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Summary:
Since they’ve got a lot of enemies, Hei and company find it hard to get out of Hokkaido in order to get to Tokyo. Hei decides to hire someone to smuggle them through the checkpoints, and this lady ends up disguising July as a corpse and Hei and Suou as the grieving family. Shortly after arriving in Aomori though, the car that Hei and Suou are in gets a flat tire, and the hearse with the lady and July doesn’t stop. Hei and Mao figure out that this was intentional and that the lady’s goal was to steal July and sell him, but Hei also thinks that it’s a waste of time to go after him. Suou disagrees, and after seeing July’s observer spirit on a departing truck’s window, she hops into the back of the truck with Mao in tow and leaves Hei behind. She’s convinced that July is feeling lonely and helpless, and she believes that Contractors and Dolls retain some fragment of their emotions.
Through July’s observer spirit’s guidance, Suou and Mao find him being held in a warehouse. Remembering the lessons Hei taught her, Suou makes use of some broken glass and throws severals shards at the woman who betrayed them until Mao finally stops her. While Suou is getting July though, a Contractor known as Ilya Sokolov who had been tracking them suddenly shows up. He kills off the woman with his Contractor ability to induce drugged states in people’s brains, and he easily captures Suou, July, and Mao. Fortunately, while he’s transporting them on the highway, their car is attacked by Hei. Despite hanging off the side of a moving car, Hei is able to use his wire as a garrote to strangle Sokolov to death and save everyone. He attributes some of his success though to July who had used an observer spirit to distract Sokolov, and in the aftermath, July notes his pain when Suou touches the bump on his head. The group then makes their way to Sendai and boards a train there, unaware that Repnin and Tanya are aboard the same train after having come to Japan because of a recent photograph showing Suou’s father alive in Tokyo.
Preview
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This was a decent episode that moves the story along, but at a slightly slower pace than I would have expected from a 12-episode series (I didn’t think they’d make anything of the trip to Tokyo). It was nice to see July finally get some more character development, though it’s probably just as important that Suou got a bunch of her own development with the focus on her ruthless Contractor side contrasted with her care for July. That scene where she was repeated chucking glass shards at that woman certainly made the former point.
I do wish though that they wouldn’t keep introducing Contractors with cool powers (and in this case, a creepy remuneration) and then killing them off so quickly because it makes those characters seem like cheap roadblocks, like monsters-of-the-week. On the other hand, they are developing the mystery around the overarching story nicely with the Misaki/Genma scene, the Mr. Golgo 13 scene, and with the reappearance of Shion and Dr. Pavlichenko, so I can’t complain too much. It seems that it all has something to do with the ME network stuff, and maybe Repnin will explain it a bit more next episode when he meets with Hei.
Kinda like a filler episode, this episode could have been used to move on the story, I mean there are still so much questions that needs answers.
july in coffin >__< hillarious
I think its a good thing that Hei lost his powers cause if he had them he might make the series shorter lol
the reaction of the two girls was priceless. also good to see Hei killing contractor(s) again aside from that pointless though
I actually disagree. This makes sense because it shows Suou as a cold, rational contractor. She also expresses her “need” for July because he helps her with her power. Yes, it slowed down the story a bit, but it foreshadows, too. I mean, why show Tanya when Suou talks about contractors and dolls keeping part of their emotions? I believe this will be used against Tanya in the future.
Also, I loved how Mao keeps thinking of himself as a cat even though he’s in a squirrel’s body now. One thing that’s bothering me, though… in episode 8 of season 1, Mao connects to the Syndicate’s server via the bell on his neckband because “a server compensates for the shortfalls of a cat’s brain” Does this mean that the squirrel brain is bigger than a cat’s? Or does Mao have a way to log into the server with a different device now?
It’s just something I noticed which may simply get the Lucy Lawless explanation of “Wizard did it.”
i loved darker than black and season 2 is doing ok but for some reason im just completely lost now. They keep introducing characters with no backstory and come from unkown factions. The episodes are uncoordinated and they never really explain things. it mite just b me tho, anyone else feel this way?
