I had a rather a hard time wrapping my head around the thought process taken up by the scriptwriters of this show. They had an almost infinite pool of ideas to work with, from the origin story and reasoning behind the Hell's Gate manifestation to endless detours that could have been taken up using the Contractors and Dolls as parables for sociological issues plaguing current society; the possibilities were endless. It seemed that with all the mysterious themes being left in a shroud of ambiguity and the multifaceted approaches to tackling them just on the cusp of being explored, any route could have been taken
...
that would have resulted in a decent sequel. Taking a shot in the dark with any one of these ideas should have yielded something worthwhile. But for reasons beyond comprehension, instead of trying to provide a solid answer to its mysteries or even using it to flesh out its world's lore, they threw that all away. And for what you may ask? Well, lolis, forced comedy, talking squirrels, character resets, raging alcoholics and a sleuth of more idiotic plot twists.
Still wondering why and how the Heaven/Hell Gates appeared? Still wondering why they brought on an augmented sky that warped into the new one? Still wondering why contractors and dolls became a product of this? Still wondering why their lives are correlated with fallen stars? Still wondering what the motivation of the syndicate was? Still trying to decipher this show's bullshit?... Well, join the club. In this second season, the writers said "fuck it" once again, as they followed up the events of the first by managing to create something that felt terribly dated from the moment it rolled off the assembly line. It's a husk of the show's former self in every regard. The story, despite being more streamlined this time around, was still very uneventful. All it does was drag us along to a nonsense-filled finale that will likely leave all its mysteries and hackneyed bullshit permanently unanswered. It's the kind of narrative structure when the intent felt like reverse-engineering gone wrong. This is studio Bones after all. A studio that's become infamous for thrusting their own concepts up their asses.
The 1st season of DTB went from passable action romp to inflated pseudo-concepts by the final stretch of it. And as if that wasn't enough, now it felt like the staff gave up on having decent coherency among its pseudo-thematic jargon and settled for whatever came to mind instead. So this time around, even the pseudo-concepts don't make sense. Like a rough draft of a script passed along a circle of "fuck its" and shoulder shrugs, as they rake in the money, tossing what little ideas they had towards the finished product without so much as batting an eye.
Speaking of tossing shit together, the art seemed to have become a victim of complacency as well.
I don't know how this is possible, but with fewer episodes to worry about and more years to perfect the art style, the 2nd season felt like it brought no visual improvements to the table. By a side by side comparison, very little was made better, instead, a 2-year gap in its production cycle seemed to have left it in a state of stagnation. It's like the animator team made it back in '07 and just let it gather up dust until it was time to release it. And when placed against other titles made in the same year, it just pales in comparison. And this isn't to say that studio Bones couldn't do any better. They've already proven that they could improve their visual and animation efforts as time goes on. Just looking at the visual output between Eureka Seven's 1st and 2nd season shows that. So seeing how little they cared about improving their craft for DTB's sequel felt like a cheap blow. It's a mediocre patch-job that doesn't deserve any credit whatsoever.
And while I can't offer it much credit, an aspect of this season that might register with some was the new choice of music.
The great jazz/blues fusion soundtrack of season one took a backseat to a more contemporary House-electronic sound. It's not a bad soundtrack but when compared to the prequel's, it feels out of place. It inadvertently strips the show of its familiar charm and alienates it further from its predecessor. The neo-noir backdrop feels out of place when the smoky croon of a Jazz track is replaced by what's effectively a rave-party anthem. It simply sucks the atmosphere out and replaces it with something more "in the now" as opposed to the timeless feeling. Since musical taste is subjective, I won't harp on it any further and leave you to decide where you stand on it.
But what isn't a decision that needs much debating over was the new cast.
With fewer contractors, more people characters in their place, there's still no decent characterization to be found. They made a big deal about contractors having no irrational emotion in season one but there's very little differentiating them from other people when they all remain one-note. Also, that sense of maturity that the first season carried for its characters was thrown out the window and replaced with bombastically over-the-top eccentricities. This causes a HUGE tonal shift in how the show is presented and perceived. Similarly to what the switch in musical tones did, this too was a decision that watered down the poignancy that occasionally flicked through in season one. Now, everything was glaringly carefree. They even changed the classy cat to a flying squirrel. LIKE SERIOUSLY? FUCK YOU DTB!
