The best part about this engrossing series is the intensity of every story, every nuance, to the point that you don’t realize that the mysteries are getting deeper despite the series’ nearing its end. A new mission is given to Hei, to infiltrate a fledgling religion/cult known as the Gate Fundamentalist Friendship Society, and take down their leader, a mysteriously ever-young woman called Alma. What threat could she pose to the Syndicate, and why is Amber’s group so eager to meet with her? Also, we get some enlightening backstory on surly Huang, our groups coordinator (for lack of a better term), who seems to have had a past with a Contractor long before he quit the police force and joined the Syndicate. When it comes time to toe the line on their orders, will Huang prove to be a ‘company man’, or actually have a kind soul deep inside?
In the second two-parter on this disc, we return to an update on Police Section Chief Kirihara, who is tasked with finding and securing Contractors and working with the American Embassy against terrorist attacks. When a contractor working for a government reveals that there may be a bomb threat, she must find a way to protect the Embassy against its will. However, if the threat is just a distraction to allow the kidnapping of Dr. Shroeder, a scientist researching the Gate for Pandora, how successful could any rescue attempt hope to be? Also, why does every contracting group have such an intense interest in this man’s research? Is there really a way to rid the world of all Contractors?
As always, this series continues to go above and beyond when it comes to quality, and as always, new Contractors keep being introduced, keeping every encounter fresh. The art style, in keeping with Studio Bones’ amazing level of awesome, continues to be both sparce/creepy while ensuring you don’t miss any little details (like the tiny jingling of bells on Mao’s collar when he runs). The music lends an essential mood to virtually every scene, and the scripting and voice acting are top-notch. Destined to be essential watching for any generation of otaku, this series is something you probably need to own right away. (special bonus: The individual DVD cases, when placed side by side, reveal BK-201’s jester-esque mask.)
Episodes included on this disc:
EP-019: Dreaming Shallow, Uninebriated…(Part 1)
Ep-020: Dreaming Shallow, Uninebriated…(Part 2)
EP-021: City Under Crackdown, Moist with Tears…(Part 1)
EP-022: City Under Crackdown, Moist with Tears…(Part 2)