February Fandom Fest: Darker Than Black
Feb. 20th, 2016 10:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brightly_litFor my previous February Fandom Fest entry, I wrote about the anime I love so much that I have an icon dedicated to it (my default).
This time, I'm going to write about the other anime I love so much that I made some icons dedicated to it: Darker Than Black.
Like Princess Tutu, Darker Than Black has a small but rabid fanbase, and this is because it is completely awesome. All the anime fans I know with whom I've discussed the show weren't too impressed. Criticisms I've read described it as "bad scifi," to which I say either they watched it in English (the English dub, while well-acted, is so badly written as to have changed script, characters, everything that makes the show great, rendering a wonderfully multi-dimensional show flat, so please please, watch in Japanese!), or they didn't get that there is nothing literal about anything going on; it's entirely allegory. The oracle who reads the stars in poetry might have tipped 'em off about that, but anyway, /rant.
For starters, this show on the surface couldn't be more polar opposite of Princess Tutu. Brutal, bloody (it does a fair job of living up to its name), taking place in a slightly altered modern-day reality of the seedy underbelly of Tokyo, specifically focusing on the employees of a crime syndicate (and, occasionally, the cops who try to stop them, and more commonly, competing crime syndicates or other bad guys involved in bad things), Darker Than Black is a far cry from fairy tales and ballet and romantic intrigue and Mr. Cat. Look a little beneath the surface, though, and you'll get a window into themes I guess I just have a thing for ... and that many of us have a thing for, I'd guess, because it has a lot in common with SPN, as you shall see.
The basic story is that main character Hei (all the main characters in this crime syndicate have Chinese names, and Hei, at least, poses as affable Chinese exchange student "Li") is one of many "contractors" who appeared in Tokyo after a big blast (it turns out Hei was at ground zero but survived) caused all the stars to change. The stars each now represent various contractors, which are people who now have some kind of special ability (which can usually be used as a weapon; Hei's is the power to electrocute), but have to pay for using the ability with some compulsion (some better than others; this person has to sing, that one has to dog-ear pages, but d'oh, one guy has to break his own fingers--did I mention the show is quite brutal?), hence the "contract." When a contractor uses their power, their star shines more brightly, and when they die, their star falls. (Again, people who are trying to make this show into scifi, it's a metaphor!)
Another kind of person was created along with contractors (although they're quite rare; most people stay the same as they ever were, and in fact the government tries to keep people from finding out about contractors): "dolls," who are devoid of emotional response or evident personal will or volition, and have the ability to send their spirits out via various materials (glass in one case, water in another) and thereby "clairvoyantly" see what's happening someplace. This is, naturally, another skill valuable for use by crime syndicates, who regularly hire both dolls and contractors, because people who became contractors also had a big emotional change; basically they're sociopaths, completely self-serving and more or less indifferent to the suffering of others.
But this is all just the brilliant structure that made possible the exploration of all the different facets of the scenario and the wonderful characters at the heart of the story. The first season (of two--24 episodes in the first season, and only 12 in the second--I literally cried when I realized the other discs in my S2 collection were a Blu-Ray version of what I'd already watched and I didn't have a full 24 eps to watch, because the show is THAT GOOD) is carefully constructed in pairs of episodes each dedicated to exploring one of the main characters and their backstory, or some aspect of the plot, some aspect of contractors, etc.
The writing is amazing, the characters are fantastic, the metaphors are rich and deep, the angst and feels are intense.
Some animes, you get the strong sense they're flying by the seat of their pants. I've seen waaay too many shows--even 12-episode shows--that run out of ideas a few episodes in and just screw around until the last couple of eps. Not this one. Every moment of every episode feels carefully planned and considered, the inspiration stays strong all the way through, the love for the characters and the world they've created shines through every moment. Plus, the voice acting in Japanese is incredible.
