Darker than Black: Kuro no Keiyakusha

[Yukimura]

Finally got around to finishing this. Not much to say that wasn't already said, but I really liked this show even though it didn't have that OMG WOW! factor that a lot of other shows had. DtB was somehow both relaxed and active at the same time which I found very refreshing.

I'm glad they closed most of the questions about what was going on (I had always wondered why Hei's fighting style relied so little on his power) , but there were still some things they didn't clarify, like why Hei's sister didn't do what he did in South America, how the tape recorder got into Kirihara's pocket, did Hei really not have a renumeration since he wasn't actually a contractor, etc... None of that was all that important but it would have been nice to know more details.

[Buffalobiian]

like why Hei's sister didn't do what he did in South America?

Probably because she knew they wanted to destroy Heaven's Gate, but didn't know in what way, or where the device is. If it they were short on time, then making a giant area of impenetrable matter would have been the quickest. It works too. The way Hei did it, they only have to build another machine, or 50 next time the sunspots align correctly again. Pai's was foolproof, but took a couple of thousand lives with her. Hei wanted to show he valued coexistence.

how the tape recorder got into Kirihara's pocket?.

Probably a little habit you pick up being a sharp minded police squad leader.

Did Hei really not have a renumeration since he wasn't actually a contractor?

Seems like the case. The way how they said Pai slowly died when Hei acted more and more like a contracter doesn't really make too much sense. If we leave that fact unquestioned, then somehow Pai being inside of Hei grants him her power without changer himself into a contracter, as he made no contract. If she is inside Hei, then one can think of her as permanently sleeping, and hence forever paying her renumeration. If she's sleeping however, then is she dead? That's the confusing part for me. The other query I have, is whether what you see when you make contact with the meteor shard is another dimension or an illusion. I'm more for the dimension one, but I've given up looking too deep into it. It was a good series, it left a good impression. Rumours have it an OVA's coming out.

[KitKat]

We never did find out what Pei's renumeration was, did we? But it could be similar to the case of Mao, where something happens that the price is so high that it effectively pays the renumeration forever. That could be the price with Pei, that leaves Hei able to use her power without consequence whenever he wants.

[Buffalobiian]

Pai's renumeration is sleep. In one of the final three episodes, you see Hei killing a contracter by choking/slicing him with his signature knife&wire. He gets worried about Pai, and ends up finding her standing with bodies all around her. He then catches her in him arms as she sleeps. Amber comes later and says they're always like that, like lovers actually, so there's reason to believe that it's not from sheer exhaustion.