[ Episode 25: Are dreams of the Shinigami a darkness darker than black? ]

It took me quite a while to watch this episode but I finally did. At the very end of it though despite feeling satisfied in some way I had a hard time trying to think of what I want to say about this final episode and the series as a whole. So this will probably be a short review compared to others.

For some reason a part of this episode didn’t feel “final” for me. Though, I loved the scenes where Hei saw his sister, Xing/Pai, Amber and the rest of the dearly departed and the following scenes of Yin reaching out to save Hei (I really felt her sincerity in her voice asking him not to leave her behind) and him saving Misaki. I smiled at how Misaki knew that he was Li, though I wonder for how long she knew. In the end though, the finale was quite open-ended. There wasn’t enough closure for things such as the status of both Hei and Yin, the identity of the Syndicate, who the Stargazer is, and why the Gates came to be in the first place, among other things. No matter though, since I do feel that the end of the episode conveyed the final message pretty clearly and that is that Contractors and Humans will have to learn to coexist with each other as time progresses and I think that was put across quite while with Hei being both a human and a Contractor and the relationship/interactions he shared with Misaki as Li.

[ Final Thoughts ]

In a way I’m really sad to see this series end. I felt the same way when Reideen ended because I felt so attached to the characters and seeing them each week. Darker than BLACK started off with a lot of potential in the beginning and ended using up most of that potential but I still feel that a bit more could have been done. There were lots of interesting characters, plenty of exciting moments and more than enough thought-provoking plot points involving the Contractors and Dolls. I feel that this series can go on even if just for a short while in some format whether it be a second season or OVA. Speaking of which, an OVA is scheduled for release with the final DVD release some time next year. It’s going to be quite a wait but I don’t mind, it’ll be interesting to see what it contains and whether it wraps up some of the loose-ends and shows us how Hei and Yin are doing.

[Overall series review: 89/100]

[ Episode 24: Meteor Shower ]

Wow. There were quite a few casualties in this episode. Huang died leading away the Syndicate from Hei, Yin and Mao. Wei is dead after fighting Hei. Amagiri is dead after being roasted by Mai! Holy crap, I suppose one of my dreams came true when I mentioned at the end of her arc that I wanted to see her again before the series ended. Lastly, it seems that Mao, at least his human consciousness, is dead as well. It was pretty sad to see both Huang and Mao go after being around so long and I really did enjoy seeing Mao’s crazy facial expressions. Along with them are the deaths of numerous other Contractors as well.

I really didn’t expect the time-jump with Amagiri and Britta but it was very nice. I think because of that and maybe a few other uses of her power, Amber has now reverted to the appearance of somewhere around 5 years old. At this point though I’m not sure what to expect with the final episode. I really want Hei to survive at the very least so that he and Yin can live together but who knows what can happen to him especially since he still has issues with Amber and his sister. Misaki seems to be in a uncomfortable position inside of Pandora and while her well-being is in question I think she’ll survive to the very end.

[ Episode 23: God is in His Heaven ]

We’re entering the final stretch and things are getting intense. Hei is directly connected in some way with the disappearance of the Gate in South America. Because of this Amber wants him so that the same thing can happen in Tokyo. Of course, the Syndicate doesn’t want this to happen and tried to eliminate him as well as Yin, Mao, and Huang. They receive unexpected help though from Wei. I guess he can be a rather helpful bastard when he’s on the same side as you if only temporarily. We also get to see more of Bai in this episode. I’m not sure what her powers were but they are no doubt deadly as she killed a lot of Contractors in the flashback which was indicated by all of the stars falling as well. Hei seemed to want to help end her suffering as a Contractor for a moment but it’s hard to say what he was going to do with her when he placed his hand around her neck. I’m expecting to see what happened to his sister either in the next episode or the final one.

The other part of this episode I enjoyed was the all of the Misaki and Hei scenes. These two look like the perfect couple and seeing them interact is always a joy to behold. Too bad that a relationship between them will probably never happen though since the end right now doesn’t seem too bright for most of the cast.

[ Episode 22: The Worn Road is Wet with Tears...(Part 2) ]

LOL. THe start of this episode was absolutely hilarious. While having a monologue, Mao showed some of his best facial expressions and to top it all off he tried to play himself off as a regular cat with a less than enthusiastic “meow”. From there on the episode unfolds as, in my opinion, one of the best of these last episodes. We find out that Amber’s organization is fighting against the Syndicate who plans on wiping Contractors off of the face of the Earth! I knew there was something rotten within the Syndicate for quite some time but I never figured it would be of this proportions. Sadly, November 11 also dies in this episode after taking out his boss and a large number of bodyguards. After Amber told him he was going to die it seems like he was very much prepared for it. Amber predicting the future is very interesting. Is there a limit, I wonder? Does she already know the result of this battle she is fighting already? And how much younger is she going to get?

[ Episode 21: The Worn Road is Wet with Tears...(Part 1) ]

This was a very good episode. So much start is starting up that the final episodes of DtB are bound to be entertaining to the very end. One of the most interesting things, aside from the totally hot Britta, is that November 11 showed hints of joining Amber’s side. Though, I wonder how genuine his loyalties with be if that’s the case? He seemed to warn Misaki in advance by telling her that there are no allies or enemies at this point but rather she should trust her own instincts. I’m quite concerned that she was arrested by the Pandora special police. As for Amber, I really can’t look at her as a antagonist. Even now she seems to be fighting for something that should be done even if some of the methods are questionable. In my eyes, the Syndicate and Pandora are more ambiguous this far into the series.

[ Episode 20: Softly Dreaming, Never Drunk...(Part 2) ]

This was a pretty sad episode…=(

This was one very emotional arc. I never expected to be shedding tears at the end of this episode. I just knew that Huang didn’t have it in him to kill Shioko but it surprised me when he asked Hei to kill them both. Luckily, Hei isn’t the same as he used to be at the beginning of the series so he refused to do so. I also really thought that Huang and Shioko would have been able to get away from the Syndicate and live together somewhere far away but it just wasn’t going to work. I found it so saddening to see her throw away her life so that she could protect Huang from the Syndicate. It just goes to show you once again that Contractors all have feelings and can experience even something as complex as love. I wonder if any of this will carry over into the final episodes for Huang?

I can’t forget about some of the things we learned in this episode. Seems like Amber’s group is collecting Dolls for some reason. We’re not told or hinted as to why though. We also get some insight on Contractors being just like humans with “extra benefits” in the discussion between Hei and Alma.

The next arc seems to feature the return of Wei. Not to mention that some fine naked lady walking around in it too…