Line #99 DarkerThanBlack/SeasonTwoTropes


1	Non-character trope listings for ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack: Gemini of the Meteor''.
2
3	Tropes that are inherent spoilers should go in the DarkerThanBlack/SeasonTwoSpoilers article.
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5	----
6	!!Examples:
7
8	%% * TwelveEpisodeAnime
9	* ActorAllusion: Arguably with Hei's appearance this season. His voice actor also voices the protagonist of ''Anime/{{Monster}}'' who similarly goes from clean-cut to "sexy hobo".
10	** He also has a "smoking is bad for you" exchange with a character ''very'' similar to Huang (whose voice actor, incidentally, is also in ''Monster''.)
11	* AffablyEvil: Genma, though it only covers the fact that he's batshit crazy. He just doesn't feel that he needs to be a jerk.
12	* AliensInCardiff: Both Vladivostok and Sapporo aren't usually the localities of choice for UrbanFantasy writers.
13	%% * AnimalEyeSpy: Tanya.
14	* AntiVillain: Mina Hazuki, mostly.
15	* AscendedExtra: Remember July, the little British doll who has a grand total of 15 or so minutes in the first season? He's a main character in here, and Suou's MoralityPet.
16	%% * BackForTheDead: [[spoiler:April]]
17	%% * BagOfHolding: This actually is August 7's ability.
18	* BaitAndSwitchCredits: Hoo boy. The opening barely has any Hei [[spoiler:or Yin]], and shows a pink haired schoolgirl with her pet squirrel and her and her classmates playing on the beach. The show then relishes in subverting those images. [[spoiler:That squirrel is a contractor from last season, and that beach scene? Not happening, what with two of the kids becoming contractors... and a third being killed by one of them.]]
19	* BaitTheDog: Genma originally seems [[AffablyEvil funny and likable]]. However, over time, it becomes clearer and clearer that the guy is freaking ''nuts''. Similarly, TheTeamNormal is a seemingly {{moe}} scientist- until she [[spoiler:{{depower}}s Hei in an obviously incredibly painful way, treating him like a guinea pig and clearly not caring that she's torturing someone.]]
20	%% * BeardOfSorrow: Hei starts to develop one at the beginning of Season 2.
21	%% * {{Bifauxnen}}: Mina Hazuki. She even has Creator/MitsukiSaiga as a VA.
22	* BigEater: Apart from Hei, the second season introduces a Contractor who must eat hamburgers as remuneration for his powers. He carries around a giant bag full of burgers for this very reason, and is rather reluctant to overuse his powers since he'll get sick.
23	** Hei has apparently stopped doing this during the TimeSkip, though.
24	*** As of episode eight, his appetite's back with a vengeance, apparently to compensate for [[spoiler: quitting drinking]].
25	* BilingualBonus: The Russian bartender in the bar (called "метеор", Russian for "meteor") April was having some shorts, had the word "пить" ("pit' ", Russian for 'to drink', in the literal sense and also specifically to booze) written on his apron.
26	* BishieSparkle: Norio, twice. Subverted in that[[spoiler: it had no effect on Suou.]]
27	%% * BlandNameProduct: "Swarowsky".
28	%% ** How about "Starboxes"?
29	* BroughtDownToNormal: Hei, but remember that he was called "Black Reaper" ''[[BadassNormal before]]'' he became a Contractor.
30	** BroughtDownToBadass: ''Never'' underestimate the Black Reaper.
31	* BulletTime: Goran dodging April's bullets [[spoiler: right until she Brilliant-Pebbled him with frickin' ''raindrops'']].
32	* ButNotTooForeign: Suou and Shion are half-Russian, half-Japanese.
33	* ContinuityNod: Two minor supporting characters from season 1 reappear in non-speaking cameos very briefly [[spoiler:within the alternate world Shion created]] at the end of the season: Misuzu Oyama, Hei's landlady, and Babo, the black tenant and resident [[TheSilentBob Silent Bob]].
