In Tokyo's downtown district of Ikebukuro, amidst many strange rumors and warnings of anonymous gangs
and dangerous occupants, one urban legend stands out above the rest—the existence of a headless "Black
Rider" who is said to be seen driving a jet-black motorcycle through the city streets.
Ryuugamine Mikado has always longed for the excitement of the city life, and an invitation from a
childhood friend convinces him to move to Tokyo. Witnessing the Black Rider on his first day in the
city, his wishes already seem to have been granted. But as supernatural events begin to occur,
ordinary citizens like himself, along with Ikebukuro's most colorful inhabitants, are mixed up in the
commotion breaking out in their city.
(Source: MAL Rewrite)
If you are contemplating whether or not to watch Durarara!! or not, go ahead and watch it. Even if
you don't like shounen, and even if you are a filthy 3D loving person. Durarara is about this kid
called Mikado who is invited over by his friend Masaomi over to Ikebukuro to join him at his school,
why Mikado will travel across the country for this is unknown, but Mikado is obviously shocked to see
the city life in full swing and that's when the story breaks away into multiple facets and all of them
move towards a single conclusion (like how Game of Thrones would be, if that 3D bastard would just
write the two damn books already). Durarara is quite entertaining, no matter how you look at it, its
got wholesome fun for whatever thing you like (unless you like loli, you won't find any here). Don't
like Mikado and his constant whining? well, he isn't the main character anyways, just root for someone
else. There is quite a bit of realism at the start, but its quickly dispelled by a vending machine
getting thrown, this is a fantasy world and a world of true urban legends, just because it doesn't
have big-breasted girls fighting with swords doesn't make it non-fantasy. That said, let's move onto
the proper review.
Artwork (18/20)
The artwork is definitely quite good and the animation is also out of the world quality (or atleast it
was, way back when in 2010), you will occasionally be surprised by the fluid animation on vehicles or
particle effects, and it just makes it even better, the city of Ikebukuro is definitely a beauty, and
you won't be disappointed.
/
There _ is _ one small problem though. The crowd. Its usually greyed out, but I guess its a small
price to pay for quality artwork overall, eh?
The fights are usually very well done.
Music and Sound (18/20)
The music is quite something, both OP01 (Uragiri no Yuuyake) and OP02 (Complicated) are very good. The
ED is somewhat lacking, but music during scenes makes up for it. The sound effects on the other hand
are not all that good. The sound is never really able to give that feeling of 'busy city' as it
should, but I guess I can't have everything.
Story (16/20)
The story is presented in arcs, which usually follow the life/history of one out of the myriad of
characters and tells us a little more about them. Every arc usually has tremendous character
development which really brings a life of its own to some characters.
The story starts out very slow at the start, but it picks up after it reaches around episode 9 and
then hits full swing by episode 18 to bring a somewhat satisfactory end. "Why just a _somewhat_
satisfactory end?" you ask. Because the end removes all hopes of a second season, that's why. And I
would be lying if I said I didn't want another season of this awesomeness. The story does start
getting a little stale as it approaches the end, there is definite tension in the air, and the tension
just keeps up for too long, which could have been avoided, but hey, atleast it was all fun and no
filler. The plot also has some holes, but I won't discuss them here due to spoiler issues. Durarara's
rewatchability is also very low because the plot relies too much on keeping things hidden from the
viewer. Once you already know the story once, it loses all its charm.
Characters (17/20)
I can't help but say that the character development was the best I have ever seen. Most characters end
up being nowhere near what they used to be at the start of the series. That is not to say I liked
them. I didn't. I guess I liked Izaya a bit, but other than him, I could never really get along with
anyone, I never could cheer for one of them. As far as I was concerned, they were all a bunch of
two-faced bitches (which is what made Durarara so entertaining in the first place, guess I am a
hypocrite). Of course, other people's outlook may differ from mine.
Enjoyment (17/20)
Durarara! is definitely enjoyable, you will find yourself at your wits end by the mystery in it and
you will scratch your head about it, and you will love it. That's the sort of series that durarara is.
Admittedly, you might be bored by some parts, but you will grow fond of it over time.
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Final score - 18 + 18 +16 +17 +17 = 86/100
Durarara is a masterpiece which somehow end up short due to some very silly mistakes, but believe it,
you will be glad you picked it up. Do not think of my rating as a 86, but as 4 short of 90, and you
will see how good Durarara really is. Its a must watch for everyone even if you do not like its genre.
So, what the hell are you waiting for? Go watch it now.
