Darker than Black - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

is an anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

television series

Television program

A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...

, created, directed and written by Tensai Okamura and animated by Bones

Bones (studio)

is a Japanese anime studio. It has produced numerous series, including RahXephon, Wolf's Rain, Scrapped Princess, Eureka Seven, Angelic Layer, Darker than Black, Soul Eater, Ouran High School Host Club and two adaptions of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga along with Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto and...

. It premiered across Japan from April 5, 2007 on MBS

Mainichi Broadcasting System

is a broadcasting station in Osaka, Japan, affiliated with Japan Radio Network , National Radio Network , Japan News Network and TBS Network, serving in the Kansai region. MBS is also one of the major stockholders of Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc...

, TBS

Tokyo Broadcasting System

, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....

, and its affiliated broadcast stations, with its satellite television

Satellite television

Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...

premiere in Japan on Animax

Animax

is a Japanese anime satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. A subsidiary of Japanese media conglomerate Sony, it is headquartered in in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with its co-founders and shareholders including Sony Pictures Entertainment and the noted anime studios...

in May 2007. The music for the series is composed by Yoko Kanno

Yoko Kanno

is a composer, arranger and musician best known for her work on the soundtracks for many games, anime films, TV series, live-action movies, and advertisements...

. The series has also been adapted into two manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

series, which are serialized in Monthly Asuka
Monthly Asuka
is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten, aimed at teenage girls. Much like its sibling publication Shōnen Ace, it places some emphasis on anime tie-ins and spinoffs...

and in Young Gangan. The anime also was awarded Best Original Anime of The Year by GoGoplex, a popular magazine for teens.

A sequel titled premiered in Japan on October 8, 2009.

Plot

Ten years ago, an inscrutable and abnormal territory known as Hell's Gate appeared in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, altering the sky and wreaking havoc on the landscape. The real stars disappeared, replaced by false stars. During this time, people possessing various special abilities emerged, each capable of different supernatural feats - these are known as Contractors. Each fake star has a corresponding Contractor, which reacts to their activities. As such, Contractors are usually identified by their star's Messier catalogue number

Messier object

The Messier objects are a set of astronomical objects first listed by French astronomer Charles Messier in 1771. The original motivation of the catalogue was that Messier was a comet hunter, and was frustrated by objects which resembled but were not comets...

. Kept secret from the masses, these individuals are known to murder in cold blood, smothering unnecessary emotions with logic and rationale. Their incredible abilities, however, are gained at the cost of their humanity - Contractors are thus named because of an involuntary compulsion to "pay the price" each time their power is used, which can range from eating particular foods and completing meaningless tasks, to self-harm and having their bodies change in peculiar ways. Various nations and organizations around the world train and utilize Contractors as spies and assassins, resulting in violent battles for valuable objects and information.
Following the disastrous Heaven's War, the United States lost its dominant position as a superpower to a mysterious organization named the Syndicate. The story revolves around a Chinese contractor codenamed Hei as he undertakes various espionage and assassination missions in Tokyo under the direction of the aforementioned Syndicate.

Main characters

The main protagonist and an elite Contractor with the Messier Code BK-201. In his team, Hei acts as the spy and assassin, swiftly dealing death without fail. Hei's "mundane identity" is a gentle-hearted student from China named , but when "working" he takes on the role of a seemingly (at first) affectless and ruthless killer nicknamed 'The Black Reaper'; this alias was earned based on stories of BK-201's accomplishments as an assassin during the war at Heaven's Gate. His huge appetite, lack of the typical rational reasoning demonstrated by all Contractors and seeming lack of obeisance (the 'cost' paid for using Contract Powers) shroud his true character in mystery. Part of an organization with unknown ambitions known only as the Syndicate, Hei is searching for information regarding his sister Pai; Pai was a Contractor - the original BK-201, in fact - who disappeared during the implosion of Heaven's Gate several years prior. It is only after her disappearance that Hei gains Contractor abilities (in particular, the same abilities his sister had) as well as the BK-201 designation. Prior to the incident at Heaven's Gate, Hei was not considered a Contractor and lacked any supernatural powers; he also despised fighting. However, he still accompanied Pai for the duration of the Heaven's Gate war, using his physical abilities in martial arts and other combat techniques. Hei's Contract allows him to generate and manipulate electricity, and to alter matter at a quantum level. Hei is hotly pursued by the Japanese government for his suspected involvement in multiple assassinations. It is later revealed that Hei is not a true Contractor, but has "merged" with his sister's powers when she died. This also explains why Hei has no payment for his contract.