34	* ContrivedClumsiness: One scene shows the depraved Genma having his partner Mina conduct [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moxibustion moxibustion]] on him, which is the "payment" for using his powers. He makes a perverted comment, and Mina, who DoesNotLikeMen, accidentally-on-purpose burns him.
35	%% * CreepyChild: Shion.
36	* CreepyTwins: Madame Oreille hangs around with an extremely creepy pair of Doll twins who even do the alternating-speaking thing.
37	* DeadManWriting: [[spoiler:Amber]] leaves messages behind for Hei during the {{interquel}} period and for Kirihara during this season. In both cases, her goal seems to be preventing the EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. [[spoiler:But then, she ''could'' see the future...]]
38	* DeadStarWalking: Given the [[TrailersAlwaysLie promos]] for the second season, it seemed as if [[spoiler:April]] would become a major character. Then Hei shows up and quickly puts an end to that notion.
39	* DrillSergeantNasty: Hei in Episode 4.
40	* DrowningMySorrows: The year's gap between the two seasons does not appear to have been kind to Hei, if the hip flask is any indication. Or maybe it's just part of the "Sexy Hobo" look he appears to be cultivating. When someone pointed it out, his response was pretty much just, "Shut up."
41	* {{Eagleland}}: Part of the [[MeleeATrois mess]] is due to attempts by the United States to restore their superpower status.
42	* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: Hei, who shows up with long hair and PermaStubble to show his downward slide after whatever the hell happened [[spoiler:when Yin got turned into Izanami.]]
43	* EyeScream:
44	** When the FragileSpeedster ran through a rain which killed him because of inertia, the last thing he saw was a raindrop. Very, very close to his eye. Thank goodness for the GoryDiscretionShot.
45	** Another example shown at the end of the last episode [[spoiler:a shot of Genma, presumably dead, but still in "armor mode" with the handle of Mina's sword sticking out of one of his eyes, which is dripping blood.]] Completely deserved in this case.
46	* FlashStep: A rare example which lacked almost all RequiredSecondaryPowers. Count:
47	** Lack of super-stamina ("My muscles gonna hurt tomorrow").
48	** Lack of super-inertia-controlling (he bumped into a tree after a sprint and couldn't change his direction instantly to save his life).
49	** About the only one he does have is friction immunity, since he isn't set on fire by the air around him. It's kind of surprising to see a so fragile speedster in a setting full of {{Reality Warper}}s.
50	* FlyingCar: Can be spotted in the background every once in a while, and shows up much more prominently in the last episode.
51	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Suou's first encounter with Genma ends with her throwing a metal trash can over his head and escaping. Pretty appropriate considering his power, which hasn't yet been revealed at the time: he can convert mineral material into mecha-like body armor for himself.
52	* ForkFencing: When [[spoiler:Major Repnin]] is trying to coerce Hei into working for him, he takes the knife he was carrying. So when our hero finally gets sick of it, he grabs a dull table knife instead and uses it to pin his hand to the table. Ouch.
53	* FragileSpeedster: Goran originally seems more of a LightningBruiser, being slightly chunky, but then turns out to be more like one of these [[spoiler: when he is horribly killed when April makes it rain while he is running]].
54	* FunWithSubtitles: One fansub chose to replace Hei's request for the meteor shard with "I will let you go if you blow me."
55	* GainaxEnding: Even worse than the original, complete with ''another'' [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Instrumentality]] shout-out. At least before it wasn't too hard to figure out why all the different groups were acting as they did...
56	* GloriousMotherRussia: Averted: not only are there no bears on the streets, but the school, class-rooms, and lifting the chairs is an accurate portrayal of how school life looks in Russia. Background artists even took pains to faithfully reproduce Russian signs and words (with some mistakes, sure, but these are minimal).
57	** Also the weapons used are not the usual Kalashnikovs and SVD, but Russian modern special forces weapons. Which are a lot less known, but authentic.
58	** The series is generally [[ShownTheirWork one of the best-researched in this aspect]], as this [[http://community.livejournal.com/dtb2_in_russian/ LJ community]] might attest.
