Darker than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini

I won't say this is the worst sequel of an anime I have ever watched, but I would still say I feel like I have wasted a day of my life watching this second season. The first season was confusing enough with crapton of answered questions and cliffhangers.But this one only added more confusion to it and made my experience of this anime horrible. Story 3/10: They had SO MUCH storyline to work with.It's not that they were trying to come up with plot as it progressed.They already had enough.But they never bothered to touch on any of them.Bear with me but I sure need to list some of them.They did not explain:- 1.Why the 2 gates appear in the first place? 2.Who exactly are Syndicate?What is their story? Why and since when they start to exist? 3.Why and how is Amber related to the Heaven's gate?Who the hell is she anyways? 4.[spoiler]EXACTLY WHERE THE HECK DID THIS LOLI COPY-WATEVER SUOU OR SHION OR THEIR FATHER EVEN COME FROM? 5.[spoiler] What the heck eve happened to Misaki? 6.[spoiler]What the heck is Shion?What did he even want? 7. THE GODDAMN ENDING.WTF WAS THAT (sorry i just lost it.it was HORRIBLE) Art 7/10: The art-style was pretty nice judging that it came out in 2009.The action scenes was nicely done.I really enjoyed watching all the fight scenes,even though the first season had better and more scenes than this one. Sound 8/10: The music is astounding! I think the reason why I continued to watch it till the end is because of the background music.It really highlighted the scifi-ness of the show. Character 2/10: I think I am more disappointed by the character development than the plot development.It was even more horrible.Every single character are kept in mystery.And not even like mystery for the sake of making people think about them(like those psychological animes).It was just plain annoying and irritating.I would have to say- all of them are developed half-assed.I don't know if it has a novel or manga where they explain them better later on.But as for the anime,it was disappointing af. Enjoyment 6/10: I gotta say,I only enjoyed it because of the soundtracks it had. Overall 5/10: The ending was extremely weak.After watching both of the season,only thing I'm left with is pure disappointment and thought "I should've just ended it with first season.I shouldn't have watched the second season."The first season ending was pretty weak too.But it was WAAAAAY better compared to this one.I hope they would remaster this season or make a movie or something with better explanation about everything.

First review don't be mean :3 On the whole... I LIKED this show. The main idea of the plot was very good so it would be very difficult not to, however, when compared to the original series/season, they somehow pulled it off and made a rather 'below par' storyline with countless plot holes obviously with the so often encountered over complexity of anime causing so many points leaving you like '...but...why...?' even for those who have seen the first series, this also creates the problem of so many characters being rolled in and off the screen that few backgrounds are truly developed to the fullest extent ( if at all). But, these things set aside, the art style I think of this show is one of the best I have ever seen with detail that does help to immerse a viewer in the right conditions. I also couldn't fault the sound perfect synch runs we what I think of as accurate sound effects ( I don't exactly know how stabbing someone sounds) I personally enjoyed this more than would be expected from my statements, mainly due to the fact that I found all of the characters to be humerus or quite relatable (Google says it's a word) at points both, and then those who didn't had a tendency to die. Overall I say this wasn't particularly bad, but after such a large time skip, you would have expected much more of an explanation for how everything is at this point, I would recommend that they develop a prequel story to explain all of this, although perhaps only as a spin off, as the series ended with a cliffhanger Thank you for reading my review, hope you found it informing or agreeable

It was better than the original DtB which was mediocre SF/action since Suou was at least *somewhat* interesting a character and there was an ending which didn't involve... preserving the status quo. But many characters were drab, the plot was dominated by a slow trip to Japan, the real plot developments were really crammed into the last few episodes and as ever, logic is not something DtB excels at. (For example, if the copied Earth is different in only one respect and that respect is not having the Black Gates, then why isn't there a July and a Suou there already? Why *send* them there?)

