Product Details

• Actors: Hidenobu Kiuchi, Christopher Sabat, Jason Liebrecht, Troy Baker, Todd Haberkorn
• Directors: Tensai Okamura
• Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen, Subtitled
• Language: Japanese, English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Funimation Prod
• DVD Release Date: January 20, 2009
• Run Time: 125 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001K98M5A
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92,202 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Darker Than Black: Volume Two" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

As the sombre fantasy Darker Than Black continues, Misaki and her lieutenants pursue two vicious Contractors who are committing serial murders in Tokyo. One causes executives from a cosmetics company to commit suicide by jumping off skyscrapers; the other rips holes in the chests of Chinese gangsters. At the same time, Hei (a.k.a. "The Black Reaper," a.k.a. BK201) and his allies are conducting a parallel pursuit. The tone of this violent supernatural series shifts radically whenever policeman-turned-private-eye Gai Kurasawa appears. Fancying himself the heir to Humphrey Bogart and Sam Spade, Kurasawa narrates his misadventures in an over-the-top film noir style that may remind viewers of Tracer Bullet in "Calvin and Hobbes." The inevitable collision between Misaki's and Hei's teams leads to some exciting if gory action scenes. But the storyline remains convoluted and murky--despite the periodic pauses where the characters try to explain what's going on. (Rated TV MA: violence, violence against women, torture, grotesque imagery, risqué humor, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon

(6. Red Giant Over Eastern Europe Part 2, 7. The Scent of Gardenias Lingers in the Summer Rain, Part 1, 8. The Scent of Gardenias Lingers in the Summer Rain, Part 2, 9. The White Dress, Stained with the Girl's Dreams and Blood, Part 1, 10. The White Dress, Stained with the Girl's Dreams and Blood, Part 2)

Product Description

A new and deadly breed of covert agent walks the streets. Known as Contractors, these assassins and spies wield bizarre supernatural powers to carry out the dirty work of others. One among these operatives is more mysterious than the rest – The masked killer BK201, the Black Reaper.

Kirihara watches with frustration as the violent rogue boldly makes his mark on the turf she’s supposed to protect, from the blood-soaked gutter to the artificial stars high above Tokyo. The cop may feel helpless to catch anything but his aftermath, but Kirihara has never been one to give up. And the Black Reaper is much closer than she could possibly know.

Volume 2 contains episodes 6-10.

Stills from Darker Than Black: Volume Two (Click for larger image)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Anime With Solid Storylines - Recommended, February 27, 2009

By 

C. F. Hill "CFH" (Blue Ridge Summit, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Darker Than Black: Volume Two (DVD)

"Darker Than Black: Volume Two", as the name suggests, is the second DVD in the Darker Than Black series. Like the first DVD, volume two contains 5 episodes following the "Contractor" known to the police as BK201, Hei to his friends, and "The Black Reaper" to his enemies.

There are several groups of players interacting, including a special police unit that tracks "Contractors", The Syndicate (including the main "Contractor" Hei/Bk201), various governments (references to the British spy agencies), and other criminal groups (all employing "Contractors").

The first DVD ended with a cliff hanger, but this one doesn't. No spoilers from me. The five episodes on the DVD include the conclusion of last episode ("Red Giant over Eastern Europe") on the first DVD and two new story arcs (each covered in two episodes). The writing is above par and I like that not every detail is spelled out for you (like why Hei is doing a particular job, for example).

The animation was passable overall. It has some truly beautiful artwork in some scenes and some of the flattest animation in others. I hadn't noticed on the first Darker than Black DVD, but the audio work is simply excellent. There was anime style blood and gore, but far less than I have come to expect.

My only real complaint is with the cost of the series. I think the price is a little high for a five episode DVD, but now I'm hooked and have already pre-ordered Darker Than Black: Volume Three.

Recommended for fans of the genre!

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Action-packed fighting in volume two, March 26, 2009

By 

Jonathan Oyama "Anime is my middle name." (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Darker Than Black: Volume Two (DVD)

While the fighting in volume two isn't nearly as awesome as volume one, "Darker Than Black" still remains one of the coolest action anime this year.

It's still hard for me to explain what it is about this series that is so exciting. Perhaps it's Yoko Kanno's metropolitan soundtrack of lonely acoustic guitars interspersed with some hard rock at certain points. Or maybe it's the deep, meandering dialogue of all the characters. But "Darker Than Black" has a cool tempo to it, which no other anime, not even Bebop, has.

Volume two features the end of the episodes featuring the regressor Havoc. It also includes two episodes focusing on the comic relief duo of the series, the leather jacket-wearing detective Guy and the energetic pink-haired otaku girl, Kiko. The final two episodes revolve around Misaki's investigation of the mass murderer contractor known as VI 952.

What makes "Darker Than Black" incredible is its pacing. Nothing ever feels forced--the characters remain very smooth, and give long, winding revelations of their emotional pasts. And Li is even more suave, as the soft-spoken, but speedy acrobat with electrical powers. The fast battle between VI 952 and Li on the rooftop is just breathtaking.

And Guy and Kiko's episodes make for a hilarious investigation--a search for a woman's missing cat. Thankfully, there's a lot more to it than finding a cat. But Guy easily mixes up the cat with one of Li's buddies, making for some humorous moments in which Mao is stuck in a pet box.

There's nothing cooler and more exciting than "Darker Than Black." Everything, from Kanno's soundtrack to the incredible fight sequences, makes "Darker Than Black" one of the hottest anime titles this year.

The only downside is the English dub, which is subpar at best. Kate Oxley sounds way too young to play the smart police officer, Misaki. The voice actors can't even pronounce the characters' names properly, and their audio commentary for episode nine is boring. If anyone can ignore these things, this is a great release.