Product Details

• Format: Animated, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• 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: November 25, 2008
• Run Time: 125 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001F2U72S
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,081 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Darker Than Black: Starter Set" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

DARKER THAN BLACK VOL 1 STARTER SET - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Now I've lost it, I know I can kill.", December 13, 2008

By 

H. Bala "Me Too Can Read" (Just moved to posh Marina Del Rey, CA - where if you drop a quarter, why, you just keep on walking) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Darker Than Black: Starter Set (DVD)

To start with, DARKER THAN BLACK is a damn nifty title. And, it turns out, this anime series is pretty intriguing. The deal-io is this: Some years ago, Hell's Gate opened up in Tokyo, giving rise to wide-ranging anomalies and wiping the heavens of its stars, replacing them with false ones. Hell's Gate (and Heaven's Gate, in South America) also gave birth to Dolls and Contractors. Dolls are passive mediums who can spy from remote distances, and on whom can be imprinted temporary identites and personalities. Contractors are assassins and covert operatives, those who have gained paranormal talents and rendered detached and amoral. As such, they feel no remorse when engaged in wet works.

A fascinating fallout of a Contractor's power is that the bearer is forced into obsessive compulsive behavior. After accessing one's ability, a Contractor must then perform a remuneration of some sort (arranging pebbles, dog-earing the pages of a book, scarfing bowlfuls of noodles, etc.). This is how the Contractor fulfills his own personal contract. I dig that there's one Contractor who particularly loathes cigarette-smoking, but guess what his price is, for using his power? Another nice conceit of the show is that each of the new stars corresponds to a Contractor, and so, each Contractor is also associated with his star's Messier catalogue number (from Messier's system of assigning numbers to foreign bodies in the sky, for purposes of identification). For example, Hei's Messier Code is BK-201. But Hei is also known as the fearsome Black Reaper. He's the anti-hero of the series.

So, hey, who's Hei? He's an unassuming Chinese exchange student going by the moniker of Li Shengshun, newly arrived to Japan. Or that's his cover anyway. Hei is a Contractor. His power is generating electricity, although he's also very skilled at wielding this cable/garotte-like device. His associates comprise of a scruffy field advisor, a blue-haired Doll serving as a locator, and a talking cat, and they work for some shadowy, occasionally referred-to syndicate, although the show is keeping details close to the vest. They go around taking on this or that mission, even as rumors of the Black Reaper continue to rock the underworld.

Meanwhile, on the periphery, a gutsy female police inspector is poking around, bent on nabbing the Reaper.

DARKER THAN BLACK is a promising anime series; it's got some good stuff going for it. The animation looks good, and is in that by now generic COWBOY BEBOP style. I also like the gritty, noirish elements of the show. In brief moments, there are echoes of BLADE RUNNER in its poignancy and existential angst. And I'm very curious about further ramifications concerning Hell's Gate. The series also boasts its own terminology, in which words like "moratorium," "forfeiter," "contractor," and "doll" carry unexpected definitions.

But here's the thing: I found myself feeling ambivalent about the self-contained central character; it's hard to get a read on this guy. The occasional ominous tone sensed here is partly brought on by Hei's oblique nature - you don't quite trust him. The storytelling doesn't focus much on character development; it's more intent on progressing the plot, which, by the way, tends to be nebulous and deliberately paced. There's no easy gratification in terms of getting comprehensively briefed on who's who and what's what. While DARKER THAN BLACK promptly establishes the rules of its universe, it then becomes stingy with further revelations. There are passing mentions of relevant current events and backstory, but these carrots aren't spelled out as much as thrown into the exposition, and done so casually that you have to strain your ears. If you blink, you might miss out on tidbits on Hell's Gate and on the conflict involving the UK in Argentinian soil. This initial bunch of episodes teases you along, counting on its excellence of quality to curb your impatience. It worked for me.