TehJawknee:
I just assumed the current organization Mao and Hei are with is supplying that server to compensate for his lack of brain capacity. But then again, I haven’t seen him access it once, so maybe a flying squirrel’s brain is bigger than a cat’s?
I don’t think the contractors-as-rational-sociopaths has ever been anything but a strawman in the Darker than Black universe that the writers knock over on a case-by-case basis when not relying on it to explain why they battle each other to the death. Though Hei and Suou are probably even more unusual in that they borrow their powers (Hei from Pai, and maybe Suou from Pai via the fragment) and just play the role. It was easier for Hei in the original, because he’d already chosen to be an assassin to be with Pai, whereas Suou is a lot worse at playing contractor. I think she throws those shards of glass into the woman more out of hatred than anything.
I actually liked this episode more than the others. That annoying character Norio is never seen, Suou hilariously throws broken glass into that woman, the serial killer showing those girls his notebook was funny, and Suou never successfully wastes a bunch of our time transforming. The only really disappointing aspect is how much difficulty the group was having escaping Hokkaido, which seemed more like a lame pretense for the July abduction than a legitimate problem.
LOL suou sticking her tongue out at hei was EPIC i laughed soooooooo hard XD XD and i loved the way he came and saved them. Suou was pretty cool in this episode, bordering on fearless plus the way she seems to care about July and yet enjoy throwing those shards – awesome. Also, the way she remembers Hei’s training, quite commendable.
The drawing-book-contractor guy was just freaky o.O
This is all well and good, and Hei is still pretty badass, but seriously, can we do some reverse hax with that shard Suon has and give him his powers back please? The show brings up the bit about not having her use her powers and to kill, but as long as she has them she’ll never be free.
I think the fact the shard was in the field bit in ep2 when Hei lost his powers hints that maybe/probably, he’ll get them back later on.
I sure hope so because if he doesn’t, though he’s still badass, he’s not important really, no agency will care to actually work with him after this point. Though he’s a great assassin etc, all they care about are contractors and dolls.
It doesn’t bode well for a future 3rd series and so on if Hei is left powerless at the end.
Divine:
I know anyone would assume Mao still has the connection to the server, but if he IS accessing the server with his squirrel brain… HOW is he accessing it? I doubt he took the bell from his cat body after April shot him. Maybe he did.
what happened to the shave?
https://randomc.net/image/Darker%20than%20BLACK/Darker%20than%20BLACK%202%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2009.jpg
anyway was good episode not the best of them, the preview didn’t give me much to guess on, but should be better
gosh another appear-once-only-to-die contrator appeared.
How many one-offs are they gonna kill before the end of the show i wonder.
hmm looking at the preview, i’m predicting that another contractor will get killed by Yin’s water powers.
TehJawknee:
I always thought it was some sort of direct link to his brain and that the bell was just a wireless radio he used to communicate with Hei. Remember back in episode 7-8 where Kurasawa Gai (the private detective) captured Mao for a while from that dead woman’s house? Mao dropped his bell there and lost communication with Hei, but I don’t think he was fretting about losing his human consciousness from being offline.
@dtbfan
Who cares about the one-off contractor cannon fodder? All you have to do is take one look at the night sky in the show to see they have a crap load of them, since every star is one. The fact the show even gives them some bit of depth should be enough. We don’t have the time, and they’re not important enough, to stick around.
The ones that were, like back in season 1, played an important part in the plot, others just show up and die, that’s how it is in any show.
the Contractor’s drawing feel more terrifying than his power…..only 12 episode??!!then have to wait for 3rd season, sigh…..
https://randomc.net/image/Darker%20than%20BLACK/Darker%20than%20BLACK%202%20-%2007%20-%2005.jpg
How could you not trust that face?
