rnrZA&feature=player_embedded

I just happened to stumble on that. Has anyone seen that already?

6Zabuza9

Sat, 03-20-2010, 05:24 PM

Oh man, i started watching darker than black and powered though the second season thinking that it was the first season. It seemed like the story would continue on :( untill i realized that im actually watching the first season.

Archangel

Sat, 03-20-2010, 05:27 PM

Buffalobiian

Sat, 03-20-2010, 06:02 PM

Wait... wut?

Yeah, his second sentence lost me.

shinta|hikari

Sat, 03-20-2010, 06:15 PM

I think he watched the two seasons in reverse order?

6Zabuza9

Sat, 03-20-2010, 06:37 PM

Um ya last night i chained though the second season of darker than black thinking that it was the first. I havent started the first season yet and is kind unmotivated because I liked the story revolving around suou :(

Archangel

Sat, 03-20-2010, 06:44 PM

...lulz

Dude, the second season sucked longer noodles than the Taiwanese noodle champion could ever dreamed of.

Anyway don't worry about it and go watch the first one, other than featuring some of the same cast they might just as well been different animes

Pandadice

Sat, 03-20-2010, 09:22 PM

^at least the OVAs have a lot of the same feel as the first series.

Archangel

Sat, 03-20-2010, 09:24 PM

^at least the OVAs have a lot of the same feel as the first series.
Too bad there are only 4 of them >_>

They hardly make up for the huge disappointment that the second season turned out to be

fireheart

Fri, 03-26-2010, 06:28 PM

Darker Than Black Gaiden ep 02 by BSS (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BBSS%5D_Darker_Than_Black_-_The_Black_Contractor_-_Gaiden_-_02_%5B078D2003%5D.mkv.torrent)

Buffalobiian

Sat, 03-27-2010, 12:46 AM

At the beginning of this episode I was wondering if Yin really did sound like a different person, or whether I just wasn't used to her talking so much in one episode. Turns out my first suspicions were right.

I've always wondered too at whether there'd be a contractor who has to strip for her remuneration. Gravity's pretty hax, just like the last gravity user we saw.

-------------------------------
edit:
That first dream sequence could well be just a dream, but I'm thinking it could also be what happened back in Hell's Gate. In the final episode of season 1, Amber touched Hei's chest with the meteor fragment, and we were transported to to that yellowy world where dead people speak. From Hei's perspective, when that ended, Yin reached out to him to drag him back to her world.

But what about from Yin's perspective? Could it be that time froze all around her (as it does when Amber uses her power), which stopped the Saturn Ring from firing, but at the same time, the meteor's power actually transported Hei and Amber into some alternate reality, blasting Yin in a shower of Gate-positive particles, and forcing her mutation?

-----------------------

Alter Yin is both really sexy and creepy at the same time. I'm looking forward to both aspects escalating next time :D

Buffalobiian

Mon, 05-31-2010, 07:57 PM

BSS - DtB Gaiden 03 (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BBSS%5D_Darker_Than_Black_-_The_Black_Contractor_-_Gaiden_-_03_%5B8755C487%5D.mkv.torrent)

-----------------

Loved the new Yin getup, but otherwise found this episode weaker (or less enjoyable) than the previous ones.

So now, rather than anticipating the last Gaiden episode, I'm more itching to see a Third season to this, if only to see where they're going with all this "change the world" business.

shinta|hikari

Tue, 06-01-2010, 11:08 AM

But there seems to be no third season, or at least that is what the director said.

http://animeotaku.animeblogger.net/2009/12/no-more-darker-than-black-season-3-that-was-the-end/

Buffalobiian

Tue, 06-01-2010, 11:22 AM

But there seems to be no third season, or at least that is what the director said.

http://animeotaku.animeblogger.net/2009/12/no-more-darker-than-black-season-3-that-was-the-end/

That sucks then. They go and introduce a whole lot of new material that gave more questions than answers, and decide to leave it? I honestly can't remember what happened to Hei at the end of Gemini, but that only indicates how baffling and inconclusive it was.

Archangel

Tue, 06-01-2010, 03:24 PM

Whatever, season 1 was great but the only reason why we're enjoying these OVAs so much is because of how incredibly confusing and unsatisfying the second season really was.

I say let it die and move on

Kraco

Tue, 06-01-2010, 04:28 PM

Yeah. Darker than Black didn't feel the same anymore after the second season. I haven't felt since that I'd want to see more of DtB, although I'm watching this Gaiden. But even this doesn't really feel as good as it should because I know inevitably this will lead to Gemini.

Buffalobiian

Sun, 07-25-2010, 03:55 AM

Perfectly watchable subs.

God-Speed Subs - DtB Gaiden 04 (http://www.nyaatorrents.org/?page=download&tid=146107)

--------------------

If you busted braincells trying to figure out what it all means still (like me), randomc's insight (http://randomc.net/2010/07/24/darker-than-black-gaiden-04-end/) may shine some light into it. I might actually watch Gemini again after this, or at the very least the final episode of it.

Now that everything finally makes sense, I don't see the need for a third season.

Killa-Eyez

Sun, 09-05-2010, 09:50 PM

[BSS]_Darker_Than_Black_-_The_Black_Contractor_-_Gaiden_-_04_[058316BE].mkv (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BBSS%5D_Darker_Than_Black_-_The_Black_Contractor_-_Gaiden_-_04_%5B058316BE%5D.mkv.torrent)

rockmanj

Thu, 04-28-2011, 10:47 PM

Just watched and finished it. It was pretty good, although the 2nd season left me a bit...wanting I suppose.

Munsu

Mon, 07-02-2012, 01:32 PM

Just finished watching the Gemini 12 episode series. Overall I really liked it, but as a series ending season I was disappointed. In all loved the story it told, but the context of it finishing the series ruins it a bit for me, particularly with Hei's subplot being pretty much secondary to everything else.

I actually really enjoyed the ending of the arc, with the Earth copy with Suou living there, particularly in the aftermath of her talking with Shion about the present he gave her with aquarium memory, which she mistakenly thought it was what he wanted. So he pretty much sacrificed himself to give Suou something you might call a real normal life.

Oh well, really hope that at some point we get to see a bit more of this universe. Also disappointed that the action scenes in the last episode occurred off screen. They were going to be very good ones.

Going to watch the OVA later.