59	*** Apparently, the staff took similar pains in researching other locations as well, because there exist [[http://darker.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/cat7285587/index.html similar comparisons with the show and real locations in Tokyo]] (unfortunately, in Japanese).
60	** The ending gave us the title translated into Russian, but with some letters mixed up and a few missing. Guess what? The next episode they CORRECTED it. ShownTheirWork indeed!
61	* HalfIdenticalTwins: Suou and Shion. [[spoiler:Subverted; Suou is an OppositeSexClone.]]
62	** [[spoiler:Played straight in a flashback, though; as children, Shion and the original Suou were near-identical.]]
63	* AHandfulForAnEye: Suou has clearly [[CombatPragmatist been learning]] from Hei.
64	* HannibalLecture: Hei gives one to [[spoiler:Major Repnin, who'd been pursuing him. Repnin]] threatened to [[spoiler:blow up a train]] if Hei didn't cooperate and admitted that, although he trusted Contractors because they were logical, he hated them because one of his Contractor subordinates killed his niece. He laments that he was forced to work with his niece's murderer and thanks Hei for killing him. Hei then points out that the Contractor was a depraved human before he was a depraved contractor and that if [[spoiler:the major]] was too bound by his logic to avenge his niece himself, he likely didn't have the balls to [[spoiler:hold innocent people hostage]] either. [[spoiler:Then he pins Repnin's hand to the table with a table knife.]]
65	* HesBack: It takes a while, but Hei eventually gets back to his normal self. Significantly marked when he turns down alcohol at dinner and exhibits his [[BigEater ludicrous appetite]] again.
66	* HistoryRepeats: The American military launching an operation to occupy what remains of the Greater Tokyo Area.
67	* ImportantHaircut: When Hei gets back to Tokyo, he cuts his hair and finally [[PermaStubble gets around to shaving]] to show that [[HesBack he's gotten over]] his DrowningMySorrows period.
68	* ImprobableAimingSkills: Suou when she [[spoiler:goes off to save July from being smuggled out of Hokkaido.]]
69	* ImTakingHerHomeWithMe: Kiko's friend, regarding Suou. For the first time ever, Kiko [[strike:[[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome distinguishes anime from real life]]]] realizes she's [[WrongGenreSavvy not in that kind of show]], and notes that kidnapping people is illegal.
70	* InertiaIsACruelMistress: A contractor who appears in the first episode of the second series has the ability to move fast enough to literally dodge bullets, but it seems his burst of super-speed only lets him run in a straight line. For the brief time that we see him, he runs face-first into a tree because he couldn't stop in time, and then [[spoiler:April kills him by making it rain while he's activating his ability. [[HoistByHisOwnPetard The speed that he's going at]] results in every single raindrop having the effect of a bullet.]]
71	* InstantArmor: Genma's power.
72	* JerkAss: In between seasons, Hei has apparently decided not to bother trying to act even remotely civil, though he starts [[HesBack getting better]].
73	* JustKeepDriving: Hilariously and intentionally.
74	* KickTheDog: Hei has a few such moments as part of his new JerkAss persona.
75	* LateArrivalSpoiler: Hei gets [[strike:BroughtDownToNormal]] BroughtDownToBadass, Suou ends up a Contractor, and [[spoiler:Mao is alive]].
76	* LivingMacGuffin: [[spoiler:Yin.]] Shion as well... [[TheManBehindTheMan or so it seems]].
77	* LooseFloorboardHidingSpot: Hei keeps a spare coat, mask, and set of knives hidden under the floorboards of an abandoned house.
78	* MagiciansAreWizards: August 7 has an interesting case of this -- he's a former StageMagician with a price of giving away his trade secrets for the power of ''real'' magic (or rather, spatial manipulation power that makes for a good approximation).
79	* ManipulativeBastard: Madame Oreille, who's also TheChessmaster, and [[spoiler:Shion, who seems to be a little too fond of playing with his "sister's" emotions.]]
