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Watch & Learn: DARKER THAN BLACK #4

Topic started by No_name_here on March 7, 2011. Last post by zaldar 2 years, 2 months ago.
Post by No_name_here (830 posts) See mini bio Level 11
Staff
How many XP points do you need to be a Doll?    
How many XP points do you need to be a Doll?    

Stop me if I’m getting this wrong…

So Contractors are random people whoget random powers depending on their random exposure to other side of Hell’s Gate. On one level, their powers are like country club membership. That is, Contractors’ children are guaranteed to have similar powers and the nefarious people in this show thus tried to create better contractors through all that gross forced in-breeding. Contractors themselves can either degenerate into Moratoriums who have no control over their powers or Dolls (or Mediums? It wasn’t quite clear) who have greater mastery over said powers. Hei’s one of those Dolls (or Mediums) because he’s got a bad ass power level than can just wreck other Contractors. 


The significance of the term “Contractor” gets explained a little here but, again, I’ll confess to maybe not comprehending it fully. So, in exchange for getting powers, they’re running the risk of possibly turning into a Moratorium and hurting themselves and the ones they love? Is that right? I still feel like there needs to be somebody they’re making the contract with.

But still, c'mon, Moratorium seems like an ill-fitting, possibly mis-translated name, even for a sci-fi show that’s repurposing terms. Unless the moratorium is supposed to be on control, I don’t really see how it fits. You’d figure the Contractors would be in a powerless, vegetative state with that name.

DARKER THAN BLACK definitely earns the ol’ TV-MA rating with this episode. The burnin’ and immolatin’ of innocent bystanders! The slicin’ and dicin’ of good cops! The stabbin’ and stranglin’ of evil contractors! The... tender reunion and separation of father and daughter? Judging by precedence, we’re never going to see any kissing in this show (even with such a “hot” underage girl like Mai) but the sanguinity will certainly be coming in all the blood. I feel like that's only just started to flow.  

Watch this episode “A New Star Shines in the Dawn Sky… (Part 2)” below and decide for yourself, then read my comments on the previous episode here.  

  

Tom Pinchuk’s the writer of  HYBRID BASTARDS!  &  UNIMAGINABLE . Order them on Amazon   here  &   here .  Follow him on Twitter:  @tompinchuk

Posted 2 years, 2 months ago
Post by jking47 (0 posts) See mini bio Level 5
i kinda wanna start this, but i dunno
Posted 2 years, 2 months ago
Post by Andheez (5 posts) See mini bio Level 3
@jking47:  
Its definitely worth giving a go.  As many people would tell you, it does plateau towards the end, but its a good buildup for the most part. 
  
Possible Spoiler  
Been a while since I watched this, but im pretty sure they tried to impart this already.

There is another side to the 'contract', its the star.  They try to impress the idea that it is a 1 to 1 relationship, for every fake star there is a single contractor.  Which is why the agency refers to them by their star names occasionally.   Though I do see the point of a 'contractor', being something you sign up for, but I still think it is a unique and appropriate term.
Edited 2 years, 2 months ago
Post by Gintoki (2 posts) See mini bio Level 14

Liked this one. Even the second season and OVA were great. That's pretty rare nowadays...
Posted 2 years, 2 months ago
Post by metalsnakezero (627 posts) See mini bio Level 16
Wait Tom, Hei's a contractor, not a doll. Contractors has full control of his powers and they needs to make a "payment" in order to keep using his powers. 
In Hei's case, he does pay anything since his payment was already made when he got his powers. This will be told why later on.
 
Dolls, like Yin (If you remember who she is), are yes Emotionless "mediums"  who powers are to use observer spirits to look around places.
Posted 2 years, 2 months ago
Post by DocHaus (825 posts) See mini bio Level 18
To be honest I think "moratorium" was just made up for this episode, since it wasn't really mentioned again. But from what I gather it's sort of a temporary infusion of Contractor power that has a shelf life due to the flower from beyond the Gate. Contractors themselves appear to be randomly chosen when the Gates opened in Japan and Brazil, but there are exceptions and I don't want to get into them now.
 
Also, as @metalsnakezero said, Hei's another contractor (sort of, it's explained near the end of the show) under the star BK-201 and Yin is the doll who can observe things from far away with "observer ghosts."
 
The contractors are called that because they are compelled to give some sort of "payment" in exchange for using their powers each time. The payment varies wildly: It might be a compulsion to break your own fingers, eat burgers, speed-read entire novels, smoke, kiss a man, or even reveal some unvarnished truth, but they can't quite control it.
Posted 2 years, 2 months ago
Post by kashif1 (1,813 posts) See mini bio Level 13
Dolls are like yin, no emotions and very little initiative.  There are also contractors who in exchange for their powers are forced to do an ocd-like payment.   Contractors have no emotions but they do have initiative.
Posted 2 years, 2 months ago
Post by Lurkero (290 posts) See mini bio Level 6
I thought this episode was kinda cool because of the fire power and the invisible slicing wire guy.
 
It might be time to break out a wiki cause it only gets more confusing from here. Eventually they stop making the plot more convoluted and just let it play out. 
 
I don't even remember the thing about moratorium. I just remember the contractors having to fulfill an obligation whenever they use their powers.
Posted 2 years, 2 months ago
Post by ZombiePie (843 posts) See mini bio Level 15
Another music reference?
  
Posted 2 years, 2 months ago
Post by zaldar (842 posts) See mini bio Level 15
as people said in the comments on you tube this show was reminescent of elfin lied.  NOW THERE is a show we should get you to watch...then we can have you watch legend of the overfiend and night shift nurses and you will never want to watch anime again....
Posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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