Durarara!!

Durarara!! or as I like to call it for fun DRRR!! is an interesting anime series. Putting a lot of emphasis into creating its characters and world were losing tons of time becomes a habit when watching the series. Capturing the chaos and mystery of the city in it’s version of Ikebukuro with soaring success. While the story being told is decent as a whole what makes it memorable and a great way to spend time are the characters themselves. No matter what flaws present themselves, the characters always manage to make it seem like those flaws don’t matter in the long run.

Mixed: Interesting story ... filled with questionable decisions

Durarara!! has a headless horseman, a girl with a demon sword that can possess people, a puppet master bent on creating chaos, gang leaders wanting gang warfare, and a person with superhuman strengths among its cast. You would think one of those characters would be the protagonist. Except that position is given to an average teen, Mikado Ryugamine, whose relevance and backstory is not given until episode eleven. Giving the other characters more than enough time to overshadow him. Despite that specific pitfall the story manages to fit in elements of teen drama without feeling inappropriate with everything else in the story. The focus on presenting Ikebukuro and Japanese youth culture through internet chat rooms, text messages, and technology in general lends itself to making the city more lively. Seeing characters talk about rumors, folklore, and their experiences make it feel like a real chaotic city. While Mikado is a weak point of interest compared to the other characters, him being in the central of the story makes sense. He is experiencing life in Ikebukuro for the first time interacting with a host of interesting characters and sometimes unknowingly being part of a bigger ordeal beyond his control. What also justifies Mikado as the lead is he’s experiencing and learning everything about Durarara!! version of Ikebukuro just like the viewer.

In every episode the narrative will rotate onto a different focused character. Shining the spotlight on the cast members when the opportunity presents itself. After the primary introduction in episode one the rest of series spends time exploring it cast. In a semi-non linear fashion it spends times on various characters each having their own conflict in a single episode like finding a kidnap friend for a single episode or looking for a missing head for the entire series. Eventually having the large cast interact with each other in various ways and form an engrossing narrative with a mystery at its heart. In the first half, the main draw is a mystery centering around the headless rider. The headless rider search of her head spans several decades trusting the viewing to piece together the information themselves. This headless rider storyline takes some unexpected directions that will keep viewers guessing on where it’ll go next.

It's biggest strength is in telling a series of smaller stories weaving them together into a larger story. All the events shown correlate with one another in some way expertly building up to a climax. Without action, it build up is very exciting, thanks in large to wanting to see how it’ll played out once all the elements are together. The smartest choice the series made regarding its writing was being more serious than splitting half of tone balancing comedy. While it filled with fun personalities to lighten up from the darker aspects of the anime. When it times to take something seriously there’s no need to worry about transitioning between tones. Handling it expertly by having jokes every now and then, but by not at making it an equal focus like its drama.

For an anime that has a cool cast of characters how it uses them is disappointing. At times dropping characters completely from the series, though even those characters manage to have a good moment. The only time this is ever a consistent problem is with police officer Kinnosuke Kuzuhara in the second half. He’s featured in the second opening of the anime misleading viewers he has a decent size role in the second half. The fact he doesn’t do much or receive much characterization is made more noticeable because of it.

From episode thirteen and onwards it builds up is allot more rewarding than the actual resolution to the storylines. The second half of Durarara!! spends lots of time jumping back and forth between timelines where it becomes unnecessary. A linear narrative framing device would have better suited the second half. It’s constantly jumping back to earlier episodes that instead of moving the story forward take steps backwards. Halting progress in certain episodes as literally nothing has happened to progress forward. The reason it does this is because the series is bad at foreshadowing. With the exception of Masaomi Kida past, revelations on characters come out of left fields. For example, there’s a large gang called the Dollars in that no one within it knows who started the gang. Once it gets revealed who started the gang it’s seem to be there to justified following a character for long as it has. It also is a disservice to the character when he’s given a just because motivation of sorts.

