Animecritics

[Opening Song: “Kakusei Heroism ~The Hero Without A Name~” by Antic Cafe]

[Summary: “The Memory of Betrayal is that of an Amber Smile (Part 1)”]
“This is April. I’ve found February, our top priority.”

Some older characters are back! April, July, and November 11 have returned to the scene! April’s appearance is short-lived though: because she finds a traitor Contractor that they had been searching for for a long time (5 years to be precise!): February (code name: Amber)…and then the cab she gets in gets blown up. Wow…what a great start of an episode, April…

The next solar maximum (the largest sunspots, classified by Zurich number, appear on the surface of the sun that causes the sun to look like a huge eyeball) is the top concern for those of the Japanese police (hello, Misaki), various syndicates (hello, Hei and November), and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (hello Hoshimi-sama) because a few years ago, when the solar maximum hit, the Gate in South America disappeared.

Now we’re introduced to a cute little boy (who seriously reminds me of Yuki Sohma…) with one red eye and one green eye. It seems that he might be the one responsible for the attacks on the city and the stolen Meteor Shards from various syndicates.

Who is this cute little boy? Why was he with Amber? Does Hei know who Amber is? Wait a minute, wasn’t she mentioned during the Havoc arc? Is she someone from his past? What is her role in this anime?

[Ending Song: “Dreams” by HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR]

[The Kuroneko’s Thoughts]
The new opening’s animation is spectacular! The song reminded me of T.M. Revolution’s music, but I was mildly surprised to find that it was Antic Cafe’s music rather than T.M.’s. The ending of the opening song was a little abrupt, so I hope that the full version of the opening will satisfy me in place of the TV version. (Although I did like the first opening a little better…=/)

The ending song is beautiful. Very light and cute. I like how the ending had our characters in their calm and cheerful childhood days. Simple but very symbolic. However, I think this song was also cut short and it didn’t have a nice flow that Rie Fu’s song had. Other than that, the new opening and ending wasn’t too bad. The animation is still as high-quality as ever. As is expected from BONES!

[Opening Song: “Howling” by abingdon boys school]

[Summary: “On that Silver Night, the Water of her Soul was Calm (Part 2)”]
“Your papa’s plane…”

As Yin, Eris (her former piano teacher), Kurasawa Gai, and his assistant Kiko head towards the hot springs, Eris asks ‘Kirsi’ to return home with him (although, I’m not quite sure where they live…) but Yin refuses to return. When he asks her why, she could only reply with “I don’t know.”

Yin senses the other Contractors chasing her down and she and Eris take refuge in an abandoned house (in the middle of nowhere. Jeez, anime is convenient!) and as she plays the piano, her memories flood back to her.

Hei is on his way to find Yin and the Contractors are also on their way. Can Hei win against two powerful Contractors? Will Yin return to her life as a Doll or will she return home with Eris? Will Hei really kill her according to his orders? And what happened to our detective? o_O

[Ending Song: “Tsukiakari” by Rie Fu]

[The Kuroneko’s Thoughts]
All of these Contractors and Dolls have so many names it’s hard to keep track of!! It seems that all Contractors have something that they’ve lost, something important–which is probably why they decided to become Contractors.

This episode was really sad but it’s also really heartwarming in a really strange way. It’s kind of hard to explain…so you should all watch it in order to understand what I’m talking about!

[Opening Song: “Howling” by abingdon boys school]

[Summary: “On that Silver Night, the Water of her Soul was Calm (Part 1)”]
“I love this light. Even though I can’t see it, I can feel its silver glow.”

There seems to be a disturbance in the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan with the surveillance spectres. Surveillance spectres are controlled Dolls (or mediums) in the Observatory that travel throughout the country and ‘watches’ Contractors that are using their powers to confirm their location. (Think little globs of mush that travel using water or telephone lines…) It seems there is a Contractor that can ‘kidnap’ these spectres because they are quickly disappearing from their computers! The Contractor’s code name: CY463. It seems that CY463 has captured Yin’s surveillance spectre!!

