The Darker Than Black saga comes to an end in Volume 6, but the story of the Contractors and the Syndicate is left open for more to come. The high drama is clear evidence that the Japanese take their Anime seriously. The imagery and plot stand out and reflect a very eastern mindset and general life philosophy.

Highlights
The last of the series opens with discussion about a moral decision made by November 11, a contractor. It leads Misaki (a Section Chief of Foreign Affairs Devision 4) to rethink her struggle with the contractors. It also starts the clock for the final count down. A rumor has been floating around that said the old stars will reappear tonight and only tonight. She is beginning to believe that contractors have the same right to live as the humans and know that the Syndicate has a plan to destroy all Contractors by closing Hells Gate. The Contractors know that they must destroy Hells Gate to free themselves and Hei is the key. The rest of the episodes lead to the final decision that Hei must make. He must choose between Humans or Contractors. The funny thing is that Hei is still half Human and half Contractor. His contractor abilities came from his sister Pei. I am not going to tell you what he chooses, but Misaki had to make the same decision.

Overall

Darker Than Black is a complicated story with a serious demeanor. The depth of the character development is so well done, you feel as though you have known the main characters all your life. As I mention in the opening, the Japanese treat animation much differently than the way we have in the U. S. The way the characters and story is driven by a dramatic plot line is rarely seen in American production. The main characters appear much like any other human being and clearly have the same conflicted emotions. Now, I'm not saying that this is not seen in U. S. animation but it is not seen very often. I have noticed an increase in character development over the last several years in the U.S. but not to the level that makes it seem effortless.

There are four episodes to this volume, but the forth (EP-26) is a filler episode and episode 25 is the true ending. There is also a well done extra with commentary over episode 26 that is worth watching. It mocks the anime fan base a little with continual references to Man/Elephant love that is part of a manga series that Yin is into. I was disappointed that there was no satisfaction with the main characters finding final truth or complete resolve in the show, but do understand why it had to end the way it did. Darker Than Black is a worthy addition to any anime collectors collection.