Review of Durarara!!

Growing up in the country, moving to the big city can be an enormous change. Especially in a metropolis like Tokyo, in the Ikebukuro district to be precise; with its many people, it can be an overwhelming encounter. In this city, anything can happen and every experience will change certain people in various ways, and still the city will never change. This is the second time I watched Durarara!! and in honor of the second season (finally after 5 years!!!), I'm going to review this anime. Once more it was an amazing experience to watch DRRR!!. I’ll never get tired of rewatching this show over andover and here I'll tell you why!

STORY 8/10
Watching Durarara!! is like a puzzle, with its pieces well shaken on the board. The themes of Durarara!! involve things like supernatural phenomena, an imminent gang war and more dark secrets. Those themes aren't new at all, but the way this show deals with them will leave you amazed. The story is basically built on the background stories of the various characters we'll get to meet, which don't seem to have any connection to eachother at first. Many questions rise, and this way we're immediatly hooked on this show. Every episode is narrated by a different character and from their viewpoints you'll get to see their stories. Each of these characters are unique and are amazing in their own way, but I'll get to them later.

The first part of DRRR!! starts off with Ryuugamine Mikado moving from the country to Tokyo, encouraged by his longing for a more exciting life and by his best friend. He seems kind of lost when he arrives at the trainstation, but thankfully this best friend Kida Masaomi comes to pick him up. He gives Mikado a tour through Ikabukuro and along with them we meet some of the people that will play an important role in the show; the legendary Headless Rider, an underground doctor, a grand but peace-loving Russian sushi seller and two dangerous men who you really don't want to piss off! In highschool they befriend a quiet, mysterious girl named Sonohara Anri. With each introduced character, we also meet a set of problems and events right of the bat. From the start, this show is packed with action, laughs, mysteries, weird events and even seems a bit chaotic. Ikebukuro obviously won't go easy on newcomers like Mikado and on us as well.

In the second part of DRRR!!, we'll start to dig deeper into the show's stories, through the viewpoints of the various individuals we get more information on the events and eventually problems get solved and some of our questions will be answered....and slowly the stories intertwine. The storywriters did an excellent job to convey so many content without rushing it nor dragging it too much. With each episode it digs deeper into the mysteries and everything will be explained in great detail. Yet, some of the questions from the beginning keep unanswered. The show leaves us with plotholes and that's pretty frustrating when it's been so good so far. It's probably my only complaint about this show.

CHARACTERS 10/10
Ryuugamine Mikado, Kida Masaomi, Sonohara Anri, Heiwajima Shizuo, Orihara Izaya, Celty Sturluson... even if you haven't watched this show yet, you might have heard of these names. These are just a couple of this show's many characters. You'll have a lot to choose from and some you'll like more than others, but they're all unique and likeable in their own way. Like mentioned before, in each episode one of them narrate the story. This way you'll get to know more about the characters; their thoughts, backgrounds and experiences. You can imagine how uneasy and yet excited Mikado is in this amazing city like when he sees the legendary Headless Rider the first time, the lively and flirty Masaomi will certainly make you laugh, as well as the constant fights between Izaya and Shizuo. I love them. I love Celty. And I love Simon, I wish I could taste his Russian sushi! The most intriguing of all is that all characters have their own secrets and although there's not a lot of character development in this show, it still explores them far enough to get the best out of them. The most important character in this show however, is one that isn't really a character but it certainly plays a major role throughout the show...it's the city itself! Ikebukuro is a place that lives and breathes. It has a great influence on the story and it's characters. And don't forget the Dollars!

ART 8/10
The character designs and artstyle is typical shounen, but it stands out because of its smooth animation. I couldn't find any flaws in it, or they were so small that I didn't notice. And that's good enough for me! The show conveys the atmosphere of the city, often set during nighttime, perfectly with dark colors and city lights.

SOUND 9/10
The impressive narrating of this show comes with amazing voice acting, along with a memorable soundtrack that fits with every moment of the show. The upbeat opening of the first season has become one of my favorite openings, it makes you excited for what is about to come. The second opening feels more serious, as well as more melancholic, but still catchy and sets the mood. Both the endings are less impressive and feel underwhelming compared to the openings, but they still fit very well with the entire show.

ENJOYMENT & OVERALL CONCLUSION 10/10
It's hard to judge an anime when it's already been a favorite for years. Durarara!! certainly isn't a perfect show. Especially towards the end we're left with some loose ends and to be honest, being left with unanswered questions for five years is far to long. Nonetheless it's one of the best anime I've seen so far and it didn't change after watching it a second time. From episode to episode it was an unforgettable, exciting ride.