The DARKER THAN BLACK starter set collects the series' first five episodes and runs at 2 hours. The inaugural two-parter "The Fallen Star of a Contract" - centering on a frightened runaway lab researcher and her unpretentious rescuer - had me scratching my head some with its bewildering turns and its characters' murky motivations. The second episode, by the way, is marked with a sad, bittersweet ending, so, hurrah for you, if you're into that. In the second two-parter "A New Star Shines in the Dawn Sky," a star is born, meaning, in the parlance of the series, that someone has just manifested Contractor abilities. And she's a high school teenager. "Red Giant over Eastern Europe (Part 1)" is the last included episode and pits Hei against MI6 agents who've abducted a notorious ex-Contractor. Who happens to hold crucial information desperately needed by Hei. This is the first episode in which we learn something significantly personal to Hei.

Bonus stuff includes: a relaxed, semi-goofy audio commentary on Episode 002 by American voice actors Jason Liebrecht (Hei) and Colleen Clinkenbeard (Chiaki); Cast Auditions, the English version, as the voice actors perform off-the-screen readings; Production Artwork - character bios and black & white sketches and descriptions of various settings and objects in the series; an option to play the opening ("Howling") or the closing ("Tsukiakari") songs; and trailers for DARKER THAN BLACK and other anime films. This being the starter set collection, there's also an empty art box included, which can either store future collected volumes in the series, or air. It's really up to you.

If all you have to go on are these five episodes, you might be tempted to jump ship. I'm leaning towards giving this anime show a chance, because the premise is that intriguing to me, and the production values are top notched. I don't mind the slow burn approach, as long as there's an eventual payoff. In the meantime, Hei remains an enigmatic character, garbed in that obligatory cool black duster. But I'm still not sure I like him.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great start for the series, December 31, 2008

By 

R.Suarez "R-Suarez-" (Mc Allen, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Darker Than Black: Starter Set (DVD)

(What's this?)

Created, directed and written by Tensai Okamura, whose credits include Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ninja Scroll, Ghost in the Shell and Cowboy Bebop (all of them favorites of mine) "Darker than black" first five episodes arrive courtesy of Funimation.

The original series contained 25 episodes and an OVA, the starter set is supposed to include a box where I'd assume the remaining 4 sets to be released can be placed (since my copy came from Vine I got only the disc without the box)

As usual with this type of shows, by the time they start there is already a major plot going on. 10 years before the first episode a territory known as Hell's Gate appeared in Tokyo, causing alterations on the sky. The people built a huge wall to separate Tokyo from this place. Weeks after this happened, people with special abilities appeared, known as `contractors' they have powers and abilities that are used for espionage and similar tasks (including murder)

The show follows a team formed by Mao (a contractor trapped in the body of a cat), Huang, Yin (a blind girl catalogued as a "Doll" with abilities to locate people but emotionless) and the protagonist, Hei. As the series develop it interesting to follow the story and the traits of the characters that appear in it, yes, they do have abilities but they have to pay a price for using them, the price will usually be an odd activity for the contractor to perform (such as break his own fingers)

Episodes included are:

"The Star of a Contract Fell... (Part 1)"
"The Star of a Contract Fell... (Part 2)"
"The New Star Twinkles in the Dawn Sky... (Part 1)"
"The New Star Twinkles in the Dawn Sky... (Part 2)"
"The Red Dream of a Calamity Disappears in Eastern Europe... (Part 1)"

EXTRAS

Not many extras are included as usual in this type of releases. Text less songs, audios from the casting of the English voices and trailers from other releases from Funimation. Episode 2 though includes an Audio Commentary by the show English voices.

The show is presented in anamorphic widescreen, English language Dolby 5.1 surround and Japanese stereo (in my case I rather watch these in the original language but stereo is an insult to any home theater system) and subtitled in English.

Highly recommended for fans of anime, I am already looking forward to the next release.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Show, But A Cheaper Complete Series Boxset Is In Order., July 8, 2009

By 

Mr. "alan5973" (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Darker Than Black: Starter Set (DVD)

(What's this?)

As a kid, I grew up enjoying old school anime classics such as "Speed Racer", "Star Blazers" & "Battle of the Planets". Since then I haven't really watched any of the more recent incarnations that have come along. So watching "Darker Than Black" for the first time was a real treat for me.