Another failure of the English dub is to try to make Hei a "nice guy," but he ain't no fuckin nice guy. He breaks another contractor's fingers to get her to talk ... then feeds her soup after he gets the information when she can't hold the spoon herself. One of the main joys of the show is watching Hei and wondering what kind of person he is, what the hell is going on in that beautiful noggin. You know he's not like other contractors--you never see him pay a contract, for one, and it's said he's not a sociopath like the rest of them, although sometimes he sure acts like it--and he has an agenda of his own beyond what most contractors would bother with, but the show keeps you guessing all the way through.
Also, Hei is incredibly sexy. (The show knows this.) One of the gifs I made an icon from comes from a hilarious scene in which he fights a lesbian contractor whose contract is, much to her disgust, to have to kiss a man. (She just grabs the nearest one.) He excels at using grappling hooks in battle, only she's so good, he ends up missing and getting the wire wrapped it around himself, rendering him helpless (a rare state for him, but just as sexy as seeing Sam get tied up) ... which she uses as a convenient opportunity to pay her contract ... then promptly punches him. Here, have the full gif (minus the punch):
The other gif I made an icon from demonstrates one of the other delectable aspects of watching the show. Similar to the joy of watching Sam and Dean play priests or FBI or other respectable sorts and then turn around and be the bad boys we know and love them to be is watching Hei pretend to be sooo sweet as Li-kun, then turn around and lose all expression, reverting to the cold, empty person he really is ...
... made fascinating and complex as you see a fragile relationship develop between him and beautiful, vulnerable blind doll Yin (also employed by their crime syndicate), who can only see in her clairvoyant spirit form. Female detective Kirihara relentlessly hunts ruthless contractor Hei (he wears a mask when he does his dirty work, so she's never seen his face), but considers sweet Li-kun a good friend. A hapless private investigator (and his anime-lovin assistant who gets the hots for Hei) notices Li at the scene of many of the situations he's hired to investigate, but dismisses it as mere coincidence, thinking he solved the investigation thoroughly, when--just like Sam and Dean are always doing when law enforcement think their own cops took care of it--Hei is really the one getting to the heart of it and bringing it to resolution.
This is that rare show that came up with a brilliant concept and really did everything with it, played out its every facet, all while pursuing a fascinating mystery, in both seasons (and keeping things a little mysterious by the end, because again people, the point is not the science, it's the allegory!!).
So, to sum up, it's got everything: it's dark, it's funny, it's brutal, it's tender, it's realistic, it's metaphorical, it's sexy, it's deep, it's scientific, it's spiritual, it's clever, it's silly. If you're into character and allegory and sexiness and depth, this is your show.
This time, I'm going to write about the other anime I love so much that I made some icons dedicated to it: Darker Than Black.
Like Princess Tutu, Darker Than Black has a small but rabid fanbase, and this is because it is completely awesome. All the anime fans I know with whom I've discussed the show weren't too impressed. Criticisms I've read described it as "bad scifi," to which I say either they watched it in English (the English dub, while well-acted, is so badly written as to have changed script, characters, everything that makes the show great, rendering a wonderfully multi-dimensional show flat, so please please, watch in Japanese!), or they didn't get that there is nothing literal about anything going on; it's entirely allegory. The oracle who reads the stars in poetry might have tipped 'em off about that, but anyway, /rant.
For starters, this show on the surface couldn't be more polar opposite of Princess Tutu. Brutal, bloody (it does a fair job of living up to its name), taking place in a slightly altered modern-day reality of the seedy underbelly of Tokyo, specifically focusing on the employees of a crime syndicate (and, occasionally, the cops who try to stop them, and more commonly, competing crime syndicates or other bad guys involved in bad things), Darker Than Black is a far cry from fairy tales and ballet and romantic intrigue and Mr. Cat. Look a little beneath the surface, though, and you'll get a window into themes I guess I just have a thing for ... and that many of us have a thing for, I'd guess, because it has a lot in common with SPN, as you shall see.
