Darker Than Black Episodes 19 and 20: Dreaming Swallow, Uninebriated

And with this episode, Darker Than Black is right back where it needs to be. There aren't many story arcs left, and although this episode was terrific, I'm still feeling a little nervous for the future of the show. It's been back and forth in quality for so long, and there's not really enough time for the series to do any more stories that don't move the main plot forward at all. I suppose no matter what happens, there's still the second season to look forward to.

This episode finally let us see a little bit of Huang's backstory, and his character makes a lot more sense now. I think I'll have a new appreciation for a lot of scenes when I go back and re-watch them. During the first episode, I enjoyed the flashbacks a lot more than the main story, but the second episode of this arc was much stronger, and the story was at its best when the past and the present were running into each other.

In spite of my misgivings about the future of the show, there was some interesting set up that I hope they follow through on, and the episode itself had some beautiful scenes, especially near the end. If the series continues on an upwards path from here, I'm sure this season will go out with a bang.

Rating: 93/100