Anime Review: Darker than Black
Every second she spent on screen was a second wasted
It suddenly occurred to me, halfway through the fantastic Sunrise series Planetes, why Darker than Black felt so lacklustre towards its end. The two shows share a similar structure: both employ a episodic approach where each episode (or two, in DtB’s case) tells a short story about a minor supporting character or expands upon the main characters, and both tries to weave in a over-arcing storyline. It’s probably co-incidental that both shows have a (vastly different) near-futuristic setting.
What was the biggest difference between the two shows, I feel, is how much better this format is handled in Planetes. Not that Darker than Black is bad – far from it. There are moments when DtB tells a story so compelling that it’s hard to not fall for its charm. The problem is that DtB doesn’t spend much time on exposing us to its minor characters. By the time you start caring about them, they’ve already bit the bullet, kicked the bucket, and so on and so forth. There are instances like this in Planetes (the ninjas on the moon, for example), but that show makes you care about every character that it wants you to care about. Whether it is Cheng-shin, Edel, or even Lavie’s short moment in the spotlight, because you’ve been continually exposed to them during the show, you feel like you know them, and so you care about their personal struggles. I never felt any urge to learn more about Mao or how he felt in his cat body, and he’s one of the re-curring characters.
There’s another thing that I feel was lacking from DtB. It felt like the writers couldn’t decide what to focus on – the overriding conflict between Contactors and humans, or the peronal stories of the characters. For most of its first half, the only glimpse we get of the greater story is the knowledge that Heaven’s Gate has disappeared, and that the same could happen to Hell’s Gate. Amber didn’t even make an appearance until past the halfway mark, despite the fact that she was in the OP of the first 14 episodes. When the writers finally decide to tell us more about the Contractors’ world, they decided to place more focus on Hei’s story and the two got in the way of each other. To me, at least, DtB’s end is an unsatisfying, if not infuriating, one. Neither the mysteries about Hei nor the mysteries about Contractors were entirely solved. Only little hints were given about Hei’s past and his relationship with Pai and Amber. How did he come to obtain Pai’s power? How is the Syndicate related to Pandora? Why did that police guy have mechanical arms?
How did Contractors come to be?
Maybe it’s all intentionally vague, but to me it’s just sloppy writing. If Planetes can manage a plot about the Space Defence Front and the Jovian explorer, and still get us to care about its sizeable cast of characters, why couldn’t DtB do it? It’s all the more confounding to me because I hold Bones in much higher regards than Sunrise.
I feel that if Bones had focused on one or the other, Darker than Black would have been a much better show. I’d prefer that Bones spent more time in a continous plot line near the end (as Planetes did), instead of trying to wrap it all up in 3 episodes. As it stands, despite some terrific scenes and truly memorable characters, it’s little more than a show with great potential that failed to be fulfilled.
Now that I’ve got all that negative energy out of my system, I will go on and name a few things that I felt Darker than Black did do very well. When it did manage to make us sympathise with its characters, it tugged at our heart strings like a whale tugging on a steel cable. Even though most of the characters only lasted two episodes and felt like throw-aways, there are some exceptionally deep and complex characters. That they managed to make them seem so in the space of an hour is a feat, and in this regard Bones’ story telling didn’t disappoint. It also looked great. The character designs were simple and down to earth, just how I like it. Certain scenes also looked stunning – the surveillance ghosts being freed from the dead contractor in Ying’s arc and the falling petals of Wang’s arc took the cake.
Darker than Black started as my favourite show of the spring season, but somewhere along the line it lost its magic. Moments of brilliance continued to show through, but overall, it didn’t live up to its potential and failed to stay my favourite show that season (the honour would have to go to Gurren Lagann). Nonetheless, it’s an excellent series that I think everyone should watch. Even if you can’t find the time, watch episode 13 and 14; they are simply some of the best that anime has to offer.
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Wow, episodes 13 and 14 are great, but its unfair to say that is the best of the show! its a great show, i love it all (well, the arc of yakuza and the arc of the detective were nice but yes, a waste)
I dont understand why some people thing what you said, its not the first time that I read something like that, so, i guess that it true in someway, i will keep my mind open, but even in that case, and even if we dont know everything about the gates, contractors, and dolls, the emo moments of the show, the great characters, the music, and the melacoly of losing stars and souls, worth to watch it.
So, for me, it was a great show, one of the best of the season.
Darker Than Black was good, but, in a way, not good enough. I was so dazzled by it that, at some point, I was convinced it was the second Bebop. Foolish, foolish me. It ended on such an unsatisfying note, it nearly broke my heart. That said, I loved the show. There were some little bits of the show that touched on something more obscure and beautiful, it was worth it.
