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- Darker than Black is a 2007 Japanese anime series created by Tensai Okamura. Set in modern Japan, the narrative focuses on how ten years prior to the events of series, a mysterious spatial anomaly known as "Heaven's Gate" appeared in South America, shortly followed by the opening of "Hell's Gate" in Tokyo altering the sky and wreaking havoc on the landscape. During this time, people possessing various special abilities emerged, each capable of different supernatural feats—these are known as contractors. The series follows the exploits of agents Hei and his comrades of the Syndicate organization operating in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo and their mission to uncover the mysteries of the Hell's Gate. Darker than Black was first announced in December 2006 though the first trailer was revealed in March 2007. The 25-episode anime was produced by Bones. It was directed and written by Tensai Okamura, along with character designs drawn by Takahiro Komori and based on the original designs by Yuji Iwahara, art direction by Takashi Aoi, sound direction by Kazuhiro Wakabayashi and soundtrack music composed by Yoko Kanno. The series was broadcast on MBS between April 6 and September 28, 2007, and aired later on HBC, CBC, TBS and Animax. Aniplex released the complete series in Japan on nine DVD volumes between July 25, 2007 and March 26, 2008. The ninth DVD volume also included an unaired 26th original video animation episode. Aniplex later compiled the series in a Blu-ray box set released in Japan on September 30, 2009. The series was also licensed by Funimation for an English release in Region 1. Funimation released the series in six DVD volumes between November 25, 2008 and August 11, 2009. Funimation later released the series in a DVD box set on April 19, 2011 in Region 1. The series uses four pieces of theme music: two opening themes and two ending themes. "Howling" by Abingdon Boys School was used as the opening theme for the first 14 episodes while "Kakusei Heroism (The Hero Without a "Name")" by An Cafe was used as the second opening theme from episodes 15 onwards. "Tsukiakari" (ツキアカリ, lit. "Moonlight") by Rie fu was used as the ending theme for the first 14 episodes while "Dreams" by High and Mighty Color was used as the second ending theme from episodes 15 onwards. (en)
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- 0001-11-11 (xsd:gMonthDay)
- 1.57788E7
- Hei meets Kenji Sakurai of the Nakazawa Family, a clumsy yet ambitious young man. New characters are introduced who live in Hei's apartment building. Later, Kenji is given the assignment of taking care of a Doll by Hitotsubashi, his boss. Hei, Mao, Yin, and Huang try to find the Doll, who is conveniently in the hands of Kenji. (en)
- Li brings Chiaki back to her apartment and she tells him about Contractors. When they return to her room, they find it ransacked by the men chasing after Chiaki. Chiaki asks to stay in Li's room and they spend time there together until the police arrive to investigate. They go out to eat in a diner, but are interrupted when Chiaki's pursuers appear and attack them. They escape, but Li is injured as they run. Chiaki reveals her story to Li and entrusts him with the package that everyone is seeking. The following morning, while on the run from their pursuers, Li causes Chiaki to collapse and escapes in the ensuing chaos. Now dressed as the Reaper, Hei reveals that he is the Contractor who killed Louis before fighting the pursuers. He is shot while protecting Chiaki, who is revealed to be a Doll with the memories of the already dead Chiaki. He still manages to defeat the other contractors, though "Chiaki" sacrifices her life to save him in the process. (en)
- The aftermath of Mai's reaction reveals that she has become a Moratorium. The collective groups pursuing Mai change their plans and her continued impulses cause additional infernos. Kanami Ishizaki, Kirihara's high school friend, discusses the Moratorium with Kirihara. During the full-scale civilian evacuation, Mai reacts again and accidentally kills her friend Yuka and her father. When the police move to retrieve her, they are attacked by Luco, a contractor. He kidnaps Mai and they use her to force Tahara to reveal his research. Tahara tells Hei of the research, but Hei leaves in disgust to retrieve Mai. He is defeated when Mai's kidnappers threaten Mai's life, but Tahara arrives, hands over the remains of his research, and attempts to kill Mai. Luco kills Tahara, and is killed by Hei in return. Mai transforms fully into a Contractor and is sent off to the Syndicate. (en)
- Eric Nishijima is using a particle accelerator to wipe out the Contractors. Amber gathers numerous Contractors to destroy the accelerator, and Dolls to be used for some other unknown reason. Nijishima, revealed to work with The Syndicate, places a phone call to eliminate Hei and his team. Amber sends a message to Hei via Wei, telling him to meet her in the Gate. Hei agrees and thus Huang, Mao, and Yin assist Hei to infiltrate Hell's Gate with Wei's guidance. (en)
- Hei's team, on the orders of Nishijima, has been kicked out of The Syndicate and contracts taken on all their lives. Kirihara discovers that "The Syndicate" is really a collaboration between intelligence agencies of multiple countries and that she herself has been an unknowing member. Hei, Yin, and Mao infiltrate Hell's Gate while Huang detonates a suicide bomb for distraction. Mao is disconnected from The Syndicate's network. As a result, his feral cat behavior takes over, and he runs away. The Contractors of the Evening Primrose launch an attack on PANDORA security forces, leaving the way open for Hei and Yin. The Syndicate takes out the Doll system of the Evening Primrose, leaving Hei with only Yin for guidance as they head towards the interior of Hell's Gate. (en)
