Darker than Black: Kuro no Keiyakusha (DARKER THAN BLACK -黒の契約者- Dākā Zan Burakku -Kuro no Keiyakusha-, lit. "Darker than Black: The Black Contractor") is an anime television series, created, directed and written by Tensai Okamura and animated by Bones. It premiered across Japan from April 5, 2007 on MBS, TBS, and its affiliated broadcast stations, with its satellite television premiere in Japan on Animax in May 2007. The music for the series is composed by Yoko Kanno. The series has also been adapted into two manga series, which are serialized in Monthly Asuka and in Young Gangan. The anime also was awarded Best Original Anime of The Year by GoGoplex, a popular magazine for teens.
A second season titled Darker than Black: Ryūsei no Gemini (DARKER THAN BLACK -流星の双子（ジェミニ）- Dākā Zan Burakku -Ryūsei no Jemini-, lit. "Darker than Black: Twins of the Meteor") premiered in Japan on October 8, 2009.
STORY
Ten years ago, an inscrutable and abnormal territory known as Hell's Gate appeared in Tokyo, altering the sky and wreaking havoc on the landscape. The heavenly bodies disappeared, replaced by false stars. During this time, people possessing various special abilities emerged, each capable of different supernatural feats - these are known as Contractors. Each fake star has a corresponding Contractor, which reacts to their activities. As such, Contractors are usually identified by their star's Messier catalogue number. Kept secret from the masses, these individuals are known to murder in cold blood, smothering unnecessary emotions with logic and rationale. Their incredible abilities, however, are gained at the cost of their humanity - Contractors are thus named because of an involuntary compulsion to "pay the price" each time their power is used, which can range from eating particular foods and completing meaningless tasks, to self-harm and having their bodies change in peculiar ways. Various nations and organizations around the world train and utilize Contractors as spies and assassins, resulting in violent battles for valuable objects and information.
CHARACTER
- Hei (黒, lit. Black) Voiced by: Hidenobu Kiuchi (Japanese), Jason Liebrecht (English)
- The main protagonist and an elite Contractor with the Messier Code BK-201. Hei plays a gentle-hearted student from China named Li Shun Sheng (李舜生（リ・シュンシェン） Ri ShunShen) (as seen in episode 11, 04:57 minutes into the episode), but when "working" he takes on the role of a seemingly (at first) apathetic and guiltless killer known also as The Black Reaper. Part of an organization of unknown ambitions known only as the Syndicate, Hei is searching for his sister Pai, whom he lost several years ago when the South American Heaven's Gate imploded. Hei's contract allows him to generate electricity, and he is hotly pursued by the Japanese government for his involvement in multiple assassinations. He acts as the spy/assassin of his team. His huge appetite and seeming lack of a obeisance lend him more of a sense of mystery, even with his own team. Later on a device makes him lose his powers.
- Yin (銀 In, lit. Silver) Voiced by: Misato Fukuen (Japanese), Brina Palencia (English)
- A supporter in Hei's team. Yin is a spirit medium known as a "Doll". Very passive and speaking rarely, she is described as having no emotion and incapable of such processes (however as the series progresses she shows a slight human side with hints of emotion). Her primary function is to locate individuals, usually assassination targets, for the team as she has the ability to see anything near water when she is touching some. Yin possesses memory of Kirsi (last name unknown), who lived in Finland learning to play the piano under the tutelage of famed pianist Eelis Kostinen.
- In the manga, she resembles Kanon since she is also a "doll" though she has some of Kirsi's memories, making the method for creation of dolls into a point of speculation.
- Huang (黄 Hwan, lit. Yellow) Voiced by: Masaru Ikeda (Japanese), John Swasey (English)
- Huang's position can be interpreted as that of field supervisor. He is a human and only possesses strategic abilities. He has a general dislike for contractors and dolls and voices it regularly in spite of having to work alongside three of them. Huang passes down orders from the Syndicate to the rest of the team.
- Mao (猫, lit. Cat) Voiced by: Ikuya Sawaki (Japanese), Kent Williams (English)
- A Contractor who has lost his original body and now resides within that of a black cat. As the cat's brain is not fully capable of containing Mao's human conscience, a server is utilized to support some of it. If he were to lose contact with said server, he would become as a cat. Possibly related, Mao shows some proficiency as a hacker. His messier code is HM-432. A very practical character, he is very interested in watching Hei react to situations in an unorthodox manner. He fears the Syndicate's disapproval and on occasion is able to receive direct orders from the top. His contract allows him to possess other animal bodies, and, as losing his body was considered a massive obeisance, he can use this power without cost.
