Ten years before the opening of the fantasy-adventure Darker Than Black (2007), a mysterious barrier called Hell's Gate appeared in Tokyo. At the same time, Contractors, humans with mysterious powers, arrived on the scene. Since then, governments and private industries have used Contractors to do their dirty work, from assassinations to waging war. One of the most powerful Contractors, Hei (a.k.a. "the Black Reaper"), fights a complex battle against government agents, the CIA, and various hired thugs. His allies include squat, cynical Huang; Yin, who can trace humans through water; and Mao, who takes the form of a talking black cat. His most dangerous foes are Moratoriums, humans with even deadlier powers--and less conscience--than Contractors. The tone of this violent supernatural series shifts radically whenever policeman-turned-private-eye Gai Kurasawa appears. Fancying himself the heir to Humphrey Bogart and Sam Spade, Kurasawa narrates his misadventures in an over-the-top hard-boiled style. The plot reaches a major point when Hei penetrates a secret laboratory of the Pandora organization to steal a mysterious, powerful fragment of a meteorite, which Evening Primrose agents are also seeking. Darker Than Black delivers plenty of fast-paced, hard-hitting action, including well-staged battles in which Hei slices up his enemies with a sort of piano-wire whip. But the story is so convoluted, it's difficult to sort out, even with frequent Morris the Explainer scenes. The first season ends with a rather inconclusive conclusion as Hei and Yin head for the interior of Hell's Gate. Hei realizes that closer relations between humans and Contractors are possible and he reemerges to help create a new era--a standard anime finale that leads to the OVA "Beneath Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom" and the second broadcast season. (Rated TV MA: violence, violence against women, torture, grotesque imagery, risqué humor, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon

(1. The Fallen Star of a Contract, Part 1; 2. The Fallen Star of a Contract, Part 2; 3. A New Star Shines in the Dawn Sky, Part 1; 4. A New Star Shines in the Dawn Sky, Part 2; 5. Red Giant over Eastern Europe, Part 1; 6. Red Giant over Eastern Europe Part 2; 7. The Scent of Gardenias Lingers in the Summer Rain, Part 1; 8. The Scent of Gardenias Lingers in the Summer Rain, Part 2; 9. The White Dress, Stained with the Girl's Dreams and Blood, Part 1; 10. The White Dress, Stained with the Girl's Dreams and Blood, Part 2; 11. When One Takes Back What Was Lost Within the Wall, Part 1; 12. When One Takes Back What Was Lost Within the Wall, Part 2; 13. A Heart Unswaying on the Water's Surface, Part 1; 14. A Heart Unswaying on the Water's Surface, Part 2; 15. Memories of Betrayal in an Amber Smile, Part 1; 16. Memories of Betrayal in an Amber Smile, Part 2; 17. A Love Song Sung from a Trash Heap, Part 1; 18. A Love Song Sung from a Trash Heap, Part 2; 19. Dreaming Shallow, Uninebriated, Part 1; 20. Dreaming Shallow, Uninebriated, Part 2; 21. City Under Crackdown, Moist with Tears, Part 1; 22. City Under Crackdown, Moist with Tears, Part 2; 23. God Is in His Heaven, 24. Meteor Shower, 25. Does the Reaper Dream of Darkness Darker Than Black?)