So ends the anticipated second season of Darker than Black, at 12 episodes. The series was really good, though it wasn’t what I had initially thought it would be (early promotional art/summaries made it seem like Hei and Yin would be the main protagonists). And like the first season, I’m having some trouble figuring out the ending…
I felt episode 12 ended very abruptly, but maybe that’s just because I didn’t understand everything. I’m really bad with following politics-heavy anime, where you have to keep track of different factions, who’s part of which faction, what the many acronyms stand for, what each faction’s goal is, etc,.
I think I at least understood the conflict involving the new characters, Shion and Suou. Shion’s main goal was to use his contractor copy ability to the fullest and, with the help of the Doll and ME Systems, create an artificial Earth. His father was helping him, and the reason they faked their deaths was in order for Suou to go off on her own and see if her artificial memories would last. In the end, when Izanami kills Suou and July, Shion uses the last of his powers to transport them to his artificial Earth, where they can live as normal human beings without any memory of their previous life.
The main thing I don’t understand in Darker than Black 2 is the conflict with Hei and Yin. In the first season, Yin was a Doll, but suddenly, in the second season, she’s dubbed “Izanami” and has this power to kill contractors. I’m not clear why/how she was killing contractors, what happened between her and Hei, whether she part of Shion’s plan, and who/what Izanagi was (Apparently there are upcoming DVD-only episodes that may explain some of these things).
I also don’t know what that Yin lookalike in the coffin was.
As far as a conclusion for the series, as I stated above, we know what happens to Suou and July, and Misaki’s group seems to be continuing their work (is Mao now their partner?) But in final scene, we see Hei, carrying Yin (I think), walking off into the distance. Seems Hei is still very much alive, but as for what he and Yin are going to do from here on is left up to our interpretation…or perhaps a third season?
Even though some of it left me a bit confused, I thoroughly enjoyed Darker than Black’s second season. Like the first season it had good animation, suspenseful action, solid characters, and an intricate, sci-fi-laden plot. If anybody can help me out with my above questions about the series, I’d appreciate it =)
Credit for screencaps goes to Random Curiosity.
Awesome review Yumeka!!!
I’ve watched the season finale too and I agree that it ended quite soon. Now we’re all left with more questions than answers. I mean, did Hei REALLY kill Yin? (Hopefully NO) Who’s the Yin-look-a-like? and What happened to Hazuki?
=The first question really MUST be answered ‘coz a lot of fans are confused w/ HOW that can even happen. Did Hei get his powers back and used it against Yin?
=The second question is quite the enigma since apparently Yin (boy version) has the ability to rip the spectre (souls) of normal human beings like Mr. Smith.
=The third question is a personal one since I’m also a fan of Hazuki-kun… seeing as how Genma got what was coming to him, I can only assume that she might make an appearance on the next season…
=As for Suou, her ending is bittersweet ‘coz she got the normal life she deserved but lost the man she loved. But at least July is happy (finally)…:)
=Overall, the DTB 2 ending is begging for a Season 3… since the upcoming OVA would only show how Hei and Yin lived and got separated… HeiXYin forever!!!
@ Akura
Yeah, I’m wondering if Yin is really dead or not. The series was ambiguous about a lot of things, especially Yin. Hopefully the DVD episodes and/or a season 3 will clear things up.
I really thought it was a giant reset button that in many ways made it possible for them to possibly continue the series (thought it would be in a very strange fashion, imo). Oh and the doll that looks like Yin is suppose to be the new Izanami/whatever… all part of the reset :P
@ Paranoia675
Well, it definitely was a reset ending for Suou and July (but in their case, their world gets reset for the better). For Hei, it ended the same as the first season – he has this big adventure, then runs off with Yin and no one knows where he is…until next season! So for him and perhaps the other characters, it was more of a return to the status quo.
So that Doll is the next Izanami? I’m still trying to figure out what Izanami and Izanagi are.
i hope there will be a third season..i REALLY hope so…
there are still plenty of questions left to be answered especially about Yin…
if it ends like this,then it will make me hate Darker Than Black mangaka really much…
~ReaLLy LoVes YIN~
i also hope that Yin is still alive and the she will become the main character in season 3. Through out the series Yin does not has much screen time than other character, she deserves more than that.
Despite being only a supporting character she still has awesome number of fans and that will be the main reason why BONES should focuses more on if there is S3 (which is likely to happen IMHO).