- Misaki Kirihara (霧原 未咲 Kirihara Misaki) Voiced by: Nana Mizuki (Japanese), Kate Oxley (English)
- The Section-Chief of the Foreign Affairs Division 4 who is investigating matters that concern Contractors. Misaki has long brown hair and glasses and rarely smiles or laughs. She has a strong sense of justice and a sharp intuition. Kirihara became a policewoman in order to protect the weak, has a distaste for smokers due to their smell, and is sensitive about the exposure of her body. She likes eating greasy food but claims to stay fit because she works out. Her father is Superintendent Supervisor Naoyasu Kirihara of the National Police Agency. She also is obsessed with finding the identity of BK-201 (codenamed Hei) who is involved in many of her cases, shrouded in mystery and death. She occasionally hints a glint of affection towards Li (unknown to her as BK-201/Hei) whom she sees occasionally throughout the series due to him playing his role as a spy.
- Kana Shinō (師能 奏 Shinō Kana)
- Kana is the main character of the first manga. She, while exploring the mystery of her father's "death", meets Hei. She is kind and caring. Her mother was killed by her father, and her father is killed by his boss.[2]
TERMINOLOGY
Nick holding the Meteor Fragment.
- Evening Primrose (EPR) (イブニングプリムローズ Ibuningu Purimurōzu)
- A powerful organization of Contractors led by Amber. Their stated goal is to reveal the existence of Contractors to the general public, and to promote their status as a new race/group of humans. Special rights and privileges for Contractors are also on their list of objectives.
- Hell's Gate (地獄門(ヘルズ·ゲート) Heruzu Gēto)
- A mysterious and chaotic area of space that appeared in Tokyo ten years before the start of the series. Its appearance led to the rise of Contractors and Dolls. A massive wall has been constructed around it to keep civilians – or anyone else, for that matter – from entering. Several countries, including Japan, are cautiously conducting research on the Hell's Gate, exemplified by a top-secret research facility built next to the Gate Wall.
- Heaven's Gate (天国門(ヘヴンズ·ゲート) Hevunzu Gēto)
- Another chaotic area of space that appeared in South America and disappeared five years before the beginning of the series, along with everything in a 1500 km radius around it. Its exact nature at this point is unknown in the series. Its appearance apparently started a large-scale war, one in which Great Britain and Argentina participated. Amber, Havoc, Hei, and his sister Pai, were involved in the War and were adversely affected by the Heaven's Gate's sudden disappearance. The area where the gate was has become inaccessible. Interestingly enough, Heaven's Gate and Hell's Gate are located on opposite ends of the globe and are considered exact opposites of each other.
- PANDORA (Physicalquantity Alternation Natural Deconstruction Organized Research Agency)
- A UN-operated research facility dedicated to studying the phenomena of Hell's Gate. Located on the edge of the gate within the walls, an international team of scientists examine the properties of the gate via manned and unmanned expeditions within. Paranormal phenomena akin to ghosts are not uncommon here, likely due to the lab's close proximity to the gate. Though run by the UN, it is not impervious to intelligence agencies; both the Syndicate and CIA have infiltrated almost every level of the research center. PANDORA has a heavily armed security force, consisting of armed soldiers possibly of various nationalities and armored vehicles, meant to protect its facilities and personnel.
- Contractor (契約者 Keiyakusha)
- Contractors are individuals who have gained superhuman powers due to the appearance of the Hell's Gate and Heaven's Gate. The existence of Contractors is kept a secret from the general public by most governments around the world, but they are well-known to the higher echelons of society and in the criminal underworld. Contractors possess two other traits that give them a rather sinister reputation: the need to perform remuneration, which is a bizarre, obsessive compulsive "payment" for the use of their powers, and a generally pragmatic, Machiavellian world view. This is described by the Contractors themselves as a lack of emotion in general, but not much evidence exists to verify this claim. Many Contractors exhibit at least some forms of emotion, including love, joy, guilt, and sorrow.