After I finished DTB: Gemini of the Meteor I was surprised that so many people disliked it so much. I was able to exhale after reading the reviews on here. Story: 7.5/10 (but no half numbers of course -_-) I always walk into movies late, so I was able to sorta-kinda catch onto what was going on- something went wrong and changed the charries. (More on that later.) Alot of people would say it became more of a girl's anime, which I can see, but at the same time the changes in the characters kind of contradict this. It wasn't as extraordinary as the first series, to be sure, but the sequels are never as good anyway. Held my attention very well and kept me wanting more, I was disappointed with the ending though, especially since BONES has said there won't be a 3rd season. Art: 10/10 As always, the art blew me away. Character designs were awesome, and as always, my main eyecandy is that these characters are believable- no muscle-men or girls whose eyes take up half their faces. The visuals alone can evoke emotion, sound or no sound. Sound: 9/10 I liked the soundtrack during the anime very much, although when I tried listening to it out of context I couldn't recall which scenes each song was used in, which IRKS ME GREATLY. Probably means I should rewatch. Voices were fine for me, I loved Suou's voice actor particularly because she reflected her youth and was pretty good with the constant indignation. Character: 9/10 I actually LOVED these characters, especially because of their flaws. Hobo Hei was unexplained without the OVAs but I kind of accepted him after the first episode or so. The lack of his powers was a little bit annoying but the fact that he was able to hold off contractors without them put him on a more level playing field that I appreciated- and the humanness of him knowing when to run. Suou was a little repetitive but captured an element of teen angst that was interesting as an onlooker- easy to sympathize with, too. I HATED Mao's new body, though. Although it had its flying quirks, he could have been something like a hawk or bat or SOMETHING other than the ex-pet flying squirrel. The villains were decently developed- and as always, I love how they're not EVIL-evil, except for Izanami, which was probably the last twist I would have expected, but enjoyable. Enjoyment: 8.5/10 (written as 8) After tearing through the slightly irking beginning (which I later appreciated for context) I was captivated and loved it up until the end. The teen romance factor? Realistic and interesting- if you're stuck in an extremely stressful, miserable situation with one person, chances are unless they're incredibly unattractive in body or character that something or other will get fired up there. At the end I sat staring at my computer for a good few minutes before finally mustering up the will to go anime-searching again. I REALLY hope BONES changes his mind about a 3rd season, because there is nothing that could bring this thing up more. Only other flaw I saw was the repetition of certain things- although the quick flashbacks were powerful reinforcers for the storyline, some of Suou's lines were a little bit annoying after recurring more than once. Overall: 8.5/10 (or 8) Flawed characters are much more interesting to me than perfect ones. Although not as good as the first, it provided a fair extension for those of us that were hungry for more, even though it leaves you with a much deeper dissatisfaction. Although a couple of things could have been cut out (as always) I would definitely recommend this to anyone who saw the first season- WATCH THE OVA. IT ALL MAKES SENSE AFTER THAT. More or less.

Going into season 2, we all had an expectation of Gemini. I was lucky enough to watch Gaiden before beginning this serious so I didn't have as much trouble wondering how the situation got to where it did. The positives: July got a real role that he didn't have in S1. He was very cute, adorable and Yin-like and seemingly took her role in the series since she was given the absolute shaft. More random contractors with epic abilities and badass fight scenes. The return of Misaki!! Im so glad she didn't just disapear. Mao the squirrel. The negatives: As a dedicated fan to the HeixYin ship, I was extremely disappointed with how things ended for them. The both became side characters and their reunion in the last ep was underwhelming and no one can be sure what actually became of them. The pseudo-shoujo atmosphere around this season. This time around we welcome a completely pointless main character: Suou. She provided us with a maho shoujo transformation scene and hours of blabbing in what should have been a show about Hei. The ending. What happened. To avoid spoilers I'll just say, "why?" Given that the above tends to sound really negative, Ryuusei no Gemini is actually a great watch. It has AMAZING op/ed sequences that make up for Suou being a screen whore and some of the characters have great development like Mao, July and Misaki. Overall it is really enjoyable but make sure you watch the first season! It's even better!

