Darker than BLACK: Ryuusei no Gemini - 04 October 30
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Summary:
Having taken the offer to join Agency No. 3, Misaki has returned to Tokyo and has been assigned the fake identity of Ichinose Yayoi. Her co-workers now include Shizume Genma, Hazuki Mina, and Sawasaki Youko, and she learns about their Hei sighting in Russia. Hei, Suou, July, and Mao meanwhile have arrived in Japan, and Hei reveals that his current client wants him to train Suou up as an agent. First up is some target practice, and Hei wants her to shoot a crane in the nearby water. It reminds Suou of how she had let that deer get away while hunting with her father, but this time she’s able to fire. She doesn’t hit the crane though and after it flies away, she claims that her aim was off. Hei, however, knows that she’s not telling the truth and tells her to lie better. When Suou then turns her rifle towards him, he’s easily able to disarm and defeat her, and he tells her to just follow his instructions. Mao points out that she’s still just a kid, so Hei gives her some money for food and goes off on his own for a while.
Suou, July, and Mao end up in a relatively deserted shopping center, and they pass by a small gang, the leader of which catches Suou’s eye for a moment. She then takes July and Mao to a love hotel so that they’ll have a place to stay, and she tries to ask Mao about Hei and the client. Mao asks her back why she hasn’t run away yet, so Suou asserts that she plans to eventually, but she needs money first. With no other choice, Suou returns to Hei later and gets some close quarters combat training with him. He also has her do some dancing to strengthen the balance of her abdominal muscles, but Suou starts to feel sick because of the bad ramen she had eaten. The gang from before then shows up, so Hei decides to give Suou some hands-on training against them without using her Contractor power. Suou ends up breaking one of the guys’ arms, but the police then arrive, so Hei throws Mao in to distract them. This gives Suou enough time to escape, and she’s further helped by July directing her, but she’s followed by the leader of the gang who has taken a liking to her. He tries to apologize for earlier and introduces himself as Norio, but Suou just wants him to get out of the way and uses her Contractor power to scare him.
Unfortunately, Suou is still feeling rather ill, and she and July are found and taken in by the transvestite that they had met when they first arrived in the area. He gives her some medicine, and by chance, it turns out that his son is Norio, but Norio runs away upon seeing Suou again. It is at this point that Suou realizes why Norio had caught her eye originally: he resembles Nika. When she and July run into Mao again, she explains that Norio was like Nika when Nika confessed to Tanya. What Suou doesn’t understand though is why, when Nika confessed to Tanya, she felt something in her heart, but in this case, she felt nothing. Mao can only tell her that she’ll understand when she becomes a woman. Back at the hotel, Hei slaps her for using her Contractor power, and she later declares that she hates him even though, as a Contractor, she’s supposed to have lost her emotions. She has no choice but to stay with him though because she wants to see Shion again. That same night, after having learned some of what happened in Vladivostok and after having been referred to a Madame Oreille, Misaki heads to the abandoned observatory, and she’s surprised to find the gate unlocked. There, she meets Madame Oreille, and Madame Oreille already knows who Misaki is.
Preview
|
|
|
There wasn’t too much action this episode, but there was plenty of story and character development along with a ton of humor. In fact, the humor was what I loved the most about this episode, with much of it coming from Mao who seems extra cute and funny now that he’s a squirrel. It did occur to me though that he should have just taken over the body of the cat that was chasing him, and in fact that would have made it feel more appropriate to keep calling him Mao. The episode also ended up being a bit raunchier than expected, and I was amused by the scene between Hazuki Mina and Misaki because of the comments about Misaki’s sexual coldness and chastity. I’ll half-jokingly say that maybe it’s a sign that they’re actually planning on something between her and Hei.
Story-wise, it was interesting to see Hei training up Suou, though I was a bit surprised to see her be able to handle those goons with such relative ease so quickly. Even more intriguing is the appearance of Madame Oreille in front of Misaki, which seems to signal the end of her just sitting on the sidelines with Mr. Smith. I’m very curious to see if this leads to Misaki meeting Hei again and what role Madame Oreille (and those creepy twins) will play. They also seem to be developing the Norio/Nika angle for some emotional effect, and I’d venture to guess it’s why Suou is crying in the preview for next episode.
Dicks at 7:13 pm on October 30th, 2009
FIRST
derp
DC at 7:14 pm on October 30th, 2009
Chinese electric batman
Vicis at 7:14 pm on October 30th, 2009
Is it just me or does Hei look more rugged with each episode?
Darklord at 7:17 pm on October 30th, 2009
Oh, man…I’m just expecting the horde of people commenting on the whole Misaki virginity thing as if it was the most interesting thing that happened in the episode.
They’re really going heavy with the fan service in this second season.