I stumbled upon this show by seeing a random meme on reddit and fell down the rabbit hole that is this show. Normally I don't write lengthy reviews, but this show impressed me to much that I felt compelled to do so. This show has something for everyone: comedy, romance, thrill, mystery and even action. Taking place in Ikebukuro, downtown Tokyo, _Durarara!!_ starts with longtime resident Masomi showing his friend Mikado around the city. Very quickly you're introduced to a barrage of characters each more interesting than the last, each having their own unique stories that are fully threshed out, leaving no loose ends at the end of the second arc of the show. A major element of this show would definitely be the many factions or gangs of Ikebukuro which are introduced as the show goes on. The first faction introduced is the decimated “Yellow Scarves,” a color gang who are still licking their wounds after a gang war with a gang named “Blue Square” nearly dissolved both parties involved. Shortly after the viewer is introduced to the so called “Dollars,” who are leaderless and wear no color to identify themselves as a gang. With no hierarchy and shrouded in mystery, the Dollars have enraptured the public eye, with many falsely claiming to be members or their leader. Lastly, the “Slasher” faction controlled by a mysterious character not revealed until far later in the show. Nearly all the characters belong to at least one of these three factions through the two arcs in the first season of the show. img(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/durarara/images/b/b0/E01_Mikado_and_Masaomi.png/revision/latest?cb=20190709185534) __Animation: 9/10__ One of the few shows I've watched that does CGI right. Although not prevalent in the show, when the show does use CGI it blends well with the hand drawn elements and is not jarring to see. img(https://i.imgur.com/3imex4G.jpg) __Fights 9/10__ Durarara!! relies primarily on dialogue and dramatic irony to advance the show, so when fights do take place it's a pleasant relief to just see action. Each fight is well coreographed and while although most of the time short lived, it leaves a strong impression nonetheless. img(http://www.otakusphere.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Shizuo1.jpg) img(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/02/2f/2a/022f2aaaf8921a83438ac40cfa3fcfd0.jpg) __Characters 9.5/10__ _Durarara!!_ hosts a plethura of characters, making it an ensemble cast type show. Often, the show switches between the views of the three central characters: Mikado, Masomi, and Anri, who all go to the same highschool and hangout together. In the background, you have characters that are sort of "urban legends" of Ikebukuro such as the "headless rider," Shizuo Heiwajima, and Izaya Orihara. Of the dozens of characters that compose this show, nearly all of them get tons of screen time and over half get fully threshed out with surprising turns and twists in their character development. __Story 10/10__ The story of this show enthralled me from the very beginning of the first episode. From here on they'll be tons of spoilers so if you plan to watch please don't read on ~!The many plot twists and shocking reveals leave the viewer in awe. From Mikado being the leader of the dollars as a way of alleviating his boring life. Anri being the real slasher all along after watching both her parents die in front of her to show herself she could love no one. Mikado being the leader of the infamous Yellow Scarves and in constant emotional agony because he abandoned his girl when she needed him most. The headless rider actually being a headless Dullahan, a mythical Celtic being who visits people on their deathbed and carries her head by her side, that is searching for her lost head and missing memories. To the simple reveal that Shizuo wears a bartender outfit because his brother gave it to him because he promised to keep a job.!~ What all these reveals have in common is that they were all unexpected and _fully threshed out_. Nothing irritates me more than a story that's incomplete, never to have a conclusion. I can't think of a single arc of character development in this show that wasn't fully explored and resolved in a way that was both satisfying and entertaining. img(https://38.media.tumblr.com/bf64aece50d6474bcbbf6794ffabb99b/tumblr_ncbztkXAXg1qj5jqso1_500.gif)
~~~ img(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Durarara_logo.png) For this review I’ll be splitting it up into 5 categories, and rating each accordingly, these categories are: Story, Characters, Music, Art and Overall Enjoyment. img3000(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7o3b-cEIbs8/Wu8ZpkVTi-I/AAAAAAAAH_8/78HnkiFGOeQDDBSS9xv15bEC9C-vXZTMACLcBGAs/s1600/drrr.jpg) ____Story (8/10):____ While at first glance the story of DRRR may seem like a simple gang war story, with high school students stuck in the middle, the story truly revolves around the characters and their secrets, and how these secrets affect their lives and the lives of the people around them. The 3 main characters, Mikado, Masaomi and Anri, while being best friends, all have parts of their lives that they hide from the others, which causes the friend group to slowly fall apart as they begin to focus primarily on their other lives away from each other. img(https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/13719158_f520.jpg) ____Characters (10/10):____ The characters in DRRR are the main aspect that stood out for me while watching the series. The cast of DRRR consists of many unique characters, all with their own problems and livelihoods, with no main character feeling underappreciated or overlooked. img500(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/e2uO5tCqS-g/maxresdefault.jpg) ____Masaomi Kida:____ My personal favourite character in DRRR is Masaomi, during the first half of the series, he is seen as an energetic and flirtatious young man, who is ecstatic when his best friend Mikado is finally able to move to move to Ikebukuro and attend the same school as him.~~~ ~!However, throughout the second half of the series, Masaomi’s attitude drastically changes as he is reminded of his past actions as the leader of the Yellow Scarves, a gang that has reappeared after disappearing a few years before the events of the show. Masaomi uses his power in the gang to try to rally them into finding and killing the attacker of his love interest, Anri.!~ ~~~Masaomi is a great example of good character development, because although he turns against his friends, by the final episode, he realises what he has become, and leaves Ikebukuro to find his own peace. img800(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DhzAg3tUYAAFkVU.jpg) ____Izaya Orihara:____ Seen as somewhat of an antagonist by the other characters, Izaya is obsessed with humans, and loves observing their reactions to certain situations. Izaya is often seen in his office, comparing the other characters to chess or shoji pieces on a board for his amusement. While he is clearly evil, Izaya is a great representation of an “Overlord” type character, who simply looks down on everyone around him and gets amusement over their struggles. img500(https://em.wattpad.com/48953b7efd5b159ad241ccb79561d8f3a531a00b/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f424476376d53317333644c5136773d3d2d3237373538313039342e313435636333383536303631336231653235383535393937373539322e6a7067?s=fit&w=720&h=720) ____Shizuo Heiwajima:____ Shizuo (or “Shizu-Chan” as referred to by Izaya) is well-known throughout Ikebukuro as the strongest man in the city, and is able to lift almost anything with his bare hands. Shizuo is seen by Izaya as his only threat (other than Simon) due to his immense power and unpredictable behaviour, leading to a rivalry between the two, with Shizuo often yelling out Izaya’s name in anger.