The biggest issue comes with Suou, our new protagonist. She takes up more screen time than necessary and is only good for two things: being an inconsistent character that flip-flops from one tonal speed to the other, or loli fanservice. And if that wasn't bad enough, she was degraded to becoming a contrived plot-device halfway through the series.
Hei isn't even the same badass we use to love. The writers added over-bloated angst to his characteristics and made a man who was already lacking in emotional range, to begin with, to be presented as a complete nut job of polarizing extremes. In place of the calm and collected demeanor he once had, we're instead given a raging alcoholic who slaps little girls in his spare time and drinks himself silly when he felt like it. Of course, he still kills contractors like the cool electric Batman we grew to love but his conflicting characteristics with his supposed "emotionless state" makes it harder for anyone to care for him anymore. He simply became a puppet of the poorly written screenplay, being inserted whenever the writers saw fit.
But perhaps the worst replacement was that of the side characters introduced for this season. The cast included a tranny bartender with a lolicon obsessed son, Misaki the walking plot-device, antagonists that border on luny, and a sleuth of people that aren't worth the mention. Needless to say, the cast here was far inferior to the show's previous standards. They served no other purpose than being aggravating tagalongs that no one ever wanted.
And really, this season itself was just that: an aggravating tagalong that we're forced to accept as a continuation. Instead of getting a decent successor, we're instead given a half-baked effort that couldn't stand on its own. Bones dropped the ball in every conceivable level.
Enjoyment: 3/10
Disappointment... I found nothing here but unsubstantial fights and cheap attempts at fanservice. This is NOT how you do a sequel to a neo-noir action romp. It doesn't even work as pure schlock entertainment. Apparently, even Pizza Hut said "oh hell no, fuck that" since they too were nowhere to be found, wanting nothing to do with this uninspired continuation.
Overall: 3/10
There are bad sequels then there's DTB's sequel. A sequel that literally scrubbed the show of its previous identity and STILL didn't answer any questions. As it is now, I can only recommend this to completionists. An underwhelming mess that sullied what little credentials the series was desperately clinging onto.
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: Darker than BLACK 2nd Season, Darker than BLACK Second Season, DTB2
Japanese: DARKER THAN BLACK 流星の双子
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
12
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Oct 9, 2009 to Dec 25, 2009
Premiered:
Fall 2009
Broadcast:
Unknown
Licensors:
Funimation
Studios:
Bones
Source:
Original
Theme:
Super Power
Duration:
24 min. per ep.
Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
Statistics
Ranked:
#22562
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#577
Members:
418,818
Favorites:
1,501
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 75 / 78
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Your Feelings Categories Mar 8, 2015
I had a rather a hard time wrapping my head around the thought process taken up by the scriptwriters of this show. They had an almost infinite pool of ideas to work with, from the origin story and reasoning behind the Hell's Gate manifestation to endless detours that could have been taken up using the Contractors and Dolls as parables for sociological issues plaguing current society; the possibilities were endless. It seemed that with all the mysterious themes being left in a shroud of ambiguity and the multifaceted approaches to tackling them just on the cusp of being explored, any route could have been taken
...
Feb 21, 2010
Somehow the high expectations I had awaiting the sequel to a fantastic series were not fulfilled. Ryuusei No Gemini isn’t exactly a sequel to Kuro no Keiyakusha, but more like a separate arc in itself. It would be unfair to compare both of them as they vary in their style and storyline. For starters, the series are not bi-episodic; instead revolve around a single storyline involving a Eurasian female protagonist. Hei’s involvement through the series although significant, has not really been up to what it ought to be.
Storyline: 7/10 Suou Pavlichenko is a 13 year Eurasian girl whose life suddenly changes on a fateful ... Feb 27, 2010
I am "a bit disappointed" in the rest of the reviews here, namely that so many of them reflect that this season was dreadful, yet hedge that to "being a bit disappointed" with it. This season was balls to the walls, shamelessly awful.
