Bungou Stray Dogs

For weeks, Atsushi Nakajima's orphanage has been plagued by a mystical tiger that only he seems to be unaware of. Suspected to be behind the strange incidents, the 18-year-old is abruptly kicked out of the orphanage and left hungry, homeless, and wandering through the city.

While starving on a riverbank, Atsushi saves a rather eccentric man named Osamu Dazai from drowning. Whimsical suicide enthusiast and supernatural detective, Dazai has been investigating the same tiger that has been terrorizing the boy. Together with Dazai's partner Doppo Kunikida, they solve the mystery, but its resolution leaves Atsushi in a tight spot. As various odd events take place, Atsushi is coerced into joining their firm of supernatural investigators, taking on unusual cases the police cannot handle, alongside his numerous enigmatic co-workers.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Dazai, Osamu Main

Miyano, Mamoru Japanese

Nakajima, Atsushi Main

Uemura, Yuuto Japanese

Nakahara, Chuuya Supporting

Taniyama, Kishou Japanese

Edogawa, Ranpo Supporting

Kamiya, Hiroshi Japanese

Akutagawa, Ryuunosuke Supporting

Ono, Kensho Japanese

Yosano, Akiko Supporting

Shimamura, Yuu Japanese

Izumi, Kyouka Supporting

Morohoshi, Sumire Japanese

Kunikida, Doppo Supporting

Hosoya, Yoshimasa Japanese

Miyazawa, Kenji Supporting

Kagura, Kitsune Japanese

Montgomery, Lucy Maud Supporting

Hanazawa, Kana Japanese

Bezerra, Wendel Producer

Suzuki, Mari Producer

Simone, Jamie Producer

Kurakane, Chiaki Producer

Reviews

May 14, 2025

Kranst

Recommended

Like many similar series featuring an eccentric cast of characters and designs, a unique but interesting power system based on literature, and convincingly fun action and story beats, Bungo Stray Dogs delivers on expectations while making the format its own. This certainly feels like a starting entry to a series, but it has enough personality to make for an enjoyable experience despite being in its introductory phase. The humor can be quite hilarious with the tradeoff being it is sometimes out of place. In addition, there is sometimes an overreliance on repetitive flashbacks. However, there is potential here to make for great entertainment going forward.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jul 1, 2025

Naufalalaziziyo

Mixed Feelings

Rating: 7,2/10
Status: Mixed Feelings


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[English]

Bungou Stray Dogs Season 1 is a stylish, literary-inspired action series that blends supernatural abilities with detective noir, psychological drama, and dark comedy. At first glance, it feels like a breath of fresh air—characters named after real-life authors, each wielding powers based on their literary works, moving through a city divided between a gifted detective agency and a criminal underworld. It’s clever, unique… and yet, somehow, not as impactful as it wants to be.

The anime starts with Atsushi Nakajima, an orphaned boy who finds himself thrown into the world of the Armed Detective Agency after a chance encounter with the eccentric and ... suicidal Osamu Dazai. This setup is strong, and the early episodes are intriguing—but the tone quickly oscillates between serious and comedic, which often undercuts emotional moments. One minute you’re dealing with child abandonment and existential dread, the next you’re watching slapstick antics or a running suicide joke. The tonal imbalance weakens what could’ve been a more focused, emotional core.

Still, the show shines in its character design and worldbuilding. The mix of literary names and supernatural powers gives it a flavor unlike most action anime. Characters like Dazai, Kunikida, Akutagawa, and Ranpo are memorable, if sometimes exaggerated. Dazai especially dominates the screen with his chaotic energy and cryptic wisdom. He’s easily the most magnetic part of Season 1, often stealing the show from Atsushi, who struggles to stand out as a protagonist.

The action scenes are slick, but not always well choreographed. Powers like “Beast Beneath the Moonlight” or “No Longer Human” are fascinating in concept but don’t always feel impactful in execution. Visually, the anime is stylish with a distinct aesthetic—sharp lines, moody lighting, and a sense of kinetic motion that fits its chaotic energy—but it’s not consistently impressive.

The pacing, too, is uneven. The first half is episodic, bouncing between small character missions and slice-of-life detours. The second half tries to build up a larger conflict with the Port Mafia, but never quite raises the stakes enough to feel gripping. It flirts with deeper themes—identity, purpose, morality—but rarely lingers on them long enough to resonate.