Support personnel in Hei's team. Her primary function is to use her observation ability to locate individuals, usually assassination targets, for the team. Yin is a "Doll," a type of medium that came into existence with the appearance of Hell's Gate. Dolls have an affinity for certain substances or elements which, when they are in contact with that substance, allow them to project "observation specters" to any location the substance is also present, and let the Dolls remotely view that location. Yin's medium substance is water. Like all Dolls, Yin seems to be incapable of understanding or displaying any type of emotion, and is often very passive and quiet; however, she gradually reveals that she is not entirely devoid of personality, sometimes making involuntary movements (like grabbing Hei's arm) that seem to indicate some kind of attachment to Hei and the other members of her team. Before Hell's Gate appeared Yin went by the name Kirsi (last name unknown) who lived in Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

and was studying the piano under the tutelage of famed pianist Eelis Kostinen. In episode 14, A Heart Unswaying on the Water's Surface: Part 2, Yin confesses that she remembers both good and not so good memories, but chooses to stay with her team members instead of returning to Finland with Kostinen.

Huang's position can be interpreted as that of field supervisor. He is the only normal human on the team and primarily serves as a strategic advisor. He has a general dislike for Contractors and Dolls and voices it regularly in spite of having to work alongside three of them. Huang is also the only member of the team that seems to have consistent direct contact with the Syndicate, relaying the Syndicate's orders to the team and occasionally sharing information that he has learned from them. Outside of "jobs," Huang has very little to do with the other team members. In spite of his said-dislike of Contractors, Huang sacrifices his life at the end of the first season in order to help the team stop an experiment that would kill all Contractors if completed.

A Contractor who has lost his original body and now resides within that of a black cat. As the cat's brain is not fully capable of containing Mao's human consciousness, a server installed in his collar is utilized to support some of it. If he were to lose contact with said server, he would become no different from an ordinary cat. Possibly related to his computer-based existence, Mao shows some proficiency as a hacker. His Messier Code is HM-432. A very practical character, he is very interested in watching Hei react to situations in an unorthodox manner. Although he fears the Syndicate's disapproval and on occasion is able to receive direct orders from the top, he often protects the members of his team by withholding information about them from the Syndicate. His contract allows him to possess other animal bodies, although he sometimes has difficulty adjusting to them. In season 2, it is revealed that Mao lost his body when an explosion occurred during his mission to spy on the activities and research of Professor Pavlichenko, Suou's father. Since losing his human body seems to be considered an extreme form of obeisance, he can use his Contract power of transference freely. After the dissolution of the Syndicate and the events at Hell's Gate, Mao loses contact with his server. However he is found by the CIA and given a new server, identity and body, acting as Suou's pet flying squirrel.

The Section-Chief of the Foreign Affairs Division 4 who investigates incidents involving Contractors. Misaki has long brown hair and glasses and rarely smiles or laughs. She has a strong sense of justice and a sharp intuition. Misaki became a policewoman in order to protect the weak, has a distaste for smokers due to their smell, and is sensitive about the exposure of her body. She drives a blue Porsche 997 Carrera in the series. Misaki likes eating greasy food but claims to stay fit because she works out. Her father is Superintendent Supervisor Naoyasu Kirihara of the National Police Agency. She is obsessed with finding the identity of BK-201, whom she suspects is involved in many of her cases. Throughout the series, she encounters Hei in his alternate persona "Li" (as Hei/Li is spying on her), and it is implied that she becomes attracted to Li, unaware that he is the person she is hunting. Later in the second season, she is scouted and recruited by Kobayashi from Section Three of the Japanese Intelligence which is formed after the final event of season one. Throughout the series, she is seen to primarily use Smith & Wesson 908S as her main side arm.

