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Darker Than Black: Meteor of the Gemini (TV).


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egoist



Joined: 20 Jun 2008
Posts: 7762
PostPosted: Sun Aug 01, 2010 9:02 pm Reply with quote
With this Gaiden has ended.

I wasn't exactly in the right mood when I decided to watch this, but it was an outstanding experience regardless.

So, Hei didn't want to spoiler[lose anyone important to him again, but between Gaiden and Season 2 he thought he had lost Yin, which caused him to become alcoholic.] Nicely justified, if you ask me.

Not as much action on episode 4, but we had some excellent special effects.

I was paralyzed when I thought Hei had seriously spoiler[damaged Yin when he attacked her by mistake. But the guy who provoked it clearly hadn't intended to kill Yin, since he needed her to change the world.]

So, as expected of Darker Than Black, after all. Always satisfactory, while leaving more questions than answers. Season 3 is bound to be marvelous. If anything, I hope season 3 begins at the same time as the second half of Lost Canvas, but I'd have to be really lucky for that since the former has yet to be confirmed.

My re-watch cycle is pretty messed up. Over the past 6 months I've completed the first season, and just recently the second plus the first episode of Gaiden.
Gaiden is clearly best watched before season 2, and after season 1, of course.
So, I'll give it a few months before going through all of it in the proper order.
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Mister V



Joined: 15 Apr 2009
Posts: 1000
PostPosted: Sun Aug 01, 2010 11:00 pm Reply with quote
Yeah, this was excellent as usual, and quite touching - actually, this Gaiden series was worth the entire Gemini (and the end of the latter still remains unclear).
Season 3 is something that's now on my top waiting list. I guess we can expect it for... Winter at the earliest?
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Kruszer



Joined: 19 Nov 2004
Posts: 7981
Location: Minnesota, USA
PostPosted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 6:32 pm Reply with quote
If at all. I'd certainly like to see more explored in the universe, though. There's still so much left to explore.
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Nerv1



Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 601
PostPosted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 1:39 am Reply with quote
I just finished watching the 4 ova episodes and it does help to clarify some of the questions that pop up in Gemini, spoiler[such as why Hei becomes an alcoholic.] With spoiler[the ending scene of the 4th episode showing Hei gaining some confidence after finding out Yin is alive and deciding to find her, it's pretty safe to assume that he didn't kill Yin in the last episode season 2(as it vaguely suggests?), he most likely saved her from the Izanami possession.]

*I'm actually still watching season 2 but all these past posts prompted me to skip way ahead to see what happens
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Kirkdawg
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Joined: 07 May 2006
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Location: California, USA
PostPosted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 10:55 pm Reply with quote
Well, I can at least appreciate that season 2 gave birth to Gaiden which explains what happened to Yin and Hei quite nicely. I proceeded to watch season 2 again afterwards, and here are the thoughts I came up with after rereading the last few pages of this thread.

spoiler[Contractors are beings that failed to become dolls? I can see the relation, as more contractors than dolls appear to have emotions (which makes them further incomplete), but evolving dolls have emotions? Wait, what? Confused

When Yin halts the awakening and Section 3 captures her at the end of Gaiden, why didn't they just kill her then and there? Save the world a lot of trouble at very little cost. What was the purpose in capturing her as opposed to killing her? ]


Back to season two...spoiler[I'm still dissatisfied. Rewatching it in close proximity as opposed to 1 episode at a time over 3 months didn't really give me any "new" insight. Blonde chick's motives never explained, how july ended up under Hei's wing still doesn't make sense to me (isn't he with the Russian agency?), and the ending still sucks. Why are July and Suou the only ones to be transported to the new Earth? Suou's parents (Shion notably absent) were also copied. I still don't understand what Hei did-he gave Yin the magic touch and something happened. All I got from that is that Yin somehow restored Hei's powers as a contractor. Whoopie. ]

I suppose I'm ranting at this point. The series manages to maintain it's appeal despite the many loopholes there are.
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Nerv1



Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 601
PostPosted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 11:46 pm Reply with quote
It is a pretty vague ending, but the blonde lady's intention is somewhat revealedspoiler[(she wanted to help create that fabricated Earth shown at the end).] The ending is disappointing as it doesn't really explain what happens to Yin and Hei, but does it does seem likely from after watching ova thatspoiler[ Yin is possibly still alive as Hei does not kill her.] But according to this, http://img713.imageshack.us/i/1280438368011.jpg/ there might be a season 3 to wrap up all these loose ends, hopefully.
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Eivion



Joined: 26 Dec 2008
Posts: 569
PostPosted: Sun Aug 22, 2010 1:26 am Reply with quote
Maybe its just me, but I didn't feel that Gaiden added anything at all. What we saw in it was basically covered in Gemini or had enough hints dropped in Gemini to figure out. I think Gemini really does suffer from being only 12 episodes as there really are so many questions left unanswered and characters whose stories and motives you never really get to know. Gaiden kind of went about how I expected with it basically feeling like the first four episodes of what was originally intended to be a 24 episode series with Gemini.
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Dorcas_Aurelia



Joined: 23 Jul 2006
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 22, 2010 11:45 am Reply with quote
Eivion wrote:
Maybe its just me, but I didn't feel that Gaiden added anything at all.

