Darker than Black: Kuro no Keiyakusha - Sakura no Hana no Mankai no Shita

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

Can be summed up as a one-shot sidestory with a healthy dosage of CRACK. You'd have to have some background from the first half or so of the series in order to know what was going on, but most of the events in this episode end up being absolutely useless to the continuum, as they're all forgotten because of a plot device at the end of the episode. Plus, it takes an amusing look at fandom.

Aside from the Story, nothing else has really changed from the series, so I won't be covering Length, Music, Art, or Seiyuu.

I'm not happy that it didn't resolve several ... of the issues of the series. But, overall, it's a nice amusing diversion.

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.

Darker Than Black first season finale is nothing I would call spectacular, but the way it ended was fitting. Treating its own finale like another storyline instead of a spectacle which would have been out place in the series. This OVA doesn’t add anything more to the mythos or expand on anything in the main series. Hence, the length of this review being relatively short and to the point. This OVA instead decides to leave a good final impression on season one with a comedic episode.

The OVA takes place in a nonspecific timeline in Darker Than Black. It’s basically a comedic side story about Hei ... and the police looking for a stolen item with a police agent who writes fan fiction unintentionally getting thrown into the mix. It’s a simple story to keep track off. Due to the fate of a certain character a fan of the series can immediately tell it takes place before the finale of season. The comedy is built around three things; love, some sort of association with the season of spring (allergies, mating seasons for cats), and character reactions to a situation. With knowledge buildup on the cast it makes the following events hilarious. However, it's all rather convenience how all the events are tied together within the special.

Bones Studio gives this OVA the same treatment they give the first season. Looking and sounding like an an episode in the main series. Background are drawn in detail and the animation is smooth. The voice acting from the Japanese cast and English dub cast are on par with the main series. Music remains the same with the second opening and closing songs in place. If you enjoyed the comedic episodes in Darker Than Black than this is a fun diversion.

Like stated in the opening paragraphs it doesn’t add anything or show what occurred after the finale. Let alone offer an explanation on events after the finale. It’s not essential to see this OVA, but if you it do it’ll be a good final reminder that Darker Than Black was also a fun series to see whenever it wasn’t serious.

Don't call this episode "the 26th episode" anymore.

The story is cool and will give you kinda a break if you watch it during Kuro no Keiyakusha. This episode, between other things, treats on the relationship between Kiko and Yin, and furthermore : Yin and the crew (Hei, Mao and Huang).
That is why I recommend to watch it a bit after Kiko (you know, that pink-haired girl crazy of cosplay) and Yin met in first season.

I was amused to see how characters interact here and I liked this little side-story.
Except this, nothing really change about art and sound, opening is still cool.

A Review of Darker Than BLACK: Kuro no Keiyakusha Special:

Exactly what it sounds like, this is simply an extra episode that fits in as an OVA for season one. however, just because it is an OVA doesn't mean it's not worth your time. If you enjoyed the difference and variety of the various mini-arcs of Darker Than BLACK, then I definitely believe this will sit well with you. With another decent story, some good action scenes, and a bit of comedy, not mention the (as always) stellar animation and sound design, this extra episode easily fits in with he Darker Than BLACK franchise.

And that's why ... Darker Than BLACK: Kuro no Keiyakusha Special gets a 7/10

Filler content doesn't necessarily have to be bad content, but this filler really missed the mark. When considering filler content you need to ask yourself if the media you are working with suits the type of filler you are making. A "What-If" filler for example may have been more suitable for a series with this gravity rather than the comedic one we received.

Every attempt at humour is reaching at truly low-hanging fruit, employing only the cheapest gags and most over-used/cliche anime jokes in existence. It contributes nothing to the overall narrative and doesn't even remotely fit within it. The characters are stiff and at times ... totally out of character. Overall it lacks everything that makes the series itself good. Gravity, the sparing use of comic effect at times to keep it from being overly edgy/grimdark, the natural-feeling character interactions.

When people disparage filler content this is exactly the type of episode they are referring to.

This is a spin-off special of the series Darker than Black: Kuro no Keiyakusha .
Unlike the main series - that are more action,dark magic and drama , this Special episode known as Episode 26 is more comedy .

There are two main stories and some side ones that make the whole episode .
The main two stories are - Mayu Otsuka's story of how she's fell in love with a contractor and she's trying to find him and Hei's story of how he's on a mission to find a code with a sample . There are also other little stories that suport the ... episode and make the storyline full - like Mao's adventure,Yin's problems, Misaki and her team's reasarch . As a whole the story isn't bad at all.

You need to have watched at least half of the series to understand what's going on or else you won't get most of the things . For a comedy Spin-off of the main series It's very nice and Enjoyable .

A lot of fun if you don't take it too seriously. Just don't be misled by how it's listed as a "26th episode" on some streaming sites—this has hardly anything to do with progression of the main plot of the parent series, and won't clear up any discrepencies from the finale.

In terms of quality, its at the same level as any of the other episodes, but with a more comedic tone. If you liked Darker than Black for its characters, than this is a fun look at them, and most likely worth the watch. But if you feel that you'll miss the more serious ... atmosphere from the rest of the series (or at least, season one) then you'll probably be fine sitting this one out. Or hey, just watch it anyway! It's only twenty minutes of your time, after all.