Ranked #812

Darker than Black: Kuro no Keiyakusha Special

Diving straight into the review.

Story: If I was to rate this OVA just from its own story, I would give it 2 because of its simplicity. But don't forget that you need at least 14 episode of background information from the normal DTB (best viewed after some time has passed after you finish DTB, good for some quick laughs.) This OVA is more of a side story to the original Darker than BLACK. A contractor was killed and supposedly his corpse or his belongings are hidden under the sakura tree. Centering around Mayu Otsuka, this provides a good deal of laugh and makes you remember those good ol' times with DTB.
8/10

Art: Excellent art, neatly done and no details were missed. Everyone is well drawn and the background always mean something, they don't just stand there. On a side note, I really like how they draw the eyes (especially Yin's.) The same quality as the original DTB, maybe even better. Although I found it strange that there was no blood in the perverted contractor scene, it's not like some other anime that the blood is black and disappears in the very next scene.
10/10

Sound: I always liked the opening, and the fact that they didn't replace it with something irrelevant or annoying is just a plus. I like how they play with the background sounds, but it didn't feel really special to me. Good quality music, able to set the mood, and doesn't stand out, so it's good.
8/10

Characters: A pack of unique characters always does the job in here. Although nothing (except for some doujin-love) is explained about characters, you should've watched the anime before going to this, so no problem with that. SPOILER: I find it rather sad how that love scene was lost because of that so-called cure of allergy.END SPOILER
10/10

Enjoyment: Like I said before, this was a good way for quick laugh. Contractors don't dream and aren't allergic to pollen! I really had some great time watching this OVA. I'm kind of relieved that this OVA didn't contain any relation to the actual progress of the plot. I seem to like the side-stories of the action anime that contain a good amount of laugh.
10/10

Overall: For all of us who have missed DTB, we got what we deserved. An OVA that is just like another episode of DTB, with some comedy aspect in it. It's just like the feeling that I got from Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid OVA. When you miss a serious anime, it's best to remember it with it's funny moments. It's better for you to watch a comedy-based episode rather than a serious one. Watch it.
9/10 read more

What happens when contractors run into a fanfic author? This is Darker than BLACK on crack. It's a standalone episode placed in no definite part of the timeline and completely irrelevant to the actual story, so there's no need to worry about spoilers. The art and sound are the same as the series, and the same characters are used.

It gives absolutely no further resolution to the series, but I can say that at least it gave me a good laugh. The humor is well-done, and the episode so absurd you can't take it seriously. The only thing I'd mention is that I'm glad I gave the real ending to the series a day or so to sink in. The mood change would have been a bit drastic. If you want my advice, finish the series first, then sometime go back and watch this when you're just looking for something short and amusing. read more