I agree with this. By the end of Gemini, we had pretty much been told what happened to Yin, and it was pretty clear as soon as we saw Hei was separated from Yin why he was a drunken hobo. Seeing the exact process of how that happened didn't provide the kind of understanding and appreciation for the Gemini I hoped it would. For me, I'm still most upset that spoiler[Yin became the villain kind of just because. Gaiden relieved that slightly by making her into kind of a split personality, so the Yin I know and love isn't really evil, but since it's still her corporal body, that only goes so far.]
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Mister V



Joined: 15 Apr 2009
Posts: 1000
PostPosted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 5:49 am Reply with quote
What about the revelations then? About Contractors having children? Them being the "lesser" steps in the evolution of dolls? Yin's evolution? Of course, you could speculate and guess that it would turn out like this, but nothing beats actually seeing it.
Of course, it doesn't answer many questions, but personally, I thought it was great, even if only for giving Hei and Yin more time together.

I'm pretty sure that this is not only a great bridge between seasons, a treat for fans, but also a setup for a proper second season, too.
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Eivion



Joined: 26 Dec 2008
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 8:24 am Reply with quote
Quote:
About Contractors having children? Them being the "lesser" steps in the evolution of dolls?

Interesting, but minor in the grand scheme for now.

Quote:
Yin's evolution?

Was covered in Gemini.

Quote:
Of course, it doesn't answer many questions, but personally

Which is actually one of my problems with the series. Honestly it worked out ok for the first season, but it becomes somewhat obvious with their handling of Gaiden and Gemini that they really don't know everything they want to do with the show and are somewhat making it up as they go along. Even the big story of Gaiden and Gemini sort of felt like an attempt to distract from questions about the Gate. There is just a bit too much raising of questions while answering few of them.

Quote:
I thought it was great, even if only for giving Hei and Yin more time together.

Not really a Yin/Hei fan so that part did little for me.

Quote:
I'm pretty sure that this is not only a great bridge between seasons, a treat for fans, but also a setup for a proper second season, too.

I'm not denying any of that, but I just feel it wasn't necessary in the end since most of the plot points are hinted to or explained in Gemini.
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Mister V



Joined: 15 Apr 2009
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 9:20 am Reply with quote
Eivion wrote:

Was covered in Gemini.

You didn't get to see it. Almost no Yin, at all.

Quote:
Which is actually one of my problems with the series. Honestly it worked out ok for the first season, but it becomes somewhat obvious with their handling of Gaiden and Gemini that they really don't know everything they want to do with the show and are somewhat making it up as they go along. Even the big story of Gaiden and Gemini sort of felt like an attempt to distract from questions about the Gate. There is just a bit too much raising of questions while answering few of them.

Arguable, since no one of us can tell what they're really thinking. Personally, I like the fact that they're leaving so much open for the next season. Yes, most of the show is still not explained, but to me, that's part of the charm, the intrigue. It still manages to keep the balance between explaining, and being mysterious to a certain extent. Now, if they stop at this, or somehow manage to avoid explaining anything in the next one, it will raise eyebrows, but for now, it's quite acceptable.

Quote:
Not really a Yin/Hei fan so that part did little for me.

Considering the Gaiden is (supposed to be) for people who buy the DVDs, - fans of the series, - I'm pretty sure that this relationship makes up for a large part of the series' appeal., and so the Gaiden did fulfil their role admirably.
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Eivion



Joined: 26 Dec 2008
Posts: 569
PostPosted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 10:24 am Reply with quote
Quote:
Arguable, since no one of us can tell what they're really thinking. Personally, I like the fact that they're leaving so much open for the next season. Yes, most of the show is still not explained, but to me, that's part of the charm, the intrigue. It still manages to keep the balance between explaining, and being mysterious to a certain extent. Now, if they stop at this, or somehow manage to avoid explaining anything in the next one, it will raise eyebrows, but for now, it's quite acceptable.

Maybe, but this was also sort of the train of thought people had when the first series ended. I'm not giving up on it or anything yet, but it would have been nice to see more questions answered.

Quote:
Considering the Gaiden is (supposed to be) for people who buy the DVDs, - fans of the series, - I'm pretty sure that this relationship makes up for a large part of the series' appeal., and so the Gaiden did fulfil their role admirably.

I suppose.
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Dorcas_Aurelia



Joined: 23 Jul 2006
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Location: Philly
PostPosted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 11:09 am Reply with quote
Mister V wrote:
Eivion wrote:

[Yin's evolution was] covered in Gemini.

You didn't get to see it. Almost no Yin, at all.

But we knew it had happened, thus, it's not really a revelation. I had been hoping that Gaiden would have provided more of an answer to the why it happened, but from what I could tell, there wasn't a particular stimulus that triggered it.
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Kirkdawg
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Joined: 07 May 2006
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 11:16 am Reply with quote
Dorcas_Aurelia wrote:
I had been hoping that Gaiden would have provided more of an answer to the why it happened, but from what I could tell, there wasn't a particular stimulus that triggered it.

All that sexy time with Hei was the stimulus, come on now Razz
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egoist



Joined: 20 Jun 2008
Posts: 7762
PostPosted: Fri May 10, 2013 9:33 pm Reply with quote
I always disagree with my past self.

Now, this probably won't get any replies, but I was wondering if anyone thought about the science behind this franchise. I currently think of this as black and white, one being a full science fact, where aliens are experimenting with humans (for whatever purpose, not just evil), and the other where this is a natural cause (alien life that does it to live).

This is probably beyond the plot the creator had thought about or else he'd have continued.

I could list facts, but probably won't. One is that whatever this entity is, it's pretty cooperative as seen in the finale of Gaiden.
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