Woah what’s with the body in the pool in the preview?
The glass scene was great, I always liked Suou but she was a bit of a crybaby before, this shows she has a ruthless side. And I like it.
12 episode series? Wtf source?
Suou is getting scary… as are all contractors. The ex-serial killer contractor seems a rare example where contractor became better person than before 😛 LOL-ed @ Mao antics and later him being taped to the glass… I wonder about the father of the twins – did he clone himself or what?. Also, Russians are back, and it is possible we will see confrontation between Suou and Tanya. Note that Russian FSB officer mentions that doctor’s research might put him out of business – end of contractors? It would seem Syndicate would love to lay hands on that. Also, we have nice scene with Misaki and Genma – is Genma setting a trap for her or is he really trying to oppose Section3?
It is getting predictable from here on out, so much so that I can guess what kind of hax powers Shion has…& I think Suou has something to do with his hax powers too (the scene with the fake prof & Hei comes to mind). Hei is still cold as hell but Suou’s powers is pretty useless in a 1-on-1 situation. She may have Hei’s power but the way she uses it is garbage.
I can’t see this being a 12 episode series unless theuy start explaining stuff really quickly. We don’t even know what side is doing what let alone how many sides are there. But Hei himself is a force with or w/o his powers & I don’t mind him effing off shitty over-confident contractors at all.
I don’t get the complaints regarding the one-off Contractors either – season 1 had the same thing going on, except that for the most part the Contractor(s) “of the week” lasted for two episodes instead of one. Must be a big difference to some of you though.
@sean
You’ve got to be kidding me.
Divine:
It’s just crazy enough to work.
@Sean I kind of agree with you. But remember how many questions were left unanswered after season 1? I’m disappointed that season 2 wasn’t really used to address Season 1…but if you think of it as a new story I guess it’s ok…personally, I think this season is average at best. The pacing is awful, and the “character development” people seem to rave about is predictable. The biggest draws for me besides Hei from ep 1 were Shion, the father, and the research. I’ve probably missed something at some point but it’s like they laid a solid plot base and instead of following an interesting storyline we were given some crybaby that develops contractor abilities. Something tells me I could have watched ep 1, skipped 2-7 and picked up next week where it looks like some of the more interesting characters take the stage.
Shion and his father are definitely up to something. What with his father generating a clone of himself and implant a one day memory, I assume that he already knew that the Russian Intelligence are going to come knocking.
And Suou, goodness, she learns fast. And July’s starting to develop more as a person compared to season 1 (where unlike other dolls, he was able to start relating to other people, to the point of considering November 11 and July as his comrades). I think this kinda shows that there’s a more complicated side to dolls.
And does anyone else suspect that Misaki’s current boss is with the Syndicate? Their modus operandi is suspiciously similar.
@Mincemaker
Not just the boss – for me Section 3 is just another name for the Syndicate. So you’re not alone in this.
(Bad English voice) “Hello, can you speak Japanese?” *guy nods* “Honto??” *they go closer* *ask to see the picture* *guy shows them him his “payment”* *girls run screaming off dropping the ice cream* Priceless. Hahahahahha.. Only thing I don’t get is… Why have ice cream in the middle of winter? >.>
I like the July “itai (it hurts)” scenes. It definitely does show that Dolls are not really “dolls” per say. They lack a lot of muscle movement to actually depict emotion, but they can definitely still feel in some ways.
And wait.. We didn’t hear any “thanks” from Hei towards July. >D
@tq: Well, some people are just irrational, you see? That’s why they have ice cream in winter.
And I think Dolls can feel. They just aren’t really good at expressing themselves.
Suou is as cold as Hei could be i,m sure he would have done worse than that if he had his ability but if Mao hadn’t intervened she would have killed her i guess Suou regards July as family at this point been that she unaware that her father is still alive still i,m more curious as to what Hei would do when he gets to tokyo i fear he wouldn,t want Suou around any longer since their objectives are different.