On the other hand, the humor, while hit-or-miss, does add a kind of charm. Dazai’s antics, the dry delivery of Kunikida, and the occasional absurd escalation make for memorable moments—even if they sometimes clash with the show’s darker ambitions.

The soundtrack is solid, with jazzy and dramatic tones that match the city-noir atmosphere. The opening theme, “Trash Candy” by GRANRODEO, captures the anime’s identity perfectly: chaotic, stylish, and just a bit off-kilter.

In the end, Bungou Stray Dogs Season 1 is full of interesting ideas, stylish flair, and great character foundations—but it feels like a series still figuring itself out. It’s entertaining and occasionally gripping, but it doesn't quite achieve the emotional or thematic depth it gestures toward. For fans of quirky action with a literary twist, it’s worth watching—but don’t expect all the potential to be realized just yet.


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[Bahasa Indonesia]

Bungou Stray Dogs Season 1 adalah anime aksi bergaya yang terinspirasi dari dunia sastra, memadukan kekuatan supranatural dengan nuansa detektif noir, drama psikologis, dan komedi gelap. Sekilas, anime ini terasa segar—karakter-karakternya dinamai dari penulis terkenal, masing-masing punya kekuatan berdasarkan karya mereka, dan mereka hidup di kota yang terbagi antara agensi detektif berbakat dan dunia kriminal bawah tanah. Ide ini unik, cerdas… namun entah bagaimana tidak selalu memberikan dampak sebesar yang diharapkan.

Anime dimulai dengan Atsushi Nakajima, anak yatim piatu yang tanpa sengaja bergabung dengan Armed Detective Agency setelah bertemu Osamu Dazai—pria eksentrik dengan obsesi bunuh diri yang aneh. Premis awalnya kuat dan cukup menggugah rasa penasaran, tapi nada ceritanya sering berubah-ubah—kadang serius dan berat, lalu tiba-tiba menjadi komedi slapstick. Transisi yang tak mulus ini sering melemahkan momen emosional yang seharusnya menyentuh.

Meski begitu, kekuatan utama anime ini terletak pada desain karakter dan dunia yang dibangun. Perpaduan antara nama-nama sastrawan dan kekuatan supernatural memberikan warna tersendiri. Karakter seperti Dazai, Kunikida, Akutagawa, dan Ranpo mudah diingat, meskipun kadang terasa terlalu teatrikal. Dazai menjadi pusat perhatian berkat energi chaotic dan kebijaksanaannya yang misterius. Ia dengan mudah mencuri perhatian dari Atsushi, yang sayangnya masih terasa seperti tokoh utama yang belum “jadi”.

Adegan aksinya tampak keren, tapi tidak selalu terasa kuat. Kekuatan seperti “Beast Beneath the Moonlight” atau “No Longer Human” memang menarik di konsep, tapi terkadang eksekusinya kurang menggigit. Secara visual, anime ini bergaya dengan estetika khas—garis tegas, pencahayaan gelap, dan gerakan kinetik yang cocok dengan energinya yang liar—tapi kualitasnya tidak selalu konsisten.

Pacing-nya juga tidak stabil. Paruh pertama terasa episodik, lompat-lompat antara misi kecil dan adegan santai yang terasa filler. Baru di paruh kedua konflik dengan Port Mafia mulai terasa, tapi taruhannya belum cukup tinggi untuk benar-benar memikat. Anime ini menyentuh tema-tema besar seperti identitas, tujuan hidup, dan moralitas—tapi jarang menyelam cukup dalam untuk membekas.

Humor yang disajikan memang tidak selalu berhasil, tapi tetap memberikan pesona tersendiri. Aksi konyol Dazai, komentar kaku Kunikida, dan eskalasi absurd kadang menghadirkan momen yang menghibur—meskipun kadang bertabrakan dengan ambisi cerita yang lebih gelap.

Musiknya solid, dengan nuansa jazz dan dramatis yang pas dengan atmosfer kota gelapnya. Lagu pembukanya, “Trash Candy” dari GRANRODEO, dengan tepat menangkap identitas anime ini: chaotic, stylish, dan agak nyeleneh.

