Darker Than Black 2nd Season - Episode 04 Discussion / Poll

[forgottendiary]

I think tampons would be more beneficial to Suou. Oh, and more slaps from Hei too.

[orion]

Originally Posted by forgottendiary

I think tampons would be more beneficial to Suou. Oh, and more slaps from Hei too.

You would need a pad either way.

[KaneDragon]

July is cute. He and Suou make a good team. Good to see that they remembered Hei's instructions.


Very creepy. Hei is such a bad father.


He's the goddamn Batman. Of course she is.


I feel bad for the guy who got his arm twisted like that. That was a bit much Suou. Suou seems to be learning kung-fu skills more from just being near Hei than from any of his drunken training/abuse sessions. That's Batman for you.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by KaneDragon

Good to see that they remembered Hei's instructions.

& at the same time being a great nod to the first season.

[Joe_fh]

Originally Posted by orion

Well, it wasn't directed at you personally as more than 1 post said similar things.

That's why ibuprofen exists. If girls are in a lot of pain during menses, they get stronger medication or are put on OCPs/depoprovera etc.. Suou did take 2 tablets and was given a pad during the episode. Besides some girls may experience less cramping with more physical activity.

If anything, her having a menses during this episode doesn't have any value imo.

Well it didn't have a clear meaning that's or shure. I think it wasn't a question about being in pain or anything else. It was her reaction towards it that was interesting. She said it like it was nothing. Shouldn't that be a more sensitive topic for a girl in general?
So that served to show that even if she has the body of a normal 13-year old she is a contractor that isn't concerned about those things at all. If taht even makes any sense.

Indeed you are,risingstar

[yura`]

The LOL scene of the episode had to be July's forced smile. That was utterly hilarious and adorable at the same time.

This episode did feel more fanservice-y than anything else.. although as someone pointed out earlier, the one significant thing we get in terms of plot is at the end - the abandoned observatory. There's so much that's yet to be explained for that interim period between end of season 1 and the start of this new season.

The fangirl in me misses the old clean-shaven Hei

[wandering-dreamer]

Originally Posted by hei

It's about the National Astronomical Observatory. The Observatory now becomes an abandoned place. Misaki already knows it, so it seems to have happened a while ago. Probably it is related to the events during last 2 yeares.

Naturally this will bring a lot of questions and speculations. What happened to the observatory? Who did that? And Why? Then, where are all the dolls including Stargazer-sama gone? Could Stargazer-sama be "that woman"? etc. etc...

I didn't catch that the place Misaki went was the NAO, but wasn't she calling up her friend in the previous episode about Hei's star?

And I've seen some theories that say that Madam Oriellio is actually Brita (the contractor who teleported naked) from the first season but personally I don't think that's it.

[forgottendiary]

Originally Posted by orion

You would need a pad either way.

I just thought she'd be able to move more freely with tampons. Pads are horrendous for sports/physical activities.

[tieria.erde]

wow its the first anime i saw i think which openly showed tampon stories. i felt sorry for her, having her first in this kind of situation and around a drunken hei. it's actually such a sensitive and tough situation for a girl, esp if it's for the first time

hei, im losing patience now. lets be a little less violent now, shall we?

have to say july and suou makes a cute contractor-doll pair

and there's no yin in this episode

WTF with that lesu ninja girl?

[RGB]

Well, this wasn't a very exciting episode. Then again, the gag parts of DtB never appealed to me that much. Suou's character development pretty much saved the day here, though I still have a sneaking suspicion that at least part of it is a red herring. I think that in order to deal with recent events she's going through the motions of what "stereotypical contractors" do, rather than becoming a genuine contractor herself.



Good to see that Hei's pimping hand is in top shape. The man is a genius for switching from dumbbells to bottles of booze. He's lifting weights 24/7 in plain sight and nobody is the wiser.
Of course this training method might have some unfortunate implications for Bai. Cirrhosis of the liver is a terrible welcome-back present. Come to think of it, in the first season Hei was determined to make her obese. Sibling love forever, eh?

Spoiler for Nutty humor:

Physical comedy or bestiality involving minors? You decide!

Screen-cap taken from Random Curiosity.