~~~ ~!Although, Shizuo has his own problems too, his relationship with his brother wasn’t the best as his brother had become a famous movie star, while Shizuo was constantly fired from his jobs due to his fiery attitude. This also lead to Shizuo hating his own power, and fighting in general however, he still believed that people like Izaya should be punished, and he is willing to do it.!~ ~~~youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTvNlTCr8w4) ____Music 9/10:____ Both Openings __Uragiri no Yuuyake (Theatre Brook)__ and __Complication (ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D)__are amazing starts to every episode, immediately getting the viewer excited with what’s next to come. A unique aspect of the openings in DRRR, which I haven’t seen in many other anime, is that they have a recap of previous plot points midway through the openings. While this may seem tedious, it is a great way to remind the watcher of things they need to know before viewing each episode. Both endings are also quite good, allowing the viewer to relax while preparing for the next episode. The OSTs throughout the series are amazing, perfectly setting the tone of each scene, with dramatic, funk-like music playing during dramatic moments or fight scenes, and softer music playing during emotional scenes. img500(http://www.thetechotaku.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Durarara-X2-season-3-Release-Date-Update-2017s.jpg) ____Artwork 8/10:____ DRRR, unlike a lot of anime, uses CGI in a few scenes to great effect without it looking bad. The overall art style of the series, while appearing simple-looking, is well defined and a pleasure to look at, with the occasional CGI mixing well with the hand-drawn art. img600(https://thebiem.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Durarara-x2-Shou-04-Large-16.jpg) ____Overall Enjoyment 9/10:____ DRRR was a thrill to watch, there were many surprising plot twists and other revelations that kept the series engaging and the way characters interacted with each other through fights or normal interactions kept the world of DRRR feeling realistic yet different to our own. ~~~
How to say this? I won't lie that I did a number of google search; Is Durarara worthy? Should I continue watching Durarara? Bless reddit, came across a few threads that say its worth the hype and what catch me the most is the comments saying its similar to steins;gate in terms of slow world-building in the first 10 episodes or so. So, despite feeling bored out of my mind, I continued. Personal comment after finishing it about half an hour ago; I guess I watched this with a different expectation in mind, I expected it to be more exciting? This reminds me so much of Bungou Stray Dogs, the atmosphere and such. But it was wrong of me to try to categorize this with any other animes. Or maybe I just haven't watched any of this genre.Truthfully I kept comparing this to steins;gate, I mean that's why I think, I felt so disappointed halfway through. Steins;Gate had a long character introduction that made us really understand a lot of the characters and also treasure the friendship that they have. That pose a similarity although I think in this introduction, each character has their own personal view, history and secrets on how they end up here in Ikebukuro which are important to solve the upcoming conflict. I remembered this writing a prompt, a story where the readers are in on a secret that the characters are unaware of. And truthfully, by the end of it, I am very much emotionally invested because I want to see how it turns out for the characters. On second thought, I don't know what genre this anime is, it says action, mystery, supernatural. Yes but it has less action than the usual action animes . Another genre that this would be in is drama. Next, It has this Josei vibe, maybe from the mature story telling. And there's a lot of words said that has double meaning. ** spoiler alert ** 24 episodes into it, I would say its not that bad. I was quite disheartened once I reach episode 15 where I was halfway to the end. After a hefty introduction of characters we get a resolve of conflict, is it by episode 10? That's where I would say, okay I think after this it might get better. But then the graph goes down again, to the next plot build-up which we can see got resolved at the last episode. I think I am not satisfied by how quickly it got resolved, I mean considering how long it took to get there. Now that I've finished it, despite everything, I think I want more of Durarara. The ending was complete, they tied most of the loosed end. Lucky me there is season 2. And lastly please let me rant how about Izaya. I mean a mastermind behind other people's miseries? I don't understand why? Maybe Izaya's backstory is in 2nd season but I would still hate how he keeps on doing those for fun, like you know something bad is going to happen looking how Izaya kept on playing that ridiculous chess piece and keep on saying checkmate and stuff. Its super annoying. And the favorite characters are of course Shizuo, Simon and the doctor guy, whats his name again? Yes, shinra. To anyone that actually read up to here. Wow thank you for reading
Durarara Season One (Tried to make spoiler free but will just say Spoiler Warning) Farily new to this but will give a go none the less. Story The storyline in Durarara is borderline perfect. There did seem to me to be a few pacing issues, however they are few and far between and any questions that I found myself asking myself at the end of the season are answered in Shou and Ten. This is (from what I've seen so far as still going through the Part 3 of the Second Arc) to be the best season of the show. The Celtic Folklore really adds an element to it and when all the main and side arcs come together at the end it is simply impossible to stop watching. The introduction of all the factions really does add a sense of urgency to the mix. Art The art is spectacular with, the simplistic yet charming drawings of the main characters. All background drawings are done in a grey which really draws your attention to the main cast. It's bright, colourful and I absolutely loved it. The simplistic style never felt like it was an attempt to be lazy, and more a way of complementing the story. The animation is smooth yet rustik, fantastic. Characters Best part about the whole package. Apart from maybe Simon (whose backstory is later fleshed out in Shou) are well written and insanely likeable. The character arc of Shizuo, Kida and Anri are the best of the bunch and really draw you in as a watcher. That's not to say it all aren't well written, I find simply no faults with any of them. On top of that you see the cast grow culminating in a fantastic ending, which if you chose not to watch the rest (even though I highly recommend you do) would leave you satisfied. The characters are the driving force of a show like this, and they got it spot on. Music Music is sublime. The opening's and outro's are great and the OST is gourgeous. The simple procussion really makes you feel intrigued in story line with intense pieces for action moments and eary moments are played once the slasher arrives. It's one of the best parts about the show. Conclusion Do yourself a favour and watch it. It seems to get lower that what I am going to give it a lot of the time and I simply can't understand why. I haven't watched many shows but this felt like a breath of fresh air whilst absorbing the destruction of Attack on Titan. Never felt too convuluted for the sake of trying to be confusing, yet complex enough to keep you interested, with great characters and writing. I will say that the first few episodes can be a bit hard to push yourself through, as it all seems a bit weird, but after around episode 2 or 3 it all starts to click and from there on it just goes from strength to strength. It was one of the first shows I've seen which may lead to a slight bias on the score but I felt it was truly sensational.