I just want more of Yin x Hei..==
Hey there, I occasionally found this here and I really wanted to give my points of view to this fairly… interesting ending :P
About the Izanagi/Izanami-theme:
I think those were just code-names made up by Amber in those Memories of the Future; that if those two meet, the world will drastically change.
Yin was said to be Izanami fairly early into the show, but until the final episode everyone thought that Hei was the Izanagi foretold by Amber. But yea, as it turned it, t’was Shion, in fact, which added to the “Oh noez!” effect :D
Who wants to know what their meaning is, just need to ask Wikipedia.
Mysteries about Yin:
Well, those are quite complicated. First of all, we don’t know why and how exactly Yin is able to control the powers of the contractors, forcing them to kill themselves. But it was said to be the “evolution of dolls” in the series, so it might mean, that if a doll opens their heart to a person, their powers also dramatically increase (like how July was right in the middle of this evolution by beginning to make his very own decisions). Yin happened to change since the first season and this looks like the outcome of this metamorphosis. The first OVA at least hints into this direction, tho I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it^^
How they got separated will be shown in the other OVA’s
About the boy-girl-Yin-lookalike-thing:
Who knows? Looks like a possibly new incarnation of Yin, after her (apparent) death.
Since this ending begs for a third season, we might have to wait a long, long time, till we get to know more
So long, just my two cents
Cya
p.s.: Hei is such a womanizer :D
The Yin lookalike is Izanagi’s child, Kagutsuchi. Apparantly, it’s also Izanagi’s child.. ehem. Izanagi kills Izanami and Kagutsuchi.. I don’t know why.
And by child, I meant son :)
@ BubblDee
Thanks for the info. I think the OVA should answer my questions. Just have to wait until it finishes =)
Just finished watching the second series (did it all in two days). They boy at the end from the coffin, is hei/yins son. Amber tells cop girl (rubish with names) that yins pregnancy is drawing near (or something along those lines).
Havent watched the OVA’s yet so may be explained in there..
fantastic series, feel a bit love sick now.
my site http://www.liveanime.org :D
I believe that Hei really was Izanagi, not Shion like everyone seemed to believe, and the boy version of Yin is their son.
As far as the crazy “code names” that they gave to Yin and Hei/Shion are gods from Japanese mythology. Izanami (who dies in childbirth) is the goddess of creation and death, and Izanagi is her husband. Kagutsuchi is their son (who burns Izanami which is why she dies) and he is the boy version of Yin at the end. His birth signifies the end of creation and the beginning of death. So, it seems the DTB is following the mythology.
Hopefully there is a season 3 or perhaps movie/more OVAs to explain what happened after the end of season 2.
i really looove darker than black, i dont quite get the whole 2nd season and some of the OVAs tho i REALLY! enjoyed watching it. I (and a lot of others im guessing) want a 3rd season to come out ASAP!! because it cant just end there with hei carring yin to who knows where, theirs still heeeeeeeps of explaning to be done about yin (especially), hei, amber, that yin lookalike along with Izanami and Izanagi!…
all and all i thinks its the BEST!! anime i have ever watched!! hope to see more of it (a second season!! ^_^ ) HeixYin FOREVER!!!!! ^_^
How do we know that the boy version of Yin at the end is Hei and Yin’s son?
What happened to Mao?
I dont think Hei kills Yin but he probably did something with his power, something about being able to change molecules at a quantum level. I reckon he gets his powers back when Suou’s meteor fragment breaks coz when we see Hei get zapped in that technicolour ball thing stuff flows into Suou’s pendant. BK-201′s star starts shining once it breaks.
I think July keeps his memory otherwise he wouldnt have recognised Suou in Shion’s world, and Suou has her memory reset because her memories were only being retained through her pendant.
In terms of Yin suddenly becoming a contracter killer, Im not too sure on the whole izanagi izanami thing but a lot of characters keep mentioning Doll evolution. I think their evolution is finding emotions and thinking for themselves, but Yins transformation probably had something to do with Hei’s power, or at least something happened in the Gate first season, especially since Yin has a dream about something holding her hand in the 2nd OVA episode.
I hope theres a 3rd season, although there’s not a lot they can work with really IMO. The events and things they said in the last ep sounded very final, and like everything had been dealt with. im not too sure >_>
I totally agree with Yumeka.I was left with the same opinion after i finished watching the anime….Thought,there are 4 episodes that you mustn’t have seen and that’s why you don’t understand what happened to Yin.The 4 episodes i am talking about can be found on animefreak.tv What you’re looking for is Darker than Black: Kuro no Keiyakusha Gaiden.After seeing it you’ll understand what happened to Yin.Basically those 4 episodes is the plot between Darker than Black 1 and Darker than Black:Gemini of the Meteor (2nd season).By the way,the anime continuous on manga series tho i haven’t read it yet xD
WHAT ! is there a maga that countinus after the secound season ?
