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

[Yu Ominae]

Interesting that half of Sapporo was flooded during the appearance of Hell's Gate and all. It seems smart of Hei and company to hide there since half of the city's people aren't there anymore.

Until the next episode that is.

[wandering-dreamer]

Originally Posted by HailEmperor

No one noticed the bit of subtext with Suou's stomachache/strange feeling, and the whole scene at the bar?

Spoiler for Suou:

Suou had her first period.

When she said to Mao about already being a woman...she literally meant it.

I was wondering about that, I couldn't tell if the bartender was assuming something or if Aunt Flow really had paid a visit.

Oh and Suou and July sleeping in the bed together at the end of the episode was pretty cute. Heck they were doing it in the preview too and it looked even cuter!

[gunrik]

I thought it was over Darker Than Black but the second season is getting very interesting, at least now, can't wait to see next episode.

[Reckoner]

Hei is such a ruthless character. Got to love anti-heroes.

Yeah, I'm starting to think that all the camera angles of the characters are just the perverted animators screwing with us.

EDIT: I don't understand all the complaints about this season not being as dark as last season. Did we not just see Suou's childhood friend get freaking melted into blood by some locus last episode? Did we not see Hei kill off April? Suou's father got tooled by some unknown entity as well? Mr.rock smashed a guy's head in on the pavement?

The carnage has been at the same level, the only difference is that our main character is not as dark as Hei is, but Hei is still around giving drunk hobo daddy beat downs...

[hero147]

I disliked the episode. The grim mood that season 1 held, when it wasn't doing one of its comic relief episodes, is lost in season 2, for me. For this episode, I thought the fanservice, that was also present in the last 2 episodes, was again, unnecessary. Coupled with the fact that Suou's transformation scene makes me want to jab a pen into my eye every time I see it, it makes me very sad about the season in general. Honestly, the writers should've come up with a more practical power if they were going that route.

A smaller problem I had with this episode was Suou becoming a contractor. I had hoped that she would stay human and keep her emotions intact. It's much more interesting to see a girl who develops as a character by her tribulations than a contractor who probably will be stagnant throughout the season.

[Terrestrial Dream]

I really don't think season one was that great, but it was good. I felt that it had potential to be a great series but the show had inconsistent feeling about it and some episodes felt it was out of place. The second season I feel like the theme and the mood are more concrete. I also feel the that the darker and the lighter element are mixed in better. The fan service aspect can they be out of it? Yes. Are they neccessary? No. Do they help with the rating? Yes. And the fan services aren't exactly overly done here so I don't mind it.
This episode I thought it was great and very enjoyable, the comedy aspect was great especially the smile part. Getting to see Suou change is interesting process as well. And this episode does show contractor do have some emotions as shown in the end. So far I am enjoying season 2 more than season 1.

[Strange]

Season one had a lot of light moments as well... most notably any episode featuring Gai, the bumbling detective. You had entire episodes dedicated to humor, especially Gai's investigation into the widow, and then, the OVA episode. As for fanservice, come on, season one had a woman who needed to be completely naked to use her power!

Asides from the magical girl transformation sequences for Suou's rifle summon, I think season two has been consistently dark. You have the cheery stuff in the first episode, then, since then, it's been nothing but death dogging Suou's steps. She's pretty much Hei's captive, and undergoing hellish training while eating spoiled ramen! Her father's dead, her friends are either dead, hunting her or can't remember her, and her brother, if he exists, made her into bait and now summoned her to a country she's never been to. She has no idea what the hell is going on, there are people trying to kill her still, she can't trust anyone she's with, she has no money, and no real idea as to what's going to happen to her, what plans Hei might have for her, and her only goal is to get to Tokyo based on a note left in a book. It's pretty fucking grim, if you ask me.

[arcticphoenix16]

It just feels the whole pink pedal transformation is completely unnecessary. I seriously go WTF every time I see it.

Other than that though, I really like the series. This episode particularly made me lol in several places. Hei is really, really mean to Suou. Yin's departure/death/whateveryouwanttocallit must have devastated Hei, that he refuses to make another connection.

[Joe_fh]

Originally Posted by Strange

Asides from the magical girl transformation sequences for Suou's rifle summon, I think season two has been consistently dark. You have the cheery stuff in the first episode, then, since then, it's been nothing but death dogging Suou's steps. She's pretty much Hei's captive, and undergoing hellish training while eating spoiled ramen! Her father's dead, her friends are either dead, hunting her or can't remember her, and her brother, if he exists, made her into bait and now summoned her to a country she's never been to. She has no idea what the hell is going on, there are people trying to kill her still, she can't trust anyone she's with, she has no money, and no real idea as to what's going to happen to her, what plans Hei might have for her, and her only goal is to get to Tokyo based on a note left in a book. It's pretty fucking grim, if you ask me.

I have to agree 100% with this one. The dark atmosphere this season is "darker" than in the previous one. There are qutie the number of reasons for that and the above post sums them up pretty well. Suou was just a normal girl and in a couple of days her life has been so...ehem....that I have no idea how she's holding up at all (yeah it's an anime..plotlines and all ) She lost absolutely everything she had and now she's in the hands of someone who from her point of view was one of the people who destroyed her happines. Isn't that grim enough?
And Hei's character is darker as well - he was an emotionless "contractor" at the star of the first season but now he's something more (or less - point of view ) He is now a drunk hobo emotionless ex contractor that has lost everything again after geting back some of the happines he lost a long time ago.