DURARARA !! SAGA COMPLÈTE Je vous propose ici un TL DR car cette critique risque d'être une des plus longues que j'ai jamais pondu. Il y a quelques éléments que je n'ai pas pu caser dans ma critique que je vous pose dans ce TL DR, d'ailleurs ! CHOSES À RETENIR SI TU HÉSITES À TE LANCER DANS DURARARA !! Très OVNI dans son aspect, il possède une narration tentaculaire avec beaucoup de personnages. Chaque épisode développe selon le point de vue d'un de ces personnages. Il mélange le surnaturel, l'action et la comédie avec brio et est clairement un immanquable. Il y a en tout 60 épisodes. L'anime est découpé comme ceci : la saison 1, et la saison 2 découpée en 3 parties que sont Shou, Ten et Ketsu. Le seul OAV que je vous conseille de regarder est l'épisode 25 ! FIN DU TL DR. Durarara est un anime sorti en 2010 fait par les studios Brains Base (Baccano !, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU) Fait par le même auteur que Baccano !, il reprend le même concept de narration et y fait de nombreux clins d'œil. Dans la ville effervescente d'Ikebokuro, de nombreux personnages font leur entrée sur la scène. Sans le savoir, chacun d'entre eux va se retrouver impliqués dans une série d'événements aussi loufoques que surnaturels. Qui est cette motarde sans tête dont la moto ne produit aucun son ? Quel secret cache le jeune Mikado, jeune lycéen découvrant Ikebokuro, une ville vibrante d'une énergie qui lui était jusque là inconnue ? Et pourquoi diable ce barman s'énerve t'il contre un certain Isaya, en lui jetant des distributeurs dessus ? Mêlant phénomènes surnaturel et affrontements entre gangs, mêlant fiction et réalité, ordinaire et extraordinaire, cette saga de 60 épisodes vous fera entrer dans un véritable maelström scénaristique. Touchant le réel comme l'irréel, vous découvrirez, au grée des épisodes, une immense fresque de personnages tous plus attachants les uns que les autres. Car oui, Durarara a plusieurs particularités assez peu communes : // UN RÉCIT TENTACULAIRE ? N'OUBLIEZ PAS VOTRE FIL D'ARIANE ! // La narration dans Durarara est somme toute spéciale: Au lieu de proposer un MC avec une galerie de personnages secondaires orbitants autour de lui, ici vous allez suivre beaucoup de personnages. VRAIMENT BEAUCOUP. Sur le coup, cela pourrait surprendre, voir même décourager certains. Et pourtant ce serait dommage, car même si chaque personnage bénéficie d'un traitement et d'un développement vraiment poussé , ce se fera toujours sans nous amener à l'écœurement. Au lieu de suivre UNE grande intrigue commune à tout les personnages, vous les verrez essentiellement avoir leur propre ligne directrice, suivant leur fils. Cette narration en spirale amènera à une convergence des différentes sous intrigues pour conclure l'histoire. Durarara décide donc d'appliquer, sur ses 2 saisons, un dénouement façon sac de nœuds : tout les personnages sont, et seront, à un moment clé dans l'histoire, liés. Au début, tout paraîtra confus, mais au fur et à mesure que le sac se démêle, tout paraît alors clair, limpide. Burlesque, non ? Dans une ville gigantesque Comme Ikebokuro ,ça en devient presque ridiculement drôle de voir comme le monde est petit dans cet anime. Pourtant c'est ce qui donne, à mon sens, une des plus belles trouvaille scénaristique que j'ai vu. De façon subtile et grâce à un travail titanesque, on retrouve d'une certaine manière l'aspect bouillonnant et grouillant d'une véritable ville, mais dans un anime. Tout ces personnages, gravitant les uns autour des autres, sans même le savoir parfois, donne une dimension très touchante aux différentes aventures que vont vivre chacun d'entre eux. Unis sans même s'être véritablement rencontrés, dont les fils du destin ne cessent de s'entre-croiser, dans des histoires mêlant l'ordinaire à l'extraordinaire. C'est ça, la beauté de Durarara. // CONFRONTATION DES GENRES ? QUAND FICTION ET RÉALITÉ S'ENLACE ! // Durarara, ce n'est pas juste une œuvre au scénario bordélique mais diablement appréciable. C'est aussi un cocktail improbable de plusieurs genres foutrement efficace. Nous posant dans un univers où la réalité bien réelle est omniprésente, certains éléments surnaturels et mystiques viennent se glisser ça et là, dans cette ville où tout paraît si banale. Alternant le genre du thriller par moment, à nous narrer des combats internes entre plusieurs clans de mafieux, luttant pour garder le contrôle. Des moments de belle comédie sont bien évidemment à prévoir, surtout quand vous aurez découvert le casting improbable que vous allez observer durant 60 épisodes ! Niveau musical, là aussi on touche à un véritable melting pot, mêlant jazz, duo piano et flûte, musiques halloweenesques comme inquiétantes... La musique est le reflet même de savant mélange des styles que tente Durarara !! Les openings et endings sont génial, j'ai