To call this
series a masterpiece is to insult it by trying to compare it to any other
series out there. When they titled this
series, they also provided an appropriate way of describing it. The plot is
very dark, with conspiracy, betrayal, and characters familiar to providing and
receiving both. Both the characters and
the story are sophisticated and challenge you consistently throughout the
series. There are some charming and witty moments to make you have a chuckle,
but if you go in looking for humor it won't be as plentiful as other
shows. Normally this would be a bad
thing, but with the themes the series runs with, humor would only detract from the
overall narrative. Contractors pay
prices for their powers, these can range from drinking a beer to breaking your
own fingers. This adds an element of
limitation to these powers, which helps humanize these characters by not
allowing them to simply run rampant with their powers. Another mutation that Contractors and Dolls face
is their complete loss of emotion. This
may seem to create an absence of character, but it really comes off as an
intentional void by the writers. To have
heartless Contractors and Dolls existing in a world full of heartless people
intent on using them makes it seem appropriate.
Furthermore, this ensures that the intentional moments where some
emotion leaks out seem significant; as well as make the emotion itself come
across that much stronger. The action in
this series is fairly grounded, aside from the powers, providing a lot of
martial arts in hand-to-hand combat.
As a
protagonist, Hei is obviously central.
As the Black Reaper, he wears a mask to conceal his identity. As Lee
Shenshun, his alias, he
wears another mask to hide his identity from the public. This results in a character that you'll spend
half the series trying to figure out, which is a great thing for the story. Throughout the series, you'll find him
surprising you with not only his ability to change his personality in a
moment's notice to avoid arousing suspicion, but at how he can even hide his
feelings from his own team. This gives
Hei some essential depth, making you wonder which one is the real protagonist:
Hei, the desperate brother clinging to the past, Lee, the person trying to just
get by, or the notorious Contractor: BK-201, the Black Reaper. You find moments where these characters cross
over into one another, making you further question which one is the one we're
watching at the particular moment. And
as the series progresses the story twists and turns, and these characters,
as well as the team, are tested. But the other characters that appear aren't
sideshow attractions, they all offer a lot to the story and give the world even
greater depth.
To conclude,
this series goes down as one of my all-time favorites. The characters are full of both life and
death all at the same time with the subtle use of emotion in naturally
emotionless characters. The story is
suspenseful and sucks you in from start to finish, and the overall impact of it
is like a bittersweet symphony that you're sorry to see end. The ending of this
series forces an impossible decision on Hei, forcing him to choose who he is
going to be. The significance of how and
why Hei makes this decision, however, is something you will simply have to
watch the series to understand and appreciate; because nothing I say could
adequately explain why this character and story will go down as remarkable. "Darker than Black" contains a
sense of brutal honesty with its' story and characters that feels right, even
if the story itself leaves you aching.
It's exactly that sensation you have after watching the show that helps
redefine what "hero" might mean for you. Like the movie "The Dark Knight,"
this series will hit you at the core and help redefine what a true hero is and
does.
Good:
-Deep,
complex story that feels like a puzzle, providing the pieces and challenging
you to put it all together.
-Memorable characters
that carry a lot of weight and depth to them, adding to the already compelling
narrative.
-Powers have
limitations, resulting in a more grounded atmosphere to the already exciting
action.
-Strong,
dark tone, but with enough humor and hope sprinkled in to keep it from feeling
needlessly dark for its' own sake.
Bad:
-No impact
on my personal rating, but be warned that there is a lot of violence, blood and
gore, and the dark vibe to prevent this from being appropriate for all
audiences.
Scully Rating: 10 out of 10
Watch "Darker than
Black (Season 1)" at: http://www.animefreak.tv/watch/darker-black-online