Kana is the main character of the first manga. While exploring the mystery of her father's "death", she meets Hei. She is kind and caring. Her mother was killed by her father, and her father is killed by his boss.

Terminology

A powerful organization of Contractors led by Amber, a former MI6 agent codenamed February. They aim to reveal the existence of Contractors to the general public, and to promote their status as a new race/group of humans. Special rights and privileges for Contractors are also on their list of objectives.

A mysterious and chaotic area of space that appeared in Tokyo ten years before the start of the series. Its appearance led to the rise of Contractors and Dolls. A massive wall has been constructed around it to keep civilians – or anyone else, for that matter – from entering. Several countries, including Japan, are cautiously conducting research on the Hell's Gate, exemplified by a top-secret research facility PANDORA built next to the Gate Wall.

Another chaotic area of space that appeared in South America and disappeared five years before the beginning of the series, along with everything in a 1500 km radius around it. Its exact nature at this point is unknown in the series. Its appearance apparently started a large-scale war, one in which Great Britain and Argentina participated. Amber, Havoc, Hei, and his sister Pai, were involved in the War and were adversely affected by the Heaven's Gate's sudden disappearance. The area where the gate was has become inaccessible. Interestingly enough, Heaven's Gate and Hell's Gate are located on opposite ends of the globe and are considered exact opposites of each other.

PANDORA (Physical Alteration Natural Deconstruction Organized Research Agency)

A UN-operated research facility dedicated to studying the phenomena of Hell's Gate. Located on the edge of the gate within the walls, an international team of scientists examine the properties of the gate via manned and unmanned expeditions within. Paranormal phenomena akin to ghosts are not uncommon here, likely due to the lab's close proximity to the gate. Though run by the UN, it is not impervious to intelligence agencies; both the Syndicate and CIA have infiltrated almost every level of the research center. PANDORA has a heavily armed security force, consisting of armed soldiers possibly of various nationalities and armored vehicles, meant to protect its facilities and personnel.

Contractors are individuals who have gained supernatural powers due to the appearance of the Hell's Gate and Heaven's Gate. In Kuro no Keiyakusha Gaiden it is revealed that Contractors are defects that emerge when humans are unable to become Dolls. The existence of Contractors is kept a secret from the general public by most governments around the world, but they are well-known to the higher echelons of society and in the criminal underworld. Contractors possess two other traits that give them a rather sinister reputation: the need to perform remuneration, which is a bizarre, obsessive compulsive "payment" for the use of their powers, and a generally pragmatic, Machiavellian world view. This is described by the Contractors themselves as a lack of emotion in general, but not much evidence exists to verify this claim. Many Contractors exhibit at least some forms of emotion, including love, joy, guilt, and sorrow.

Later in the series it is explicitly revealed that Contractors are capable of experiencing emotions, but that those feelings do not play a prominent role in their thought processes. They are described as being totally rational, and totally amoral. The general rules seems to be that they feel no guilt, and they cannot form or retain social bonds. A normal Contractor cares, in essence, only about their own well-being, and everything is reduced to a cost/benefit analysis: Any other issues like laws, emotions, or the question of the sanctity of human life are irrelevant to them.

Emotionless "mediums" created to mimic the forms of humans. Dolls can form a variety of functions; the most commonly seen in the series is their use of observer spirits, which serve as reconnaissance. Dolls have different mediums through which they can send their observer spirits and must be in contact with this medium while observing; for example, Yin's medium is water, through which she can send her observer spirit anywhere else there is water. A Doll can also act as the perfect sleeper agent. It can be given the memories and personality of another person and assume a person's personality perfectly, mimicking all their habits, dreams, and feelings until the time is right. Interestingly enough, a Doll by the name of Shinoda Chiaki seemed to have some "life" of her own by saving Hei from being killed by another Contractor. This suggests that Dolls, like Chiaki, can go beyond their "set" characteristics and become something else. Other examples include when Huang discovers Yin crying, when Yin hugs Huang when saying goodbye, July expressing confidence in himself and November 11 as a team, July staying with Suo of his own choice, and Sakurai, a doll stolen by the yakuza

Yakuza

, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...

