Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Aramir
Darker Than Black is one pretty good ranked anime, the name is cool, the short videos are OK so I expected a good, thrilling SCI-FI dark action anime.
Well, the anime is all that, but in a very poor and mild way.
The first few episodes of the anime are good and they can hook you to want more, but when you find yourself wanting more, this anime simply doesn't give you that. The plot is decent, but eventhought this anime has 25 episodes, it feels like it has a looot filer episodes and characters. The story is going good, but the anime gets you the feeling like only a couple of minutes per episode (and even that's a lot here) are story related and that something really happens only in the last few episodes. This anime can easly be watched with only half of brain since you won't miss much an…
Read at the sourceZephSilver
•Cool-ass Chinese Batman protagonist in a Gotham-esque neo-noir setting?
Check✔
•A city overrun with nifty characters that have x-men like powers?
Check✔
•Nice mysterious lore with strange in-world concepts?
Check✔
•A clear-cut answer to ANY of these "mysterious" concepts and a sense of finality to our protagonist's existence?
Don't hold your breath.
Darker and Black felt like a show that was onto something worthwhile but ultimately never got around to proving it. The ingredients to make something great was clearly there but by the end, all we got was a show with ambitious ideas that did nothing but let it dwindle away into nothingness. Does that mean it isn't worth the investment? Well, yes and no. If all you wanted was a cool-ass electric Batman beating the mercy of God into x-men char…
Read at the sourceArsene_Lucifer
What format is best for telling a story of an anime series; a narrative format that’s episodic or a format that has a continuing story from beginning to end? It honestly depends on who or what story is trying to be told if any at all. While episodic is easier to get into since the format can be better use for just entertainment. Thus you can eliminate the need of continuity, making it favorable for anyone to just jump into the series at any point. An overarching story on the other hand can build up to a greater or more disappointing outcome depending on the execution since it requires commitment. “Darker Than Black” combines both formats in its narrative will which lead to commitment issues. Thanks to it's careful execution in combining both types of story formats you have a first half tha…
Read at the sourcegoshujin_sama241
What is truly Darker than Black?
Enter 10 years after the "incident" and the emergence of "Contractors" and spirit mediums known as "Dolls". Darker than Black takes you into the mystery that is Hell's Gate. From the production studio Bones, the studio of such anime as Fullmetal Alchemist, Soul Eater, Eureka Seven, and Noragami comes one of 2007 best Anime. Darker than Black's anime adaption is one of original origin as the story line does not directly relate to the Manga. A risky move that is payed off with exceptional results as this was one fantastic series.
Darker than Black focuses around Contractors, one in particular (BK201 as known as The Black Reaper) and the humans who control them using their powers to gain utter dominance over one another. Humans also use spirit mediums known…
Read at the sourceSaiph
--- Warning: Contains spoilers ---
Stories of people with superhuman abilities have been around practically since the dawn of time. Ever since DBZ set the bar for “power levels” consisting of blowing up planets however, more and more modern series have teetered on the edge of colossal scales at some point or another. Then you have Darker than Black, which can stand out among a handful of those with more reasonable (or rather comprehensible) scales in the post DBZ era.
Darker than Black starts out by introducing these things known as contractors, people with special abilities like many series out there, who must pay a “price” for using their power ranging from things like writing poetry to breaking a few fingers. Aside from contractors we have dolls, which are basically emotionless mediu…
Read at the sourceUriel1988
‘’Darker Than Black’’ immerses the viewer in a fascinating world rife with cool superpowers, intrigue and mystery carried by beautiful animation and an evoking soundtrack by none other than Yoko Kanno.
Well, that was the idea……
The actual series definitely boasts impressive animation and cool superpowers, but that which the series tries to pass of as a story full of intriguing mysteries is nothing more than a total mess full of inconsistencies and plot contrivances. Worse yet, it wants to be seen as a dark and serious story but nevertheless shoehorns in some anime-trappings to try and hook a bigger audience.
Said story goes as follows: 10 years ago a mysterious gate (creatively titled ‘’Hell’s Gate’’) appeared in the middle of Tokyo which caused the stars to disappear and prompted chan…
Read at the source-Naami-
Darker than BLACK has grown rather popular on the net, gaining rave reviews, popularity by word of mouth and leaving trails across the forums and the net in general. With a show with such high acclaims it is only natural to expect a truly remarkable show. Funnily enough, it turned out to be one of the most unremarkable shows I have ever seen.