80	* MeaningfulName: Could be a coincidence, [[http://www.badassoftheweek.com/pavlichenko.html but do note who shares Suou's surname.]]
81	** Any coincidence is fairly unlikely, because there's a) the fact that while her's is indeed a pretty common Ukrainian surname, its most popular spelling is "Pavl''yu''chenko", "Pavl''i''chenko" being a somewhat rare variant, which makes an incidental mixup of spelling less likely, and b) [[ColdSniper the whole sniper motif]].
82	* MeleeATrois: Where the original had the Japanese government, [=MI6=], PANDORA, TheSyndicate, and [[LaResistance Evening]] [[WhatMeasureIsANonSuper Primrose]], the second season has the Japanese government, the Russian military, the CIA, some of the dregs of TheSyndicate, Madame Oreille, and whatever group Shion is affiliated with. And all of them are chasing Suou and, by extension, Hei.
83	* MementoMacGuffin: Suou's necklace, which is her only connection to her family and, incidentally, [[spoiler:the meteor fragment keeping her memories in place.]] This [[FridgeLogic leads to the question]] of [[spoiler:how Hei didn't notice it immediately; maybe he was [[DrowningMySorrows too drunk at the time]] or something.]]
84	* MindScrew: If you thought the first season messed with your head, you'd better get out the aspirin for the second.
85	* MoodWhiplash: The first episode of the second season is a great example, as about 80% of it is your typical anime high school comedy [[spoiler: and then several people are killed, two of them by Hei's hands in a way that makes him appear to be the ''[[RogueProtagonist villain]]'']].
86	%% * MsFanservice: Madam Oreille.
87	* NeverTrustATrailer: The previews made it seem much LighterAndSofter than the original. The first episode started out that way, but only lasted long enough for the audience to get attached to Suou before [[BreakTheCutie watching her life fall apart]].
88	* NightmareFuelColoringBook: Ilya's remmuneration. He seems to enjoy it far too much.
89	* OhCrap: The only way to describe Hei's expression in Ep.11 when [[spoiler:Hazuki shows up when he's trying to find Yin]].
90	** Also, Goran in the first episode, when he realizes he's going TooFastToStop.
91	%% * OnePersonOnePower
92	* OnlyAFleshWound: Averted. Someone who gets a force-spear through the leg dies of blood loss a few minutes later despite attempts to stop the bleeding.
93	* PermaStubble: Hei appears to have acquired this. It does not detract from his status as resident MrFanservice.
94	** Possibly justified by Hei being Asian; as many can attest, growing a beard is ''hard''.
95	*** Genma, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have a problem with his.
96	*** Apparently, the Japanese have an easier time growing facial hair than the Chinese do.
97	%% * PsychoLesbian: Hazuki
98	* RealPlaceBackground: As in previous season, the team researches their locations extensively.
99	* RequiredSecondaryPowers: Suou carries around that anti-tank rifle like it's made of styrofoam, and even shoots it while standing up. She does have to clean it like a real gun, though.
100	** The FragileSpeedster from the first episode, as mentioned several times already is notable for lacking almost every required secondary power for his FlashStep ability. Cannot change direction, has no inherent toughness, and gets killed by raindrops... one wonders what his plan was to kill someone since hitting them would shatter his arm.
101	* TheRival: Hazuki is set up as a Japanese Catwoman counterpart to Hei's Chinese Batman, down to using the same sort of snap-hooks on occasion.
102	%% ** Tanya to Suou.
103	* RogueProtagonist: Since we currently have no idea who all the different groups are or what happened during the TimeSkip, Hei appears to be at first. [[spoiler:It turns out that it was ''Yin'' who went rogue, although her FaceHeelTurn was under the influence of an EldritchAbomination or... [[MindScrew something]].]]
104	* RubberFace: Suo pinches July's cheek to get a reaction of of hem when he's playing possum. It doesn't work.
105	* SacrificialLamb: See BackForTheDead. [[spoiler:Subverted with Suou's dad; the one Hei killed was actually a copy.]]
