Review of Durarara!!

Durarara!! is one of those anime that can surprise the viewer in so many ways, both bad and good, but in the end this diversity is what enriches the spectacle. In these 24 episodes it managed to blend ostensibly different story themes, in a quite successful final result. From gang fights to urban legends, friendships and rivalries, schemers and victims, its themes target all kinds of audiences, making it really easy for a larger group of people to enjoy it. Story – 8 The story is set in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro enhanced with a more supernatural, mysterious feel to it and is a mixed bag of comedy, action,drama, fantasy and almost every single theme imaginable. At the start and for the first half, the series consists of small story arcs, basically introducing and getting a little deeper to the background of the main characters with usually every episode being narrated by one or two of the show’s characters. This setting is quite unique and interesting but a bit lacking in consistency. The pacing is slow since it feels like it drags more than it should until all of the introductions are made and the real story starts not before the tenth or so episode, resulting to the viewer not being able to predict the goal of the main story until quite later on. The last seven or eight episodes take a clearer path but leave some sub stories unanswered. Although not story driven in the start, it has a captivating style created by the city’s backdrop. Overall the plot is intriguing enough to keep an interest in it and with nice cliffhangers in each episode’s ending.

Art – 10 The art is a delight for the viewer’s eye. A rainbow of bright colors, which also plays a major part in the story. The city of Ikebukuro is rendered in all those colors together with the people important in the story, with all the rest in shades of gray. The city gangs identify themselves from the colors, like the Blue Squares and the Yellow Scarves, etc. The characters are drawn very nicely and in detail. It’s important that the art and story work supplementary as the art is not a mere enhancement but a major part of the plot itself.

Sound – 9 Starting from the opening and ending themes, the music of the songs together with the lyrics highlight the style of the anime. The background music is setting the mood throughout the series and stands out; it is unique in its own way as all the aspects of this series. Memorable and catchy themes are repeated effectively whenever to give the setting of certain scenes, as for example a fight scene or a riddle.
As for the voice acting I will just mention that a whole group of successful and well known seiyuu is gathered for all the main characters.

Characters – 9 With Ikebukuro as the backdrop of the story, all different kinds of characters appear in this series. There is the protagonist, Ryugamine Mikado a young boy who comes for the first time to stay in Tokyo and is usually reserved and quiet, Kida Masaomi, his childhood friend who lives in Ikebukuro and is more social and easy-going as well as has a thing for the opposite sex. Then there’s Heiwajima Shizuo, a ridiculously strong man with a weak temper, Orihara Izaya a cunning young man with a passion for studying humans and their behaviours and a bad habit to provoke Shizuo resulting in them being in a constant fight relationship. Sonohara Anri, a classmate of both Mikado and Kida, for whom both boys share a special interest. Also the story takes a more supernatural turn with the presence of the black rider, an urban legend that rides around the city not on a horse but on a motorbike! A lot of more interesting and diverse characters make their appearance throughout the series making their reactions all more interesting. Without devaluing the very clever story, the series looks more character driven shaping the plot from their interactions. Despite the paradox of the settings, the characters feel real and don’t fall into the usual anime norms, which is definitely refreshing.

Enjoyment – 8 (first half – 7, second half 9)

From being indifferent the story can change the viewer to be anxiously waiting for the next episode. With its peaks and its drops it’s a rollercoaster ride that one should get on for sure. Experiencing unsatisfactory moments that surprisingly turn into the best cliff-hangers the next minute, this show surely doesn’t walk a straight line. But wouldn’t an expectedly successful path be boring? The satisfaction from it comes from the fact that it’s so diverse. And that’s what keeps it from falling into the usual cliché, and on the contrary it makes it so enjoyable.

Overall – 8

This anime mixes the past with the modern era reshaping old legends in a modern setting. It brings out the dynamic of a city such as Tokyo, with all its sci-fi, mysterious feeling and combines it with tradition. In this downtown district of Ikebukuro it feels like everything can happen, creating a dream-like reality that in the end it feels more real than the actual one. In this solid and powerful setting usual human interactions appear such as friendships, rivalries, schemes, pranks, although rendered on a different, maybe deeper level.
It would be briefly summarized as "a focus on human interactions in a big city environment with some supernatural doses" ( which character Izaya Orihara who loves humans would be very pleased about…)
So if someone is on the search for an unusual, beautiful medley of stories, images and characters set in a full of enchanting riddles city as Tokyo, then this anime will offer some unparalleled and sort of sophisticated moments.