Review of Durarara!!

Welcome to Ikebukuro. Let me show you around. Don't mind the occasional torn up sign posts or flying street signs. Or people, for that matter. Now walk these streets and take a gander at life in between the urban bustle. Now, I don't mean to presume but since you've come all this way, there's no doubt you've been looking for some good old-fashioned excitement. If that's the case, you're in the right place. Here in Ikebukuro, excitement's aplenty; you'll never want. In fact, there's also some gossip that's come in that you might find interesting. It's about the Black Rider. Ever heard of it? No?Well, I'll let you in on a secret. Most folks think she's a headless harbinger of death on a motorcycle. Well, the motorcycle bit's true. The headless part too. But she's pretty friendly, actually. Say “hi” for me if you happen to see her.

Durarara!! was produced by Brains Base, responsible for other works such as Spice and Wolf II, Natume's Book of Friends, Denpa Teki na Kanojo, and Baccano! Speaking of Baccano!, this show's an adaptation of a novel franchise of the same name by the creator of Baccano!, Ryohgo Narita. Character designs for both the text and anime format were done by Suzuhito Yasuda and Takahiro Kishida respectively. Script was done Toshizou Nimoto. Direction, by Takahiro Omori. From a visual standpoint, the setting's what you'd expect the entertainment district of a major metropolis would feel like given that eccentric anime touch. The backgrounds portray the city well, gleam and grit, and the animation is something to applaud. The fluidity of it may take from from the budget that would have otherwise been used to color in passersby, but it's nothing much to fret about, given how much people are usually strangers to each other in the city anyway. In fact, it's rather clever in how it's made the most of in the show in how much color, when applied, stand out in the sea of gray.

I'd be lying if all the crazy shit that happens in the show wasn't a blast to watch. The strength of the show, however, is undoubtedly its characters. For a show that features such an enormous cast of them, for most to have their own distinct personalities, some neurotic, always entertaining, is worthy of mention. For the majority to sport a good to great amount of depth... that's a remarkable feat. Now, I won't say this reasoning applies to every character, (one seems to exist solely for the ends of trolling people and modeling as a vent for fangirls-by-nature, yaoi included, to squee their throats out) but many of them are linked thematically. Whether it's in school, Ikebukuro, society in general, or the whole of humankind, many tread the border of alienation, between right to joy and left to despair. It's the utmost desire to be wanted, needed, appreciated, and loved in the most genuine of senses. It's the sought after initiative to feel for others in turn. In spite of past traumas. In spite of present hurt. What makes the difference between which direction, left or right, one gravitates to hinges on one's own capacity for genuineness as well: genuineness toward oneself and genuineness toward others. Only then can one belong. This is also why, in spite of criticisms about the show's more drama packed 2nd half, the show requires both clear skies and down casts for its theme to be true as well.

What else is genuine about this show is that it has flaws. Major conflicts yet to be satisfactorily resolved are set aside for other pressing developments to take to the fore. Characters that were significant in previous arcs become relegated to minor or cameo roles, while others take up major ones. As a result, the plot can feel unfocused at times. There's also the chance that prominent cast members and their spotlights of the successor arcs pale in comparison to the prominent cast members and their moments to shine of the previous arcs. This isn't to say those arcs are bad, because I quite enjoyed the story to the end. It's just frustrating to get attached to some people and then be forced to endure having them sidelined. The new people we are supposed to be attached to might not be as endearing as our previous favorites. In addition, some characters that were initially introduced with the impression of importance either disappear entirely later on or are added in as after thoughts toward the end. The new characters that appear in the show's 2nd half are guilty of that, though it's a common pitfall that many shows with a large character roster fall into. There were also some issues with how unnatural the new developments were revved up and maintained the story of later arcs. It's not like these happenings came out of nowhere. It's just bugged me how inelegant the foreshadow for these happenings was. A hint toward a development might be dropped and then be altogether forgotten by the show until a good few episodes in where it suddenly becomes convenient to reintroduce it to drive the plot (e.g. The Slasher's identity). Or a suggestion might be reiterated a number of times in a rather obnoxious manner (e.g. Masaomi Kida's past).

Both Durarara!!'s OPs happen to take a page from Baccano!'s OP mastery of character introductions. All the transitions to each are smooth, seamless, and radiate with a sense of energy and purpose. Both Durarara!!'s OPs happen to reflect the moods they happen to herald. OP1, “Uragiri no Yuuyake” or “Sunset of Betrayal” by Theater Brook introduces the viewer to the show's more static lighthearted exterior. OP2, “Complication” by ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D segue ways the viewer to it's more dynamic heavyhearted interior. They also sound superb out of context as well, electric guitars and drum set complementing the contemporary rock-tempered rasp of the male lead vocalists as they start the audience small with the rhythm before exploding with fiery flares of passion. If you weren't paying attention to the lyrics, you might have a hard time distinguishing it from certain tracks from American pop rock. Same thing can be said for ED1, “Trust me” by Yuya Matsushita, but with a boy band flair. I'm not too much into boy bands myself, but even I'll admit I found myself humming this song fairly often. It features the significant cast standing on top or clinging to each other in various poses. Something similar can be said for ED2, “Butterfly” by ON/OFF, though the poses this time around are horizontally grounded. Guitars and drums are very prevalent, and the voices are lower-pitched than its predecessor ED. Overall, it makes for a good song. It just pales in expressiveness by a fraction compared to the other music selections.

In spite of the negatives, the show's still a lot of fun, and it's nothing particularly mindless either. If you ever happen to find yourself strolling down Ikebukuro's cityscape (figuratively speaking), let me be the first to say this as your guide. Make yourself at home.

I give Durarara!! an 8 out of 10.