Cruel Angel Theses

It’s been two years since it aired, so that would make this the… second anniversary?

I think that, for the most part, Darker than Black was utterly underrated and completely overwhelmed by Spring 2007. My sporadic blogging of the series was filled with errors of a fanboy nature, which is to say, not being able to convey the excellence of the show through the posts I wrote. This is my attempt at rectifying that error, by getting a bunch of bloggers you may or may not know to watch/rewatch it at the same time while I re-blog it.

“The Contracted Star Fell…”

In the episode, we’re privy to all manner of Hell’s Gate jargon, including but not limited to things like the Contractors, Dolls, surveillance spectres, obeisances, and the Messier Codes. More importantly, though, the nature of the Contractors and Dolls are established, and this is the focal point of the arc–how their contradictory nature drives the overarching story in their quest for a bit of humanity.

What little we know of the world of DtB can be essentially reduced to a dichotomy of:

“Contractors = cold-blooded killers”

and “Dolls = hollow mediums”

before tearing them down in this very episode itself, but why does it go to such lengths? I’d say that it does so in order to highlight certain events that happen later (I’m looking at you, final episode!) on, and this arc serves as a sufficient precedent for that purpose, probably by supplanting it into the subconscious of the viewer in order to neutralise what the viewer may tend to perceive as an inconsistency later on.

This however, does assumes that the viewer has the presence of mind to relate later episodes in relation to this arc, but this would only be realistic in the context of a marathon or a close viewing that takes the entire picture into account when evaluating the show–something not a lot of fans did, sadly.

I mean, we all know from the opening sequence that Hei’s a very angry man–but why does he display that anger? Why does he do it in his Contractor-form, of all places? Is there something to be said here about his split/dual-personality, or was it just inconsistent theatrics? I’m inclined to think that it’s the former, but more on that later.

It’s also an excellent introductory arc that also brings certain things full circle. For instance, Chiaki’s “Don’t leave me alone!” is analogous to that of Yin’s line in the final episode, and contradicts the common knowledge of Dolls being emotionless people. Then there’s her predicament of wanting to run away from everything that probably resonated with Hei to the extent where he sympathised with her enough to help her beyond his means–all because he went through the same situation once.

Too bad this only becomes evident on hindsight.

Then there’s the pervasive motif of water, and wading in it thereof that is ever present. In this we are subliminally accustomed to associating Yin with Bai; Yin is constantly found to be in a pool of water or in some form of contact with water, and the occasional Bai flashback is, for all purposes, that of her younger self in a lake with the starry sky above, with Hei presumably somewhere nearby.

And then there’s Hei’s penchant for astronomy.

Does Hei use his telescope for star-gazing because it’s a convenient prop, or simply because he used to find stars amazing before he became a Contractor? I suspect I’ll find out during Nick’s arc, but it’s heartening to know that the careful rewatching of a simple arc like this one helps to reveal the truth behind DtB’s structure: Its strength lies in how it uses the bi-episodic arcs in such a manner so as to avoid infodumps, resulting in a gradual stream of information that feels more natural than anything.

~

Hige says:

Owen mentions parallels and, for me, they stand out as the most emotive element during this rewatch. Hei’s protection of young women obviously refers to the wider plot point of his sister, and for the series to fly out of the gate by referencing something the viewer otherwise has no knowledge of seems brave and somewhat alienating. To the grizzled experienced like us, however, the series is presented in a dazzling new light.

I focused much more on the similarities between Hei and Chiaki with this arc, for instance, which was something I missed when trying to cope with the barrage of information first time around. Both manufacture convincing alter egos, fronts, with ulterior motives, and both, tellingly, place of a lot their true selves in these supposed fabrications. It made their semi-romance convincing; they connect over their supposed desire to escape as well as a underlying acceptance that it’s false, a twenty-four hour fairly tale to be swept away in before reality catches up with them. And the reality catches up with a brutal conclusiveness. Hei seemingly is just out to gain the information Chiaki had, and the Chiaki we get to know isn’t even ‘real’. But it provides an important foundation for a recurring theme in the series: are Contractors really inhuman, incapable of compassion? Is Hei’s alluded conscience what makes him the fabled ‘cursed contractor’? And are Dolls just soulless husks? These introductory episodes push us to question the status quo and constantly challenge the internal logic of the series. It’s a fantastically enticing prospect and one that, in retrospect, is encouraged far too sparingly. But then maybe that’s a good thing?

These first two episodes are lesson in sophisticated storytelling and reminded me how excited I was when I first started watching Darker than Black. By the series’ end I had a very bittersweet taste in my mouth; it felt like it should’ve been half the length, a twelve episode series rather than a twenty-six affair, and when reminded of what a sterling experience this first arc is, and what’s to come, I’m not sure my mind will be changed. I’m willing to be convinced otherwise, and perhaps the all-important hindsight will illuminate me to the importance of the less-direct plot arcs, but I will definitely savour the main plot continuity with an attentive satisfaction. Darker than Black certainly is excellent, but I think it’s going to take some concentration and a little retrospection to discover whether it’s exceptional.