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Rating: 8/10

Impressions:

Ah, this episode’s pace feels really good, and regardless of this episode being the first half of the last two-episode arc, it seems as though the main story has already started. It’s disappointing that the final arc will only be 3 episodes, though at least it means there shouldn’t be any pacing problems. The sad thing is that it doesn’t look like Amber and the other characters aren’t going to get much character development. Is it just me or does Amber sound even younger when she catches Mao talking at the end of the episode? It could just be because I haven’t seen in a while, though if not, it would support the theory that her remuneration is getting younger.

Along with many characters not getting any development, it’s also quite sad to see characters like Misaki fail to become significant in any way. So far, she hasn’t done anything important and constantly misses out on all the action. Her arc involving her childhood friend didn’t lead anywhere, except for the introduction of the same contractor seen in this episode. Because of this, Misaki’s character seems extremely insignificant. Characters like Huang, the detectives and the MI6 get similar treatment. These last few episodes seriously need to address these characters and give them some purpose of being in the show. Hei’s important still isn’t clear at the moment.

When the end comes near in any series, I always like to think about the possibilities of a sequel. In most cases, anime series stay as single series, even though by the end of it, it would seem like there could be more to build on. Many end with a sort of ‘xx months/years in the future’, or a ‘life goes on’ type of thing. I would love to see a sequel for Darker than Black, though for the high likelihood that there won’t be, I think a life-goes-on ending would be best. It seems impossible for a truly happy ending to occur, since there are many factions, with neither being especially good or bad. Not everyone can win either. Sadly, I also doubt that a happy ending for Amber will result.

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