The defining feature of the entire series: how they manage to draw every character with dead eyes throughout the series, yet expect us to enjoy ourselves. The defining scene: horrible side character creation 1, dreadlock kids, sobbing and venting to horrible side character creation 2, his crossdressing dad, culminating in being more likely to make you laugh than cry as he sobs and ... Jan 23, 2010
I'm not really one for writing long reviews of anime I've watched, but I felt that I had to say something about this one.
Darker than BLACK - Kuro no Keiyakusha had a dark storyline and characters with very distinct traits, especially Hei. Darker than BLACK - Ryuusei no Gemini, the sequel seemed to forget these. *Mild Spoilers Ahead* This anime would have been great if it was a stand-alone, but it was unlucky enough to have expectations to live up to its predecessor. The main character, Hei - once a calm, collected, cold-blooded killer now stars as an umkempt drunk who abducts small children and beats them. ... Oct 22, 2009
Oh, Bones, Thank goodness you started DTB in the first place.
THIS IS A REVIEW ON THE FIRST COUPLE EPISODES, AND I WILL UPDATE IT WHEN MORE EPISODES COME OUT. First off, DTB2 is NOT the original DTB. Bones have made some pretty big changes between seasons: setting main cast of characters, story, etc. It's better to look at DTB2 as more of a spin-off of the original DTB: if you liked season 1 because of the idea of the series (contractors et all), then you will most likely enjoy season 2. Now, onto the review: Story It is VERY different from the original DTB. First of all, it ... Jan 23, 2014
Before you read this one, I would let you know that I am just a newbie when it comes to anime and I am not totally good when it comes to anime terms and words. Also I am not a good reviewer like the others in here. But, still I like to write a review for this and I will deliver it in a simple way based on my own opinions.
Whats new in this series? A lot of changes. Yes a lot of changes, that would includes the characters, appearances, mood, settings and the story itself. What word might really fit in this series is the ... Dec 25, 2009
Please note that I just finished watching the last episode minutes ago and I'm kinda trying to sort my thoughts out writing this.
Darker than Black was never known to be the type of anime that explains everything, many things were and are left in the dark adding a whole layer of mystery to this fantastic world. Darker than Black 2 continues in this fashion but with quite a different approach. While the first season was mostly episodic, consisting of various story arcs with two episodes each, the second season is follows a continues storyline that is however developed quite well in my opinion. It might ... Mar 1, 2010
Compared to the first season this is pretty bad. Even though I watched episode after episode hoping for something to happen all I ended up with was frustration.
Kiko in the first season stuck out enough and now there is the cross-dressing father and his idiot son plus strange characters appearing without barely an explanation. Sure DTB is a series where you have to think about the hows and whys but we are still pretty much left without a hint about contractors and dolls. There is a story to it but it feels lacking provably to the way it evolves. There definitely are good parts in it ... Oct 16, 2009
Now finally finished !
Okey then , so after finished this anime that i like soo much its time to say the magic words , was it good or bad? _story_ Story is great , Its the normal bad guy on the run after doing something ''bad''. After he gets involved with this girl that is later showing herself as a very ''special'' girl , and ending up following him on their journy from russia to Tokyo. ... Nov 10, 2009
Did I just give an anime 10/10 yes I did! This anime is SUPERB in varieties of aspects such as story, art, sound, and characters. It really lacks nothing. This anime is action oriented anime and if you are looking for an action oriented anime that has to do with supernaturals and superpower with awesome story-line right now, this anime is just for you. Although, watch the 1st season first!
Dec 29, 2014
If “Darker Than Black” was a band than their follow up album would be considered selling out. “Ryuusei no Gemini” is nothing like the first season coming across as an entirely different anime. It panders to the audience, the action is over the top, the soundtrack is less memorable, and the direction of the entire anime is different. Not all the pieces connect properly, but it is a decent follow up to the first season of “Darker Than Black”. It never reaches the same heights of season one, but it does have its own strength that makes it worth watching including an ending that is
...
Jan 23, 2010
I don't know how anyone could give this season a score of 10. If you saw the first season then I don't know how anyone can say this season was just as good or better than the first one. In my opinion the first one was much better.
