Darker Than Black Vol. 4 - Anime DVD Review

"Darker Than Black Vol. 4" continues to take a perspective of kids in a normal city with extraordinary abilities. The removal of motivation in the narrative however seems to gnaw at the reasoning of what is trying to be accomplished. The angle of the narrative seems to revolve around Hei who as a masked agenger who doesn't suit up very much is almost a paradoxical flip world brother of Lelouch in "Code Geass". This volume which involves two story arcs starts off with a degree of would-be noir but then devolves into a less than exceptional story. There are aspects of thug life melded with an essence of disaster that never quite builds up. The experiences and metaphors examined are more existential than anything else.The first arc "Memories Of Betrayal In An Amber Smile" examines a newly minted explosion child who has been ordered by Amber, who likes Hei, to cause another major gate accident (something probably like an interdimensional rift). It had happened five years before causing part of South America to disappear. There is a contractor called November, who is more Daniel Craig as Bond than anything, who is trying to take them down. However his interaction with the police is questionable despite a very cut female inspector who seems well adjusted but a little deft when it comes to shopping. All this information is initially based on some sort of psychic who is hooked up to an array seemingly intercepting images from space. It is a narrative short cut which is slightly lazy. One thing that Amber does do when the tension comes to a head is freeze time and escape despite her desire for Hei. She just wants to trasnport away but her decisions are questionable.The second arc "A Love Song From A Trash Heap" is a much more linear and acceptive stoyr. Granted it could have come from "The Matrix". It is set up initially as a mob story until a "doll" is brought into the mix. The aspect of her work or design is not explained, only that a protege in the crime family that Hei befriends actually wants to save the empty vessel and doesn't know why. It actually plays closer to "Blade Runner" but with Sebastian getting the girl instead of Dekker. The progression is a little disappointing but understandable. Morals become a luxury within this world of treason.The commentary on Episode 16 is done by the actors playing November and Amber, The essence of a British accent is discussed as well as the balance of subtlety in the performances. Both actors do admit that the character arcs are short in the series structure which sometimes doesn't allow you to figure out everything you need to. The production artwork in the extras section is not so much sketches as they are characters bios and descriptions of props that the characters use. It is a not very intrinsic feature. The trailers offer a distinction of character but it again "Aquarion" that stands out in terms of cinematics as does "Heroic Age", although both seemingly employ the fighting robots motif which is fine but not inherently necessary. "Darker Than Black Vol. 4" shows two comparative story arcs that live in different realms and show distinctiveness but relapse in story diveristy. Out of 5, I give it a a 2 1/2.