National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

TheNational Astronomical Observatory of Japan is a government run organisation, specializing in information aboutContractors.

Stargazer[]

The building also houses the mysterious Stargazer, an old, priestess-like figure calledHoshimi who rarely speaks. When she does say anything, it is usually in the form of prophecies and riddles.^[1]

Contractor Monitoring[]

By observing the stars they can tell which Contractor has been involved in any recent incidents, as the Contractor's star twinkles when they use their power.^[2]

Doll Surveillance Network[]

They also have a number ofDolls for tracking and surveillance purposes. These Dolls are tied in to a network and use the power lines around Tokyo as their medium to observe events and locate targets both outdoors and indoors to some extent. This network is limited, however, as cutting the power lines will block access of the observer spirits to a building or area.^[3] The Dolls are referred to by number and are kept face down in liquid filled tube-like metal capsules with glass domes around the head, emitting a green glow.Kanami Ishizaki and the other staff check their health visually as well as by monitors and make adjustments to the liquid as needed, such as increasing the sodium concentration.^[4]

Following the closure of the Observatory, the Doll Network is taken over bySection 3.^[5]

Part in the Story[]

While often just providing surveillance on missions, the Observatory and its staff are directly involved a handful of incidents throughoutDarker than Black: The Black Contractor, namely having the observer apparitions of their Dolls captured byItzhak,^[6] and monitoring the battle betweenEvening Primrose and theSyndicate, both through tracking several Contractor signatures, and through the Stargazer's prophetic speeches in the final battle.^[7]

Some time after the battle, the Observatory is closed down and the building abandoned, with the Doll Network being taken over bySection 3.^[8] The Observatory is also the site of the meeting betweenMisaki Kirihara andOreille.^[9] Misaki later visits the site again, whereGenma Shizume finds her and asks her to work together to find out what is going on in Section 3.^[8]

Notable Members[]

• Kanami Ishizaki
• Ōtsuka Mayu
• Hoshimi

References[]

Navigation[]