As you might have noticed around the blogosphere, a few of us – prompted by Owen, of course – have decided to begin watching/rewatching Darker than Black, which aired about two years ago. The episodic/editorial crossover going on at CAT should satisfy your needs for an in-depth look at the show’s development and themes, and as the posts continue to spring up from the rest of us, I’m sure you’ll be seeing more than enough ways to look at the same thing.
Therefore, as I started to rewatch the series – quickly discovering that I forgot quite a bit of it – I realized that there was something far simpler that I could be writing about. Yes, it’s technically irrelevant, and it won’t get you any closer to understanding the symbolism and narrative techniques implemented by the director, but it’s something worth taking note of anyway.
Because, six episodes in, there’s already something quite simple that has caught my eye, and it’s making an already good story look all the more appealing. Quite simply, it’s a matter of presentation.
At the risk of sounding redundant, Darker than Black is, obviously, a dark show. It’s not the kind of thing you watch if you’re in the mood for sunny skies and J-pop; it’s meant to force you to the edge of your seat, while keeping your mind spinning the entire time. There’s certainly a story to be told, and if you hope to understand that story, you’re going to have to pay attention – no matter how gruesome or otherwise complicated things may be.
So, for a show with such emphasis on the darker side of sci-fi/psychological, why were the first two episodes actually funny?
Business in the DtB world isn’t always as serious as it appears.
Of course, the comedy was in no way the emphasis – the point of the introductory arc was to establish a few simple facts about the series, and to give the viewer a few subtle clues on what’s to come. That said, however, I couldn’t help but be charmed by the character interactions. Stated in its simplest terms, the characters were entertaining, in the truest sense of the word, and I found myself smirking quite a few times during the episodes – made possible since I already knew how things would play out.
And yes, it’s true that the comedy fades away in the subsequent arcs, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that DtB is an extremely well-presented show – and as you know, there’s far more to presentation than comedy and entertainment.
Right off the bat, the viewer is captured by not only well-written dialogue, but a simple yet effective combination of music and visuals. It doesn’t take long at all for the series to set its tone, and in utilizing the extra focus gained from the rewatch, I was able to take note of the music, and how it works extraordinarily well with the atmosphere. Try listening closely for a moment and you’ll see what I mean: the soft yet steady percussion in the background, occasionally growing to a more furious rhythm; the rising and falling of sustained notes on the string instruments; the modern, upbeat techno and percussive effects that blend with the eerie tone of the other instruments; whatever it is that they do, they do it well, and the fact that the show draws the viewer in right away is a huge part of what makes it so appealing.
This also brings me to what should be a far more obvious point: that the separation of the story into “irrelevant” arcs is an excellent way of developing the plot and background without having to rely on forced conflicts and awkward infodumps.
Episodic anime has been done several times before – often successfully, as far as I remember, though I don’t recall seeing it in a series of this genre. However, forgetting about whether or not the idea is original, it certainly is good. The arcs, separated into two episodes each, assure that the viewer is never bored: each arc has a beginning and an end, a conflict and a solution. Each story is enough to stand on its own, and enough to entertain at face value.
Of course, the secret lies in the fact that while the viewer is engrossed in each immediate arc, other things are going on: new details are revealed about the characters of Hei and Yin, the opposing concepts of the Contractors and Dolls is highlighted, facts about Hell’s Gate and the universe within the story are revealed, and through the use of the characters introduced in each arc, we slowly step closer to the central themes of the story. All of the arcs are interconnected, in a vague, non-specific sense, and the separation of the story into arcs makes for effective exposition and guaranteed entertainment that won’t bog down the viewer with forced depth. The depth exists, certainly, but it works its way subtly into the series, and only reveals itself when it’s ready.
Having said all of that, I do believe that there is more to Darker than Black than meets the eye: and if you want to learn more about that, Owen and Hige have been doing a great job with the daily posts at Cruel Angel Theses. However, I think it should be said that amidst the constant search for depth and meaning, there are a few simple things that make Darker than Black a good, and digestible, show. Be it through music or directing, it’s presented in a way that holds your attention and reveals neither too much nor too little, which is integral in a series that’s all about its story.
~ ETERNAL
つづく