personnellement un grand coup de cœur pour l'opening 3 et 4 (Celui de Shou et Ten, donc) et je reste fan du premier ending ❤️ Durarara, c'est donc un grand mélange, mais c'est aussi des combats, de l'amour, du drame ainsi que.... De la philosophie ! // DURARARA, SE QUESTIONNER SOI MÊME EN QUESTIONNANT L'EXTRAORDINAIRE // Par le biais de ses nombreux personnages, différentes facettes complexes nous sont alors dévoilées. Chacun d'entre eux souffre intérieurement d'un problème social, chacun a un questionnement, une lutte intérieur qui s'ajoute aux événements dont ils sont victimes. Même les personnages les plus surnaturels se retrouvent face à des problèmes très humains. Le personnage de Celty, la Motarde Sans Tête a un but pur et simple, mais aussi un questionnement profond de "Comment être humain ?" Le personnage de Mikado est sûrement l'un des plus intéressants car son rapport au banal comme à l'irréel est très bien développé. Dans son envie d'être quelqu'un et de devenir un mythe, il se retrouvera très vite en plein questionnement sur le sens même de son existence. (ZONE SPOIL SUR LE PERSONNAGE DE MIKADO) Le personnage de Mikado est le plus incroyable et le plus touchant des personnages que j'ai pu voir. Tout part du réseau des Dollars qu'il a créé il y a longtemps. Ce réseau prend une telle ampleur qu'il perd pied avec la réalité une première fois, chose dont il a toujours rêvé. Car sa volonté d'aller en ville ne vient que d'une chose: Mikado HAIT le banal. Il ne le supporte plus. Alors, quand il fait la rencontre de Celty pour la première fois, il se sent fasciné, aimanté par cette vibrante fiction qu'il envie tant. Quand il effectue le premier rassemblement des Dollars, il se rend compte de sa puissance, mais aussi et surtout de la marque bénéfique qu'il pense laisser sur cette ville. Mais la réalité le rattrape, et malgré le fait qu'il puisse flirter avec quelques événements surnaturels, il refuse d'accepter que sa place est pourtant bien là, ancré dans un quotidien de lycéen. Le personnage de Mikado est un véritable reflet sur beaucoup de gens, je pense. Sur moi, par exemple. Accepter que la réalité puisse être un long fleuve tranquille n'est pas chose facile, quand de nos jours on nous vend en permanence des fictions incroyables ainsi que des mondes lointains. On aimerait, nous aussi, vivre de grandes aventures, car dans un sens, nous aussi avons déjà rencontré Celty. Celty, c'est l'appel de l'aventure dans une fiction. Dans un monde imaginaire. Qui ne nous sera jamais accessible. Quand Mikado se rend compte, via de nombreux dialogues et révélations, que sa place ne pourra jamais être dans les contes et légendes, il se prépare à s'ôter la vie, prêt à se réfugier dans son dernier rempart : une vie après la mort. Le plan final où il se réveille, accompagné du plus important à ses yeux, m'a fait lâcher ma larme, car au delà d'avoir retrouvé ses amis, il retrouve surtout pied avec la réalité. (FIN DE LA ZONE SPOIL MIKADO) Dans Durarara, chaque personnage possède au minimum un épisode ou il sera narrateur. Certains n'hésitent pas à briser le quatrième mur, quand d'autres posent de véritables fenêtres de réflexion extérieur sur d'autres personnages. La question du but à avoir dans une vie, la remise en question d'une lutte pour laquelle on vit depuis des années, savoir ce qu'est l'amour quand on est introverti, se demander si l'on préfère une vie tranquille à une vie mouvementée... Tout ces questionnements trouve différentes réponses, apportés par chacun des différents narrateurs au long de l'histoire. Ces voix off permettent d'apporter une touche de réflexion profonde et de varier les effets de mises en scènes en fonction de l'humeur des dites voix off. L'animation est franchement bonne et reste très stable sur les 2 saisons, on pourra reprocher quelques visages mal faits, mais les combats sont très fluides et dans l'ensemble je n'ai rien eu à reprocher à l'ensemble. Il m'est compliqué de traiter CHAQUE PERSONNAGE UN À UN, tant il y en a... Je ferai donc un commentaire ou deux sur les personnage qui méritent un traitement aussi, sinon personne aura la foi de tout lire. Je pense parler notamment de Shizuo, de Izaya, de Anri peut être, et sûrement de Shinra (pire perso de la série selon moi) J'espère vous avoir convaincu de regarder Durarara, qui a été une véritable surprise pour moi. Je ne m'attendais pas à un tel OVNI, et même si certains éléments sont assez maladroits (Le personnage de Shinra notamment, un certain moment de creux dans la S2 avec un format 36 épisodes peut être un peu trop gros...) j'ai été ému par son final et j'ai toujours adoré suivre chaque personnage, ne sachant jamais où ça allait mener. Car s'il y a bien une chose que Durarara vous apprendra, c'est qu'il faut faire attention à l'extraordinaire, car il devient vite banal.