Oh and let's not forget the policeman's body parts flying around the previous episode. They were also people you know.

On another note I still haven't watched the episode so no comment on it for now.
Beseides it will be long and borin and no one will read it anyways
Wohoo I was right they went to Sapporo

[Zwei]

Why isn't anyone wondering why the poll isn't open yet?

[miroku2192]

^I agree, it's been bothering me.

I enjoyed the episode though, but i'm not sure if i like the whole Suou is now a contractor thing. I hope she gets some more development + emotion...

[Marisa Kirisame]

I seriously imagine Suou going, "No, Papa, no!" every time Hei slaps her. I wonder do they have AA in Japan.

[Jerseykid]

enjoying watching this but I must say I think they could have thought up something a little cooler for Suou's ability.

[EadTaes]

Nice episode: Bad point we get the mahou shojo rifle summoning scene witch only serves to make me fell sick each time I see that shit.


Now as for Hei being physically abusive with Suou he's doing it because he has to do. They are being chased and he has no time to train her and make mature. Suou might be a contractor and might be thinking logically how ever she is thinking logically at the level of a 13 y.o. kid but she needs to think at an adult level if she wants to survive. So Hei has the triple task of training he body physically to make her stronger, faster and more endurable. As well as teaching her how to fight, he has to teach her martial arts. Plus he has to make her mature up in record time, if she isn't mature enough she won't make it. Also she also needs to improve on the use of her power and aiming, she hasn't yet hit a single target as of now. She fired 6 shots and the only shot that hit anything she intended was the one where she made the fuel train car explode. Now a train car is pretty hard to miss so it doesn't count. So 5 shots directed at targets with 5 misses and no hits. SHE HAS A LONG WAY TO GO and they don't have the time to go that long way. Hei has to rush her and as for that he needs to push her as hard as he can.
Even the slap at the end Hei gave her for using he power without permission has reason to it. And that reason is simple, she can not rely on her power all of the time even if things aren't going her way for doing so might expose her and being exposed as a contractor can be very fatal. It's something Suou has not yet realized.

As for Suou getting her first period is a nice touch of realism. Normally anime will completely skip that part of a girls life as if it does not occur. So I found nice and wonder if this will play a role as plot. Some girls have terrible pains during those periods and Suou might be one of them. Probably leave he vulnerable and Suou might realize some of the things Hei is telling her.

Originally Posted by Marisa Kirisame

I seriously imagine Suou going, "No, Papa, no!" every time Hei slaps her. I wonder do they have AA in Japan.

What's AA??? Child protection?

[blewin]

Funny moment when Hei watched Suou practise dancing...

I don't get why July is with Hei though. Thought they were on different sides originally??

[Strange]

Originally Posted by blewin

Funny moment when Hei watched Suou practise dancing...

I don't get why July is with Hei though. Thought they were on different sides originally??

His team got wiped out, and Hei is his best chance to make it through alive.

[Marisa Kirisame]

Originally Posted by EadTaes

What's AA??? Child protection?

Alcoholics Anonymous

[Canas]

Darker than Black season 2 is my favorite show this season. Suou is my favorite character in the whole series lol. I liked season 1 too a lot, but I like season 2 even more. I know Hei is very rough on her right now and that Suou hates him. But I'm hoping they start caring for one another as the show progresses. Suou is a little too young for Hei, but maybe he'll start caring for her like he did for Yin and his sister Bai. If done right, that would make the show one of my favorite anime series ever.

[McMilk]

My initial thought upon seeing Suou's "transformatioin": OMFGWTFSAILORMOONLOL?!?!
Yeah... I hope they're not going to show that crazy magical thing everytime she takes out the gun... it would get pretty lame (it already is to me). Anyway, overall I enjoyed this episode. July was cool and so was Mao. Oh, and that Okama too

On a side note, I hope Hei will cut his hair and shave soon...

[orion]

Originally Posted by Canas

Darker than Black season 2 is my favorite show this season. Suou is my favorite character in the whole series lol. I liked season 1 too a lot, but I like season 2 even more. I know Hei is very rough on her right now and that Suou hates him. But I'm hoping they start caring for one another as the show progresses. Suou is a little too young for Hei, but maybe he'll start caring for her like he did for Yin and his sister Bai. If done right, that would make the show one of my favorite anime series ever.

Now why should he have caring feelings for the one person who is close enough to slit his throat when he's not looking?

Hei is training Suou for her own survival. Suou needs to see what happens to contractors who are caught so that her attitude changes. Better to be punched in the face and stepped on by Hei then to be pummeled to death by Shizure imo.

Poor kid can't hit the side of a barn and still can't shoot a living thing. She's a lame sniper.

She also can only produce one weapon. Pretty sad use of her ability so far.

Her renumeration may be per round fired. So I guess as long as she stays with the AT rifle, she won't be folding too many cranes.

Hei did sound a little sad when she told him she hated him. Maybe he will relax his training methods a little.