, smiling as she runs away with one of the yakuza

Yakuza

who fell in love with her.

An intermediate between a Contractor and a Doll. Moratoria appear to be people with Contractor powers who do not require remuneration as part of their power. Unlike Contractors, they do not have control of their powers, shifting into a hypnotic state of unconsciousness as they use them. Moratoria also suffer from severe mental trauma as a result of their power. According to Mao, the chance of a Moratorium morphing into a Contractor is near zero, but possible.

A Contractor who loses their powers in exchange for a flicker of hope for a normal life. There are very few known Regressors, and the way one becomes a Regressor is also unknown.

An object coveted by many intelligence agencies and organizations, and once held at PANDORA. It seems to be connected to the appearance of Hell's Gate, however, PANDORA does not believe that it is of much importance as they had already discovered a similar substance in South America before Heaven's Gate disappeared. Its appearance resembles a large lens, and when inside the Hell's Gate, it displays an as of yet unexplained synchrotron light

Synchrotron light

A synchrotron light source is a source of electromagnetic radiation produced by a synchrotron, which is artificially produced for scientific and technical purposes by specialized particle accelerators, typically accelerating electrons...

. The Meteor Fragment was first stolen by Nick for the CIA. It was then stolen by Hei who infiltrated the PANDORA installation by orders from the Syndicate. It was then obtained by Amber, who holds it to this day. This object allows entities which do not exist (such as ghosts) to appear, and also allows entities which exist to disappear.

True to their names, all Contractors must pay a price for using their powers, whether they wish to or not. Moreover, it seems that the amount of payment required is dependent on how much the Contractor uses his/her power. Although this payment can be delayed, especially in the midst of combat, it is ultimately unavoidable. Each Contractor has a unique remuneration, reflecting the chaotic nature of the Hell's Gate. Remunerations are typically difficult for the Contractor and range in severity from irritating to painful. However, there have been a few contractors who enjoy their remuneration and at least one who uses it in conjunction with his own ability.

Known remunerations include

Acupuncture
Alteration of age, swiftly growing older or younger
Arranging pebbles in meticulously straight lines
Baking
Drinking various fluids, such as hot milk, beer, or the blood of children
Earmarking the pages of a book
Inability to lie
Intaking and regurgitating objects
Kissing someone
Making origami sculptures
Placing shoes upside down on the ground
Pulling out hairs
Regaining human feelings for a brief time
Revealing a secret
Revealing magic tricks
Self-mutilation or injury, including dislocating fingers or wrist-slitting
Singing a song
Sleeping
Smoking
Losing function of body parts, such as legs
Writing

It is also possible for a Contractor to fully pay off his Contract, but this is an incredibly rare feat, requiring a drastic and traumatic sacrifice. In the series it has only been seen to happen in those Contractors who have the ability to swap bodies, where their contract requires them to eventually lose their original body as remuneration.

Anime

Darker than Black was conceptualized by Tensai Okamura and produced by Bones

Bones (studio)

and Aniplex

Aniplex

, formerly known as Sony Pictures Entertainment Visual Works Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment Visual Works Inc., is a Japanese anime and music production and distribution enterprise owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and established in January 1997...

. The series premiered on Tokyo Broadcasting System

Tokyo Broadcasting System

, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....

and Mainichi Broadcasting System

Mainichi Broadcasting System

's Thursday late night anime

Late night anime

is a term used in Japan to denote anime television series broadcast late at night and/or in the early morning, usually between 23.00 and 4.00. Sometimes the scheduled times of such broadcasts are advertised in a format using an hour greater than 24 is a term used in Japan to denote anime...

broadcasting timeslot, replacing the Sunrise

Sunrise (company)

is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise. It is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings. Its former name was Nippon Sunrise, and prior to that, Sunrise Studios...

series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion on April 5, 2007, and similar to Code Geass incorporated corporate sponsorship of Japan News Network partners Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....

and Nifty

NIFTY Corporation

, also known as , is one of the leading internet service providers in Japan, and a subsidiary of Fujitsu. The company was the largest online service provider, Nifty Serve, in Japan. With the spread of the Internet, it started internet service in 1996. In 1999, it absorbed Fujitsu's ISP, InfoWeb. In...

