Darker than Black: Under the Same Sky, Gazing at the Same Stars
May 30th, 2009
I’m almost done watching Darker than Black, as part of this DtB watching/rewatching movement that Hitl– I mean omo’s– err rather, Owen spearheaded, which I kinda fell behind on but somehow managed to get back to again. And while I know there’s a lot left to be revealed in the last two episodes I’m about to watch, I don’t think that will ruin the experience for me. I found it fascinating right from the start, and I don’t think that will ever change.
There’s just one thing I want to say after watching episode 23, though:
Click at your own risk, you’ve been warned!
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*ahem* Now where were we…
I remember there being cries of disappointment about Darker than Black back when it aired, and while I can see where those complaints are coming from, I’m proud to say I managed to dodge the pitfalls in watching this, because I was not the least bit disappointed with what I’ve seen. I don’t know if this has something to do with my *ahem* heightened senses or “clarity of mind”, or that it so happens that I viewed the series from the “right lens”, doesn’t change the fact that I seem to be acting like an elitist with what I just said, but yeah.
There were a few episodes which I found to be rather forgettable, the mind-boggling (or just the whole relationship between a woman and a man as old as her father or grandfather) Scentimental episode, for example, but I do want to take a second look at it and see just what I missed (I think the answer lies somewhere in my subconscious, and I refuse to read Owen’s post until I figure this out myself).
Of course, there were also episodes which I found to be the Cream of the Crop: the Yin arc (episode 13-14), and the Huang / Gate-sama arc (episode 19-20); I’m sure most of the ones who watched Darker than Black would agree. They resounded to me the most, gave me that “wow *goosebumps*” feeling, and, even for a brief moment, made me see what superb storytelling is about. I guess I could also say that it made me see what Darker than Black is all about (which is, understandably, but one of the many interpretations people could draw out from this series).
There’s a lot of questions and thoughts running through my mind right now. I’ve been silently “nurturing” them since watching the first few eps, and now they’re screaming to get out and into a blog post — one of which is this idea I’ve been toying with as to why Darker than Black is titled as such, and what does this have to do with the Color Names of the characters, the rich metaphor behind the title. How “Black” can either refer to Hei himself, or the “absence of colors”, the “absence of light”, Hei’s “absence of colors”, and that the very existence of “Darker than Black” already dispels the “fact” that “There is no Darker than Black”. Now you can say, “Darker than Black exists”, only, in anime form. very unpunny, yes I know. That, among others. I’ll get to that post soon enough, need to organize my thoughts first and make them coherent enough and reader-friendly (somewhat).
And as I was watching episode 23 and notice the thematic focus on the stars right from the start, I came to this realization: Amidst everything that happens in the DtB world, the clash and unity between its people — their ultimate search for identity and purpose in life, within and apart from being a Contractor, Doll, or human — one thing remains universal: They’re all under the same sky, gazing at the same stars, real or not. The stars might have divided them, dictated their so-called “fates” (or whatever it is that happens in their lives get to be reflected in the stars/skies), but it’s also one of the few things that unites ALL of them — the ultimate witness of their lives.
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