Saturday, May 19, 2007

Darker Than Black


An inscrutable and abnormal territory, known as Hell's Gate, appeared in Tokyo and altered the sky. At the same time, people who possess various special abilities emerged. However, the cost of gaining those abilities is the loss of human emotion. Feared by the world populace, these individuals able to murder in cold blood are known as Contractors. Intelligence agencies around the world utilize Contractors to uncover the secrets of Hell's Gate and engage in violent battles of intelligence information.

Hei is sent to Tokyo under the guise of an ordinary Chinese student, Li Shunsheng, but he is really a top-level Agent and Contractor from the Organization with the code BK201. Hei fights against other Contractors with unpredictable abilities and encounters and parts with women with sorrowful pasts. He also becomes entangled with the Japanese National Police Agency on the phenomenon of Hell's Gate.

Terminology

Hell's Gate (Jigoku Mon (Heruzu Gēto))
A mysterious and powerful territory, which appeared in Tokyo ten years before the start of the series. Its appearance led to the rise of Contractors and Dolls.

Heaven's Gate
Disappeared sometime before the beginning of the storyline. It used to be located in South America and was supposedly tied to Havoc in some way.

Contractor (Keiyakusha)
People who gained superhuman abilities, but lost most of their human emotions after the appearance of Hell's Gate. They must pay a price, in an act called remuneration, in exchange for use of their powers. This obeisance may vary greatly, from breaking one's own fingers to eating flowers. Each Contractor's ability and obeisance are different. They are remarked to be cold, and rely on apathetic reason and logic to make decisions.

Doll (Dōru)
A passive spirit medium created in someone else's image. A Doll is given that person's memories and may even assume their personality. Unlike Contractors, who retain certain emotions, Dolls are completely emotionless. However, Shinoda Chiaki, a Doll, displayed having her own "life", saving Hei from being killed from Jean.

Moratorium (Moratoriamu)
An intermediate between a Contractor and a Doll. Moratoria appear to be people with Contractor powers who are unable to remunerate. Consequently, they use their powers without being aware, shifting into a Doll like state of unconsciousness. According to Mao, the chance of a Moratorium morphing into a Contractor is near zero. Due to their inability to control their powers, Moratoria are considered highly dangerous.

The Organization (Soshiki)
A mysterious syndicate to which Hei, Yin, Huang, and Mao belong.

Regressor
A Contractor who loses their powers in exchange for a flicker of hope for a normal life.

Remuneration
The act of payment by a Contractor for the usage of their powers. It takes different shape from Contractor to Contractor, and Contractors must perform this regardless of their personal preferences. Known remunerations include smoking cigarettes, singing a song, earmarking the pages of a book, laying out pebbles in a rectangular pattern, breaking one's own fingers,eating flowers and drinking the blood of children.

Picture and information from wikipedia


Shuun comment:- A must see anime. Love the brutality and some gore~!! >XD

No comments: