This is a Darker Than Black Geek-Out
Jun. 21st, 2010 11:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mmefrankensteinIt needs to happen, or else my brain's gonna bust. If you're not interested, please don't read it.
Also, insert SPOILER-ALERT. If you haven't watched Darker Than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini, and don't want anything spoiled, DON'T READ THIS.
So, after watching Darker Than Black in Japanese, and really liking the voices, I decided to do what I have never done before, and watch a subbed series online. ^_^;; I don't usually do this, 'cause I feel like I'm cheating or something. But I was really curious about Ryuusei no Gemini (Darker Than Black's second season) because of some of the stuff I had accidentally read online about it.
Lots of people were bitching about it--saying that they hated the girl, Suou--"I wanted more Yin, less Suou." (O_O More Yin? Where did Yin go? I thought she and Hei were busting a move in Russia?). People were also bitching about how much they hated Hei (which REALLY bothered me, 'cause Hei is a sweetie), and that he needed to straighten up, "cut out his loli-addiction and alcohol abuse and cut his hair and shave." O_O Which left me thinking, "...Whatthefuck? What the hell happens?" And it just kept bothering me and bothering me some more until I caved at watched it online. It only took an evening--there are only twelve episodes. And there are some things I'd like to address, if only to make myself feel better about them....
So first thing's first: Suou. Actually, I really liked her. This is part of why I really, really like Darker than Black and the team that did Baccano! and Fullmetal. All the women characters kick some serious ass. There is none of this, "OMG I'm so stupid 'cause I have ovaries" bullshit. Suou is no exception. She's got a lot of guts and has a good heart. So this whole "loli" thing I really don't think applies to her. Sure, she's young and cute, but she certainly doesn't dress loli at all, and she's definitely not a seductress. She's actually quite the tomboy, I think. So I don't know. I don't hate Suou at all. She's pretty cool.
As far as the other "loli" goes, Yin doesn't appear nearly at all in the series, and in fact, when she does, it's not good news. To tell you the truth, I'm feeling less than pleased when it comes to Yin. I loved her in the first series--she was really cute and pretty sweet. I absolutely HATED Kiercy. She was kind of a little bitch. I think she's better without a personality. (^_^;; Okay, so I'm mean. But I'm really not pleased with Yin at all, 'cause I think she jerks Hei around a bit and that's not entirely cool.) Anyway, the reason why Yin is no longer with Hei and is currently...doing what she's doing is explained in the OAV, Darker Than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini Gaiden (or some such title). It's still airing in Japan, but I've watched a few episodes. And I don't like Yin at all, actually. I think she's rockin' the Kiercy vibe again, and it sucks. She has yet to do something other than be bitchy and do exactly what Hei tells her not to do. (Okay, so sometimes he's needlessly bossy--but to be fair, 1.) she's a doll and traditionally, dolls can't do anything but what they're told and 2.) Hei is alone in the world with a helpless doll he has to take care of (who can't do anything but have a smart mouth, apparently). So with that responsibility comes a fair level of panic and paranoia since he's also being tracked down by what's left of the Syndicate and everybody else in the world. Not to sound like I'm making excuses, but I think I'm with Hei on this one.) So yeah. I'm not too much of a Yin fan at the moment. Or at all.
Well, that's two on the list, what else? Ah. Hei.
.....
I think it's fair to say that Hei loses his goddamn mind in the second season, which is a little distressing to see. I'm very interested to see the rest of the OAV that explains what happened, because something really screwed him over and fucked with his mind. (If what I think happened happened, then I don't really blame him for going temporarily insane. Also, it's in keeping with my theory that Hei doesn't do well on his own--he needs his bros, or someone he can depend on who isn't a walking, comatose, smart-alek.) So as a result, we see him in the wild north in desperate need of a haircut and shave. XD I laughed my ass off when I first saw him, 'cause I thought that BONES had settled on the, "Oh my god, look he's got long hair and stubble therefore he is such a BADASS"-look (which was disappointing, because I thought they were better than trite shit like that), but then I realized that he's in Russia and working as an undercover contractor. And if there's one thing that Hei is really good at doing, it's blending in. So a cute, clean-shaven, upstanding-looking Chinese boy would stick out like a sore thumb. So that's exactly what he's not.
As far as the drinking goes, that was really sad. Like Mao said: "Poor guy; he used to eat so much and now all he's running off of is alcohol." Again, with the "What the fuck happened?" 'Cause I don't think it's just a, "Hey, let's just make him really rugged because it's convenient!" thing. I think if there's one thing I've learned about BONES, it's that they tell a good story with twists you don't see coming (LOTS of them; I find it very difficult to read what's coming next), and great character development. Fingers crossed for a good season three.
What REALLY bothered me about Hei's insanity was the violence. 'Cause he treats Suou like shit, and that's frustrating, 'cause Hei's better than that. But again, he's lost his goddamn mind. Oh, and about his supposed loli-addiction? Everyone was making it out like he was really and inappropriately into Suou--which he's not. At all. (Despite all the strange, conveniently anime shit that's tossed in just for the purpose of being dirty. O_O It's incredibly, incredibly dirty.) Is he really into Yin? That's also what everybody thinks, and maybe he is, but I'm just not seeing it, really. I think he likes Yin a lot because she's his buddy, and because she's the only one he's got at the moment and, like I said before, Hei's not good at being alone. So what happens to Yin is extremely distressing, especially since he sees it as his fault. (Which is especially sad, 'cause I think that that's just what Yin was predisposed to. That's Kiercy for you.) But I'm just not seeing this whole romantic attachment between the two of them. I mean, Yin is totally into Hei (as are every single female in the series, except for the lesbians) and she makes sure to be a jealous bitch about it. (You can tell, I'm just so pleased with Yin. Pleased as fucking punch.) If there is a pairing, I'm still convinced it's between Hei and Misaki, for reasons I probably shouldn't go into because this is turning into a helluva long post. Unless they're going to pull the whole Cloud/Tifa/Aeris complex, which I don't think they are, but there you go. I honestly don't think the series could survive another season of Hei being ridiculous. And besides, I think by the end, Hei's come to terms with the Yin issue. Or, at least, I think. And they left it wide open for another season, so fingers crossed again, yeah?
Other than Suou, and Yin, and Hei, and Hei's issues, there's the "...Is this season supposed to be a joke? Or are they serious?" concern. ...That's a tricky one. Part of me sees why someone would say that. It's EXTREMELY dirty (I can't say it enough. O_O From scenes where people are kinda randomly naked, to impromptu belly-dancing, to more than yuri overtones, to perverts who openly creep on little boys, to stripping down other little boys in preparation to sell them) it's just dirty all around. I wonder if it's going to make it over to the states. (I guess it's dark enough already to warrant a mature audience, so what's some extra perversion on top of that? O_O A really weird season of Darker Than Black, that's what.)
But on the other hand, some interesting developments went on. The season wasn't really about Hei--it was about Suou, and her story was very interesting, with a fantastic twist to boot. (At least, I thought so. It was another "Oh shit!" moment that DtB is so good at doing.) And I'm actually GLAD it wasn't about Hei. Why? Because they could have so easily turned it into the second Prince of Persia or any sequel where the main character loses his mind (for reasons that are completely unexplained) and goes on a bad-ass rampage across the countryside because of a convenient plot device--er, I mean, his raging inner angst. (I mean, come on. You know what I'm talking about.) Instead, BONES is nice enough to provide us with actual plot from the eyes of a bystander, so to speak. This way, Hei deals with his raging inner angst himself (through actions that create a helluva lot of dismay in the viewer) and grows/changes in a significant way from the beginning of the season to the end. So sure--between the two seasons, season one comes out miles ahead of season two. But to call season two a throw-away? Nnn...I don't know. The second Pirates of the Caribbean movie was a throw-away (to me at least) and left me with a great sense of despair: "What the fuck did you do to one of my favorite movies, you bastards?!" But I didn't get this from Ryuusei. This season, while confusing and troubling at times, was legitimately interesting. They reference the first season a fair amount, so it feels like a genuine sequel, and yet, it was it's own story and didn't try to rehash things that had already been hashed thoroughly in the first season. I found it fairly easy to ignore Hei's insanity and enjoy Suou's story. And then I could just as easily appreciate Hei again when he became less crazy. (I'm sorry--I hate what Hei does in the second season, but I just can't hate the character. I just can't. There's something kind of irresistible about Hei/Li Shengshun. ^_^;; And it's not just 'cause he's so hardcore/bad-ass/what have you. I think it's 'cause he's pretty damn human, and that's nice to see.)
So yeah. I guess the moral of this really long geek-fest/rant is that I guess I'm surprisingly satisfied with the second season. I think I feel okay about it. I want it to come out in America and if and when it does, I will purchase it forthwith and watch it again. I also want to see more of the Gaiden series, and then would like that to come out in the states as well. And finally, I want a third season. Premature, I know, since the second season is barely a glimmer in Funimation's eye (hopefully it's even a glimmer), but the story's not nearly done yet, at least, not in my opinion. And I'd like to see where it goes.
Phew. That was a long, long geek-out, and the sad thing is, is I could probably geek out more. But I feel better now. And I guess that's what this kind of thing is for, right? ^_^
Also, insert SPOILER-ALERT. If you haven't watched Darker Than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini, and don't want anything spoiled, DON'T READ THIS.
So, after watching Darker Than Black in Japanese, and really liking the voices, I decided to do what I have never done before, and watch a subbed series online. ^_^;; I don't usually do this, 'cause I feel like I'm cheating or something. But I was really curious about Ryuusei no Gemini (Darker Than Black's second season) because of some of the stuff I had accidentally read online about it.
Lots of people were bitching about it--saying that they hated the girl, Suou--"I wanted more Yin, less Suou." (O_O More Yin? Where did Yin go? I thought she and Hei were busting a move in Russia?). People were also bitching about how much they hated Hei (which REALLY bothered me, 'cause Hei is a sweetie), and that he needed to straighten up, "cut out his loli-addiction and alcohol abuse and cut his hair and shave." O_O Which left me thinking, "...Whatthefuck? What the hell happens?" And it just kept bothering me and bothering me some more until I caved at watched it online. It only took an evening--there are only twelve episodes. And there are some things I'd like to address, if only to make myself feel better about them....
So first thing's first: Suou. Actually, I really liked her. This is part of why I really, really like Darker than Black and the team that did Baccano! and Fullmetal. All the women characters kick some serious ass. There is none of this, "OMG I'm so stupid 'cause I have ovaries" bullshit. Suou is no exception. She's got a lot of guts and has a good heart. So this whole "loli" thing I really don't think applies to her. Sure, she's young and cute, but she certainly doesn't dress loli at all, and she's definitely not a seductress. She's actually quite the tomboy, I think. So I don't know. I don't hate Suou at all. She's pretty cool.
As far as the other "loli" goes, Yin doesn't appear nearly at all in the series, and in fact, when she does, it's not good news. To tell you the truth, I'm feeling less than pleased when it comes to Yin. I loved her in the first series--she was really cute and pretty sweet. I absolutely HATED Kiercy. She was kind of a little bitch. I think she's better without a personality. (^_^;; Okay, so I'm mean. But I'm really not pleased with Yin at all, 'cause I think she jerks Hei around a bit and that's not entirely cool.) Anyway, the reason why Yin is no longer with Hei and is currently...doing what she's doing is explained in the OAV, Darker Than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini Gaiden (or some such title). It's still airing in Japan, but I've watched a few episodes. And I don't like Yin at all, actually. I think she's rockin' the Kiercy vibe again, and it sucks. She has yet to do something other than be bitchy and do exactly what Hei tells her not to do. (Okay, so sometimes he's needlessly bossy--but to be fair, 1.) she's a doll and traditionally, dolls can't do anything but what they're told and 2.) Hei is alone in the world with a helpless doll he has to take care of (who can't do anything but have a smart mouth, apparently). So with that responsibility comes a fair level of panic and paranoia since he's also being tracked down by what's left of the Syndicate and everybody else in the world. Not to sound like I'm making excuses, but I think I'm with Hei on this one.) So yeah. I'm not too much of a Yin fan at the moment. Or at all.
Well, that's two on the list, what else? Ah. Hei.
.....
I think it's fair to say that Hei loses his goddamn mind in the second season, which is a little distressing to see. I'm very interested to see the rest of the OAV that explains what happened, because something really screwed him over and fucked with his mind. (If what I think happened happened, then I don't really blame him for going temporarily insane. Also, it's in keeping with my theory that Hei doesn't do well on his own--he needs his bros, or someone he can depend on who isn't a walking, comatose, smart-alek.) So as a result, we see him in the wild north in desperate need of a haircut and shave. XD I laughed my ass off when I first saw him, 'cause I thought that BONES had settled on the, "Oh my god, look he's got long hair and stubble therefore he is such a BADASS"-look (which was disappointing, because I thought they were better than trite shit like that), but then I realized that he's in Russia and working as an undercover contractor. And if there's one thing that Hei is really good at doing, it's blending in. So a cute, clean-shaven, upstanding-looking Chinese boy would stick out like a sore thumb. So that's exactly what he's not.
As far as the drinking goes, that was really sad. Like Mao said: "Poor guy; he used to eat so much and now all he's running off of is alcohol." Again, with the "What the fuck happened?" 'Cause I don't think it's just a, "Hey, let's just make him really rugged because it's convenient!" thing. I think if there's one thing I've learned about BONES, it's that they tell a good story with twists you don't see coming (LOTS of them; I find it very difficult to read what's coming next), and great character development. Fingers crossed for a good season three.