Our beloved detective, Kurasawa Gai, makes his appearance once again! It seems a foreign man (Eris Kostinen–a famous pianist) is asking him to search for a girl that looks exactly like Yin, except named ‘Kirsi’.

Is this man a person from Yin’s past before she became a Doll? What syndicate is CY463 from and what do they want with Hei’s group? Who is Kirsi??

[Ending Song: “Tsukiakari” by Rie Fu]

[The Kuroneko’s Thoughts]
And finally, we go into the past of Yin, the Doll that works for Huang, Mao, and Hei. (And just for everyone’s information: Yin = silver, Huang = yellow, Mao = cat, and Hei = black in Chinese.) It seems that she used to be a very good piano pianist, but she was also blind.

It seems that Yin is a possible love interest for Hei–although truthfully, I think he just sees her as a little sister (since he lost his own…) There is also a possibility that Misaki is a love interest but she hasn’t shown up for a good few episodes, so I think it may just be my obsession talking. >.>

[Opening Song: “Howling” by abingdon boys school]

[Summary: “When All Things Lost Within the Wall are Reclaimed (Part 2)”]
“Shooting stars are light from Heaven, leaked out when God opens it up.”

After Li Shengshun suffers from a form of hallucination that is not uncommon in the Pandora Research Center, Mina Kanda Suami begins to worry about his mentality state and advises him to drop his mission. Hei brushes her off before he finds that his stargazing friend was taken off the stargazing division and reassigned to the recovery team after they located the whereabouts of the Meteor Shard.

Mina Kanda Suami (why does she have such a long name anyway?) is smarter than we all think–she suspected that Corinna’s murderer was a Contractor due to the fact that Corinna’s shoes were placed upside-down at the scene of the crime. She also suspects that the Contractor is Li Shengshun’s stargazing friend: Nick, who was also responsible for the killing of the recovery team that was sent to retrieve the Meteor Shard.

Could Mina’s intuitions be true? Could Nick be a Contractor sent by another syndicate to retrieve the Meteor Shard? If he is, what does his syndicate want with it? If he isn’t, how come he is the only person to survive the attack at the Gate? What mysterious powers does this important Meteor Shard have? (Oh, and there’s a mysterious girl that seems to have shown up at the last 2 seconds of the episode…who is she?!)

[Ending Song: “Tsukiakari” by Rie Fu]

[The Kuroneko’s Thoughts]
At first, I thought Mina Kanda Suami was just really annoying and unable to make decisions on her own. But in this episode, if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have thought of all of this on my own. Because it’s happened before: only one person returning from their expedition of the Gate–it simply didn’t seem so unnatural to me. But of course, there were conditions that were different…I guess I’m just no good at this logical thinking stuff. LOL.

I don’t think I really like Nick, but I can’t really blame him for what happened in the episode. This series is really realistic, despite the supernatural powers and stuff. The inner workings of the human mind is really complex. The more I watch Darker Than BLACK, the more I like it!

[Opening Song: “Howling” by abingdon boys school]

[Summary: “When All Things Lost Within the Wall are Reclaimed (Part 1)”]
“Do you believe in that urban legend? That within the Gate, you can regain what you’ve lost but in return, you must pay a price.”

Hei is on a mission to infiltrate Pandora Reseach Center–located next to the Gate. It is guarded heavily against Contractors and may endanger a Contractor’s mentality state should they become too close to a hotspot (aka: The Hell’s Gate) and causes them to go berserk. Hei’s mission? The recovery of the Meteor Shard (no, seriously…Inuyasha anyone?) that was recovered from within the Gate.

Li Shengshun meets up with Corinna Moku, a girl who was on her way, also, to the Pandora Research Center. She goes a little crazy on her way into the Center (actually, she didn’t even make it into the Center before she was forced to be re-checked.) He is there at the Research Center as a janitor.

He meets up with a young girl who is also a part of the Syndicate (as for its official name, we have yet to find out) but asks him not to depend on her help because it was not her job to do so. She introduces herself as Mina Kanda Suami.