Part traditional action/drama combined with Sci-Fi elements, Asian mysticism, and other key ingredients, "Darker Than Black" tells the story of Hei, a mild mannered Chinese foreign exchange student by day, who also happens to be a killer new form of superhuman secret agent by night. These agents, known as "Contractors," do whatever it takes to complete their missions, and each one is gifted with a unique ability, such as electricity, teleportation, etc. Set in a futuristic period where the world appears to be partly closed off by a mystical gate, the contractors work with an against the police and other government officials in order to get the job done.

The show never fully explains the background of the characters except in small doses, keeping the audience guessing. Is Hei a good guy or a bad guy? Actor, Jason Liebrech, who voices the lead character, can only say that Hei is "probably exceptionally conflicted" with what he does. At times you may begin to question his methods and sense of value or worth, as contractors tend to be nothing more than cold blooded assassins who will lie, cheat, steal and more in order to achieve their goals.

This First Disc presented here comprises the first 5 episodes of the series, with every two episodes making up a full show (Parts 1&2). The first two-parter, "The Fallen Star of a Contract" begins the series with Hei attempting to obtain top secret information with the help of a woman, named Chiaki, who may be more than she appears, along with the police hot on their tale. The next two-parter, "A New Star Falls in the Dawn Sky" highlights a scientist with a peculiar daughter who is going through some very unique changes in her life, with Hei keeping a close watch. This episode reminded me a lot of the film "Firestarter". The last episode on the disc, "Red Giant over Eastern Europe" centers around a contractor names Havoc who has forfeited her powers and has multiple government agencies vying for the opportunity to experiment on her. The episode also introduces us to the memorable M16 agent known as November 11. Too bad Part 2 of this episode is not included on the disc, so you don't know what happens unless you pick up the Volume 2 DVD.

Extras include:
"Audio Commentary" on Episode 2, "The Fallen Star of a Contract Part 2" with voice actors Jason Liebrich (Hei) & Colleen Clinkenbeard (Chiaki), who provide some interesting tidbits about the show, here and there, but mostly go on and on about how great they think the series is in general, with some fun sexual tension between the two to boot.

"Cast Auditions" - audio snippets of 11 different cast members auditioning for their parts. Each one lasts less than a minute.

"Production Artwork" - included art and character bios for 13 characters as well as some info on the different settings that take place throughout the show.

"Textless Songs" - both the opening theme, "Howling," (by Abingdon Boys School), & closing track, "Tsukiakari" (sung by Rie Fu) shown without any credits on the screen.

"Trailers" - 9 trailers for other anime shows are features, including Volume 2 of "Darker Than Black."

This is a really cool Anime series, with fine acting, cool effects, great fight scenes, & impressive anime visuals. The show also references many other famous movies and TV series, from "Blade Runner" and "Men In Black" to "Black Mask" and Kung Fu which makes watching it even more extra special. (I'm still not sure about the talking cat though) The best bonus is that the original Japanese audio is included (along with the English dubbed version) with English subtitles, so you can experience the show the way it was originally presented. In many cases I noticed certain improvements with a few characters like Detective Misaki Kirthara, who just seemed more convincing when heard in Japanese. The biggest disappointment, however, is that this Disc 1 is incomplete, missing the 2nd part of "Red Giant over Eastern Europe." I don't see why 6 or even 8 episodes couldn't have been included on the disc instead of just 5, making the series very expensive to collect. And besides Volume 2, later Volumes 3-6 all only contain 4 episodes each and are all very pricey. So as impressive as the show is, one would hope that a cheaper complete boxset collection would come out at a more affordable price. That would be the only main reason not to check it out.

"Darker Than Black" Volume 1
Color 120 Mins Rated TVMA
English 5.1 Dolby Surround
Japanese Stereo
English Subtitles
16:9 Widescreen (1.77:1)

Also Recommended:
Darker Than Black: Volume Two
Darker Than Black: Volume Three
Darker Than Black: Volume Four
Darker Than Black: Volume Five
Darker Than Black: Volume Six