, where episodes of the series was streamed every week during the series' broadcast run. It completed its initial run on September 27, 2007, and received its broadcasting satellite premiere on Animax

Animax

from May 8, 2007 to October 23, 2007. The series was also aired in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

on Animax Asia

Animax Asia

Animax Asia is the Japanese anime TV network Animaxs English language feeds in Southeast Asia and South Asia, as well as its feeds across other regions of mainland Asia, including Hong Kong and Taiwan...

, Animax's English language networks in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

and South Asia

South Asia

South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...

from December 2008 onwards. The series has also been released in Japan by Aniplex

Aniplex

across nine DVDs, each containing three episodes, except for the first DVD, which had only two. The ninth and final DVD included an original video animation

Original video animation

, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...

, which expanded upon the romantic relationships between characters. The DVDs were released between July 25, 2007 and March 26, 2008 by Aniplex

Aniplex

. FUNimation received the license for the series in Region 1 and has released one DVD compilation with two more coming in the future. The first English DVD was released on November 25, 2008 and the second and third DVDs were released on January 20, 2009 and March 10, 2009 respectively. Volume 4 was released on May 5, 2009 with Volume 5 released on June 23, 2009. Volume 6 was released on August 11, 2009 and is now available. In May 2010, Funimation released the entire first season in a complete box set; it was originally released in March, but was recalled due to a defective disk.

The Blu-ray Box was released in Japan on September 30, 2009 with a guidebook with several unreleased music tracks not available in the OSTs.

The series made its North American television debut when it started airing on the FUNimation Channel

FUNimation Channel

The FUNimation Channel is a 24-hour cable network which broadcasts anime series in the United States. OlympuSAT was chosen as the exclusive distributor of the network....

September 6, 2010.

Sequel

A document containing information about Bones

Bones (studio)

staff and production details, was leaked onto the Japanese filesharing site uploader.jp, within the Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel is a proprietary commercial spreadsheet application written and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications...

spreadsheet

Spreadsheet

A spreadsheet is a computer application that simulates a paper accounting worksheet. It displays multiple cells usually in a two-dimensional matrix or grid consisting of rows and columns. Each cell contains alphanumeric text, numeric values or formulas...

format, on July 2008. Among other details, including confidential contact information in regards to Bones staff members, it revealed that a second Darker than Black and Fullmetal Alchemist
Fullmetal Alchemist
, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is styled after the European Industrial Revolution...

series was in production and were being directed by Tensai Okamura and Yasuhiro Irie

Yasuhiro Irie

is a Japanese animator, character designer and anime director.-Biography:Beginning his career at Sunrise, he has worked as an animation director and animator on several productions, and made his debut as a director with volumes 2 to 4 of Alien 9 and the 2004 television series Kurau Phantom Memory...

respectively. This information regarding Fullmetal Alchemist, which had never been previously released, was later proven to be true on January 2009. In an official statement posted on Bones' official website, co-founder and president Masahiko Minami

Masahiko Minami

is a Japanese anime producer and president of Bones.-Career:A graduate of the Osaka University of Arts's department of arts, Minami began his career with noted anime studio Sunrise as one of its producers...

claimed that the document was not released by the studio themselves but by an unnamed third-party. In a later statement, Minami also stated in regards to the two new series, "It hasn't been decided yet. We are interested in doing them. As original science-fiction works, they were extremely fascinating. With these kinds of dramatic story lines, I feel that there's a lot we could do potentially." Six months later, however, the second series for Fullmetal Alchemist was confirmed to be in production with Yasuhiro Irie as director, thus confirming the document's validity. The second Darker than Black series was confirmed in the 12th issue of Square Enix

Square Enix

is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...