[orion]

Originally Posted by Joe_fh

Well it didn't have a clear meaning that's or shure. I think it wasn't a question about being in pain or anything else. It was her reaction towards it that was interesting. She said it like it was nothing. Shouldn't that be a more sensitive topic for a girl in general?
So that served to show that even if she has the body of a normal 13-year old she is a contractor that isn't concerned about those things at all. If taht even makes any sense.

Indeed you are,risingstar

Well, it is a cultural thing but for some people it isn't much to celebrate. See other post on topic. Sensitivity depends on the individual but she is talking to her pet flying squirrel. The squirrel has prob heard a lot of stuff before Mao took it over.

Originally Posted by tieria.erde

WTF with that lesu ninja girl?

Guys being that aggressive towards women rarely spark a comment. It's about time for equal time imo.

I'm betting that Shizure is bi.

[SuperKnuckles]

I actually wouldn't mind if DtB became a comedy series. Even when it gets 'serious', it's just so ridiculous I can't help but laugh. And Suou with her magical-girl sniper-rifle.... And the double-kiss-threat from the agents.

[hephalonia]

...what's the point with her having that giant sniper rife if she can't even bring herself to shoot a bird? Will she keep aiming a few inches next to people and hope they faint for no reason? Disappointing if that keeps up, I want some bloodshed. ^^ Though I suppose there are bigger plans for the semi-fake contractor, considering all the "The end is near!" comments when she awakened.

[Solafighter]

To bad. I was hoping, Mao would switch into the cat, when he met it.

But he only ran away.

It may be that its tactic to be the flying squirrel but he is more suitable as a cat.

I realy missed Hei's voice, he uses for those, who doesnt know his true idendity. And dammit Hei, when will you shave and cut your hair....

[hei]

Originally Posted by wandering-dreamer

I didn't catch that the place Misaki went was the NAO, but wasn't she calling up her friend in the previous episode about Hei's star?

Yes, you are right. Kanami (it's her name) had worked for the NAO in the S1 and Misaki called her in the ep 3. In the conversation in the ep 3, I had an impression that Kanami is not interested in the star story anymore and probably found a new job. (she said, "Sorry, I am busy here, too.")

[Kaoru Chujo]

1. Although I accept the dramatic function of Hei slapping Suou around, I don't have to like it, per se. And I do think her being a girl is totally relevant. The fact that (a) Norio has fallen for her at sight, and (b) she just had her first period, are there precisely to make us remember that she is a girl. For now. It makes some romantic drama possible. And also is a nice fulcrum for her emotional development.

2. I loved the way she was animated slipping between the other two guys to get to poor fatty.

3. Her menstrual pain had a dramatic role, since it was a stab of pain that distracted her enough for the guy to hit her.

4. Her big rifle is a bit weird right now, when she doesn't seem to want to or be able to hit anything. But deadly aim will be another stage in her development.

5. I found the humor in this episode funnier and more effective than the "humor" of detective and assistant in season one, which I'm rewatching.

6. Isn't Hanazawa Kana doing great? The character design and animation of the character are strong, too.

[orion]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

3. Her menstrual pain had a dramatic role, since it was a stab of pain that distracted her enough for the guy to hit her.

If it's a life and death situation, you fight thru the pain. (If she had gotten shot or stabbed, it would be a similar thing. You fight thru the pain and escape.) This particular situation was going to escalate into a gang rape probably imo. Female soldiers do not get any leeway and neither should Suou.

This kind of thinking ("Poor girl, she's fighting and having menstrual cramps. Let's give her some sympathy.") sets equal rights for women back 50 years imo.

[Bombo]

I'm pissed about yin..i can't belive she's dead from second episode

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by orion

If it's a life and death situation, you fight thru the pain. (If she had gotten shot or stabbed, it would be a similar thing. You fight thru the pain and escape.) This particular situation was going to escalate into a gang rape probably imo. Female soldiers do not get any leeway and neither should Suou.
This kind of thinking ("Poor girl, she's fighting and having menstrual cramps. Let's give her some sympathy.") sets equal rights for women back 50 years imo.

I'm not talking about what "should" be, or about a "female soldier." I'm just talking about what was shown: a 13-year-old girl suddenly finding herself fighting for the first time, getting a pain she didn't expect, which distracted her for an instant. I'm not saying what should or shouldn't be, just what was shown on the screen.

[Poetic Justice]

I hope Hei remains a filthy drunk hobo throughout the series, it gives him an old wise guy kinda vibe.