Customer Reviews

Darker Than Black: Starter Set

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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

When you can forget you are watching anime, you know you are onto something wonderful. Darker Than Black is a gripping tale where you don't always know who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. There are a group of aliens, who look like humans, known as contractors. Contractors possess some ability that makes them super-human and dangerous. They are hired to be assassins, or thieves or terrorists. A contractor usually has a 'price' to pay for using their special abilities. Some need to break a finger, others may need to eat a cigarette. However, there is also a group of rogue contractors who don't need to pay for using their abilities. One contractor, known as BK201, is such a rogue, who hunts other contractors. The entire series seems to revolve around the life of BK201 (known as Lee, without his mask.)
This is a series and volume one, whets your appetite enough to want more. (If you want more, you will have to purchase additional volumes.)
Good quality animation and story lines that keep you interested make this an anime series worth watching.

With mutants percolating all over Hollywood these days (X-Men franchise, Heroes - Season One, Push, even Dollhouse: Season One), it's no surprise that the theme would turn up in Anime. Here they aren't mutants, but "contractors." And they pay a price for using their abilities. But, I have to agree with another reviewer that "Darker Than Black" just didn't hook me despite my love of the genre. It may be a result of overexposure - a "been there, done that" feeling. The animation is average quality for Anime, not as spectacular as others (like Trinity Blood) but not bad by any means. The premise IS interesting, but I prefer character development over mythology, which is where this anime failed to catch me.

The concept of stars being associated with the contractors was original, and anime is known for having convoluted and intense mythology. I like that - when it is spread over the series. But with only five episodes on the disc I received, nearly all that time was spent in exposition. We have our anti-hero, Hei, but we don't really get anything about him until the last episode on the disc. I'm not usually one to abandon a series before getting to the heart, but anime is not cheap. Each DVD in this series retails for $30 for about 2 hours of running time. That's not outrageous for a film where you get the entire story in one sitting, but this is more like television and six volumes carries a hefty price to get what amounts to a first season.

Overall, were this on TV or given to me as a gift, I would keep watching. I'd recommend this for fans of anime, or those who can't get enough "mutants." But, casual fans may want to consider Netflix!

I would love to comment on the quality of this "starter set." But, I didn't get it. Amazon Vine sent only the regular DVD of volume 1, without the collector box the starter set should come with. I will say the starter set for Trinity Blood Box Set was fantastic and worth the extra cost.

The story in this one was kind of hard to follow in my opinion. I found myself getting a little bored because i just didn't see where they were going with the story. The plus of the dvd is the anime was pretty good. The animation was the only thing that would draw me back in when i found that i was drifting due to a poor story.

I watched the whole disc and still don't fully get what's going on, but there is still something compelling about it.

The story starts to come together around episode 4 and it gets a little easier to follow. I found the first three episodes to be almost impenetrable, as I didn't know what was going on and they weren't telling me. With this said, I still enjoyed the episodes.

The pace is sometimes pretty slow, but action scenes appear frequently enough to keep it interesting. The animation style seems to be pretty typical for Japanese animation; nothing new here.

About the story

From what I can tell, something happened about 10 years before the first episode:

1. All the stars in the sky were replaced with false stars.
2. A strange area called Hell's Gate appeared in Tokyo.
3. Evil (?) creatures called contractors, dolls, and moratoriums appear. These creatures have super powers and can cause tremendous damage.
4. A government agency tracks and attempts to kill/capture the creatures in point 3.
5. The government erases the memory of anyone who has had contact with the creatures in point 3.
6. The government builds a giant wall around Tokyo.

None of these things were explained to any real degree. Perhaps the next DVD will flesh this thing out and provide more structure and substance to the show. I think that this series would be better presented in a season format.

4/5 stars - good

I got this product through the Amazon vine program; I only received the DVD and not the starter box.

The animation was better than average; although not the best I've ever seen. The plot is intriguing. Basically something appeared called Hell's Gate and its appearance has caused two new types of human races. The first race are called Contractors and they have special abilities but no conscience so they are commonly used as killing machines. The Contractors have to pay a price each time they use their powers. The second type of race are called Dolls. These humans are literally like dolls and can have other humans personalities implanted on them.

The first main character is the chief of police and she is trying hunt down Contractors and track their activities. The second main character is a Contractor posing as a college student who is working for an unknown third party.

You never find out exactly what Hell's Gate is. The story line is complex and interesting. The characters intriguing and engaging. Lots of nice action sequences. I really liked it.

Just a warning the last episode of this series totally leaves you hanging. I was groaning at the place they cut out; who knows how long I will have to wait for the next DVD to be released.

Either way this was definitely worth the watch, I will be keeping up with this series for sure!

This is one of my first entries into Anime, as I've not watched much in this genre. The animation is not as stunning as that of other bits and pieces that I have seen, and the colors are a little dull.

One of the most distracting elements of this series was the voices. I found them to be a bit monotonous. Since the characters are animated, to me, voice is very important in eliciting genuine emotional response, and I felt the series was lacking in this regard.

The storyline of the contractors was interesting but it was not "captivating". I was not a huge fan, but enjoyed the departure into a different genre.

Working with a better than average storyline, "Darker Than Black" is a cool science-fiction anime that pits Dolls against Contractors while both are pursued by the Police. Li Shengshun is the main Contractor, a college student kind of guy who is also a conscious less killer...or is he?

Li operates with a high-level group of assassins inside a future Tokyo. There was some sort of cataclysmic event that forced the city to be walled off, and the stars and planets replaced by false ones. When the false stars appear or disappear, it's the sign of birth or passing of a Contractor. No-one can come in or out, and the civilians are kept in the dark about Doll/Contractor existence by the Police.

For an Anime, this is pretty ambitious. There are no fairies or sword-warriors running about and no cutesie mascots (save for a Black Cat agent named Mao). "Darker Than Black" is adult anime (but not pornography) with a decent backstory (the second episode toys with an explorer who survived an expedition - I think - beyond the gate). This is good stuff...and it has a kickin' theme song.