Search - Darker Than Black: Volume Two on DVD

Enjoyable Anime With Solid Storylines - Recommended

CFH | Blue Ridge Summit, PA USA | 02/27/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Darker Than Black: Volume Two", as the name suggests, is the second DVD in the Darker Than Black series. Like the first DVD, volume two contains 5 episodes following the "Contractor" known to the police as BK201, Hei to his friends, and "The Black Reaper" to his enemies.

There are several groups of players interacting, including a special police unit that tracks "Contractors", The Syndicate (including the main "Contractor" Hei/Bk201), various governments (references to the British spy agencies), and other criminal groups (all employing "Contractors").

The first DVD ended with a cliff hanger, but this one doesn't. No spoilers from me. The five episodes on the DVD include the conclusion of last episode ("Red Giant over Eastern Europe") on the first DVD and two new story arcs (each covered in two episodes). The writing is above par and I like that not every detail is spelled out for you (like why Hei is doing a particular job, for example).

The animation was passable overall. It has some truly beautiful artwork in some scenes and some of the flattest animation in others. I hadn't noticed on the first Darker than Black DVD, but the audio work is simply excellent. There was anime style blood and gore, but far less than I have come to expect.

My only real complaint is with the cost of the series. I think the price is a little high for a five episode DVD, but now I'm hooked and have already pre-ordered Darker Than Black: Volume Three.

Recommended for fans of the genre!"

Action-packed fighting in volume two

lain4ever | Los Angeles, CA | 03/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While the fighting in volume two isn't nearly as awesome as volume one, "Darker Than Black" still remains one of the coolest action anime this year.

It's still hard for me to explain what it is about this series that is so exciting. Perhaps it's Yoko Kanno's metropolitan soundtrack of lonely acoustic guitars interspersed with some hard rock at certain points. Or maybe it's the deep, meandering dialogue of all the characters. But "Darker Than Black" has a cool tempo to it, which no other anime, not even Bebop, has.

Volume two features the end of the episodes featuring the regressor Havoc. It also includes two episodes focusing on the comic relief duo of the series, the leather jacket-wearing detective Guy and the energetic pink-haired otaku girl, Kiko. The final two episodes revolve around Misaki's investigation of the mass murderer contractor known as VI 952.

What makes "Darker Than Black" incredible is its pacing. Nothing ever feels forced--the characters remain very smooth, and give long, winding revelations of their emotional pasts. And Li is even more suave, as the soft-spoken, but speedy acrobat with electrical powers. The fast battle between VI 952 and Li on the rooftop is just breathtaking.

And Guy and Kiko's episodes make for a hilarious investigation--a search for a woman's missing cat. Thankfully, there's a lot more to it than finding a cat. But Guy easily mixes up the cat with one of Li's buddies, making for some humorous moments in which Mao is stuck in a pet box.

There's nothing cooler and more exciting than "Darker Than Black." Everything, from Kanno's soundtrack to the incredible fight sequences, makes "Darker Than Black" one of the hottest anime titles this year.

The only downside is the English dub, which is subpar at best. Kate Oxley sounds way too young to play the smart police officer, Misaki. The voice actors can't even pronounce the characters' names properly, and their audio commentary for episode nine is boring. If anyone can ignore these things, this is a great release."