What REALLY bothered me about Hei's insanity was the violence. 'Cause he treats Suou like shit, and that's frustrating, 'cause Hei's better than that. But again, he's lost his goddamn mind. Oh, and about his supposed loli-addiction? Everyone was making it out like he was really and inappropriately into Suou--which he's not. At all. (Despite all the strange, conveniently anime shit that's tossed in just for the purpose of being dirty. O_O It's incredibly, incredibly dirty.) Is he really into Yin? That's also what everybody thinks, and maybe he is, but I'm just not seeing it, really. I think he likes Yin a lot because she's his buddy, and because she's the only one he's got at the moment and, like I said before, Hei's not good at being alone. So what happens to Yin is extremely distressing, especially since he sees it as his fault. (Which is especially sad, 'cause I think that that's just what Yin was predisposed to. That's Kiercy for you.) But I'm just not seeing this whole romantic attachment between the two of them. I mean, Yin is totally into Hei (as are every single female in the series, except for the lesbians) and she makes sure to be a jealous bitch about it. (You can tell, I'm just so pleased with Yin. Pleased as fucking punch.) If there is a pairing, I'm still convinced it's between Hei and Misaki, for reasons I probably shouldn't go into because this is turning into a helluva long post. Unless they're going to pull the whole Cloud/Tifa/Aeris complex, which I don't think they are, but there you go. I honestly don't think the series could survive another season of Hei being ridiculous. And besides, I think by the end, Hei's come to terms with the Yin issue. Or, at least, I think. And they left it wide open for another season, so fingers crossed again, yeah?
Other than Suou, and Yin, and Hei, and Hei's issues, there's the "...Is this season supposed to be a joke? Or are they serious?" concern. ...That's a tricky one. Part of me sees why someone would say that. It's EXTREMELY dirty (I can't say it enough. O_O From scenes where people are kinda randomly naked, to impromptu belly-dancing, to more than yuri overtones, to perverts who openly creep on little boys, to stripping down other little boys in preparation to sell them) it's just dirty all around. I wonder if it's going to make it over to the states. (I guess it's dark enough already to warrant a mature audience, so what's some extra perversion on top of that? O_O A really weird season of Darker Than Black, that's what.)
But on the other hand, some interesting developments went on. The season wasn't really about Hei--it was about Suou, and her story was very interesting, with a fantastic twist to boot. (At least, I thought so. It was another "Oh shit!" moment that DtB is so good at doing.) And I'm actually GLAD it wasn't about Hei. Why? Because they could have so easily turned it into the second Prince of Persia or any sequel where the main character loses his mind (for reasons that are completely unexplained) and goes on a bad-ass rampage across the countryside because of a convenient plot device--er, I mean, his raging inner angst. (I mean, come on. You know what I'm talking about.) Instead, BONES is nice enough to provide us with actual plot from the eyes of a bystander, so to speak. This way, Hei deals with his raging inner angst himself (through actions that create a helluva lot of dismay in the viewer) and grows/changes in a significant way from the beginning of the season to the end. So sure--between the two seasons, season one comes out miles ahead of season two. But to call season two a throw-away? Nnn...I don't know. The second Pirates of the Caribbean movie was a throw-away (to me at least) and left me with a great sense of despair: "What the fuck did you do to one of my favorite movies, you bastards?!" But I didn't get this from Ryuusei. This season, while confusing and troubling at times, was legitimately interesting. They reference the first season a fair amount, so it feels like a genuine sequel, and yet, it was it's own story and didn't try to rehash things that had already been hashed thoroughly in the first season. I found it fairly easy to ignore Hei's insanity and enjoy Suou's story. And then I could just as easily appreciate Hei again when he became less crazy. (I'm sorry--I hate what Hei does in the second season, but I just can't hate the character. I just can't. There's something kind of irresistible about Hei/Li Shengshun. ^_^;; And it's not just 'cause he's so hardcore/bad-ass/what have you. I think it's 'cause he's pretty damn human, and that's nice to see.)
So yeah. I guess the moral of this really long geek-fest/rant is that I guess I'm surprisingly satisfied with the second season. I think I feel okay about it. I want it to come out in America and if and when it does, I will purchase it forthwith and watch it again. I also want to see more of the Gaiden series, and then would like that to come out in the states as well. And finally, I want a third season. Premature, I know, since the second season is barely a glimmer in Funimation's eye (hopefully it's even a glimmer), but the story's not nearly done yet, at least, not in my opinion. And I'd like to see where it goes.
Phew. That was a long, long geek-out, and the sad thing is, is I could probably geek out more. But I feel better now. And I guess that's what this kind of thing is for, right? ^_^