Darker Than Black: Kuro no keiyakusha

This anime is amazing.

Darker than black is a neo-noir esque, action-packed thriller about a world where super beings exist, known as "contractors," and the many organizations they belong too, some notably being the CIA, MI6 and Japanese government.

The first few episodes don't immediately draw you in, however the tension and plot builds up slowly to introduce the setting. Sometimes it can get confusing, and I had to pause to google terminology due to the fact that not everything is explained fully. However, the animation is clean & simple and the soundtrack is jazzy.

What I enjoyed the most about this series is how interesting the main character is. Hei is a powerful contractor working for a secret organization. His daytime identity is Li Shengshun, a Chinese exchange student. What's interesting about him is that although he is extremely bad-ass, he is also has an emotional side unlike most contractors and can make mistakes. He's not super-powered like some anime protagonists.

This anime is not completely centered on Hei, but more on the different organizations and groups and how they interact. Which also gives him an air of mystery, as we do not know what he is doing.

Overall, the anime is great, dark in tone and has a great plot. It's set of characters are very three dimensional (it's nice to have female characters that have actual personalities for once). The story doesn't focus on romance nor sexuality, but more on awesome fighting scenes and its mysterious plot.

10/10

Darker Than Black is not an average anime. It has something special in it, the story, the characters, the music, the moral, and those feels. I have seen many anime over the years but, this ranks above every one of them. It is supernatural but it stay so close to reality that you get lost in it some how. "Every step is taken at a price, regardless of feelings it has to be paid."It echos in my ears and make me reconsider my actions. Being an anime it describes all the emotions inside a person, what he has to do in order to make the right decision. It is truly remarkable. The dialogs are so meaningful that they make you think about thing. I will always remember what Hei said "If you pretend to feel a certain way, The feeling can become genuine all by mistake." If you want to watch an anime, then i would definitely recommend you this. Darker Than Black?????? YES!!!! Evey life has something darker than black.

I'm honestly quite conflicted about Darker Than Black. While the overall premise is interesting and fairly unique, I found the first half of Season One utterly unremarkable. I did not manage to connect to the characters (partially because most of them are 'Contractors' who don't have any emotions are thus as vivacious as wet cardboard) and found the plot mildly entertaining at best. Funnily enough, while the series was mediocre, it was at least consistently so: I rated every episode a 7/10; none were particularly outstanding, neither in a positive nor in a negative way.

Thankfully, the second half of the first season finally turned into a consistent story, and the final quarter is truly outstanding. Why the rest of the season wasn't written in the same way, I'll never understand.

Season Two is a complete change of pace. The protagonist switches from a cold-hearted mercenary in his twenties to a preteen girl, yet becomes much darker in the process. Funnily enough, I found it much easier to emotionally connect to that preteen girl (perhaps because she had actual emotions), and the entire season features a consistent plot that advances with every episode. While not every episode is consistently fantastic, the second season of Darker Than Black is at least consistently entertaining.

Then there is the final "movie", a four-part OVA. That one is solid gold. Set between the two seasons, it finally explains how the drastic shift in tone and characters of Season Two came to place.

In my opinion, the production value mirrors the quality of the storytelling. I was not particularly impressed by the animation, dialogues, or even soundtrack (despite being written by Yoko Kanno) in the first half of Season One, but I felt like it became much better later on. Season Two and the OVAs are great in every regard. I watched the English dub, which is good throughout the entire series.

All in all, I'd recommend Darker Than Black if you don't mind sticking through the first twelve or so episodes. If you're looking for instant gratification, perhaps you should look somewhere else.

I'd give a 8.5 if I could. This anime has one of the most cool characters I've seen in anime, Hei. The dude's attitude carries this show, but that's not to distract from the other characters. All of the main four, even the girl who rarely says a thing (I really enjoyed the episode focused on her) are a blast.

The series is done in hour long vignettes, something not normally done in anime... and it takes the creators a little bit to get used to it. The first 7 or so episodes of this show were average and forgettable, but give DTB time and it finds it's place. Keep in mind, the beginning episodes are still necessary viewing for the mood and background it sets.

So is the beginning rough? Yes. 7.9 worthy? Hell no!

I know many a anime viewer such as myself who see's a score under a eight and thinks the show is a pass, but listen up. DTB IS NOT A PASS. This shows has everything to love in a anime and the ending WILL leave you satisfied.

I love these characters, I feel the thought in the writing, it is complex and has a philosophical message. This one moment near the end delivers some of the best symbolism I've seen. Truly this show is a powerhouse; a world in it's own. Even characters who come in for a few episodes have a grand purpose in the study of Hei.

Do not miss this show, it will have a impact on you and entrance you in pure coolness.

8.5/10

I'm going to have to agree with the majority of viewers; this is a great anime with a unique story...though it might not be for everyone.

I noticed that one of the reviewers had the most inane childish review, mentioning nothing about the actual anime and just saying it was "crap". Really? In fact, that reviewer said it was "just a typical anime filled with nudity---no male nudity either!---and filed with satanic themes". There is absolutely no nudity whatsoever--save for a 'nipple' (in silhouette only) in the first opening and one single episode near the end (which has no private areas displayed)--and I have no idea why that reviewer believed it was about satanism.

I'm sure it was a useless trolling attempt on their part, but some people might actually believe that garbage the reviewer said if they weren't sure themselves.

As for the show itself, the animation was well-done; the music was unique (especially the first ending theme and Kurosawa's theme), rife with deep mini-plots, light humor, dark humor, and genuinely likable (and hateable) characters.

I do agree that maybe at one specific point I felt I might be losing interest, but I honestly don't believe that was the anime's fault. And sure enough, something occurred within the story immediately after that definitely fixed that.

As a show with little focus on sexuality , and instead on the deep and painful cycles of life, death, relationship and happiness...I know many will enjoy it.