Pada akhirnya, Bungou Stray Dogs Season 1 adalah anime dengan ide menarik, gaya yang kuat, dan fondasi karakter yang menjanjikan—tapi terasa seperti seri yang masih mencari bentuknya. Ia menghibur dan kadang menggugah, tapi belum mencapai kedalaman emosional atau tematik yang ingin diraihnya. Bagi pecinta aksi dengan sentuhan sastra yang nyentrik, ini layak ditonton—asal jangan berharap semuanya sudah matang.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Apr 27, 2023

Sukamii

Not Recommended

Bungou Stray Dogs desperately attempts to be a quirky anime that tries to tell a "dark" and "gritty" story about organized crime, detectives and their interplay with a little bit of magic sprinkled in. However, the writing, whether it be the main characters, or any of the antagonists, or even the beats of the entire plot are at best generic (not inherently a bad thing) and at worst (which is the majority of the time) pedantically annoying and annoyingly melodramatic. It so badly wants you to empathize with the main character that every 2-3 episodes it flashes back to our protagonist Atsushis backstory, to the ... point it becomes overplayed and hard to care about. There's no nuance or subtlety with the character or how his tragic upbringing really affected him outside of these flashbacks, and a moment early in the season that feels empty due to its immediate resolution. It feels like a surface level justification that has little to do with the characters growth, struggles and life. For a show that's about detectives, psychology, and understanding the human being- its delivers nothing but shallow analysis and conclusions. It's boring and unentertaining.
Speaking of boring and unentertaining, the "Gifted" systems implementation feels like a half baked idea to me. On one hand, I totally understand the desire to add some degree of a power system to a story like this as it has some noteworthy potential- but this suffers from a similar issue as to what I felt like the Imperial Relics from Akame ga Kill did- there's no real cohesion with what's being chosen for gifts. It's just a power system but for detectives, with some having interesting implementations, with strengths and notable weaknesses like Kunikidas- and others feeling entirely haphazard like Akutagawa or Nakajimas. They don't seem to fit in the overall narrative cohesion of the story, and are more akin to "cool superpowers that we wanted to include" with there being no real precedent for what being "Gifted" actually is outside of apparently being magic that is somehow extremely prevalent but simultaneously not relevant in the public sphere.
A note about the characters, their designs, etc. While this may be more of a personal preference, I don't think any of their designs were all that interesting or memorable. It's a situation where each of the characters were meant to fill a specific aesthetic, but also be designed in a way that they reflect their personalities but often come off as strangely uninspired and uninteresting. I feel like I've seen all of them in another anime, whether it be the archetypes and rolls they fill, their personality, and even their powers- each one of them feels so bland I don't really expect to remember them outside of the names of the authors they stem from. Which is another fairly strong point of contention I have in regards to one character.
Osamu Dazai, the pen name for the author Shūji Tsushima, was a Japanese author who died in a double suicide via drowning in 1938. How does this anime interpret the tragic death of a real human being? By relegating much of the characters dialogue, and near every single one of his gags, to be how badly he wants to participate in a double suicide with a pretty woman. His character was first introduced attempting to kill himself via drowning in a river. It's so unabashedly tasteless, and frankly speaking its gross and was a horrible note to begin this series off with- and it set the precedent for the standard of humor and overall writing this show was to present.
Much of the show persists on an episodic format, introducing characters steadily that have a mild influence or importance to the story on the whole, and are relegated to importance later on- which I can only assume to be in its following seasons. If a character is introduced in an episode, then its more likely than not their arc will be concluded in that same episode. there's nothing inherently wrong with an episodic format, some of the greatest stories ever told have been done so in this medium. Stray Dogs, however, doesn't tell any interesting stories, or build the mystique of the world through this format. It wants to leave little crumbs of information that build towards a grander narrative, but that narrative is paper thin and I just don't think its good.
So far as positives I think the animation quality is fine, same with the directing of action sequences (however the lows for the action scenes are just rock bottom, like the gunfight in early episode 11). They're plenty punchy and tight, with the comedy scenes (while I don't think there's much humor to be found in the show) do a plenty fine job at conveying the attempts at humor and stylization that befits them- but that's not enough to carry the show, or even really do enough to help overcome the shows weaknesses.
Bungou Stray Dogs really doesn't care about its story or its characters, or even the real people they draw their names from. It's embarrassingly unfunny, bland, uninspired, and a slog to watch through. It was a struggle to force myself to watch this show, which is an utter shame as the premise was interesting- I wouldn't have considered it if there wasn't something I thought was worth my time. But the execution of the already struggling story results in a bad season. I'll more likely than not give the subsequent seasons a shot to see if they were able to redeem itself, but my hopes for what follows have plummeted.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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