I honestly didn’t think I’d ever recover enough to write a review about this series. I mean. That ending. T-That ending.

After a while, though, I’ve come to terms with the depressing mindscrew end, and have decided to enjoy the show (and its fandom) for what it is: a quasi-psychological sci-fi exploration of characters and “what if?” scenarios. As I’ve said before, Suou captured my attention enough to make me watch the show, but it was also worth watching thanks to the exploration of Hei and Yin’s relationship and the extraordinary plot twists. Close to the end, it seemed like Bones had written itself into a hole, but the revelations at the end of episode 11 pulled things back together surprisingly well.

(A/N: Still haven’t managed to see all of season one, but fandom has spoiled me enough to allow me to put this review quasi-in-context of Kuro no Keiyakusha. Therefore, it may contain minor spoilers for season one as well.)

The series’ opening scene was attention-getting, but I loved how it was essentially ripped to shreds by the end of the season. Throughout the first 10 or so episodes, the viewer is mainly focused on Suou, with Hei mainly being a catalyst for her development. As a new character, Suou was going to be either hit-or-miss, and I sense that a lot of fans of season one were really wondering where the heck Yin is.

Suou’s character was extraordinary well-rounded thanks to her interactions with  others, especially Tanya and (for the short time he was alive) Nika. Her worrying and confusion were rarely overdramatic, and most of her other emotions were superbly executed as well. This, of course, is partly thanks to Kana Hanazawa, Suou’s seiyuu, as well as Tensai Okamura’s directing awesomeness. The changes in Suou’s relationship with Hei at the end caught me by surprise – the two of them didn’t get along well for so long, and now he’s all huggy and stuff? Perhaps she had begun to remind him of Bai or something.

Either way, I found her quasi-hatred of Hei to be one of the most heartbreaking parts of the show. This was what made her really tragic: she had the powers (and, arguably, responsibilities) of a Contractor, but her emotions still spiraled out of control at the drop of a hat. She tells Hei she hates him, then turns to him when she can’t figure out what’s happening to her. Between that, her family-related angst, and her vain attempts to save Tanya, she’s a character I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.

Hei’s an odd character for me to discuss, because he’s so much less likable when he’s not with Yin. Legitly. You have him all worried and puppy-loving on Yin at the end of this season and in the OVA, but for most of this season he beats up Suou, is very unsupportive of her emotionally, and makes her do pervy dances. Some of his actions are partly justified by the circumstances, especially since he’s a Contractor, but I still wanted to slap him at times. I can’t really get a good grasp on his overall character, though, and that may be partly because I haven’t finished season one.

July, on the other hand, I could never slap… <3! I didn’t care for him much during the first 10 or so episodes, but toward the end when he apparently began to “evolve,” I found myself wishing for a happy ending for him. The shot of him in Suou’s new world was a relief, to an extent, though I’m left wondering if he was still a Doll in that world. It would have been interesting to see him continue to evolve, especially considering what happened with Yin.

All I ever hear about on LJ is how most of DtB’s female fans don’t like Misaki, but she continues to be one of my favorite characters. (Second to Suou, of course, and perhaps tied with Yin.) Maybe part of why I like her so much is her subtlety; she’s relatively calm and collected, but not unreasonably so, and that’s what makes her a believable law enforcement/detective character. She’s a little flat, but as a supporting character, you can’t be her to be super-complex or anything, can you?

Of course, some of the other side characters REALLY confused me, and that’s also partly because of me not finishing season one. Take, for example, the blonde twins that talked kinda creepy and popped up at creepy times. While I eventually figured out their general purpose in the series’ development… were they in season one at all? Or did they just magically appear in season two to be (very adorable) objects of mystery for the first 8 or so episodes? Some of the other side characters I adored without hesitating, though, especially Hazuki and Youko.

Speaking of Youko… holy crap, a lot of people died in this show. Did this many people die in season one? You have Nika, Tanya, Shion, July (arguably,) Suou (arguably,) that one chick in episode one, Youko (; A ;), and a couple of quasi-random characters, clones, civilians, etc. The violence in the series didn’t surprise me, but I expected it to mostly be concentrated at the end, not scattered throughout.

The final two episodes do a nice job shifting the focus from Suou to her relationship with her family, Shion’s powers, and Yin’s fate. It had all the potential to be a trainwreck of an ending, but Bones managed to tie things together without totally closing off the potential for another season or OVA placed after the events of this season. Yeah, it was an absolutely heartwrenching final episode, but it was the kind of heartwrenching that made sense (sort of) and didn’t feel too horribly cheap. The shot of the Yin look-alike waking up at the end was especially tantalizing, as was the shot of Hei carrying away Yin. I sort of didn’t like the part with Misaki randomly hovering over Hei and Yin; was that a reference to something in season one that I didn’t get? It seemed like a deus ex machina to make Misaki (and the viewer) think Yin and Hei were possibly dead.

Regardless of the possibilities for another season, Darker than Black season two is surprisingly well-plotted and creative. The whole Izanami/Izanagi prophecy thing was arguably a bit uninspired, but when executed in the Darker than Black universe, it works pretty well. The characters are what make this series continue to be outstanding, despite the changes in the main cast (and over9000 deaths.) Hopefully the new OVA will help explain the more confusing parts of this season a little better, especially with regards to Yin; but even if it doesn’t do a particularly good job, Ryuusei no Gemini should still be hailed as an impressive accomplishment by Studio Bones.

CJ’s Rating: 8.5 out of 10 California rolls