The story was decent and even though I do have a few complaints about the story it did keep me mostly interested in what was going to happen next. I wished more things were explained in the story. I mean yeah I did kind of expect some mystery like in the first season but ... Nov 1, 2010
Darker than Black: Gemini of the Meteor
(JAP title: Ryuusei no Gemini) The sequel to one of my all-time favorites… I went in with high expectations and I came out confused. [ 1 MINUTE REVIEW ] This is the highly anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed first season. It does not follow the usual two episode arc style, as in the first season. This is not necessarily a bad thing as it transforms into your more stereotypical shounen anime, which might appeal to many. Sadly, I am not one of them. Due to the complete shift in genre, Darker than Black, Gemini of the Meteor is no longer a ... Dec 26, 2009
This is by far one of the best anime i have ever seen. The twists in the story is enjoyable while still maintaining the viewer's hunger to watch for more. One thing about the Anime is that you can never cease to be amazed how superb the animation was done.
The story takes place after the first season which is more like a continuation of the original series. If you haven't seen season one yet - i strongly suggest you first watch the first season before continuing to read this review. The opening and ending tracks of the anime were also a notable feature in the series ... Nov 14, 2009
Note:
This is a review of the first 5 episodes, I will make the possible changes by the end of the season. I also made it so that this review contains the least amount of spoilers possible. After watching the first 2 episodes I was instantly hooked on Darker than Black. It's totally a great amine, and would probably be up in the top 10 after done airing. If you haven't seen Darker than Black yet then I highly recommend it. I usually watch drama/romance anime but this got me, this got me good. Darker than Black bases off of these special people named contractors, and yes these ... Jun 2, 2013
I was actually pissed off from this sequel to darker than black, after watching the first season and the specials i had high hopes since other two were pretty damn good. The second season made Hei a drunk and a lot less of a badass in my opinion. The story was confusing and boring, it made Mao a freaking squirrel, and brought us Suou, a really annoying girl with a really dumb contractor ability. The only reason i probably finished this anime was b/c it was darker than black and i decided to keep going to see if got any better but it didnt,
...
Dec 5, 2009
This is a continuation of Darker than Black. I'm in love with Darker than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini. Hei and Yin ran away from the Syndicate after finding out they wanted to wipe out all contractors and are in hiding. Yin and Hei were together for about 2 years and then Yin got captured. Hei encounters Suou Pavlichenko the protagonist of the story and protects her because he wants to get to Shion Pavlichenko, her twin brother. Suou soon becomes a contractor. You follow Suou on her transition into being a contractor and how she tries to come to terms on learning her life is
...
Apr 21, 2012
Style - DTB2 has style, this cannot be denied. Even though it had its flaws, animation and art was not one of them. The style is on par with Season 1 and Gaiden. 3 out of 3.
Character - I am not exaggerating when I say that there are no likable characters in Season 2. Hobo Hei? Just a violent drunk child abusing hobo. Suou? A brat. Mao? An annoying squirrel; he barely even features in the story. How did he even survive anyway? He was supposed to have died in Season 1. Yin? Now a suicidal godlike being. I never liked Misaki anyway, she became ... Jul 16, 2016
Darker than Black Genesis of the Meteor
Well, where should I start? I honestly liked Darker than Black since the first episode, I got that vibe of “I'm going to like this” since the first episode and that’s is basically the same feeling I got with this second season. [THIS WILL BE A SPOILERS FREE REVIEW - Only the names of the MC will be named] I’ve seen many people commenting that they hate this season, that is bad, bla bla bla. I tell you what, this season is awesome. Don’t let other people tell you it’s bad because it is not. Yes, this season is different from the ... Feb 27, 2016
This is a spoiler free broad strokes review. Other reviewers have hashed out just how terrible the plot is, this is here to tell you DTB season 2 might as well be called anther show.
Following Darker than Black season 1 my reaction to this show was "what the **** did I just walk into?" The first season of the show established a paranormal world with a gritty undercurrent of syndicates, corporations and political alliances. There were assassins and undercover operations and some wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff. Okay, that's cool. But primarily the first season of the show was SERIOUS. DTB season 2 is NOT ... |