I have such mixed feelings about this anime. The concept of Darker than Black is AMAZING. Contractors, the Gates, the whole mystery surrounding the world, the powers, the atmosphere, the music, and especially Hei... I was genuinely hooked. Season 1 was probably around an 8/10 for me, and even though it wasn't perfect, I liked the plot and characters enough that I decided to watch the second season anyway. And I don't regret watching it, but holy shit... the execution 😭 Season 2 felt SO rushed. It kept introducing interesting ideas and possibilities, but then barely gave them enough time to actually develop. There were so many things I wanted to know more about, and by the end I was just sitting there like "wait... that's it?" The ending is probably what bothers me the most. Technically, I can see how it's supposed to be closure, but it still feels unfinished. It's like a cliffhanger that was forced to function as an ending because they knew they weren't getting another season. I can accept what happened, but I don't feel satisfied by it. And that's honestly what makes me so frustrated with this anime. I liked it, but I also feel like it wasted so much potential. The world and premise were interesting enough that this could have been SO much better with more time to develop everything. Instead, it feels like it had all these amazing pieces and then rushed to the finish line. That being said, I still really liked the characters, the music, the overall vibe, and Hei especially. Those things kept me watching even when the story started losing me. So overall... I don't hate Darker than Black. I actually liked it quite a bit. I'm just annoyed because I can see how good it could have been. Amazing concept. Again, great atmosphere and characters but questionable execution. An ending that is technically an ending but still somehow feels unfinished. I liked it. I hated it. I'm glad I watched it. I'm also mad that I watched it.

If anyone was expecting more of Hei acting moody in a neo-noir-styled city, they would be incredibly disappointed. Going a 180 on the neo-noir influence of the first season, and the modern-episodic story structure, the second season of Darker than Black has many surprises, some pleasant and some very questionable, at the very least, it never ceases to entertain, at least for me. Now that we are in 2021, Darker than Black: Gaiden is pretty much compulsory viewing before you start this second season. While I have no idea what the director and writers were thinking releasing the second season before Gaiden as a lot of plot points and story beats become a lot clearer once one has viewed the Gaiden OVA. Hell, Gaiden also strengthens Hei's motivation and character arc. Gaiden covers much of the details about Hei and Yin's conflict which this second season somehow assumes the viewer to pick up on these things through subtle and vague story reveals. While this sort of approach may work in a arthouse work where plot details are deemed less significant over experience and contemplation, Darker than Black has always been conventionally story driven where the emphasis on narrative detail has always been important. So yeah, Gaiden is a must-watch. So, the noir stylings of the original have been traded for a more conventional, but still relatively mature tone. While I was quite attracted to the original's atmosphere, I still found the second season's tone to be quite agreeable. Mostly because the dramatic storytelling and writing remained at a nice and consistent standard. The second season introduces us to a deuteragonist in Suou. A seemingly wet behind the years gal who becomes entangled in a prophecy-conspiracy-plot with Hei. Though her introduction was at first incredibly conventional - the kid being taught by the weary veteran at the very least, the mature writing was good enough for me to be entertained. It was nice to see that this conventional story eventual twists to be something more interesting and contemplative. Still, Hei's personal story which is tied to the motif and narrative of prophecy and fate, feels inadequetly explored. Mostly because a lot of time was spent developing Suou's character and her theme of identity over others. As a result, Hei's ending feels underdeveloped as if it were baiting a sequel. (which we probably and sadly won't get) While I did feel that the overall more conventional style in which the series concluded fit the tone of the series as a whole a lot better than in the original, in the end, it felt incredibly unsatisfying. This is likely because I was (and perhaps many others) were in for the ride for our good pals Hei and Yin, only to find that any clarity of their well-being has been tossed out the window for mystery and ambiguity. While this might perhaps be an interesting development in another kind of story, the focus on Hei's character throughout much of the episodes makes it incredibly questionable why such a conclusion was even thought to be favorable. Still, I was quite intrigued and satisfied with Suou's ending despite the bait and switch conclusion, which honestly while it felt rather out of the blue, still felt nice as it was contemplative while still being somewhat cathartic for her character. Regarding music, the neo-noir jazzy sound has been replaced for a more electronic-house styled sound. While I really did love the original's noir inspired music, I quite enjoyed the new sound. Still, I have to admit that it was way less connected to the atmosphere and style of this second season than the noir sound was with the first. Viewers who wanted more of the same or who have not seen Gaiden would likely find this sequel to be poor. I can't blame them for the series could have attempted for a smoother transition, but still, if the second season was more or less the same as the first, would a second season even be necessary? The first season may not have ended things as nicely as I would've liked, but it at least felt complete, as if the entirety of Darker than Black could've ended there. So, I really admire the crew's boldness and willingness to experiment and give a relevant reason for a second season. Concluding, discarding its neo-noir influence, this Darker than Black sequel takes risky turns on the curved road. While it did make its destination, the path remains more or less in shambles of some kind. At least for me, this was a rather fun ride.