The basic story is that main character Hei (all the main characters in this crime syndicate have Chinese names, and Hei, at least, poses as affable Chinese exchange student "Li") is one of many "contractors" who appeared in Tokyo after a big blast (it turns out Hei was at ground zero but survived) caused all the stars to change. The stars each now represent various contractors, which are people who now have some kind of special ability (which can usually be used as a weapon; Hei's is the power to electrocute), but have to pay for using the ability with some compulsion (some better than others; this person has to sing, that one has to dog-ear pages, but d'oh, one guy has to break his own fingers--did I mention the show is quite brutal?), hence the "contract." When a contractor uses their power, their star shines more brightly, and when they die, their star falls. (Again, people who are trying to make this show into scifi, it's a metaphor!)
Another kind of person was created along with contractors (although they're quite rare; most people stay the same as they ever were, and in fact the government tries to keep people from finding out about contractors): "dolls," who are devoid of emotional response or evident personal will or volition, and have the ability to send their spirits out via various materials (glass in one case, water in another) and thereby "clairvoyantly" see what's happening someplace. This is, naturally, another skill valuable for use by crime syndicates, who regularly hire both dolls and contractors, because people who became contractors also had a big emotional change; basically they're sociopaths, completely self-serving and more or less indifferent to the suffering of others.
But this is all just the brilliant structure that made possible the exploration of all the different facets of the scenario and the wonderful characters at the heart of the story. The first season (of two--24 episodes in the first season, and only 12 in the second--I literally cried when I realized the other discs in my S2 collection were a Blu-Ray version of what I'd already watched and I didn't have a full 24 eps to watch, because the show is THAT GOOD) is carefully constructed in pairs of episodes each dedicated to exploring one of the main characters and their backstory, or some aspect of the plot, some aspect of contractors, etc.
The writing is amazing, the characters are fantastic, the metaphors are rich and deep, the angst and feels are intense.
Some animes, you get the strong sense they're flying by the seat of their pants. I've seen waaay too many shows--even 12-episode shows--that run out of ideas a few episodes in and just screw around until the last couple of eps. Not this one. Every moment of every episode feels carefully planned and considered, the inspiration stays strong all the way through, the love for the characters and the world they've created shines through every moment. Plus, the voice acting in Japanese is incredible.
Another failure of the English dub is to try to make Hei a "nice guy," but he ain't no fuckin nice guy. He breaks another contractor's fingers to get her to talk ... then feeds her soup after he gets the information when she can't hold the spoon herself. One of the main joys of the show is watching Hei and wondering what kind of person he is, what the hell is going on in that beautiful noggin. You know he's not like other contractors--you never see him pay a contract, for one, and it's said he's not a sociopath like the rest of them, although sometimes he sure acts like it--and he has an agenda of his own beyond what most contractors would bother with, but the show keeps you guessing all the way through.
Also, Hei is incredibly sexy. (The show knows this.) One of the gifs I made an icon from comes from a hilarious scene in which he fights a lesbian contractor whose contract is, much to her disgust, to have to kiss a man. (She just grabs the nearest one.) He excels at using grappling hooks in battle, only she's so good, he ends up missing and getting the wire wrapped it around himself, rendering him helpless (a rare state for him, but just as sexy as seeing Sam get tied up) ... which she uses as a convenient opportunity to pay her contract ... then promptly punches him. Here, have the full gif (minus the punch):
The other gif I made an icon from demonstrates one of the other delectable aspects of watching the show. Similar to the joy of watching Sam and Dean play priests or FBI or other respectable sorts and then turn around and be the bad boys we know and love them to be is watching Hei pretend to be sooo sweet as Li-kun, then turn around and lose all expression, reverting to the cold, empty person he really is ...
... made fascinating and complex as you see a fragile relationship develop between him and beautiful, vulnerable blind doll Yin (also employed by their crime syndicate), who can only see in her clairvoyant spirit form. Female detective Kirihara relentlessly hunts ruthless contractor Hei (he wears a mask when he does his dirty work, so she's never seen his face), but considers sweet Li-kun a good friend. A hapless private investigator (and his anime-lovin assistant who gets the hots for Hei) notices Li at the scene of many of the situations he's hired to investigate, but dismisses it as mere coincidence, thinking he solved the investigation thoroughly, when--just like Sam and Dean are always doing when law enforcement think their own cops took care of it--Hei is really the one getting to the heart of it and bringing it to resolution.