's Young Gangan Magazine. In the 14th issue of Young Gangan, the title was revealed as . The sequel began airing in October 2009 and ended in December 2009. At Anime Expo 2010

Anime Expo

Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation . With rare exceptions, the convention is traditionally held on the July 4th weekend and lasts for four days...

, Funimation Entertainment announced that they licensed the second season and will be released in the future.
.

Future

According to series creator Tensai Okamura there are currently no plans for a third season.

OVA

These OVAs, also known as Darker Than Black Gaiden, are set in the time between the two series. Hei and Yin have left Tokyo and are on the run from the Syndicate. In the first episode, conflict ensues in Okinawa, where the agents from the Syndicate attempt to abduct Yin but are eventually unsuccessful. Hei and Yin then leave for Hong Kong. There are 4 OVAs in total, filling the gap with Hei and Yin left between season 1 and 2.

Manga

A manga

Manga

, illustrated by Nokiya, was serialized in Monthly Asuka

Monthly Asuka

is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten, aimed at teenage girls. Much like its sibling publication Shōnen Ace, it places some emphasis on anime tie-ins and spinoffs...

. Kadokawa Shoten

Kadokawa Shoten

is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...

released the series to two tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

on August 8, 2007 and January 26, 2008 respectively. The series has been licensed for a North American release by Yen Press

Yen Press

Yen Press is the manga and graphic novel imprint of Hachette Book Group. In addition to their regular book releases, Yen Press produces a monthly anthology called Yen Plus. The company's varied list demonstrates an interest in publishing a wide variety of Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and other...

. A second manga, illustrated by Yuji Iwahara

Yuji Iwahara

is a Japanese manga artist. After graduating from art school he joined Hudson Soft as a graphic artist. He made his manga debut in 1994 in Afternoon with a story for which he won the fall Afternoon Four Seasons Award, a prize he received three more times over the next two years...

, the original character designer for the anime, finished serializing in Square Enix's Young Gangan seinen magazine under the title Darker than Black: Shikkoku no Hana in March 2011. This is a separate one from the first and it is a new story taking place one year after the events of the anime.

Music

The original soundtrack was composed by Yoko Kanno

Yoko Kanno

is a composer, arranger and musician best known for her work on the soundtracks for many games, anime films, TV series, live-action movies, and advertisements...

in 2007 and contains a total of 20 tracks including the first opening and ending themes performed by Abingdon boys school

Abingdon boys school

Abingdon Boys School, stylized as abingdon boys school and abbreviated as a.b.s, is a Japanese rock band fronted by Takanori Nishikawa....

and Rie fu

Rie fu

, born on January 11, 1985, in Tokyo, is a Japanese singer-songwriter. She resides in Tokyo but frequently travels to the United Kingdom to record and promote her work.-Personal life:...

. Other non-instrumental songs were written by Tim Jensen

Tim Jensen

Tim Jensen is a long-time collaborator with anime soundtrack producer/composer Yoko Kanno and her group The Seatbelts, as an original member. He is the voice on "Tank", the opening song of Cowboy Bebop...

and performed by Mai Yamane

Mai Yamane

is a Japanese singer, well known for her work on the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack with Yoko Kanno. Her career started at the very beginning of the 1980s when she participated in a young singer's contest in Japan. Six months, later she finished her first album...

(tracks 8, 10) and James Wendt (tracks 14, 19). It peaked at number 57 on the Oricon

Oricon

, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...

albums chart.

"Go Dark" (3:14)
"HOWLING — TV size ver." (1:29)
"Tenderly" (2:19)
"Was" (4:08)
"Outside (2:36)
"No One's Home" (2:43)
"Guy" (2:02)
"ScatCat" (2:02)
"Shadow" (2:45)
"Deadly Work" (3:36)
"BlueCat" (3:08)
"Water Forest" (2:11)
"Blend in" (3:14)

Production

Planning: Seiji Takeda
Seiji Takeda
is the deputy director of Mainichi Broadcasting System's Tokyo office. Since beginning the network's 6:00pm Saturday timeblock, he has been involved in the planning and production of numerous anime, including various series from the Gundam universe, Code Geass, Blood+, Fullmetal Alchemist, Eureka...

