Darker than Black ep.23

September 30, 2007 | 5 Comments

Yeah, I'm crawling to the finish line. I think my problem is not so much with the actual series but finding the motivation to watch it. This episode seems to be the 'calm before the storm' kind of episode. I really enjoyed the simple and almost slice-of-life style of the 2/3 of the episode. The last 1/3 of the episode is also exciting because the series is finally heading towards the final confrontation. What I fear seems to be happening though. The series does not bother to give more information about the Organization. It simply states that just like any other organizations, it uses people like chess pieces. I guess it makes them more mysterious but at the same time, it makes me wonder why the Organization was conceived in the first place. Also, how did they get so much power to the point that they can override authorities and government.

The episode begins with a flashback showing Hei defeating a Contractor by strangling the guy. Hei then finds his sister, Bai, standing in a lake surrounded by dead bodies. In the present time, Gai gets a client who wants him to help her son's homework by asking people about their memory of the old starry sky. This reminds Kiko that there is a rumor that one can see a star from the past tonight. Although Gai refuses to take the case, Kiko decides to accept it after hearing the amount of money that the client offers. Meanwhile, Misaki points out to his boss, Hourai, that she thinks Pandora is more than just a research company but Hourai refuses to pursue this case. At the same time, Huang informs Yin and Mao that no one could enter the South American region after Heaven's gate disappearance. He also tells them that Hei was feared as the Black Shinigami although he's not even Contractor. The only one more terrifying than him is his sister, Bai.

Hei himself is still reminiscing the past, remembering the time when he watches over Bai as his sister is asleep. Amber who sees the two comments about how Bai is still paying her price and how the two spent so much time together that they look like lovers. Eww. In the present, Eric Nishijima informs someone that the light which Hei emitted is similar to the one which showed up back when South American gate disappeared. Huang also arrives at the same conclusion and in the process realises something else. That something else is Eric Nishijima ordering the elimination of BK-201 and his unit. While this happens, Gai and Kiko are asking people around the city about the old starry sky and get typically sentimental responses from some unexpected people. Elsewhere in the city, Misaki finds out that her two subordinates, Saitou and Kouno, have been following her but when she asks who ordered them, they refused to tell anything.

Frustrated with this development, Misaki decides to visit the place where November 11 died and ended up seeing Hei. Hei is surprised when Misaki calls him Li and asks him if he's hungry. The two end up going to a Yakiniku restaurant, where Misaki admits that Hei reminded her of someone she knows. Hei realises that Misaki knows his identity but the two decide to relax around each other after Misaki laughs over seeing a piece of rice on his cheek. Later on, the two meet Gai and Kiko and have a little chat with the duo before heading to a baseball practice arena. When Misaki asks Hei if he likes the city, Hei points out that he feels that he does not belong in this place. Hei also admits that he lost his sister but feels relieved for some reason. As for the star which is rumored to appear tonight, Misaki thinks no one believes in the rumor. Despite this, everyone in the city turns off the light and look up to the sky when it's near midnight.

When Misaki gets a phone call, the two decide to part ways. After Misaki left, Hei remembers how after he found Bai, she fell unconscious and he put his hand around her neck, looking as if he's going to strangle her. He, however, stopped when Amber appeared. In the present time, Hei is on his way to his apartment when Mao appears to warn him not to go back home. Huang then comes around the corner in a car which suffers from some bullet damage. He tells Hei to get into the car because the Organization has decided to waste them. Before they can do so, a Contractor tries to pin them to the ground using his gravity power. He, however, is eliminated by Wei, who invites Hei to meet Amber. Meanwhile, Misaki gets a phone call from her father asking her to leave the city. She quicky realises that the South American incident will happen again. The episode ends with both Eric Nishijima and Amber starting their separate mission involving the gate.

Impression:

There is a nice and calm feeling about this episode. It feels as if everyone is on the mood to reminisce about the good old time. They anticipate this star to show up even though it didn't come out in the end. The rain was probably a blessing in disguise though. This way people can claim that the reason the star didn't show up is because of rain as opposed to because there's no real star anymore. Moving along, Hei and Misaki's interaction in this episode was nicely done. They clearly need someone to talk to and they ended up confessing to each other. The timing couldn't be more perfect either. With Misaki feeling disillusioned with her workplace, she has seem to let go of her obsession to chase after BK-201. The real focus of this episode is Hei's relationship with Bai though, which seem to be very close but also full of discontentment. I suspect Hei tried to kill her while she's asleep so he can stop worrying that she might kill other people in the future. Last but not least, it was nice to see Hei and his team work together like a team. I wish they had work like this right from the start, it would have made more impact if something happens to them in the finale.

© memento 2003