Review of Durarara!!

I would have given Durarara a much higher review had it not been for the soundtrack. MY GOD, it was so utterly dull, to the point of downright irritating, that I almost dropped this anime at one point. I strongly suspect the reason some people seem to drop Durarara after a few episodes is not because of the plot (because its actually brilliant), but the utterly disappointing soundtrack. Story (9/10): Plot is episodic and quite complex. Despite the MCs being a bunch of high schoolers, Durarara is actually a mature anime. The style and execution is fairly reminiscent of Ghost in the Shell, Code Geass andBacanno. Mystery, suspenseful, intelligent and quite hilariously funny at times. First half of the series is a bit slow but everything connects together nicely during the second part like one big jigsaw puzzle.

Art (7/10):
Good for your standard anime. Nothing too fancy. Actions scenes are quick, not too vividly animated, and non-essential characters are pretty much greyed out. The dialogue carries the entire burden of the anime so don't let the art discourage you from watching it.

Character (8/10):
Every character gets a fair amount of development that all nicely fit together in this series. The main characters are pretty likeable.

Sound (2/10):
If you want to interrogate someone, force them to watch Durarara. After a couple of episodes in they'll most likely burst into tears and spill all the beans.

The music was not "bad" in the sense of composition and production quality (Jazz is as musically complex as its ever going to get). It just felt COMPLETELY out of place and I felt that it never really matched the mood right other than very few scenes. Or perhaps I'm being a bit too harsh? The opening themes were pretty decent. Some soundtracks if listened on their own, they're actually pretty good and catchy. But if you dare binge watch Durarara, those soundtracks will quickly turn into weapons of mind destruction. They are so discordant, random and repetitive that you'll find yourself occasionally falling to sleep with sheer boredom despite no fault of the brilliant plot.

Sure I get it. Jazz music is supposed to fit the discordant vibe of the series. But unless you genuinely appreciate Jazz music, too much of this Jazzy soundtrack will start to irritate and annoy you a lot, almost as if the composer of this OST was trying to troll you. If this was the kind of reaction the composer intended to get from the audience, well then, I guess he is an absolute genius!

The voice acting on the other hand was really good (even for the dub!). Though I got a bit put off by Mikado's voice for it being far too timid and wimpy.

Enjoyment and Overall (7/10):
Although I come across with an anti-Jazz bias in this review, if you can get past the rather discordant and uninspiring soundtrack, Durarara is extremely entertaining, with likeable characters, and has a story that has plenty of twists and surprises to keep you on the edge of your seats.