(MBS), Masuo Ueda (Aniplex), Masahiko Minami
Masahiko Minami
is a Japanese anime producer and president of Bones.-Career:A graduate of the Osaka University of Arts's department of arts, Minami began his career with noted anime studio Sunrise as one of its producers...

(Bones), Takuo Minegishi (Hakuhodo DYMP)
Original Concept: Bones
Bones (studio)
is a Japanese anime studio. It has produced numerous series, including RahXephon, Wolf's Rain, Scrapped Princess, Eureka Seven, Angelic Layer, Darker than Black, Soul Eater, Ouran High School Host Club and two adaptions of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga along with Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto and...

, Tensai Okamura
Original Character Design: Yūji Iwahara
Yuji Iwahara
is a Japanese manga artist. After graduating from art school he joined Hudson Soft as a graphic artist. He made his manga debut in 1994 in Afternoon with a story for which he won the fall Afternoon Four Seasons Award, a prize he received three more times over the next two years...
Character Design and Chief Animation Director: Takahiro Komori
Art Design: Tomoaki Okada, Masahiro Satō, Eiji Taguchi
Design Works: Takayuki Yanase
Art Director: Takashi Aoi (Green)
Color Design: Nobuko Mizuta
Director of Photography: Yoshiyuki Takei
Editing: Kyōko Ogino (Jay Film)
Music: Yoko Kanno
Yoko Kanno
is a composer, arranger and musician best known for her work on the soundtracks for many games, anime films, TV series, live-action movies, and advertisements...
Sound Director: Kazuhiro Wakabayashi (Fonishia)
Sound Effects: Shizuo Kurahashi, Sō Maibara (Soundbox)
Sound Tuning: Tetsuya Satake
Sound Assistance: Fumie Ishikura
Sound Studio: TV Tokyo Center
Sound Production: Fonishia
Music Producers: Keiichi Tonomura, Toshiaki Ōta
Music Production/Coordination: Aniplex
Aniplex
, formerly known as Sony Pictures Entertainment Visual Works Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment Visual Works Inc., is a Japanese anime and music production and distribution enterprise owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and established in January 1997...

, Borderline, Myrica Music
Producers: Hirō Maruyama (MBS), Ryō Ōyama (Aniplex), Yoshihiro Ōyabu (Bones), Osamu Hosokawa (Hakuhodo DYMP)
Director and Series Composition: Tensai Okamura
Animation Production: Bones
Bones (studio)
is a Japanese anime studio. It has produced numerous series, including RahXephon, Wolf's Rain, Scrapped Princess, Eureka Seven, Angelic Layer, Darker than Black, Soul Eater, Ouran High School Host Club and two adaptions of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga along with Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto and...
Production: DTB Production Committee (Aniplex
Aniplex
, formerly known as Sony Pictures Entertainment Visual Works Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment Visual Works Inc., is a Japanese anime and music production and distribution enterprise owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and established in January 1997...

, Bones
Bones (studio)
is a Japanese anime studio. It has produced numerous series, including RahXephon, Wolf's Rain, Scrapped Princess, Eureka Seven, Angelic Layer, Darker than Black, Soul Eater, Ouran High School Host Club and two adaptions of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga along with Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto and...

, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners
Hakuhodo
is Japan's second largest advertising agency, with gross sales of approximately 700 hundred million yen. It has its headquarters at Akasaka Biz Tower in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo....

, Myrica Music, Movic
Movic
is a Japanese company which specializes in the publication of trading cards, figures, CDs, and other general media related to the anime industry. Movic is a part of the Animate group.-Anime involved in:*Ah! My Goddess: The Movie: Production...

), Mainichi Broadcasting System
Mainichi Broadcasting System
is a broadcasting station in Osaka, Japan, affiliated with Japan Radio Network , National Radio Network , Japan News Network and TBS Network, serving in the Kansai region. MBS is also one of the major stockholders of Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc...

External links

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