And, yes, my favorite show from the spring season, hands down, Gurren Lagann.
I saw the review of this anime on memento; it pissed me off so much that I decided not to go to that Blog ever again. Yours is doing the same.
yes, yes of course. Gurren Lagann, that piece of motherfucking shit-kiddy garbage with no story is far superior to darker than black. Makes so much fucking sense. Some people should only stick with Pokeman. You see, if I continue it’ll get ugly; REALLY ugly. and I love your Blog. so i guess i have to just ignore this entry. Very annoying entry nonetheless.
btw, EXELLENT choice for picture. I’m sure that stupid fuck represents the entire anime, right, RIGHT?
@Gasoline: Arr, the opinion is luppie (we are a team blog), cool down, dude. If you want to hear my opinion (i don’t think you will like this), I hate both shows. I found Darker than Black to be rather bland (i dropped it). In fact, I also disliked Gurren Lagann because it is simply something that I will not watch at all.
My favorite show for Spring was Lovely Complex, so I am a shoujo fan. Oh, and Ookiku Furikabette is a very darn close second!
Nevertheless, I can feel your hatred of the show ^^ hehehe. =3 Thanks for loving the blog nevertheless!
hmmm can’t say i like DtB, i tot the ending was realllllly stupid and hmm weird?( lol ) i rather be watching witch hunter robin
didn’t even watch gurren
i like planetes though
i find it interesting
i like oofuri better than lovely complex hehe
Vane: I can understand why you adore the show so much, but for me, some fatal flaws made it impossible for me to love it. It is nevertheless an excellent show and I would recommend it to everyone.
Xerox: Yes, the ending was a great let down, wasn’t it? I feel that Bones should’ve spent so much more time on it…
Gasoline: If you can’t accept that other people might have differing opinions from you, and that they might decide to voice those opinions, I suggest you gtfo of my Internet. Maybe try hanging out with some monkeys or worms, I think you would fit right in.
Neko79: Yeah, the ending of DtB was really not handled very well.
“Every second she spent on screen was a second wasted”
Heresy!
@Lupus
Wait up, i have to get out of “your Internet”, who the fuck are you and what the fuck does that even suppose to mean?! it’s a two way highway moron, if you don’t like what i have to say, disable the comment section you fucking idiot.
For me, DtB ending was not the worst…it tries to explain most of the mysteries.It had sum holes like how bai disappeared or even contractors appeared. It was enjoyable though sumtimes complicated…a good anime of spring season.
For me, DtB ending was not the worst…it tries to explain most of the mysteries.It had sum holes like how bai disappeared or even contractors appeared. It was enjoyable though sumtimes complicated… a good anime of spring season.
Well, I agree… the show started on such a high note and showed so much potential, but as it progressed it seemed very episodic and went into little explanation of what the hell was going on around you. Like we got that they were are working for a Syndicate, and that they all had their own past, but we didn’t find out how the hell someone becomes a contrator? when/how contractors came about? and why they have the gates?
But guess what I still liked the show… it was pretty, had well choreographed action sequences that I liked, and some really interesting fights between some cool powers… always liked the fight between Hei and the blood dude… I hoped for another Bebop, but at least the show was okay in the end.
My fav show of the just finished series were : History of the Stongest Disciple Kenichi and Claymore….
now watching One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Bamboo Blade, Blue Drop, Gundam 00
waiting for : Ghost Hound, Jyushen Enbu (Hero Tales)
My fav ever: Rurouni Kenshin – Samurai X, Cowboy Bebop, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Furi Kuri, and maybe a few others
What if it’s not really the end?
“Every second she spent on screen was a second wasted”
Amen.
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Never commented on a blog before D:
I personally enjoyed Darker than Black much more than I thought I could enjoy any anime. It’s easily taken the top spot in my favorite anime list. =) I agree with you on some of the weak points — that is that the show didn’t seem to know if it wanted to focus on Humans vs. Contractors or the Mystery of Hei. Although, I feel that the two are intertwined, and THAT is why they spent so much time building up both.
That is to say, the “mystery of hei” when boiled down IS human vs. contractor. I felt the ending dream sequence of the show illustrated this beautifully. I personally was so taken with the unusual cast of characters in this show, and I *really* hope it ends up getting another season eventually since I feel it’s weakest point was the ending. The explanation of what exactly Hei did was nonexistent, and so many strings were left dangling that really need to be taken care of.
regardless, well thought out and excellent review; It makes me want to watch Planetes!
Yeah, DtB is a bit style over substance. It was Bones’ attempt at a scifi/action/noir anime, and it worked but at the same time they relied too much deus ex machina. Also, the whole ‘plot holes so large you can drive a truck through’ thing was intentional. The staff was trying to leave threads for a potential second season.