What mysteries does the Meteor Shard hold? What mysteries does HEI hold? And what is wrong with Corinna? What does the organization have against Li Shengshun?!

[Ending Song: “Tsukiakari” by Rie Fu]

[The Kuroneko’s Thoughts]
We learn a bit of Hei’s past–the past before he became a Contractor…before the true stars in the sky was replaced by false ones. We meet an interesting character whom Hei associates himself with, someone who shares his interest in stargazing. The setting and the music is both beautiful and nostalgic…it makes you wish that the wishes of the characters come true to end their suffering.

And we can so tell that Mina Kanda Suami has a crush on Li Shengshun >.> And yes, ladies, the picture you see at the top left is a shirtless Hei…and he wears boxer briefs. xP

[Opening Song: “Howling” by abingdon boys school]

[Summary: “The Pure White Dress Stains Her Dreams with Blood (Part 2)”]
“So many people in this world card only for their own gratification, ignoring the suffering of their fellow man. And far more are left crying in their path.”

Misaki runs into Hei and they both run for their lives to escape the high and dangerous Alice. We find out that Wei Zhijun is VI952 and has been helping Alice try to take over the Qinglongtang. But Alice has taken careful measures to trap everyone in the hotel so that she could find Misaki.

Li Shengshun turns back into Hei and he goes to destroy the stone flowers for a shard (Inuyasha, anyone?) before he runs into Wei and they begin to battle.

Misaki tries to escape but ends up being caught by Alice and Wei. Will Misaki make it out alive? Where is Hei after the battle?! Will BK201 show himself to Misaki and her fellow policeman, Saito?

[Ending Song: “Tsukiakari” by Rie Fu]

[The Kuroneko’s Thoughts]
I can’t believe Hei told Misaki to “do something” when they were being chased by Alice. I was sitting here and thinking “YOU’RE THE GUY! YOU DO SOMETHING! DON’T TELL A GIRL TO SAVE YOUR BUTT EVEN IF YOUR PERSONALITY CHANGED!” But then again, that’s what makes you respect Misaki for being so headstrong and independent. (She DID save Li Shengshun’s butt, btw)

This episode gives you a close-up look at who Kirihara Misaki really is and shows her soft and strict side. Let’s see if her wits and personality can prepare her for BK201!

[Opening Song: “Howling” by abingdon boys school]

[Summary: “The Pure White Dress Stains Her Dreams with Blood (Part 1)”]
“I know about him, the one you’ve been chasing.”

A man contacted Chief Kirihara Misaki, telling her that he had information regarding VI952 but was instead murdered before her very eyes–confirming that VI952 was not eager too allow his identity to be exposed. Nine people were killed in the same fashion and all nine were a part of Hong Kong’s Qinglongtang–Hong Kong’s mafia. Misaki is visited by her father, the Commander of their department and he takes her to dinner at a suspected hotel of Wang Shaotang (the leader of Qinglongtang).

Misaki meets up with her childhood friend, Alice, in front of the hotel and was forced to accompany her to her birthday party, with Alice’s bodyguard, Wei Zhijun. She’s at an advantage to finding out being the friend of Alice–the daughter of Wang Shaotang.

Wait a minute–how does Alice know about VI952? What’s that greenhouse filled with crystal flowers? What could they possibly be?

[Ending Song: “Tsukiakari” by Rie Fu]

[The Kuroneko’s Thoughts]
Hei and Misaki finally meets up in this episode after so many others. But they don’t seem to remember each other at all. What’s up with that!? Misaki looks so pretty in the Chinese dress And Alice is really creepy!!! Who’s VI952? Why is Hei there? Why is Alice such a freak? Stay tuned for more of my lame reviews!

[Opening Song: “Howling” by abingdon boys school]

[Summary: “The Smell of the Gardenia is Brought Out by the Early Summer Rains (Part 2)”]
“I have something I want to ask your mistress.”

