Bungou Stray Dogs 4th Season

At long last, we finally get another season of this superb series. Fans of the series will be pleased, that it not only looks like it hasn't missed a beat. But also, if I'm honest. It looks better than ever. You can seriously tell, the care to detail in so many areas, the presentation, how things transition. It's all done so well, and it'll make any fan of this series happy, while making any potential new fans, want to be invested in it's product. It's tense, it's creative, it does it's job and more so.

Story and characters: 9
I will say to avoid spoilers, that fans ... will know why this is the start of the series, they'll understand how and why it's starting off like so. But I'd honestly say on that front, in credit to the story and it's contents. It really creates such an intense and thrilling atmosphere, that it'll draw any kind of person in. If you're watching it for the first time, it'll be enjoyable even to you. They really nailed the core setting down, like a play funny enough. Setting the perfect scene, and getting you invested from the gt go.

That's not just down to the story too. The characters that you witness really draw you in.They're got a confident aura about them. The sort that'll keep you not only entertained, but appreciate them more. An anime does things right, when they nail on this kind of attention to detail. A story can be good, but if the characters are bland as all hell, then it won't be entertaining, but here, it's enough to make anyone want to see more, and go back to see the older seasons.

Art and sound: 9
Honestly, the way they pull this off, is not only super creative, but the style of it all. Just works so well with how tense the show is. The way things transition, while still remaining in a good tone that drives it forward. Not leaving you feel out of touch by going in any weird directions, and making you less interested. The art, and sound blend together perfectly, to paint the picture of a great looking and sounding product. Where it be in black and white, or in full colour.


Bungou's 4th season has kicked off with a bang, and looks as good as the previews showed it would be. A must watch, and a must enjoy for sure. If you're new to this series, I'd recommend either going over the manga, or novels, or watch the previous seasons as well. As if you enjoy this, you'll enjoy those too.

The only reason that I have not given these first few preliminary episodes a 10/10 is because they are just that, preliminary. If Stray Dogs Season 4 continues to perform at the level that it is, and follows the content and writing quality of the manga chapters it is currently adapting, a 10/10 will be a no brainer in the near future. The upcoming arc is easily one of best, if not the peak arcs of the series, and if I'm being honest, I was initially annoyed that Season 4 started with another flashback arc because I was so eager to see the adaptation of ... the coming manga arc.
My expectations, however, was blown away. The foreshadowing, dynamics and writing, even within the few characters that reared their head in the first three episodes was just absolutely spectacular. Showing the advanced capabilities of even a young Ranpo, along with setting the seeds for the dynamics between Fukuchi and Fukuzawa is just a perfect way to ease viewers back into the series that has not released episodes in years.
Now that the first episode of the new arc has aired, along with the OP and ED, I can comfortably say that my sky high expectations of the series, have been exceeded even further. The animation quality, sound, music, characters and everything are displayed just as I dreamed. If you have stuck around with the series this long, the payoff is now, and if you are thinking about starting it, I can confidently say it is worth it.

Categorical Scores

Plot (So Far): 9/10
Characters: 9.5/10
Dialogue and Writing: 9.5/10
Animation: 9/10
Music: 10/10
Overall: 9.4/10