Darker Than Black (Episode 5)

Well this a very backdated review on Darker Than Black. Actually I only got time to watch this fifth episode yesterday and did made a review earlier. However I lost that blog somewhere and now I have made another one. In other words, starting all over again. My mood now is not so good. Since I did not want to waste any more on this review since I made quite a detailed one earlier, I cut this one as a brief review.

Before I begin my synopsis, I must say the episode this time lacked the action element but the story progressed to an interesting plot, when it all start to become James Bond style with all the CIA and MI6 getting their hands involved in the Contractors issue. No surprise there. Ultimately Contractors are weapons anyway. And more bad ass attitude from Misaki. I starting to like her now, which really reminds me of Real Mayer from Ergo Proxy.

This is November 11.

His ability is to freeze people and objects.

And he hate smoking but this is for his remuneration.

The story began with a man named Smith making a transaction with a gang of mobsters. Being despised of smoking, he decided to call it quit but the mob leader asked him to stay and told his subordinate to stop smoking. Darker Than Black trying to set an example that smoking is bad, which is good. Showing the money to them, the mob leader was curious about the item. Smith intended to resell that item. The mobs were not happy by this and canceled the deal. They wanted to take the money away too but Smith unleashed his Contractor power by freezing people. The mob leader got away but Smith accomplices which is a woman and a boy stopped him by the bridge. The woman is also a Contractor and summoned a gust of wind, pouring down some rain along. The man was drenched wet and his feet were freeze solid. Smith came to him and asked for the location of the item. The man trying to plead for mercy, gave Smith an address for the item. Unfortunately for him, his whole body froze and he died. Smith did his remuneration by smoking but he did not seem to enjoy it as he hate to smoke. Too bad for him because I thought he is up for anti-smoking as he lectured the mob earlier. The woman also remunerating by drinking beer. Well she is not complaining. Here’s a trivia. The beer that she drank seems to be Guinness. And as for the boy, he is a Doll who has the same detecting ability as Yin but he did it by using glass. They proceeded to the given location that is a hotel and it leads them to a girl named Havoc. They decided to bring her with them and he introduced themselves; the woman as April, the boy as July, and himself as November 11. He also revealed that they are from the MI6.

This is April.

She can brew up a storm.

And savour the result of her brewing.

They flew to Tokyo with Havoc. It turns out that Havoc is the most brutal Contractor in history, having killed thousands of people during the Third Heaven War in South America. She has the power to create vacuum and she is also a Lost, a Contractor whose power has banished. Havoc was questioned by Eric Nishijima about her condition and asked to participate in several experiments by the Pandora, a research division from UN. She was then flown to Pandora’s headquarters by helicopter as Misaki looked on. She was startled by November 11 who was talking about the Heaven’s Gate in South America destroyed along with Havoc lost her Contractor ability and somehow she ended up in Romania. November 11 (I suppose that is his code name) introduced himself as Jack Simon from British Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Misaki was surprised yet annoyed when Jack knew her name and wanted that she’ll be addressed as Kirihara.

This is July.

And this is none from the months of the Gregorian Calendar. This is Havoc by the way.

Inside the car bound to the Pandora’s headquarters, Saito asked Jack if this is his first visit to Tokyo. Jack said that he had been to Tokyo twice before and jokingly said that it was for some assassination job. He joked when he wanted to give details before, during the transaction with the mobs earlier by jokingly said that he wanted the item (which is Havoc by the way) to kill 3,000 employees from a rival company. Misaki was curious why MI6 handed Havoc over to Japan instead of bringing her back to England. Jack said the public in England do not want such researches on Contractors to be done in their homeland. Suddenly Jack got a call from April. Misaki too got another call from Kouno. The news was that an organisation will attack on the helicopter that is bringing Havoc. Misaki stopped the car as to investigate what had happened. As Misaki demanded explanation from Jack, he said that the helicopter was decoy and that Havoc was actually inside the trunk of the car. Curled up inside a suitcase to be precise. He did so because he wanted to know how much information has leaked from the Japanese police.

Havoc can squeeze into a suitcase! Pretty handy huh?

Misaki and her groupies strike a pose for the Rolling Stone cover.

They continued on and reached a railroad crossing. Misaki’s passed through and suddenly a man dashed in front of the car, forcing Saito to put on the brakes. It was pretty obvious that the man in black is Hei. Jack got a call again from April and received a message from July that “he is here.” Jack went out of the car and said that it was trap. Misaki and Saito did not know who is “he” referred to when Havoc also had said that “he” is here. Havoc referred “he” as the Black Reaper (Kuro no Shinigami). Misaki was surprised to know that Jack and April are Contractors as April began to summon the tornado of some kind. Then rain (not I’m not referring to that Korean star) poured down on Hei. Jack used the opportunity to zap a frost path to hijm but Hei managed to escape. As the fighting continued on, Huang on his gas mask threw a smoke grenade into the car and took Havoc away. That’s a real havoc (pun intended). It was actually a sleeping gas, so slumber time to everyone inside the car. Later on, Misaki apologized to her supervisor over the incident. Eric commented about the failure of the Japanese police and revealed that Jack Simon is November 11, MI6’s best agent. At the office, Misaki was informed that BK201 was responsible for the attack on them earlier.

She was warned, smoking is bad.

“I am the Black Reaper…”

Outside, Misaki confronted November 11 who was talking about the troublesome lives of Contractors for doing things that they may love or hate to repay for their power. He hates to smoke but April was quick to say she did not bother to drink alcoholic beverages. Misaki questioned him if he knew it was bound to happen but having insufficient plan, he said no for an answer. However he did admitted that the organisation involved did not have any foreign contacts, proving CIA was not involved. July then managed to detect Hei’s location and November 11 said that they will handle BK201 themselves. Over to Huang, he reported the condition of Havoc through the phone and hanged up. He then told Mao that they have to hand over Havoc to the Syndicate tomorrow morning and Mao commented that the Syndicate do not want Havoc to be near the Hell’s Gate. Inside the room, they saw Yin sitting on the bed with no sight of Havoc and Hei. She said that they have left but denied of knowing their whereabouts. Inside an abandoned house, Havoc was bound to the chair and Hei interrogated her by calling her Carmine. Hei asked about what had happened before and asked where is his sister, Pai.

So an interesting twist at the end of the story. Hei do have a family (which he denied in episode 3). A sister named Pai. Now I wonder if Pai also has a Contractor ability. Hopefully by next episode, more information regarding the Syndicate, the organisation that Hei works with will be revealed because by far, nothing much is known about that mysterious organisation. However the real interesting issue arised from this episode is Hei’s past. So long as this is not Desperate Housewives, I guess things will progress pretty well.