En un aspecto general, la serie me fue entretenida pero poco más tuvo que ofrecer. Me gustan los personajes y cómo el contexto brinda las herramientas para que estos se interrelacionen, la trama se me hizo entretenida porque no es la típica historia básica con resolución de 70 de IQ, pero poco le veo positivo a la obra: Primero que nada, quiero aclarar algo: esta serie tiene varias temporadas, yo solo vi la primera y me es imposible saber que tenía pensado a futuro, aunque resulta evidente que un gran número de elementos los anticipó para otra temporada. Aún así, considero que la obra tiene que concluir algo antes de cada corte y explorar algo nuevo en la siguiente emisión. La obra consta de 2 estructuras: primero podemos encontrar la que optan la mayoría de capítulos, en la que se presentan uno o varios personajes y se trata una temática en torno a estos de forma episódica, pero a su vez detallando aspectos random sobre estos personajes que (a veces) son utilizados para construir algo sobre ello. La otra estructura es la típica historia lineal, en el que hay una problemática a resolver. El primer tipo de capítulos me parece el más flojo, dado que nunca se termina de profundizar y explorar ningún tema (o, en su defecto, se trata de forma superflua) y explayar un aspecto random de un personaje no lo hace ver mas completo o funcional a la finalidad de la trama. Esto no quita que se suele hacer énfasis en los intereses que estos tienen, pero jamás se los profundiza ni se establece una razón por la que estos objetivos sean importantes o útiles para la conclusión que se busca (osea, si se establece que esos intereses pueden tener cierto peso en cómo se desarrolla la historia, pero es la única razón por la que es de importancia conocer esta parte de ellos ¿Por qué el creador pensó que era buena idea establecer esa ambición para ese personaje? Eso es lo que me gustaría saber). Claramente, este tipo de capítulos también pueden servir para anticipar algún elemento a futuro. El otro tipo de capítulos se abarca de una forma más interesante, teniendo cierta constancia sobre el cómo se desencadenan los hechos para usarlos de la misma forma que en el primer tipo: cada par de capítulos se va a tirar una lección random con respecto a una situación (que sea aplicable a ese personaje en concreto) sin una previa exploración ni profundización del tema, razón por la que yo no puedo estar seguro de que lo que muestra la serie es cierto, dado que no ejemplificó ni explicó bien el porqué lo sería en primer lugar. Esto me parece conformarse con muy poco, es cómo cuando tenemos que investigar algo, googleamos y leemos los primeros 2 párrafos de wikipedia; no se detallan bien las causas y efectos tal que podamos aprender sobre ello, solo estamos leyendo sin obtener nada real. Hay una gran cantidad de personajes, pero la mayoría sirven para que la obra no se vea vacía y para intentar tratar un tema al respecto. Veo positivo que se usen a los personajes para tratar temas y dar perspectivas (si sirven para algo, es para esto justamente!), pero no solo le afecta lo anterior mencionado, sino que también está el problema de que no existe una relación real entre los temas que se trataron, siendo en realidad puntos dispersos sobre los personajes. Déjenme ejemplificar esto: - En una obra tengo 4 personajes, llamados 1, 2, 3 y 4 respectivamente. Cada uno va a abarcar cómo temática algo y voy a plasmar una conclusión general al respecto: 1 demuestra lo importante que es la amistad, 2 se explaya sobre el valor de la verdad, 3 habla sobre nuestra finalidad como seres humanos y 4 se introduce en el tema de “¿Hasta qué punto puede llegar nuestra mente?”. Ahora quiero que mi obra tenga una conclusión general en la que cada uno de los personajes pueda aportar una perspectiva al “tema general”. ¿Cuál es el tema general? ¿Podría lograr construirla usando los temas que estos personajes abarcaron? En términos de sentido común, es tonto intentarlo y lo mejor sería reescribir la obra. Bueno, es por esto que creo que Durarara falla estrepitosamente en intentar crear una resolución, siendo más bien identificable como una cadena de hechos que, de vez en cuando, demuestran un cambio en los personajes que conforman la historia e INTENTAN dejar una enseñanza. Los temas, al tener poca exploración (porque está apenas escapa de la palabrería cool) y depender muchas veces (no todas, pero muchas) de una sola perspectiva sobre un tema, hacen que resulte difícil para el espectador tomar la moraleja, puesto que este no es realmente consciente de lo que está viendo, razón por la que siempre hay que ejemplificar todo lo que contextualiza un tema! Quitando el tema de la finalidad, me gusta el uso que decidió hacer la obra sobre los personajes, intentando mostrarlos completos y adaptarlos a situaciones que no son las principales, haciendo que estos reaccionen de una manera distinta y demostrando así que los personajes no existen para ser funcionales a uno o varios eventos principales, sino que también se le da más “vitalidad”, cosa que no creo que sirva de mucho, pero ahí está, intentando hacer los personajes levemente más realistas (Acá hago un paréntesis sobre lo siguiente: ¿Son unos personajes realistas más funcionales a la obra?). Al que más salvo de estos es a Kida, dado que es el que más parece conectado al conflicto que la obra presenta y el que más está anticipado en general. De resto, no se produce un gran cambio en la perspectiva general y no están tan insertos en la problemática como para significarles mucho, y tal vez esto sea lo que más me molesta de la obra, pues se pudieron haber creado personajes mucho más al tanto del conflicto y, por ende, más atados al contexto que los rodea, teniendo más juego para enlazar a los personajes de las situaciones que lo exteriorizan. Si a un personaje no le afecta en nada lo que sucede a su alrededor, ¿qué sentido tiene crear