Set in our time but in an alternate world where global warming isn’t the planets biggest threat but supernatural beings with unique powers are – these beings dubbed the name “Contractors”. They appeared the same time Hell’s Gate did; a mysterious force that covers Tokyo’s sky. Their powers come at a price and the wage is different for every Contractor. Rival organizations kill, back-stab, infiltrate, investigate and work together to uncover the myst…
Read at the sourceMysteic
Dark than Black was one of the worst I have seen. The entire show seems to have a created by committee feel to it. Several half decent ideas about characters, story, and development get jumbled together into a incoherent mess.
The story is confusing due to lack of decent explanation for pass events which seem to have a lot to do with the current events. While at first this seemed to be trivial in the first few episode, all of the supporting characters keep bring up the pass like a weapon. Every time you think you have time to enjoy the hear and now someone, who will not survive the episode, is all, "Hei, remember back when you had feelings and wasn't such a tool?" Ok Darker than Black, I get it the incident with Heaven's Gate is undisclosed South America is important. Due tell...........o…
Read at the sourceSamFury
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Shadows on a Black Road
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At the horizon of a bleak world stands an ominous wall, ‘Hell’s Gate’, it’s steel and cement arms spreading across the Tokyo skyline. The city itself is filled with curious characters borne with the Gate, Contractors and Dolls. Contractors are those that have gained supernatural abilities for a price, a penance they must pay for using their skills. Some have to overturn the shoes of their victims, smoke cigarettes or even drink the blood of young children. Dolls on the other hand are soulless mediums, who use various surfaces to track the ongoing of the city. Presented is a dark world painted in shadows and ambiguity, a backdrop against which Darker than Black[DtB] succeeds, a few shades short of greatness.
The premise is vague: ten years ago, Hell’…
Read at the sourcekiriska
"Now I've lost it; I know I can kill. The truth is just beyond the gate...!!"
STORY - For a series that essentially never explains anything, I'm actually extremely surprised I ended up liking it as much as I do. I'm not a fan of overt exposition, but I'm not a fan of dancing around all the obvious questions either, and Darker than BLACK does almost exclusively the latter. The majority of the series is episodic and comprised of two-episode mini-arcs; these episodes serve to explore the world and the characters, but any insight gained is limited and generally lead to more questions than answers. And yet, the world presented is a very intriguing and unique; the concept of a select few with special abilities is everywhere, sure, but I'm totally in love with the idea of having to consistently…
Read at the sourceholdenn
What do you get when you combine X-men and Cowboy Bebop? This.
Darker Than Black tackles the manifestation of paranormal abilities to humans and while it is not masterfully presented, I have learn to enjoy it.
Ten years passed after the incident that gave birth to Contractors, people who manifested paranormal abilities. Nowadays agency's hires Contractors for their own use, seldom even use them as they see fit; giving in to darker emotions and abusing that power. But in exchange from gaining this ability, they must always fulfill their renumeration. Hei is a powerful contractor hiding under the alias of Lee, masquerading as a Chinese transfer student when not undercover, who has the ability to generate electricity and for some reason he doesnt have a renumeration. Under an unknown governm…
Read at the sourceDuskShadowleaf
Darker than Black is a very enjoyable show for most people. The storyline is extremely unique, with characters that show a level of depth not often seen. I never found myself looking at the artwork and wondering what the animators were thinking. Each of the characters has an appearance that looks realistic, but also unique. Everything looks extremely high-quality to me; Especially if you look at a dvd or .mkv version of the episodes, the level the artists drew on is very high.
The music was at times a bit hokey, but it grows on you surprisingly fast. The creators chose to go with a more jazz-themed soundtrack for a lot of the generic scenes, which I personally didn't enjoy. But, the battle music is some of the best that I've heard. DtB also features some of the most heartbreaking and beau…
Read at the sourceDaysAreDroplets
Darker Than BLACK is an anime that I had no knowledge of whatsoever before watching it. I decided to start it because the plot sounded interesting, and I am so glad I did. Most of it consists of 2 episode arcs up until the last several episodes, and they all help the plot along while also dealing with character development and sometimes a little comic relief.
Art: The art in DTB is perfect for the atmosphere the story and characters are meant to be in. It gives off a neo-noir feel that also has variety within it. Character designs are varied depending on gender and age, and they are all very realistic while maintaining fantasy-like charming qualities. The settings in DTB are realistic as well, as it is supposed to take place in a modern Tokyo. You will not see an abundance of bright color…
Read at the sourceUserZero
Ah, the age old question; what to do when certain people suddenly begin manifesting mysterious superpowers. Darker than BLACK responds with a classic solution found in series ranging from Witch Hunter Robin to X-Men: Form secret organizations to monitor and control these people. However, despite the similar theme, this show is anything but derivative.