This is that rare show that came up with a brilliant concept and really did everything with it, played out its every facet, all while pursuing a fascinating mystery, in both seasons (and keeping things a little mysterious by the end, because again people, the point is not the science, it's the allegory!!).
So, to sum up, it's got everything: it's dark, it's funny, it's brutal, it's tender, it's realistic, it's metaphorical, it's sexy, it's deep, it's scientific, it's spiritual, it's clever, it's silly. If you're into character and allegory and sexiness and depth, this is your show.
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no subject
Date: 2016-02-20 07:40 pm (UTC)And I always try to watch all anime in Japanese, just because I love how the language sounds, and I don't think the English dubs are ever made on the same level. The Japanese put so much effort into the voice acting! I wish I understood enough of the language to watch without subtitles, but I only have a grasp of the basics. And of course all the little things that pop up in almost every anime I've seen, like 'baka' :D
Thank you for another wonderful post! ^_^
no subject
Date: 2016-02-20 07:56 pm (UTC)There are a couple of moments that make me wince, but fewer than SPN! I'd say anyone who can handle SPN can handle DTB. It seems to be trying harder to live up to its name in the first few episodes, so if those are too violent for you, don't let it put you off--it gets better. Many eps later on are quite sweet and tender, just about story and character.
And yes, Japanese dubs are usually so much better! My friend often prefers to watch in English, so I've seen a lot of English dubs, and very few that came close to the Japanese in quality. I only know of two English dubs that I feel actually surpassed the quality of the original: Princess Tutu and Kodocha.
I hope you and your boyfriend enjoy if you end up watching it! :-)
no subject
Date: 2016-02-20 08:23 pm (UTC)If it weren't for the violence and dark feel to it I would probably jump on it.
no subject
Date: 2016-02-23 07:29 am (UTC)Glad you're watching Tutu, and in English! English is best for Tutu.
no subject
Date: 2016-02-21 10:25 pm (UTC)On anime, have you seen Madlax? I saw some promos for it, and it looks rather interesting. I'm still feeling my way through anime, but I'd love to get some good recs. :-)
no subject
Date: 2016-03-01 07:37 am (UTC)My anime buddy who got me into anime really prefers English, so we watch the English dub a great deal of the time with him. There's a great show called Noein that I started in English and had to switch to the Japanese with, not because the English acting wasn't good, but because there was a type of character who simply would not exist in America, so I couldn't figure out what they were going for with him until I watched in Japanese. He's an important character, too, the main boy's best friend, who in America would be a bully who would be carefully avoided by the good-kid characters, but in the Japanese version he's just kind of a poor ne'er-do-well teasing type who nevertheless is good friends with good kids.
The only two animes I'd say really MUST be watched in Japanese are Darker Than Black and Fantastic Children, and the only two animes I'd say are way BETTER in English are Princess Tutu and Kodocha (which is HILARIOUS--I can't recommend it enough ... but BEWARE SEASONS 3 AND 4). Aw, what the hell--have the fucking insane opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ez0zrDxwkY
I have not seen Madlax! But I asked my buddy about it after you asked about it, and he said it's "kind of an unofficial sequel" to a show we DID watch called Noir--same people made it, similar types of characters, and I have say, I REALLY did not like Noir (with the singular exception of the badass opening theme). If you're looking for a great, super-angsty girls-with-guns show, I highly, highly recommend the incomparable Gunslinger Girl.
YAY ANIME!!!
no subject
Date: 2016-02-22 06:29 pm (UTC)You have a gift for making me want to watch things AGAIN when you post about them. I hope some folks will give Darker than Black a try after this! One of the few damn scary shows I ever tried that were worth it... like SPN. :-D
no subject
Date: 2016-03-03 07:15 am (UTC)Writing this post really made me want to watch it again, too! I agree--really scary, sometimes disturbing, but totally worth it.
And some people did say they'll try DTB after this! YASSS ...
no subject
Date: 2016-02-29 10:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-01 07:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-03 05:53 pm (UTC)