106	* SerialKiller: Ilya Sokolov, neatly established a villain within a couple of minutes of his introduction.
107	* ShipperOnDeck: Kind of an odd example, but several of Kirihara's co-workers have concluded that her obsession with capturing Hei is actually a manifestation of her being attracted to him. Arguably, this advances a Hei X Kirihara ship.
108	** Can't really blame them. It's... um... [[StalkerWithACrush kind of obvious]].
109	* ShipTease: Hei X Yin is heavily implied for the TimeSkip, although it still might be a matter of someone misinterpreting his [[BigBrotherInstinct protectiveness issues]].
110	* ShoutOut:
111	** The stock footage of Suou releasing her gun is remarkably similar to ''Anime/PrincessTutu'''s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLWxJ2OvfK4 transformation sequence]]. Both have [[TransformationSequence lack of clothing]], a single long braid of red hair, similar positions, and a dark background.
112	** And the GainaxEnding includes a brief segment showing [[spoiler:the teenage protagonist in an ideal world where her family is normal and happy and she doesn't have to worry about anything more extreme than getting to school late.]] Something tells me the creators like ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''...
113	** In an {{Omake}} chapter in the {{interquel}}, Tanya mentions ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'' as an excuse for why someone with the ability to summon swarms of cockroaches should be allowed to cook. No one else is convinced.
114	** The way Kobayashi poses in the end of the series with the custom [=M16A2=] rifle [[Manga/{{Golgo 13}} is too reminiscent of Golgo 13.]]
115	%% * SingleTargetSexuality: Misaki (Heisexual)
116	* SmallGirlBigGun: The second season OP prominently features Suou wielding a [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII WWII]] PTRD ''antitank'' rifle. It's 2 meters long, weighs 18 kilograms, uses 14.5x114 cartridges[[note]]heavy machinegun caliber, [[http://world.guns.ru/ammo/am03-e.htm 1.5x-2.5x energy of .50 Browning]] depending on the type[[/note]], and has a huge [[LawOfInverseRecoil recoil]] despite the ginormous muzzle brake. The only people who shoot it from the hands in RealLife (there were a couple) looked like [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Space Marines]]. [[spoiler:Suou gaining the Contractor power to materialize this beast and swing it around without regard to weight or recoil is pretty hilarious. The RuleOfCool is a wonderful thing.]]
117	** [[spoiler: Shion apparently used a real one in Episode 8, and the custom variant at that, modified due to him being left-handed. He shoot it prone, though, not from the hip as his sister does.]]
118	** [[spoiler: Actually, her wielding a gun of that size is not really unbelievable. Think of, that it's her power as Contractor. Despite the fact, that she is no real Contractor anyway but fused with Bai. As Hei gets depowered, Bai moves to the Meteor Core Suou is wearing, giving her the Contractor powers same as she did to Hei in Season 1. (Explains why Suou keeps being emotional, struggles with the mindset she should have as a Contractor and in the end develops a crush on Hei.) You can see that in the scene, where Section 3 hits Hei with the anti-contractor trap and a stream of light hits the Meteor Core. Plus, the weapon materializes itself not from her chest, but from the necklace. If someone can alter reality on quantum level and create an Anti-tank weapon out of nowhere, adjusting the strenght of its wielder is simple.]]
119	* SpaceMaster: August 7 aka "The Magician" used spatial distortions to become functionally [[IntangibleMan intangible to physical attacks]] and to access his armoury.
120	* SpoilerOpening: Suou is shown carrying and then sniping with a [[{{BFG}} anti-tank sniper rifle]]. Doesn't help the situation that in the second episode (and the first episode to have an opening, as the premier did not) has the aforementioned BFG in the episode, practically screaming ChekhovsGun.
121	* StalkerWithACrush: Kirihara is trying pretty hard, considering that the target of said stalker-crush is a ninja who's not even in the same country.
122	** Ironically enough, a [[PsychoLesbian completely different ninja]] has taken up stalking ''her.''
