Darker Than Black: Black and Blacker
When Hell’s Gate appeared in Tokyo the earth’s atmosphere became so thick that you could no longer see
the stars and moon. At that time new stars appeared in the sky each linked to a single person somewhere
on earth. These people became known as contractors and they developed frightening superhuman powers.
The japanese government abandoned the area around Hell’s Gate and stopped research on contractors after
a terrible accident occurred in the jungles of South America leaving the place to an organization called Pandora. Now many contractors that are working for various governments and organizations have gathered in Tokyo to wage a secret war.
The most interesting aspect of this anime has got to be the powers of the contractors which are extremely
varied. The powers are linked to a specific star and so contractors are known by their Messier Catalogue number. The main character Hei’s number is BK-201. When a contractor dies the star falls from the sky. Some contractors, like Hei, have devastating combat powers. There are several that can create explosions and others who can harness fire or ice. Some contractors powers seem to be of a more supplementary nature like one contractor who can create rain clouds. Each contractors individual ability requires a payment to use that usually takes the form of a habit developed before they became contractors. Hei must eat huge amounts of food to recharge his powers. In general the more that the power defies the laws of nature the more extreme the cost of using it.
Hei is a skilled contractor working for a shady chinese syndicate. His power is the ability to generate electricity. Together with his partner who happens to have the body of a black cat they work on various covert operation including assassination. This series is action packed from the start as contractors seem to fight almost every time they encounter another one, and most fights end fatally. The characters are fairly dynamic each with a mysterious back story, especially Hei. There is some comedy, but this anime is primarily action oriented. The plot is complex and engrossing with many unexpected twists leaving you wondering who the real villains are. In this anime there is no black and white definition of good or evil. The hero is a murdering fiend and the villains often have the best interest of humanity in mind. So in this anime there is no black or white morality, or even shades of grey, only black and blacker.