Another drawback in the second half is the mystery aspect is gone when the focus is put on the three leads. What exactly is keeping Mikado, Anri, and Masaomi separated is shown to the audience as a series of misunderstanding and indecisiveness. Also, laziness on the writer part for not having the characters talk to each other because of if they did the whole ordeal would have been dealt with quickly. Having them act on assumptions throughout the second half. Compare to earlier storylines, one of which deals with a character looking for her head. Misunderstandings as a source of conflict is less interesting in comparison and executed badly when the audience is show the source before the characters discover it. Making the halt in progress more obvious when waiting patiently for it to move forward.

The ending of the series doesn’t feel conclusive leaving dangling plot threads and fate of certain characters left in the open. In no way is the ending sequel bait as some character arcs (Celty arc being the best example) have satisfying growth by the end of the series. Where it feels inconclusive are with the lead characters. Just when the viewers learn about their past there’s a desire to see how the three will interact with one another once those kept secrets are revealed to everyone. Instead of showing that it simply tidy everything up as if the secrets the lead characters kept from each other wasn’t that big of a deal. It’s a thrilling ride that ends with a whimper instead of a bang.

Good: A layered cast

The story might have a weaker second half, but the cast of characters are able to escape the same pitfall of the story. For starter, not all characters presented will have a major role or even a recurring minor role in the long run. This is made up with the writing that manages to weave together an unlikely cast of character with all sorts of different background together to compliment each other nicely. There are personalities of all types of the love-to-hate jerk Izaya Orihara, the short fuse bartender Shizuo Heiwajima, passionate Otaku Walker and Erika, and many more.

The three leads are high school students and for the duration of the first half they are overshadowed by the supporting cast. Mikado Ryugamine is the new kid with average characteristics, Masaomi Kida the best friend with a hidden past, and Anri Sonohara the bespectacled timid girl. They receive partial characterization in the series that make them good character. When the series finally goes into their past, they become more interesting than how they presented at first sight. In Durarara!! there’s always allot more to the characters than what we initially know. This partial development does backfire when they are the focus in the second half and due lazy writing it creates a force conflict between them. These characters are compelling, but how their story was told brings down what could have been another good arc.

Celty Sturluson, the Headless Rider, is a stand out in the large cast. She goes to Japan in search of her head communicating with the locals through a PDA. Throughout the series she lives with scientist Shinra Kishitani whom she shares an interesting relationship with. It develops into something romantic that, crazy as it sound, but actually sweet in execution. Both characters are playful together as well as being show being able to talk through any issue like a real couple. Whenever Celty and Shinra are on screen the writing is at it's best.

Another memorable character is Shizuo Heiwajima. The shortfuse bartender with superhuman strength who hates to fight. His characteristic are a bit ironic since he does fight allot in the series leading being in the center of the most over the top moments in the anime. Usually tossing around any large object connected to the ground like a streetlight or vending machines like it weighs nothing. He has a rivalry with Izaya Orihara who's also another memorable character. Leading to the two clashing heads with Shizuo using his fists and Izaya using his head in their confrontations. This leads to more great moments.

There’s also a group of four friends who are always together consisting of Kyohei, Walker, Erika, and Kyohei. Kyohei is the leader of the group, especially after all four quitting the Blue Squares. Walker and Erika are passionate Otaku and manga reader and if you’ve a large chunk of anime you will know the references all which aren’t subtle. Like in the second opening one of the manga that’s shown in their collection is Sword Art Online, there’s also a poster for the short film Cencoroll hanging outside the theater, or two characters from Baccano making cameos which are only a few references. Lastly there is Saburo, who is the driver of the group and gets mad whenever his van is wrecked. The chemistry between these characters is gold acting like actual friends acting like goofballs even in serious situations.

Good: A catchy soundtrack and a voice cast to die for make up for inconsistent animation

Animation is done by studio Brain’s Base and it’s decent. Coloring in several episodes will have large crowds of people just painted gray or black and white. This makes no sense from a production standpoint given the insane amount of time it must have taken to create Ikebukuro. The backgrounds have to take into account all the effect for neon street signs, lighting of the city at night or day time, the different material of buildings, streets have to seemingly connect to one another, and other tiny details to sell the idea of its being a living, breathing city. With that much hard work put into connecting all the backgrounds to make Ikebukuro come to life, leaving background characters gray comes across as laziness. Whenever it does anything over the top it delivers those moments spectacularly. Though, in motion some character movements (like the first fight between Izaya facial expressions when he first fights Shizuo) will have some unintentionally hilarious awkward facial expressions.

