Darker than BLACK II OVA - Episode 3

As we continue to be filled in on the important events between the two main series of Darker than BLACK, so episode three of this OVA kicks off with a scene which I'm not sure whether to label as a dream or nightmare on Hei's part...

Either way, he awakens to find himself in the keep of those who rescued both himself and Yin last time around - A band of contractors who fought with Amber to try and prevent the extinction of their kind, and who are now looking for some sort of way to "evolve" contractors, be it via pro-creation or otherwise. The leader of this rag-tag assortment pulls Hei to one side to try and explain to him the importance and significance of Yin and her recent actions, which Hei has clearly either not realised or refuses to see for himself. Following this conversation, Hei talks to Yin about what is going on, receiving an unsurprisingly vague answer which seems to tie him into the "voices" that she hears.


All of this is pushed to one side, albeit temporarily, as Hei finds himself drawn into a trap masterminded by the Korean contractor we'd been exposed to previously, a trap which nearly costs him his life but has far more serious ramifications for not only Yin, but also the various other contractors who are part of this disparate group to which we've been introduced - A group who are, quite simply, massacred. What was the cause of all this death and destruction? Take a guess...

Compared to the first two episodes of this Gaiden OVA, this third instalment of said side-story feels lacking somehow - Certainly, it's shorn of any particularly sharp action sequences, while the events that we see progress the story without ever particularly drawing us into its world. Perhaps its just me, but the whole thing felt oddly distant and as though it was going through the motions, which left some of its defter touches seeming almost unappreciated. That said, this OVA as a whole is still serving an important role in tying its two TV series together in a way that perhaps should have been attempted before Ryuusei no Gemini began, as I continue to get the feeling that series would have been even more enjoyable with the information we've been privy to here under our belts. Still, here's hoping to a cracking ending to make up for this slightly run-of-the-mill effort.