Review of Durarara!!

Well, I'm not gonna say this anime isn't unique. Listen, if you love this series, turn away now because everything I hated about it is more than likely what you loved about it. This anime had a really interesting premise with cool characters and an original story... it was just told in a terrible way. I've heard some people call it pacing, I'm leaning more towards the term "story outline," but regardless of what you call it, this anime was all over the place. Getting started with the characters, there were quite a few that I was immediately drawn to as soon as they steppedonto the screen. My interest in their personalities and roles to play in the story only grew as time went on. I thought the writing for a handful of them was done remarkably well from backstory to characteristics. However, nobody felt like a main character, and it just made everything more difficult to watch. If I liked a character, I either barely saw them or barely knew anything about them or both. The flow of the story tricked me into placing importance with all these characters when half of them weren't used as crucial parts to the story by the end.

That's got a lot to do with the story, as well, and when I say "story," I use the term very loosely. Now, listen, the way this anime told its "story" was special. I've never quite seen anything like it before. It all came in fragments and left the viewer to figure out the specifics for themselves, never directly stating all the details. If that's something that you think is cool, maybe you'll like Durarara!! However, that's exactly what irritated me about the whole experience. The first half of the season made me feel like I was watching seven different stories that were supposed to connect, but could seem to; then, by the second half, it connected all at once, but without any real development or proof that it was supposed to be that way. I will say that the plot twists and stuff like that... well, I figured most of them out way before they were revealed, but they were interesting enough to keep me watching. I didn't like having to fill in 7/10 blank spaces every time something new came up, though. It just made for a chaotic and confusing experience.

That being said, now that I'm used to how this anime tells its story, maybe I'll enjoy it more going forward. I do find myself invested in certain characters' stories even though they aren't done properly half the time (in my opinion, of course). If it feels like a solidified story that all gathers in the same place going forward, I think the foundations that have been laid here could be really cool. Hopefully I'm not disappointed, but I guess you'll have to read my next review to find out. See ya then!