Category: Durarara

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)

One of the big complaints against this series seems to be that the characters are too one-sided, but I disagree. A show like Ookami Kakushi has shallow characters who can just be described with one line. The characters of Durarara however have gotten subtly fleshed out quite a bit already. Simon might be a typical foreigner at first sight, but the hints at his background and his morals and values have made him into more than just a stereotype. The same with Shizuo: he may be a hothead, but it’s not like he’s angry all of the time, as especially this episode showed. And yeah, this episode also showed that the creators have no intention to cut corners on the backgrounds of these characters.

Every episode so far has been told through a different perspective, and this time the creators chose for the biography: Shinra Kishitani tells about the background of the headless biker, aka Celty. I was pretty surprised that she actually WAS Dullahan, a Celtic legend. This really is one thing that we could have expected from the director: he did something similar, combining classic folklore with modern technologies like the Internet in Jigoku Shoujo. In here, we have a headless horseman who communicates through an IPhone and chat program.

I also love how much detail the creators have put into this legend. I think this is one of the first times that we get an autopsy of one of these mystical “beings”, and find out that her organs aren’t working. It makes sense for an immortal being: why would you need such “mortal” organs anyway if you can live forever?

But yeah, this episode rocked the mos because of Celty’s terrific characterization. This episode did a great job in portraying how she feels after losing her head and living in Japan for twenty years, only able to communicate through text.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Aside from the usual, like series with excellent characters or storytelling, I’m also a very big fan of series that can make their setting come alive. This isn’t just constantly animating the people in the background, but it also lies in the way that the story is told, and making clear that the world doesn’t just revolve around a bunch of main characters. Series that manage to do this are quite rare, but I often find myself enjoying them a lot. I actually think that it’s the area at which anime in general has improved the most at throughout the past five years, alongside CG integration of course.

And Durarara has been really good at that throughout the past three episodes. I love that while Mikado is the “lead character” of this series, every episode is told through the perspective of a different character, in a different style. In this episode, Simon, the Russian guy, suddenly started acting as the narrator. Also, I can be wrong in this, but was his voice also one of the people behind the chatting guys? That chat-room by the way is also a very nice idea: it really supports how this series shows many different sides of the bustling city life of Ikebukuro.

In any case, there are still many question-marks about the magic powers in this series. In Baccano, it was easy: some people were immortal, others weren’t. It’s a bit more complicated here, however, since there seem to be multiple kinds of powers: the headless biker (or Celty Sturloson) is one of those examples, the ability to… cut things from a distance (not sure exactly how he does it) from Izaya is completely different, and the super strength from Simon and Shizuo are different as well. Celty is also very much a mystery: in the last episode she worked for Izaya, but now we see her… “talk” to Shizuo, even though he hates Izaya to the point of wanting to kill him. My guess would be that they were once old friends until that friendship between Shizuo and Izaya just exploded (and frankly, with the personalities of those two I wouldn’t be surprised).
Rating: ** (Excellent)

I first want to confirm something: AniDB labels this series as one with 24 episodes, but it’s also the only source to do so (no MyAnimelist doesn’t count, they don’t double-check their sources when putting up information). Can someone confirm that we’re indeed going for 24 episodes here, because AniDB usually tends to be correct with these things, it’s not like them to base information on something that hasn’t been confirmed yet.

In any case, Durarara already was my favourite show this season, and this episode only made it better. I really see no way in which this series isn’t going to work out well. The direction is incredibly solid, the way it combines the dialogue with the visuals, and the way it intertwines the different stories. There are many different characters here, and this episode made it clear that the creators aren’t going to be biased for the main ones, and intend to give every one of them attention. This episode actually showed many scenes of the first episode, but from a different perspective, and so they get a totally different meaning because of that.

Overall, this season is really dry and unimpressive. THIS is one of the few exceptions. It takes overdone tropes, like teen-aged angst and suicide, and gives them a fresh and original feeling. The city it’s placed in feels alive, especially in the first episode.
Rating: ** (Excellent)