Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Disappointment for a huge fan!

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

This is probably one of my favorite shows. HEI IS A BEAST OF A CHARACTER. He is constantly switching personalities from that of a silly exchange student to the serious contractor he is which is so easily depicted by his eyes whenever he is done pretending to be happy they drain from all life and it really just makes you wanna curl up into a ball and do nothing forever. If you are looking for a show to really just give you an existential crisis then Darker than Black is your show. CHARACTER ATTACHMENT IS CRAZY. It is so deep as well as very smart and emotionally draining. After watching it for the first time I proceeded to show it to my sister who watched it in one day and was left with no idea what to do with life. This series is so dark (the title is very fitting) with the creator having no conscious which is what makes it so good. You will also find a huge attachment to the characters that remain constant and even those that are temporary. Only thing I wish was different was that there was more to watch, really an amazing show.

I ran across this by chance and was immediately hooked. Its starts out slowly developing the characters, plot and slowly introducing backgroundThis is an adequate amount of action, humor and a bit of childishness, which may be possibly Japanese culture humor?In any case, the choreography of the fight scenes, the character development, the background, the pretense each characters flaws, etc are spot on in my opinion.I won't go into much detail in regards to the series, suffice to say there is a good deal of fighting, dying and blood letting. The premise is that some cataclysmic event caused the whole scenario to start....present day Japan is the timeline basically..Humans-Contractors-Dolls, those are the three classes of society, whilst the first class, humans, is not supposed to really know the contractors and dolls exist. I suggest buying all the series, getting a lot of popcorn..and watch them all back to back,then wonder why in the heck did they not make more episodes???

I'd give a 8.5 if I could. This anime has one of the most cool characters I've seen in anime, Hei. The dude's attitude carries this show, but that's not to distract from the other characters. All of the main four, even the girl who rarely says a thing (I really enjoyed the episode focused on her) are a blast.The series is done in hour long vignettes, something not normally done in anime... and it takes the creators a little bit to get used to it. The first 7 or so episodes of this show were average and forgettable, but give DTB time and it finds it's place. Keep in mind, the beginning episodes are still necessary viewing for the mood and background it sets. So is the beginning rough? Yes. 7.9 worthy? Hell no! I know many a anime viewer such as myself who see's a score under a eight and thinks the show is a pass, but listen up. DTB IS NOT A PASS. This shows has everything to love in a anime and the ending WILL leave you satisfied. I love these characters, I feel the thought in the writing, it is complex and has a philosophical message. This one moment near the end delivers some of the best symbolism I've seen. Truly this show is a powerhouse; a world in it's own. Even characters who come in for a few episodes have a grand purpose in the study of Hei. Do not miss this show, it will have a impact on you and entrance you in pure coolness. 8.5/10

Let me start by saying, that many people will usually consider this "great" anime, simply due to the many years of hype and the studio backing it. Sporting some decent songs produced by the famous Yoko Kanno helps as well. With that knowledge alone, people will usually be expecting something the likes of Cowboy Bebop or Samurai Champloo. Unfortunately the biggest expectations usually tend to let us down quite frequently.As far as anime goes, Darker than Black is one that takes few risks and offers very little rewards. While you might hear or see that the series is "gritty" and "gory", it only really shares those two in very specific scenes and easily gets beat by other animes such as Elfen Lied, and while Datker than Black isn't here to give us a gore fest, it still provides with some decent scenes. The bad side?, they really only come sparingly.Many categorize the series as Noir or the abruptly formed, "neo-noir", and as a fan of such classics as Casablanca, The Big Sleep, and Gilda. I can't say I see it. Wearing a mask and a black trench coat, does not a noir make. There are zero silhouette shots, no femme fatales and the only person that smokes happens to be an uninteresting geezer with a bad case of the Mondays.The first few episodes are pieced together quite well, but eventually, the plot hits a fork in the road and becomes more about mysteries wrapped in enigmas, rinsed and repeated till they become cliché. At around this time two episodes usually contain the same plot as the director decided he needed two episodes to conclude a very short story.Ultimately, the characters aren't appealing and the lead (Hei) becomes as stiff as the rest of the cast. The character development is sluggish if at all any. Even the slapstick characters seem to just fall short. The fight scenes are worth the wait, but suffer from quick panels and don't really bring us in on the ride.Darker then Black feels average, I can't say I will recommend this anime to anyone who enjoys either Noir or animes altogether. Frankly, its too sub par to be considered "good", and in an age where the "next big thing" is still being wished for, DBT isn't even a tease.