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It’s interesting how Darker than Black never explained what has ’sealed’ the Earth’s sky, caused Hell and Heaven’s Gate to appear and triggered the world’s first generation of contractors; and quite frankly, if it turns out to be aliens from the Moon, I’d rather not know, but my point is, ambiguity is exciting, and yet like everyone else watching Ryuusei no Gemini, I was confused by its last episode, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing either.
Immediately after seeing it, for the first time in years, I went looking for interpretations on every forum and blog I could find. Did the lack of a ‘conventional’ end ruin the series, or merely add to its mystique? Does the ambiguity equate to bad writing, or is it intentional?
Much of this disappointment stems from thinking of Ryuusei no Gemini as Hei and Yin’s story, when it is actually Suou’s instead; we conclude with her journey finished, while Hei and Yin’s continues, but off-screen. Sadly, it is as much Suou’s story as her tragedy.
People don’t get off lightly in Darker than Black, and despite the superficial reset, the likable Suou we’ve come to know clearly dies when her memories slip away with her tears. It’s a bleak moment, and unfair given the trauma she has struggled against, but I wouldn’t change it either. It’s exciting that this a story unafraid of taking darker twists, yet it’s just so… sad, too.
I liked Ryuusei no Gemini. I just wanted to put out there. I liked that it began in the autumn forests of Russia, with Hei all messed up and Yin as the enemy, just as I liked that Suou’s contract was specifically to conjure a huge rifle out of her chest in such amusingly traditional magical girl style. I really liked the soundtrack too, and even preferred it to the first season’s; Yasushi Ishii is the man responsible, and apparently one of the few able to better Yoko Kanno.
So, despite the questions raised by its finale, I found the sheer, chaotic scale of Ryuusei no Gemini was thrilling and evocative. I really hope this isn’t the end for Darker than Black, not to sate a desire for answers, but because it has given birth to a fascinating world with mythology and mystery enough to last forever.
MushroomSamba
/ January 10, 2010Maybe I wasn’t paying enough attention, but there was a lot to the ending that didn’t make much sense to me. It felt extremely rushed compared to the rest of the series’ pacing, and it didn’t help that they tried to cram in unnecessary stuff either (like the Magician coming back for no apparent reason). It’s one thing to try and be thought-provoking and mysterious, but it’s another to be ambiguous due to poor writing. I know a few will disagree with me on that, and maybe it’s my own damn fault for not being astute enough, but that’s the impression I came away with.
Aside from that ending though, I absolutely dug the sequel. It was a risky gamble with all the drastic changes they made from season one (in fact, it hardly felt like I was watching the same show at all), but boy did it pay off. I’m a lot more forgiving of the ending now that I heard there’s an OVA and a possible season 3 to further flesh things out, but I really wish we got a better conclusion than that jumbled mess.
bateszi
/ January 11, 2010Out of interest, what didn’t make sense for you? I must admit when I went through the last episode for the first time, I embarrassingly totally missed the whole “other Earth” thing and only on reading a few episode summaries and then watching again did I notice that the thing in the sky was another Earth (and not a fake Moon, like I first thought!) Also, I totally missed the significance of the Izanagi and Izanami myth.
The Yin and Hei stuff made more sense (as long as you aren’t looking for a detailed scientific explanation!) I think it’s very much a Ghost in the Shell ending, in that the kid we see waking up at the end is a combination of both Yin and Shion; a new lifeform; exactly what caused Yin to ‘go postal’ in the first place is probably going to be the subject of the OVA series.
One of the things I really like about Darker than Black is that so much of it is mysterious/ambiguous; I like that we still don’t know why Hell’s Gate is important, or why the Meteor Shard seems to hold a strange power. It’s an interesting way of approaching a genre usually bogged down in complicated exposition and ludicrous explanations.
Ivy
/ January 10, 2010Omg I need to catch up with all the shows airing! I have this immense backlog and it doesn’t want to go away! This is exhausting. Anyways I need to watch this, will probably be the first shows I watch since my last show (the terrible umi monogatari). There is this level of polish and dynamism found in Bones show I can’t explain…it just looks so kinetic! And an OST surpassing the godly Yoko Kanno consider my interest peaked. Even with a measly one cour Darker than Black can probably create an interesting narrative, hope this isn’t the end though.
bateszi
/ January 11, 2010I’m in the same situation, Ivy. Last year I basically just stopped watching a lot of newer anime and went more into some older stuff, which now sees me catching up on all these 2009 series one at a time. Next on my list is probably Tokyo Magnitude 8.0; another BONES anime! 2009 was totally their year!
Peter S
/ January 12, 2010There’s too much to explain for there not to be more. As for missing out on things, it’s nearly impossible to catch everything in a show like this, especially when episodes only come out once a week. It’s hard for any show (the reason I was slow to warm to Toradora) but with so many characters and organizations, well, nearly impossible.
But in terms of delivering an episode this show was magnificent. The halfway card (shouldn’t they have updated to squirrels?) would come onscreen and I’d think: “Already? That was twelve minutes?” It just sucks you in so you don’t notice how much time had passed.
Absolutely, Suou was the heart and soul of this show, which makes her “demise” sadder to watch. I did like how Rei was almost shunted off as a side character late in the game, just one of many stories they were trying to pull off in a too-short season.
My favorite musical thing was that slow guitar noise that suggest great threat and import every time I heard it. Used in talky scenes, as I remember.
bateszi
/ January 13, 2010Totally agree! I condensed the whole thing into last week, and can’t even imagine how hard it must have been to keep track of it all, week-in, week-out like that. DtB rewards its fans, I think. It’s a good franchise to rewatch every now and then.
Martin
/ January 12, 2010Now I’m coming to the end of my rewatch of the first season, I was worried about being disappointed with what the second season has to offer. If it’s good enough for you, that allays my fears a bit!
The change of OST composer for instance didn’t bode well: Kanno’s electro-tinged jazz suited the material so perfectly but I’m not familiar with Ishii’s work at all so I had no idea if it would work or not. In any case, I can rest assured that I’m likely to enjoy Ryuusei no Gemini after all…and of course, explaining everything and handing the ending’s meaning over on a plate was never part of Darker than Black’s MO in the first place!
bateszi
/ January 13, 2010You’ll like it, I’m sure. Especially the first three episodes, which span the Russian arc. There were certain scenes where I was expecting Kanno’s music to cut in, but I think you’ll be interested in this soundtrack; it’s very different to almost any other anime soundtrack I’ve heard.
Xerox
/ January 23, 2010I started off really hating this series for how different it was from the first. But Gemini got everything right towards the end. The ending was rushed and it confused the hell out of me but, is there really any other way to end a series like Darker Than Black? Something tells me there’d be more of an uproar if they chose a conventional ending. At least, I wouldn’t have liked it at all. Gemini was the ‘conventional’ version of Darker Than Black (Suou and her magical school girl gun?) and had it stayed within conventional boundaries (without the mindfuck ending) I would’ve been all the more disappointed. And I have to agree, the soundtrack on Gemini was amazing. You chose my favorite track.