al contexto o a ese personaje? A esto voy, muchos personajes se sienten muy desaprovechados… Esto también se puede deber a que, tal vez, el contexto era demasiado grande para los personajes y se podría haber achicado un poco el mundo, puesto que había mucho mundo para unos personajes que no lo iban a explotar tanto. En cuanto la historia, se enlaza los hechos con cierta anticipación, pero muchas veces se escapa algo y algún elemento importante aparece sin previo aviso. Me parece importante aclarar esto porque la trama se sustenta básicamente en el misterio de lo que puede suceder a futuro entre los dispersos elementos. El peso de un elemento más o un elemento menos puede modificar el cómo el espectador interpreta los sucesos, por lo que es fácil concluir que la obra es un tanto “conveniente” cuando vemos este aspecto, y más si consideramos que la obra hace constantes giros de tuerca, lo que le quita la inmersión al espectador. Pero esto no me parece del todo importante (aunque si carga con cierta importancia), sólo se demuestra que la obra no es tan ingeniosa cómo aparentaba ser, pero no deja de ser un tema de orden y ya. Lo que sí, me parece muy importante destacar que la obra se la pasa anticipando elementos sin construir en estos momentos algo para el presente, lo que hace ver a estos momentos de anticipación como desperdiciados, dado que se podría construir mucho más sobre ellos (lo que quiero decir que es que la obra podría anticipar elementos lejanos a la vez que deja una lección que llegará mucho más pronto). Entre esto y las finalidades, la obra se siente bastante “vacía” en contenido, pues, si bien suceden eventos, no sucede nada de real importancia para la mayoría de los personajes ni para la narrativa en general. Conclusión: por las razones que indiqué, me parece que nada de real importancia es demostrado en la obra, la siento muy vacía al respecto. Me gusta el anime y me gusta las intenciones que se tiene de hacer rendir a los personajes y al contexto, pero no me parece la manera adecuada de hacerlo, dado que de esta forma solo se logró tallar la corteza de lo que muestra, además de que hay una cantidad ingente de palabrería que no dice mucho realmente. Tal vez su problema era hacer un mundo tan grande o intentar distribuir el tiempo en pantalla de los personajes de similar forma, cuando hay algunos que son más relevantes para demostrar el porqué se dan algún tipo de situaciones. En todo caso, el contexto me pareció demasiado para demostrar lo que se demostró. Es un anime que superficialmente puede llegar a cumplir, pero cuando nos introducimos en su porqué demuestra estar estar conformado mayormente de aire.
Durarara’s a show I’ve been excited to check out for a while now. It’s based on a light novel series from the same author as Baccano, and Baccano is one of the most deliriously entertaining shows I’ve ever watched. From its impeccably eccentric cast of characters to its hypnotically twisting plot, Baccano knows how to kick ass and take names like few other anime. And Durarara doesn’t just share Baccano’s author; the same studio and director that brought Baccano to animated life- Brain’s Base and Takahiro Oomori- were also behind its anime production. Surely, with all the same creatives in charge, Durarara would be just as much a rip-roaring good time as its spiritual predecessor, right? Well... no, sadly, it’s not. Not even close, in fact. And while it would be unfair to simply define Durarara as a worse Baccano- it’s its own show, it deserves to stand on its own- the many ways it disappointed me can’t help but draw comparison to its sister series. How could Baccano succeed so brilliantly while Durarara, which shares so much of its DNA, fall so short? First, though, what’s Durarara all about? Well, that’s a little hard to pin down. It’s not so much a story as it is a portrait of a location, a hyper-stylized Ikebukuro full of street gangs, quirky vendors, transient guests, and supernatural forces lurking just under the surface. Think Kekkai Sensen if the POV characters lingered on the outskirts of the city’s paranormal underbelly instead of diving right into the thick of it, and you’ll have a pretty good idea what you’re in for. The nominal protagonist is Mikado Ryugamine, a teenage boy who’s just moved to Ikebukuro to attend high school there and reconnect with his childhood friend Masaomi Kida. But much like Baccano, this is a show where most characters could reasonably describe themselves as the protagonist without it sounding forced. And while there’s some semblance of a larger plot, it’s nowhere near the tightly engineered swiss watch of narrative machinery that defined Baccano. It’s a tale of the various people living in Ikebukuro and all the ways their lives tangle around each other, not so much driving relentlessly toward a single destination as wandering down the streets and back alleys, seeing what ‘s there to be discovered around every corner. In other words, Durarara is almost entirely driven by its characters. And credit where it’s due, this is where the show is at its strongest. Author Ryougo Narita is nothing if not a master at juggling large casts of eccentric, interconnected players with diverse agendas and perspectives on life. From the grumpy, violence-prone superman Shizuo Heiwajima to the pacifist Afro-Russian sushi hawker SImon Brezhnev, from the slippery, snakelike information dealer Izaya Orihara to the mysteries headless rider who patrols the city on motorbike, the world of Durarara is chock-full of entertaining personalities who clash and collide in countless enjoyable ways. It also helps that these characters are brought to life by a murderer’s row of the most iconic voice actors in the industry. Hiroshi Kamiya, Daisuke Ono, Mamoru Miyano, Kana Hanazawa, Miyuki Sawashiro, Jun Fukuyama, Yuki Kaji, Yuuichi Nakamura, Keiji Fujiwara, Ayahi Takagaki... barely a scene goes