- Later in the series it is explicitly revealed that Contractors are capable of experiencing emotions, but that those feelings do not play a prominent role in their thought processes. They are described as being totally rational, and totally amoral. The general rules seems to be that they feel no guilt, and they cannot form or retain social bonds. A normal Contractor cares, in essence, only about their own well-being, and everything is reduced to a cost/benefit analysis: Any other issues like laws, emotions, or the question of the sanctity of human life are irrelevant to them.
- Doll (ドール Dōru)
- Emotionless "mediums" created to mimic the forms of humans. Dolls can form a variety of functions; the most commonly seen in the series is their use of observer spirits, which serve as reconnaissance. Dolls have different mediums through which they can send their observer spirits and must be in contact with this medium while observing; for example, Yin's medium is water, through which she can send her observer spirit anywhere else there is water. A Doll can also act as the perfect sleeper agent. It can be given the memories and personality of another person and assume a person's personality perfectly, mimicking all their habits, dreams, and feelings until the time is right. Interestingly enough, a Doll by the name of Shinoda Chiaki seemed to have some "life" of her own by saving Hei from being killed by another Contractor. This suggests that Dolls, like Chiaki, can go beyond their "set" characteristics and become something else. Other examples include when Huang discovers Yin crying, July expressing confidence in himself and November 11 as a team, and Sakurai, a doll stolen by the yakuza, smiling as she runs away with one of their own.
- Moratorium (モラトリアム Moratoriamu)
- An intermediate between a Contractor and a Doll. Moratoria appear to be people with Contractor powers who do not require remuneration as part of their power. Unlike Contractors, they do not have control of their powers, shifting into a hypnotic state of unconsciousness as they use them. Moratoria also suffer from severe mental trauma as a result of their power. According to Mao, the chance of a Moratorium morphing into a Contractor is near zero, but possible.
- Regressor (喪失者 Sōshitsusha)
- A Contractor who loses their powers in exchange for a flicker of hope for a normal life. There are very few known Regressors, and the way one becomes a Regressor is also unknown.
- Meteor Fragment (流星の欠片 Ryūsei no Kakera)
- An object coveted by many intelligence agencies and organizations, and once held at PANDORA. It seems to be connected to the appearance of Hell's Gate, however, PANDORA does not believe that it is of much importance as they had already discovered a similar substance in South America before Heaven's Gate disappeared. Its appearance resembles a large lens, and when inside the Hell's Gate, it displays an as of yet unexplained synchrotron light. The Meteor Fragment was first stolen by Nick for the CIA. It was then stolen by Hei who infiltrated the PANDORA installation by orders from the Syndicate. It was then obtained by Amber, who holds it to this day. This object allows entities which do not exist (such as ghosts) to appear, and also allows entities which exist to disappear.
- Contract Payment (契約対価 Keiyaku Taika, also referred to as "Remuneration" or "Obeisance")
- True to their names, all Contractors must pay a price for using their powers, whether they wish to or not. Moreover, it seems that the amount of payment required is dependent on how much the Contractor uses his/her power. Although this payment can be delayed, especially in the midst of combat, it is ultimately unavoidable. Each Contractor has a unique remuneration, reflecting the chaotic nature of the Hell's Gate. Remunerations are typically difficult for the Contractor and range in severity from irritating to painful. However, there have been a few contractors who enjoy their remuneration and at least one who uses it in conjunction with his own ability.
- Known remunerations include
- Alteration of age, swiftly growing older or younger
- Arranging pebbles in meticulously straight lines
- Drinking various fluids, such as hot milk, beer, or the blood of children
- Earmarking the pages of a book
- Eating various foods, such as boiled eggs or weeds
- Inability to lie
- Intaking and regurgitating objects
- Kissing someone
- Placing the shoes of the victim upside down on the ground
- Pulling out hairs
- Regaining human feelings for a brief time
- Reveal a secret
- Self-mutilation or injury, including dislocating fingers, wrist-slitting, or acupuncture
- Singing a song
- Sleeping
- Smoking
- Losing function of body parts, such as legs
- Writing poetry
- Making origami sculptures
- It is also possible for a Contractor to fully pay off his Contract, but this is an incredibly rare feat, requiring a drastic and traumatic sacrifice. A good example of this is one of Hei's teammates, Mao. He paid off his Contract, but did so involuntarily at the cost of his body, forcing him to reside in the body of a cat.