Thanks to Kurasawa visiting the mansion of the first wife, Mao is captured amidst a huge pile of trash and the first wife’s dead body (whoa, what the…?) Kurasawa sees a connection between all of the events and is suspicious of Li Shengshun (Hei) who happened to have a part-time job at the widow’s mansion.

It seems that the widow was jealous of the first wife, Toshiko, because Toshiko did not have body odor that offended the husband. Whatever the case, the widow held a huge grudge against Toshiko. What a confusing family situation.

It turns out that the Contractor who could possess people have yet another power: the power of gravity. But since when could one person have two powers? And what exact role does the widow have in their situation?!

[Ending Song: “Tsukiakari” by Rie Fu]

[The Kuroneko’s Thoughts]
Well, the ending wasn’t as satisfying as I thought–but we do get to learn a bit more about Contractors and Mao. This arc was slightly more disturbing than the ones we’ve seen so far…let’s just hope it stays that way.

I think Mao is the funniest of the characters so far. Or maybe I just like the idea of a talking cat who knows how to wink…?

[Opening Song: “Howling” by abingdon boys school]

[Summary: “The Smell of the Gardenia is Brought Out by the Early Summer Rains (Part 1)”]
“Just give it up.”

Kurasawa Gai–a private detective who loves to smoke and has athlete’s foot–is given the mission by a beautiful woman to find her kitty cat. Yes, you read it right, a kitty cat. The problem? Kurasawa Gai hates and fears cats. But he has a scary accurate intuition.

As his crazy fangirl cosplaying assistant does her best to find the black kitty, Kurasawa’s attentions are elsewhere (like the suicides made by former employees of a cosmetics company) and he goes to discuss it with the kitty-missing idow, whose late husband just happens to be the president of said company.

Hei finds the culprit behind the mysterious suicides (zomg, it’s the work of a Contractor! NO WAY!) and finds that the said culprit’s powers have the ability to possess people AND they can jump from person to person. That is some handy power.

Will Kurasawa Gai find the poor black kitty cat? And will his intuition lead him to the true culprit? Who exactly is this mysterious possessing Contractor and why does he steal a vial of perfume and then kill off the person holding it?

[Ending Song: “Tsukiakari” by Rie Fu]

[The Kuroneko’s Thoughts]
I keep forgetting to mention this during my thoughts section…BUT WHY ARE THE NAMES OF THE EPISODES GETTING LONGER AND LONGER?!?!?!?!

This was one creepy episode. Well, actually, it’s a pretty great episode, but the ending is a creepy one. It raises more questions than answers, but hey…it’s just part 1. Let’s see what questions are answered (and arises) during part 2!

[Opening Song: “Howling” by abingdon boys school]

[Summary: “The Red Dream of a Disaster Disappears in Eastern Europe (Part 2)”]
“Those were quiet days…”

The Contractors of the MI6 are helping Misaki’s police force to help retrieve Havoc from Hei’s crutches (even though they have no idea that the mysterious BK201 has her…>.>) and Misaki agrees to allow the Contractors to help.

Havoc went through a peaceful stage after she lost her Contractor powers and is nostalgic for those times. But after a while, she decides that she was going to help Hei find his sister by allowing him to take her to the Gate so that her memories and powers will reawaken…as long as Hei promises to kill her if she becomes her old self.

The MI6 team, as well as Misaki’s team, heads towards the Gate (thanks to July powers) who are puzzled by BK201’s actions. They don’t quite understand why he hasn’t killed her yet.

Will Havoc’s power reawaken? Will Hei be able to find out where his sister Pai ended up after Heaven’s War? Will MI6 succeed in killing Havoc? Most of these questions will be answered at the end of the episode!

[Ending Song: “Tsukiakari” by Rie Fu]

[The Kuroneko’s Thoughts]
Hei can be scary when he’s angry!! He broke Havoc’s fingers when he was interrogating her about the whereabouts of his sister, Pai. But while they were at the Gate, all of her fingers were working well. o_O I missed it before though.

But Hei is also a very passionate person–which is rare for Contractors because they’re supposed to be emotionless, but I suppose that’s what makes him appealing. haha!