123	* StalkingIsLove: Norio, who even gets called out by his friends as a paedophile and ''still'' gets portrayed as a DoggedNiceGuy.
124	%% * TheStinger
125	* StockholmSyndrome: Suou is basically stuck with Hei, since she's been {{unperson}}ed and has no money. Despite the fact that Hei killed her father and mostly acts like a complete {{jerkass}}, especially at the beginning, his ChickMagnet powers are apparently still active, since by the end of the season she's developed a bit of a PrecociousCrush on him.
126	* StupidEvil: Genma's habit of being a total bastard just for the hell of it regularly leads him to do things that are just ''stupid''. For instance, when he was supposed to capture Hei, he thought it would be more fun to armor up and try to kill him instead... but since he used the truck he'd been driving for materials, he wound up stranded when Hei jumped on top of a passing car.
127	%% * SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: [[spoiler:April]]
128	%% * TagalongKid: July, even more than in the first season.
129	* TakeThatMe: [[GenreSavvy Kiko's comments]] about introducing comedic characters into a show just when things are starting to get very serious.
130	* ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman: The circumstances behind April's defeat of Goran fit this. The conditions were ideal for her, as were her opponent's powers.
131	%% * TimeSkip: A year or two between seasons.
132	* TooDumbToLive: Goran. He has a Flash Step and nothing else. Even if he didn't effectively kill himself, he's completely without offense, as he can't punch someone without causing as much damage to himself.
133	* TooFastToStop: See also InertiaIsACruelMistress.
134	* TookALevelInBadass: April in Season One was pretty much November 11's sidekick. This season, she actually uses her powers in clever and lethal ways. Hell, she even comes close to taking out [[spoiler:Hei]] by summoning a bolus of water around his head.
135	%% * TookALevelInJerkass: Hei has developed in an unpleasant direction.
136	* TrainingFromHell: Hei puts Suou through this [[spoiler:after she becomes a Contractor.]]
137	* TransformationSequence: Suou has one when she activates her Contractor ability and summons her {{BFG}}. It seems to be happening in real time.
138	* TranshumanTreachery: [[spoiler:Tanya]] seems to perfectly encapsulate all of the FantasticRacism stereotypes about the differences between Contractors and normals.
139	* TrippyFinaleSyndrome: If you thought the ''first'' season was bad, the last episode of ''Gemini'' will probably leave you unable to say much beyond "[[FlatWhat Wut.]]"
140	* TwinSwitch: The twins are constantly being mistaken for each other. Near the end of the first episode, Shion told Suou to wear his clothes, claiming she would stand out less, although this just made the people looking for Shion chase after Suou instead, which could very well have been his plan. [[spoiler: It's later revealed that the real Suou died eight years ago, and this one is actually Shion's OppositeSexClone, further justifying the confusion.]]
141	* UnderestimatingBadassery: Genma apparently thinks that Hei is "just a [[TheStoic gloomy]] [[ChickMagnet gigolo]]" when he's not using his powers. Unfortunately for Genma, Hei earned his nickname "Black Reaper" because of how many Contractors he killed even ''before'' [[BadassNormal he had any powers]].
142	%% * {{Unperson}}: Suou and presumably Nika
143	* WildHair: Hei, at the beginning of the season. He keeps it tied back later, and eventually cuts it back to its normal length to show HesBack.
144	%% * WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter: ...At least when Mina Hazuki turns them into {{Laser Blade}}s.
145	* WouldntHitAGirl: Along with WouldntHurtAChild, this is averted... a lot... by ''Hei.'' When Hei feels like being a JerkAss.... he really, ''really'' acts like a JerkAss.
146	* WriterOnBoard: This season's vice is alcoholism, although April repeats November 11's famous anti-smoking lecture in the first episode, for old times' sake.
147	%% * YouALLLookFamiliar: Section 3 commandos, their design based from presumably [=JGSDF=] forces in season 1.

Context DarkerThanBlack / SeasonTwoTropes