I have finished watching the 2 seasons and the OVA’s, and here is the conclusion I came up with:
In the last episode of the OVA, I think that the one talking to her is Shion. He made a deal with her, saying he would grant her wish (I don’t think we are supposed to know what the wish is). In the last episode of the second season, when Shion is about to die and Suou is holding him, he says *I’ve made the deal.* and then dies. We still don’t know what that deal between Yin and Shion was, but I guess it has something to do with Hei and her (like staying with him forever?).
Also, I do believe that Hei sealed his power into Suou’s meteor fragment when he was trapped in the anti-contractor weapon and regained them when Yin broke the meteor fragment at the end. This makes me believe that Izanagi is not Hei, but Hei’s powers, since we get told that Izanami and Izanagi met when Suon meets Yin. The boy who awakens in the coffin would be as the Mitaka Documents predicted, the beginning of the end for humanity. Imo that would make sense since Izanami and Izanagi actually met. The only thing that would still be unclear to me in this series is what Yin’s wish and her and Shion’s deal are, and how these would affect the future, or perhaps how they affected what happens within the gate.
Well after reading all these posts I still believe everyone loves DTB because of HEI and YIN. Yes all the rest is cool and nice but everyone wants to see HEI and YIN either become hot and heavy or kill them off ….. lol. We need a conclusion that we can yell or be happy about. That is what made the DTB series so great …. all of it. It was Hei evolution/growth in series 1 to see him grow and understand his emotions and feelings. And not only does his feelings grow so much they even influence Yin so much that she awakens as well. Then Hei inevitable crash as he loses Yin. We all watched season 2 hoping to get the answers from that. Yes season 2 was nice but we are still left with that unsatisfied what happened between Yin adn Hei. Come on guys I need to know………. :-p
Was a great series but I agree if it ends like this …… I will be hella dissappointed.
I kinda got this. I also watched the OVAs and heres what I think.
Yin is the fastest evolving Doll by the end of DtB1. During the OVAs, she becomes Izanami (Shion is Izanagi). She has the power to use contractors powers against them. The black clad Yin is Yins spector in physical form and is the Izanami part of her. The white clad Yin is Yin, still with her feelings for Hei.
Amber had predicted many years before (hence the flashbacks and the side plot with the police) that if Izanami and Izanagi ever met, it would be the end of contractors as Yin would end up possessing the ability to do stuff to do with matter replication combined with her ability to kill contractors (ie, recreate the anit-gate particles Hei made not exist in series 1). However, Shion knew this and created the fake world to give everyone that died a second chance as humans.
This is the most complex part. Shions plan was not completed, becuse at the point that Yin was about to kill Hei, the point at which she was about to destroy the gate, her old self took over, and asked hei to kill her. Hei obviously did something (either killed her, or I think realtered her spectre using Pai’s abilities) and saved the gate. This imballence caused a 3rd gate to open in russia, which is where Hei is headed. The last glance of Hei you get is his star. This is the interesting part. Before it was red, the red star of a failed contractor (last seen with Havok =D ) but in the last episode, it is once again blue. His powers are back. The black reaper is back!! And he is going to russia, to do something with the gate. Mao is on his side obviously, and will rejoin him, probably in cat from again. He likes cats.
So in short, yin was prophisied to destroy the contractors and dolls, and Shion to save them. Things went wrong and Shion was killed. But Hei saved the day with his feelings towards Yin, and hers towards him.
Suou was just an angle. If you look closly at series 1, Hei is the main, but not the focus character. It was mainly the Chief and occasionaly the detective or another character. Rairly did the script follow Hei and Hei only. Sad about her, but leads to some new questions. Is there a market for human like Dolls? Ones with real memories and spirits? It appears there is…
excellent interpretation
alright I believe I am the first to say that I somehow disliked this season… principally because Yin wasn’t there nearly the whole time… yeah and then this supercute Suou-girl.. whatever. The final episode left me behind with a bad feeling in my stomach and of course with lots of questions.
Right here i want to thank you ,Alex Howard, because what you said seems to make sense, so I think I nearly got it now :)
but seriously guys….I do not want a third season -__- it would only have another sad or confusing ending… or there would be different characters we all never saw before and Hei and Yin and Mao and the other important guys don’t appear and the only familiar face will be the one of Guy Kurasawa °_°…..OH NOES!!!!! ^^
I really liked that Anime….but I can’t say that I liked the 2nd season.
