Darker than BLACK: Ryuusei no Gemini - Episode 4

After giving us a bit more of a proper introduction (or rather, reintroduction) to Misaki Kirihara last episode, it's all change for Hei's "nemesis" as episode four of Ryuusei no Gemini, as she finds herself in the employ of Section 3, the same agency who has been sending contractors after Shion (and by extension, Hei) - Indeed, even her name has been changed, to Yayoi Ichinose. Thus, once again Kirihara finds herself on the trail of BK-201, complete with the mystery of his extinguished star and what that means.


Meanwhile, Hei himself has arrived in Japan along with Suou, Mao and July, and it appears that his first mission upon completing this journey is to train Suou up to become an agent in her own right. It's probably fair to say that Hei is quite the taskmaster here, whether it involves Suou learning to use her contractor powers or simply in a face-to-face fist fight. This all occurs against the backdrop of poor Suou herself, who seems to be struggling not just with her new-found status as a contractor (and boy does is this girl quick to pull out her huge rifle on people) but also with puberty and the emotional turmoil that this brings. This isn't really helped as she somehow ends up being the object of interest for a guy named Nori, who seems to be some kind of drifter happy to hang about on the streets of a Japan which appears to be still somewhat in ruins after the events of a couple of years ago.

While this episode is perhaps not the most important with regards to really pushing the show's plot forward apace, it does however have an important role in setting things up for whatever is to come - Aside from the obvious importance of Kirihara's new role and what this means in the grand scheme of things, Suou's emotional state is clearly also going to be a key tenet in forthcoming instalments. Away from this however, this episode didn't forget some of the touches that made Darker Than Black's initial iteration entertaining as well as intriguing, and so we get some nice little touches of humour at times, and of course some short action scenes that are no less spectacular for their brevity. Compared to a lot of the series we've been treated to this season, you never fail to feel the class of Ryuusei no Gemini bubbling under the surface, and you get the impression that it's only a matter of time before it explodes into something truly spectacular. Let's hope that this is the case, although even up to now this show is offering up a largely enjoyable ride.