Darker than Black season 2 – ep 12 [FINALE]

Heh, like the season 1 final episode, this is probably one of my longest posts as well. My final impression of this series is noted at the end. =)

Episode 12: “The Ark of Stars” (series finale)

SUMMARY: Suou finds Shion knocked down on the ground in a room inside the Gate. Shion says it’s because he paid the amount necessary for his remuneration, then asks Suou to take him outside because he wants to see the moon. Yin, who’s clad in black, is humming a creepy tune while sitting on a rock in a flowery field, surrounded by a bunch of observation spectres (and contractor spirits?).

Read Full Post »

Darker than Black season 2 – ep 11

Episode 11: ” The Water Bottom is Dry, the Moon is Full…”

SUMMARY: – Underneath the orange moon, we see a bunch of contractors dying, and it looks like Yin’s responsible for it. Hei is cooking a russian dish called pelmeni for the gang, and Suou offers to help. Hei says they’ll operate separately that day since he has to take care of his own problems. Suou says she’ll do the same and asks Hei to promise that he’ll come back, and he agrees.

Read Full Post »

Year-End Babble: 2009 Anime Notables

Here’s the usual “notables” list as the end of 2009 is just around the corner. A little something to look back and mention several anime series that I think are quite noteworthy to share.

Just a heads up, this is a rather subjective list as this was mainly based on my picks among the series I’ve seen which aired from January to December 2009 that I feel are notable.

* List order is chronological based on the season when it started airing (from Winter 2008/2009 to Fall 2009)

Without further ado, on to the list!

Read Full Post »

Darker than Black season 2 – ep 10

Episode 10: “Your Smile on the Street Corner of Lies…”

SUMMARY: Through her cell phone, Kirihara reports to Kobayashi that they blocked all the possible exits at the airport but they’re still unable to find BK-201. Kobayashi says he already escaped via boat. Apparently, Kobayashi has access to a doll network system (like the one that the Astronomy Bureau has). Shizume notes that despite Kobyashi’s access to it, BK-201 still manages to elude the system. Picking up from the last episode, Suou’s mom (Asako) pulled her car over in shock upon hearing that the child with her is Suou. Asako insists that it’s impossible because Suou died in an explosion 8 years ago. A shocked Suou gets out of the car and runs away, with July following suit, although Mao is left behind in the car.

Read Full Post »

Darker than Black season 2 – ep 09

Episode 09: “A Sudden Meeting on a Certain Day…”

SUMMARY: Kirihara listens again to the audio file she obtained from Hourai (see season 1 episode 25) and stumbles upon a hidden message from Amber, stating that whoever’s listening must be connected to Hei somehow, if the past hasn’t changed. July and Suou are on the train and she’s still mulling over Hei’s confusing words and behavior. Kiko and her friend are in the the train too. They think Suou looks like one of the characters from their favorite anime series and Kiko was forced to approach her.

Read Full Post »

Year-end babble: Notable anime OP/ED themes of 2009

My second year-end list of anime OP/ED themes which I thought were worth mentioning. I basically just compiled my seasonal list and re-ranked the songs altogether regardless of the season order (although some got bumped out of the list and some got added in).

*This covers the Winter 2008/2009 season all the way to Fall 2009.*

Please note that this list is pretty much subjective as it’s ranked into “Top 10” according to my preference. From this year on, it will be followed by a list of those that “almost made my Top 10,” and then followed by the usual randomly listed titles as “special mention.”

~ Format :: [Season] – “Song title” by band/artist (OP#/ED# – anime series title)

Read Full Post »

Darker than Black season 2 – ep 08

Episode 08: ” On Summer Days, the Sun Flickers…”

SUMMARY: Flashback: On a summer day, Suou and her friends are in the pool, including Tanya. Suou is having a “who can stay longer under the water” contest with Nika, in which even though Nika won, Sascha declares Suou won (Lol, poor Nika being ganged up on by the girls). Back at present: Kirihara is doing her usual laps in the pool. To her surprise, Madame Oreille is there too. She notes that Kirihara doesn’t look as determined as she was before in searching for leads regarding her investigation. Oreille mentions the “Memory of the Future,” which is the other name for the Mitaka Documents, saying that it could be possible with that to change a memory and wondering whether the one who holds it would be blessed or cursed, adding that there’s said to be a contractor like that too.  Oreille says she is sharing this information to Kirihara as a “thank you” because she was able to obtain some information because of her (see episode 6).

Read Full Post »

Darker than Black season 2 – ep 07

Episode 07: “The Doll Sings to the Dancing Snow…”

SUMMARY: The Russian military bad guys learned that Dr. Pavlichenko set up many escape routes and secret passages around their house, and also tampered with their family registry to hide Shion’s existence, which they think might be related to the doctor’s research. According to the DNA results from the investigation regarding the incident at the Pavlichenko house, it was indeed the doctor’s corpse that they found. However, they find it odd that the memory extracted from the corpse was only a day’s worth. They then receive an intel from their agent that someone who looks like Dr. Pavlichenko was sighted in Japan.

Read Full Post »