Well Its was a great series but comon doesnt it feel like….BAM! eat dis suckas
ARE YOU DEPRESSED YET? good….Hei is alone…Yins possibly dead….we wont explain anything…..The 2 semi-main characters(July n Suou)that we made you get attached to and love are now gone forever on a cloned world where no one is original execpt july and suou…well in her own way shes original……….oh and they are never comin back………..happy? good cause we wouldnt want you to be…… ]:(
Oh and im just sayin i hate it wen they get rid of old chacarters and replace em….it was bad enough wen mao(almost died but lived :D yay!)and huang died…..NOW WE WONT SEE THE CHARACTERS WE LOVED GO….AGAIN!! and yes she is in a perfect world for her but were her memories erased? seems kinda lame since she didnt want to forget hei……i kno july kept his memories though……even if they do make season 3 it will feel like your missing somthin……CHECK LIST:Hei,Yin(Dead or Alive),cute red headed girl and british doll……hm? i coulda sworn they were here somwhere……anyways….mao,huang…oh hes gone too….well…….None existent story….OH NO! hes gone too!! thats 4 things missing! well at least we have the Black Haired Lesbian Ninja Chick…….oh is she dead too?…….wow…um….this is depressing……………………See what i mean guys/girls?!?!?! its just not the same….
Hei and Yin met, if he didn’t kill her, where is this giant calamitous ending that they all were so scared about? I want a 3rd season to clear my confusion :<
just to clear things up yin is dead. remember when it shows hei’s arm on yin, he was stabbing her and he was carring her most likely to bury her. and for the lookalike its her child, remember about those notes metioned about her being pregnet. also the reason hei lost his powers is because the machine is suppose to kill contracters, remember he got his powers when his sister fused with him. The machine did it was supposed to do, it killed his sister and that ended his powers.
but heis star came back when the meteor thing was destroyed.
I haven’t seen the OVAs yet… but is it possible the male Yin look-alike at the end of season 2 is a copy that was created by Shion?
A white Yin and a black Yin. Yin and Yang? …to hold the balance in this world…so much to interprate to…
If everyone watched the 4 ovas after s1 you would understand what happened to yin and hei and how they got so close,maybe even why he had to kill her.
In the last episode of Darker Than Black 2, Hei finds Yin’s “body” in that container. The man he is with tells him that her body is just a shell, because her “spirit” (or whatever) is elsewhere.
When Hei finds Yin’s “spirit,” there are of course two of her (black and white clothes).
When he is seen walking off with her, it is her “spirit” that he is carrying, because her body is still back in that room.
What makes the most sense is that Hei somehow wished for the two Yins to be separated, and he is now carrying the spirit of the Yin he knows back to her body.
(Essentially, he plans to place Yin’s spirit back into her body.)
This makes the most sense because a Yin-look-a-like (in the coffin) steals the “souls” (or whatever they are) from the military men and then wakes up.
This Yin-look-a-like has a body and has the “evil” powers of the black-clothed Yin (at the very least, this Yin-look-a-like has the evil intentions of the black-clothed Yin, since she steals those souls).
I’m pretty confident this is what is occurring in the ending of Darker Than Black 2.
If you agree, you should probably include this answer as part of your post above because otherwise it is unlikely to get seen at the bottom of these comments (and the overall goal should be to answer the question of what happens at the end of Darker Than Black 2 in order to satisfy your readers).
I really hope this helps!
Oh, this of course would mean that Hei did not kill Yin. Instead, he is taking her “spirit” back to her “body.”
Oh, yes! I couldn’t agree more.
I really don’t think Hei killed Yin since the bad part Yin is probably inside the male Yin look-alike: and the the end of the world thing is yet to come.
if he did killed Yin then everything that amber predicted or said would have been an error. couse the boy woke up, possibly with the dark yin inside her.
Hei will probably found another way to save Yin couse of the promise he made about being together, (“its true that he promise this to a lot of people and that he is not a man known to keep his word”) but also he is known to go against what everybody says and do what he things is right and find another way to finish the job.
Only question i can get is who is that yellow spectrum in Yin dream and in the last episode of the OVA… And why is he inside yin… “i want to think he is the black yim but its hard to believe couse he looks like a good boy giving people wishies, to yin and
to shion.”
Reading all this made me no want to kill my self lol…
and R3VOLV3R@ made me lough