Xrtear at 7:35 pm on October 30th, 2009
I hope Yin comes back soon, hopefully next episode(:
CaramelFiend at 7:35 pm on October 30th, 2009
Suou’s painful stomach cramps that distract even a contractor +
The medicine for it including “solid wings that prevent leakage” +
Her response to the woman comment with “I’m already a woman” +
= I’m not sure if that was just a stomach ache….
Nevada-tan at 7:35 pm on October 30th, 2009
D’awww… July forcing a smile like Yin was both cute and creepy at the same time.
AznCoffee at 7:37 pm on October 30th, 2009
Actually, I found that it’s nice how Suou still has her “eye shine” even though she became a contractor. |D
can’t wait for the subs
Anonymous at 7:43 pm on October 30th, 2009
Did Hei just backhand a bitch?
Pikow at 7:48 pm on October 30th, 2009
@CaramelFiend
OHHHHHHHHH! I didn’t get that, even though I did notice the leakage thing and thought that was strange (I thought of a condom, so it didn’t make sense to me) lol… thanks for linking all those dots and pointing it out for me.
Tia at 7:51 pm on October 30th, 2009
I have a feeling that Suou is not actually a contractor but just playing the part of what she thinks a contractor is suppose to act like. I think there are slight hints that she is not a contractor throughout the episode. The scene when she deliberately missed the crane because she couldnt deal with the killing and hei told her to lie better as a contractor. The scene when she only partially folded the crane in the bar. Also, when she declared she hated Hei even though contractors are not suppose to have feelings. I think that shard really did absorb Hei’s powers and magnify them. It just seems odd that her power is connected to that meteor shard penant and they never even acknowledged that there was activation of a new star. I think Suous is assuming that if she plays the part of a contractor she will be stronger plus shes crying in the next episode.
Alec at 8:03 pm on October 30th, 2009
damn……..i cant wait 4 a week……i just wanna watch all eps in a day or 2
blinx01 at 8:03 pm on October 30th, 2009
@ Tia
I thought it was pretty clear anyway that she wasn’t a “true” contractor, but rather that she was granted the powers through the use of that fragment that absorbed Hei’s power, hence why her weapon is “called” forth from it.
Kind of makes it interesting as while she has the contractor traits, she also has her human emotions.
Also kinda funny they forced the smiles ala Yin from season one.
Still missing her charm though. Can’t say I care for July as a character.
Elestia at 8:05 pm on October 30th, 2009
It looks like it indicates that Suou had her first period. :V
remm at 8:10 pm on October 30th, 2009
funny, yes, but out of place in Darker Than Black, I think
BROOKLYN otaku at 8:22 pm on October 30th, 2009
hahaha! these contractors and their smiles, didn’t they do the same thing “forced smile” to whats her face in the first series?
Megaman0 at 8:37 pm on October 30th, 2009
Suou did have her first period and someone posted a good theory on Star Crossed about how Hei’s power transferred to Suou. Since Hei had Bai’s power to change molecules but it manifested in some instant kill power. With Bai it was whatever she did at the lake, with Hei it was electricity and with Suou it’s that big ass rifle. Now Hei isn’t really a contracter and with his power transfered to Suou she might not be one either…
Megas at 8:38 pm on October 30th, 2009
Defeated by ramen. I knew Suou was gonna suck, but defeated by ramen of all things. Hei has his hands full. But he was basically an evil god w/o his powers so he should be find until he gets back to the gate. The only problem is keeping Suou out of shit long enough to do so (impossible). I know Hei’s enjoying this - the two of them together are walking disaster areas.
Michael Chandra at 8:50 pm on October 30th, 2009
Well noticed Caramel, figured myself as well that she had cramps. ^_^ You didn’t mention the “You’ve earned the right to board the Ark” comment though, which also implies she’s a woman now.
I’m not really that surprised if she turns out to be a ‘failed’ contractor, seeing as how BK201 gave her, a human, the powers of a contractor, and we all know what the result was when the previous BK201 gave a human (Hei) powers: A failed contractor.
Exia at 8:57 pm on October 30th, 2009
@ Megaman0
Hei/Pai’s power is the absolute control of electrons, which is the underlying base of matter manipulation. Pai’s favorite usage of the attack was creating electricity, and so when Hei gained her powers he emulated Pai since that was what he remembered most about her power. Hei wasn’t a true contractor because Pai used the matter manipulation to transfer herself “inside Hei”. Seeing as by doing that she enters a death-like state, her remuneration (sleeping) is paid off. So he gained her powers without the price. Now those powers have been transferred to the Meteor Core, which has connected with Suou and have granted her the ability to summon/create an anti-tank rifle. So she isn’t a true contractor as well, and Tia ,up a couple of posts above me, explains why quite well. I would further say that Suou is doing what Hei was doing before, pretending to be contractor-like.