This show has just gotten even better than it already had. Just when you think that nearly all of the important characters were introduced, this episode comes and throws in a heap more of them. The way in which this episode weaved so many different story-lines into one was just done masterfully. Masaomi got a lot of extra depth in this episode as well, and Anri too became a lot more colourful.
One thing that this series likes to do a lot is flash-forwards, without giving any indication what they’re about. This episode had those two as well: we first see two seemingly random scenes, in which Celty gets attacked by some other ghost or spirit, and Mikado and Masaomi run into some random direction. Only at the end of the episode were these two scenes explained. Things like these can really spice up an episode.
Also, Masaomi. While at first sight he was just another one of those “best friends”. You know, those paper bags you see in harem anime who play the local pervert and whose only purpose is to make the lead character look ‘good’. Well, that image got completely shattered with this episode, as it might even be that he only acts like that in front of his friends. This episode hinted at some event that happened in his past that caused an old friend of him and Izaya to end up in the hospital. I’m not exactly sure about the details, but for some reason he doesn’t visit her as often any more, so it might have been caused by something he did himself. Either that, or Izaya was just so damn scary, although that girl doesn’t seem to mind Izaya.
Then, Anri and Yagiri. In this episode it’s revealed that Anri didn’t talk so desperately in front of Yagiri because she herself was attracted to him, but rather because one of her friend, Harima, who apparently stalked him, and now mysteriously disappeared. And for some reason she looks surprisingly much like that girl that might carry Celty’s head. Coincidence? I actually doubt that.
Also, what was up with that new character who talked with random punks and has some sort of hikkikomori daughter? It was a nice way to add a bit of characterization for these people, by the way. May they rest in peace. Or at least that’s very much hinted at at the end of this episode…
Rating: ** (Excellent)
just watched the raw, just wanna express how this anime is unique, like flash forwards and mystery of headless rider. the stalker thing is complicated, Kida’s friend visited by Izaya, she looked like that stalker…
I think I have to comment about Mikado.Is it just me or maybe Mikado isn’t as helpless as he seems?Don’t really know why but I’m getting that vibe from him after this episode.
About the online chatters,I think the long haired girl from the end of the episode(who might be the slasher?Dun know,but she’s the only character with long hair as of yet)is one of the chatters.And MAYBE Selty is one of them too?One of the chatters mention something about not being scared of aliens and Selty was saying the same thing earlier in the episode too(which was sooo cute,btw),so I think my theory have some proof to back it up.
Last speculation,I think Kida used to be in a color gang(most probably the yellow gang,from his hair color),that’s why he was so skeptic about the Yellow gang he saw(and almost got in a fight with).But the color gang was wiped out..Maybe he made a deal with Izaya and lived because of it???
Hehe my comment are kinda long,but I just love a series that makes me think so much!
Yep, most probably Kida was part of Yellow Scarves, thats why he was so ironic when asking them if they were yellow scarves.
Also the long haired gal with the notebook from the ending is definitely the Slasher.
And the dog sequence with Shizuo was funny.
This was my favorite episode so far. I always liked Kida because of his carefree personality but now after this episode we get some added depth. And as others have said it does seem like his past was not as carefree as he lets on.
Many people (even I) seems to have missed this. The slasher who appeared in the beginning is not the same as the slasher who appears towards the end.
Pic (thanks to a poster on animesuki)
First Slasher (short hair)
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/7657/dura5i.th.png
Second Slasher (long hair)
http://img9.imageshack.us/i/dura5g.png/
Correction: The slasher who attacks Celty seems to not be the same person who attacks the Yellow gang members at the end.
@c160:
you are right about the chatroom.
Selty is Setton, Mikado is Tanaka Taro and Izaya is Kanra in the chatroom.
btw: the person (Saika) who spamed the chatroom with the desire and love things is actually Anri
q
Anyone saw the Celty’s head in the opening?
An awesome episode. Kida’s development was completely unexpected.
With respect to the flash-forwards, I was thinking of it a little more generally. This show occasionally shows the same events from multiple perspectives. We first got a taste of this when episode two went back and expanded upon the kidnapped girl from episode one. Another example (beyond the great one you describe) from this episode is the flashbacks in Kida’s narration about Anri.
This show really makes the season for me.
Yeah,now I rewatched it 4 times,I think there are two slashers too.I think one of them is Haruna Niekawa,the daughter of the reporter Shuji Niekawa(the one interviewing people about the “strongest”).And I think she’s also the Haruna Niekawa who dated the perverted teacher..
Is it just me, or does the first slasher look suspiciously like Anri?
I wonder who this “Mr Saito” from Anri’s middle school that the pervert teacher was talking about
I’ve always loved Kida and Izaya–so I’m glad to see that they actually shared a past together. Could it be that some of the protagonists that we’ve been exposed to are/used to be part of Dollars (Siwon, that bartender and perhaps even Kida)?
lets see, I think the guy in the green who they keep asking about the dollars (and he says stop asking about them) is a part of the dollars and are more than just some punk gang, probably not really a gang at all, maybe part of the police or something
also kida was probably the boss of the yellow scarves that *disappeared* after the fight with the blue squares.
when kida was talking about the kinds of people that join gangs, he seemed to be talking about that from personal experience
yeah shizuo + the dog= hilarious I thought he was gonna throw the dog or something lol
Hmm, after rewatching episode 2… Is the narration of that episode Celty?
hey drill whats up with the spoilers man , take a break
I think the slasher is Anri – her sword is somehow enchanted in some way, and a side-effect of it is rapid hair-growth (a common feature of traditional mystical weapons).
Hence, the reason her hair looks so neat is not because she styles it that way, it’s because she’s always cutting off copious amounts of hair that grows whenever she has that sword.