by without at least two legendary seiyuus flexing their talents in conversation with each other. It’s hard not to have fun when you’re surrounded by that much talent. So if Durarara does such a good job capturing Baccano’s interlocking cast dynamics, why does it stumble so hard? Why did I feel my interest, initially so high, slowly slipping away with each passing episode? Well, there are a few major issues, none of which would be a dealbreaker on their own, but they all compound on each other to disastrous effect. First, and most obviously: the lack of plot. Baccano’s plot was tighter than an oyster in a corset, always driving relentlessly forward even as it jumped and and forth across time. As I mentioned above, though, Durarara doesn’t really _have_ much of a plot. It has individual arcs, sure, and things do _happen,_ but you never get a sense that they’re building to anything more meaningful than “Well, that was interesting.” Even when the final arc tries to deliver something resembling closure for the characters, it never feels any less like just one detour among many. Sure, not all stories really need to have a strong structure, but there’s something so frustrating about how aimless this show can be. how it drifts between disconnected story threads and random urban fantasy Macguffins that never coalesce into a greater whole. It feels very much like Narita wrote this story solely to indulge in the characters’ dynamics, and what little plot we get is hastily cobbled together as an excuse to give those character dynamics a space to exist in. And I sympathize; that approach is how I started writing the webcomic I’m currently publishing. But at some point, you do have to make the plot more than an excuse. Of course, a lackluster plot can be forgiven as long as those characters are strong enough to carry it. Which brings me to the second issue: the character arcs. See, one of the most fascinating things about Baccano is that very few of its characters actually have _arcs,_ per se. They show up as fully formed people, with their own well-established goals and philosophies, and the fun comes from watching all those perspectives and personalities bounce off each other. Very few of them change or grow as a result of their experience on the train, but it doesn’t matter because the push and pull between so many extreme, confident chess pieces is all the drama you really need. Durarara, in contrast, leans much harder on traditional character arcs... and they’re just not that good. People rarely change in ways that feel earned; it’s like the story decides at random when they’re able to grow from their experiences. The biggest offenders here are Mikado, Kida, and their female friend Anri, who form a classic YA Power Trio at the heart of the show. Everything about their growth and conflict feels so underbaked, especially when it saddles them all with _the same goddamn twist backstory._ Seriously, all three of these kids have a twist backstory and they all essentially boil down to the same exact reveal. It was cool the first time, but after the third time, it just comes off as overly convenient writing. And then there’s the third issue, one that’s a little harder to describe. The simplest way to put it is that Durarara has a lot of romantic subplots, and they almost uniformly suck. But that doesn’t quite capture the problem clearly. It’s not just bad in the way that you’d expect a bad romantic subplot to be; it’s more like this show’s perspective on love itself is so unnatural that it infects every attempt it makes to tell a love story. Remember that dumb subplot from the Baccano OVAs where Chaine Laforet falls for the weirdo who stalks her and basically tries to smother her with his affections? Well, the same kind of thing happens here, except the characters hang around as a couple once they make it official so you’re forced to marinate in how awkward their relationship feels. The climax of the first big arc also seems to suggest that stalking for love is romantic (though amusingly, the show is equally forgiving of male and female stalkers alike). Another subplot revolves around a teacher who tries to sleep with his students, and it’s presented as uncomfortably as it should be, but then it completely changes course and goes “Syke! Actually, the bad guy here is a student he seduced who turned into a crazy jealous yandere bitch!” And it all comes wrapped up in this weird slut-shaming about Anri being a parasite who relies on strong men to protect her because she’s too weak to protect herself, and it’s like, what the fuck are you even trying to say here? Why is this show’s perception of love so fucking warped? I don’t demand perfect healthy relationship dynamics from the media I consume, but every time Durarara touches on lust or romance, it just comes off gross and wrong and disconnected from reality. And when so many of its subplots have romance as a central component, it very quickly crosses from annoying to exhausting. Is Durarara fun? Ultimately, I’d say yes; the characters and their interactions are so entertaining on a base level that it would be hard to ruin them. But ae those fun interactions worth sitting through so much aimless, uncomfortable nonsense? That, I’m less certain of. If Baccano was an explosive fireworks shower of fun, Durarara is a bargain-bin box of summer sparklers set off in a muggy rainstorm, struggling to stay alight. Whether you compare it to Baccano or let it stand on its own terms, it’s a distressingly flawed show. Hopefully future seasons will improve on these flaws and bring Durarara to the heights it has the potential to reach. Until then, though, I think it's pretty telling that my favorite part of this first season was when Baccano's Isaac and Miria had a cameo. If the best part of your show is a reminder of how much better I liked a different show, then something is definitely wrong.