- Kenji falls for the Doll, and they try to run away together with Hei's help. While out shopping, Hei is nearly identified by Kirihara as BK-201, but Kirihara doesn't see the relation between Li Sheng Shun and BK-201. Later, Kenji is caught and nearly killed by Hitotsubashi when Hei saves him. Kenji and the Doll successfully run away. (en)
- A man, the only survivor of his expedition, explores the interior of the Gate and discovers a glowing flower. In the present day, Li has breakfast and stops by a small store. A schoolgirl, Mai Kashiwagi, misses her train in the morning. Li checks into a construction site to begin work and meets Kōzō Tahara, the man from the Gate expedition. Two men, monitored by Huang, check into a hotel and reveal their plans to use force to convince Tahara to obey them. Mai awakens in front of a fire and is sent home from her school. When Li attempts to drive her home, she escapes and runs off with friends. Hei later makes contact with her and entertains her. However, they are attacked as they travel through the city. Mai reacts and an inferno is seen in her eyes as Kirihara is informed of a new star. (en)
- Hei is sent to infiltrate a religious organization and kill the prophet, named Alma. He is aided by an insider, another Contractor, named Shihoko Kishida, whom Huang appears to know. Amagiri and Alma appear to be in cahoots with Alma providing him with Dolls. A well-meant mistake on Huang's part leads to Shihoko's capture. (en)
- It is revealed that many years ago, Yin's father died in a plane crash. On the night of his funeral, Yin walks in on her mother developing romantic affections for her piano teacher, Kastinen. Yin runs out and is almost struck by a truck, before her mother pushes Yin out of the way, which kills her instead. Kastinen tells Yin to return home with him, but Yin refuses, claiming that she wants to be by Hei's side. (en)
- Hei and Kirihara barely escape from Alice, but Hei goes his own way after reuniting Kirihara with Saitō and goes after the crystal in the stone flower garden. He runs into Wei and loses the crystal in the process. Wei then meets up with Alice, but decides to eliminate her first before going after Kirihara and Saitō. (en)
- Many years ago Yin, also called Kirsi, is playing the piano under the watch of her teacher, Eelis Kastinen. In the present, Yin has apparently run away. Kurasawa and Kiko are asked by Kastinen to look for Yin. (en)
- Gai Kurasawa, a private detective, and his partner Kiko Kayanuma, a young girl, are hired by the widow of a cosmetics company executive to search for her lost black cat. On multiple occasions, Kurasawa ends up bumping into Hei, who is on the search for the Contractor killing employees from the very same company, making Kurasawa begin to be suspicious of Hei. Kurasawa then accidentally takes the jacket of that Contractor, although he hasn't realized it, while on his way to a house upon the suggestion of his client. There, he finds a black cat and captures it, but also unexpectedly comes across the skeleton of a long dead woman. (en)
- Hei has been asked to infiltrate PANDORA Institute, which is located in the vicinity of the Gate, and retrieve a Meteor Fragment, which even the CIA is after. There, he meets a man named Nick Hillman, and they find that they share the same dream of seeing the real stars. (en)
- Kirihara, who is investigating a string of murders, ends up at the birthday party of her high school classmate, Alice Wang, who is the daughter of the boss of the Hong Kong mafia, Qing Long Tang. The party is actually a cover for an emergency board meeting related to the deaths of several Qing Long Tang executives, and Hei is also in attendance, posing as a waiter. With the Contractor, named Wei Zhijun, on her side, Alice eliminates Qing Long Tang, but Kirihara is also on her list. (en)
- After meeting with Amber, Hei learns that against common knowledge Contractors can become more human than was thought to be possible. Realizing his own position between the world of Contractors and humans, Hei has to make the decisive choice for both. With final farewells to his past comrades inside the Gate, and their support behind his back, Hei's decision brings forth a new future for the world. (en)
- Hei discovers that Nick is a Contractor with powers similar to his own. Hei follows Nick into Hell's Gate, where Nick transforms and Hei recovers the Meteor Fragment. (en)
- The Syndicate orders Huang to kill Shihoko, and as a secondary directive secretly orders Mao and Hei to kill Alma, and also Huang if he fails. In Huang's past we see him falling for Shihoko, and then Shihoko killing his then police partner Isozaki. Isozaki's wife's memory is wiped by the M.E., and Huang is drafted into The Syndicate. He is unable to kill Shihoko, and asks Hei to kill them both. Hei tries to help them run away while Mao refuses to have any involvement. When they arrive at the docks to wait for a boat, Shihoko sees someone from The Syndicate and realizes they cannot escape. For love of Huang, she runs into the path of an oncoming truck and dies. (en)
- Mayu Ōtsuka works at the Fourth Foreign Affairs Department in the Japanese National Police Agency as a liaison officer with the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. She wrote a story about a masked man that supposedly seemed to be a dream, but she isn't sure. Hei and his team got themselves a new task and are looking for a numeric password attached to a sample. A Contractor took it from the Gate and buried it under a cherry blossom tree. As events unfold, Mayu seems to fall in love with Hei, while Saitō struggles to confess his feelings for Kirihara. (en)
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