I liked this ep, a lot of character development was had and Hei shows off how badass he can be yet again. Suou and July are cute together; in the absence of Shion, Suou has taken to treating July like a brother now. We also get a little insight into Genma and Hazuki’s characters too. And Mao, funny as always. XD The creepy contractor was cool and the bit with the double-crossing informant lady showed how dangerous and cutthroat the world of DtB can be. Everyone’s out for themselves, just like each of our heroes has his or her own agenda too.
Doesn’t anyone find it strange that Hei was able to see July’s observer ghost since that was how he managed to find Suou and Mao. Cause a couple episodes back, he wasn’t able to see Yin’s while Suou was able to. He still doesn’t have his contractor powers back yet, so isn’t he supposed to be unable to see observer ghosts?
@Adept
Eh, what makes you think Hei can see July’s observation ghost? Mao said Hei contacted the informant. Beyond that, given Ilya’s panicked swerving and July’s hand touching the window, a contractor would easily deduce July’s involvement in distracting Ilya.
I never thought about it, but Suou and July look cute together 😛
This episode felt a little too filler-ish for me. At least Suou got to be badass for a short while. And a little scary too. Hei of course is always badass.
I have to agree with expendable contractors though, it just feels kinda cheap to show their powers and remunerations and then kill them off.
@Mincemaker
Well, if you’ve listened (or watched)what Amber had explained in ep. 26 of S1, sooner or later Contractors and Dolls will changed, and as we know it, the change is kinda bit slow. but look at July, he slowly begins to change in term of emotional expression. Well, i don’t know about Hei though. Even though he’s no longer a Contractor, but his emotional expression and behaviour…well, are like a real Contractor though.
Anyway, if we looked back at the S1 Opening Song, it showed Hei is walking away from the destruction and ruins, and yet this season, the OP showed that HE walks right into it. Do you guys think it is foreshadowing something?
Quote m, first page: “I don’t think the contractors-as-rational-sociopaths has ever been anything but a strawman in the Darker than Black universe that the writers knock over on a case-by-case basis when not relying on it to explain why they battle each other to the death.”
That’s one of the things I find a bit weak of DtB. It is about contractors, so I believe that it is kinda important that they get the contractor stuff right. Tanya became instantly ice cold. Suou became a mixed bag. There has been done some explanation why Suou isn’t completely logical contractor-like, but what about Tanya? How come Tanya made the immediate switch to ice queen supreme?
I would have accepted BP’s explanation, that everything is slowly changing, but in this case, I think it’s just sloppy characterization.
@tiw
i do agree with your notion there. Tanya is the ice queen maybe because she just kept telling herself that as a Contractor, it is rational to accept that a Contractor has no feelings. but IMO, it was just over generalization. C’mon, we have Amber, Maki and Wei in S1. They were Contractors but they behaved differently from your average Contractors. Suou is a different case though, as she is in fact not a real Contractor; she’s just like Hei in S1, a Contractor pretending to be one and yet she is oblivious to that fact. She just keep telling herself that as a Contractor, it is logical that she got paid for mission. Apart from that, she saw no apparent reason to kill the cranes and to photographs the whale and not to use her PTRD to shoot the woman abducting July because the police (or neighbours?) will hear the gunshot, yet the way she treated July and her behaviour is NOT a PROPER Contractor’s conduct. i used to believe that she is a Moratoria, instead of a Contractor (Ep. 3). but later, after watching several episodes of DtB:RnG, i began to suspect that she is like Hei in S1. that’s my humble opinion.
Man…. I hope there’s a third season, because if Darker than BLACK: Ryuusei no Gemini goes to a slower pace from here, then there could be the possibility that the ending won’t be that satisfying.
@Xrtear
Well, if it’s going to be like that, then can’t help it though. I do hope that the rest of the episodes will shed some light about some unanswered questions.
theyre always introducing a new character and killing them within the same episode.