In the beginning of the series, the premise of the show is somewhat vague as little is known about where the powers of the contractors come from, or how they are related to the gates. As the series progresses more information is inevitably revealed, creating good plot exposition and allowing the story to move at a decent pace and keep each episode interesting. Where this series really shines however, is the characters.
Hei is portrayed bril…
Read at the sourceVenneh
Title: Darker than BLACK
Manga, Anime: Darker than BLACKdoes have an manga adaptation (who the author/artist is, I don't know, cause the information just isn't there). It began running in Kadokawa Shoten's Monthly Asuka magazine, and is currently up to four volumes. It has yet to be licensed Stateside.
Darker than BLACK is a twenty-five episode series done by Studio Bones (famous for their work on Fullmetal Alchemist and Ouran High School Host Club), and directed by Tensai Okamura (famous for his work on Wolf's Rain). It ran from April 5th to September 28th, 2007 on Japanese TV, and has been licensed Stateside by Funimation and is due to be released at some point this year.
Story: About ten years ago, this random thing called Hell's Gate appeared in the middle of Tokyo, and basically ca…
Read at the sourceBeatnik
I decided to check out this anime based solely on Yoko Kanno's involvement. From the first five minutes, the Matrix vibe was so heavy I thought Trinity was going to show up any minute. After the opening 'homage', the Matrixy stuff is toned down and reduced to the landscape. It's a green-hued city populated by people with powers...
There's also A LOT of annoying Pizza Hut product placements in nearly every episode. This anime also has one of the most annoying anime character types in the medium: I'm talking about the character in law enforcement that is just useless and who's only purpose is to provide us with exposition.
The premise is interesting though, random mysterious 'gates' appearing in South America and Japan, the stars being replaced by fake ones, contractors enacting weird ritu…
Read at the sourceMaster10K
Darker than BLACK is an exciting, heavily arc driven Sci-fi, Supernatural, Action anime; following the stories of various human beings, with various special powers, known as Contractors. ^_^
The plot of Darker than BLACK is somewhat confusing as you start but after a while you’ll become accustomed to the intriguing plot, though it does take most of the show to fully understand. For the most part of the story it is arranged into 2 episode length adventures/arcs, giving it and episodic feel. Unlike other episodic adventure anime series (Cowboy Bebop), that extra episode allows the characters to be developed far better. This helps give this anime and edge because a lot of the characters are portrayed in such a way that you can’t help but feel something towards them. Even though e…
Read at the sourceElectricSlime
Darker than Black, what an adventure it has been. Darker than Black takes place in a near future world where two gates appeared, Heaven's Gate and Hell's Gate. The mysterious appearance of these gates brought with them the Contractors. Contractors are people who have entered into a contract with an unknown force and gained a unique power in return. The nature of the contract however requires them to give back each time they use their power. Payment is anything from smoking a cigarette to writing a poem. The main story is told through an omnipotent point of view with the "camera man" being at the scene and generally following a certain group of characters, but can focus on other characters as the protagonists for an entire arc. It is a very unique telling of the story and hard to put into w…
Read at the sourceWashi
For a show with so much promise, Darker than Black is remarkably unremarkable, with a production as insipid as it is polished, and plot that tries so hard to be original that it ends up being turgid. I know there are hordes of fans of the show who will no doubt line up to disagree with me but, if the show had lived up to the expectations the names “Studio BONES” and “Yoko Kanno” conjure, I wouldn’t be here expressing my disappointment. But irrespective of expectations and potential, I couldn’t help but think of the show as dressed-up mediocrity, with only an added dash of heart to save it from being entirely unmemorable. The show’s strengths lie in its characterisation and dramatic themes, which ultimately manage to shine through the absurd pseudo-…
Read at the sourceTsunami
==STORY==
The story is very good in my opinion, it contains many details about the history, abilities and life of the characters. It gets more and more complicated through the show. The story tells about a world, very similar to ours that had gone through a massive change. one day the starts started raining from the skies and together with them appeared a gate, Hells Gate. Some people were given special powers but not for free and they didn't really choose them. They were simply given special powers. They are called Contractors. A contractor has a special ability, as an example I can rain fire from the sky however it will cost me something. Each contractor has a different "payment" method. Some have to drink alcohol after each time they use their powers, some have to drink blood. The contr…
Read at the source