Characters design varies; if it’s an important character they are stylized though not memorable. If they are part of the background than details are spared like fully coloring them to missing some line detail on limbs. Some animation in the second half will take a noticeable dip in quality when they matter the most. In episode 17 titled “Everything Changes”, Shizuo fights a large crowd of people scraping some details like not coloring the large crowds, or rawing a giant blob instead of individuals' bodies for a crowd. In general Durarara!! has this recurring problem with background characters lacking the same details as important character sparing details through its run. At first it comes across a neat stylistic choice and later feels like laziness.

Director Takahiro Omori makes handling a large cast seem natural. Despite some characters being under utilized Omori direction makes sure it’s never overwhelming to keep track off. While the story being told isn’t linear what events unfold in the episodes are. Omori uses a character to transit into another character to show their perspective in that specific moment or episode. No matter who he rotates the attention to he manages to have far greater success than failures in his direction.

Regardless what format you hear the audio in both cast offer a great list of voice actors. The Japanese voice cast offers Miyano Mamoru, Jun Fukuya, Miyuki Sawashiro, Hiroshi Kamiya, Daisuke Ono, Yuichi Nakamura, and the list goes on. This same rule applies to the English dub, which was produced by Bang Zoom! Entertainment and they basically gathered some of the most recognizable voice actors in anime dubbing. The English dub has a dream cast come true for anyone who watches English dubs regularly. It has the likes of Johnny Bosch Yong, Michelle Ruff, Bryce Papenbrook, Kari Wahlgren, Yuri Lowenthal, Crispin Freeman, Steve Blum, and Patrick Seitz to name a few. Quite a cast, regardless what version is heard.

Both cast have a similar issue of giving talented voice actors little material in the anime. Almost as if just gathering them up for name recognition. In the English dub, Stephanie Sheh plays Rio Kamichika who in only one episode has an important role. Her character fades away quickly after episode two. Another awesome voice actor who gets limited screen time is David Vincent who plays Seji Yagari. His performance is fine, but not varied in how to portray the character. Always having to sound concerned about his girlfriend. Cassandra Lee Morris, who plays Saki Mikajima gets to speak in very little in the anime. In the Japanese cast Keiju Fujiwara, Hochu Ostuka, Toru Okawa, Yuji Ueda, and you get the point.

The weakest link in the English dub is Darrel Guilbeau as Mikado Ryugamine. His performance is uneven and for a leading role. He easily gets overshadowed by his cast members whom deliver better performances. Darrel Guilbeau performance will take time to get used to before sounding natural in it. Toshiyuki Toyonaga who provides the Japanese voice for Mikado Ryugamine is good from the first episode. Bringing personality into an average character without sounding wooden in his portrayal of the everyguy lead. It’s a good performance that unlike Guilbeau, does not get overshadowed by his co-stars.

Kari Wahlgren has more line to deliver than Miyuki Sawashiro in the role of Celty. The way Celty talks to another character is through text on her PDA. Depending how and where you see the anime English subtitles might not appear (even on DVDs this happens) when Japanese text is displayed. This is remedied in the English dub by Kari Wahlgren reading those lines of Japanese text on her phone to the audience, though it will feel like something is missing without knowing that bit of information. Miyuki Sawashiro does equally well in portraying Celty giving her a mysterious aloof charm, warmth, and sisterly undercurrents of her character.

Bryce Papenbrook for the English dub and Mamoru Miyano in the Japanese cast both play Masaomi Kida. Aside from a couple word changes for Papenbrook dialogue (like saying boobilicous) both actors have unfettered energy and enthusiasm down. When it comes to performing the more dramatic scenes Miyano delivery is superior, though Papenbrook is not bad either.His comedic delivery is better than his dramatic voice work. Kana Kanzawa and Michelle Ruff, both play Anri with a timid low voice. Both actresses play the character similarly which, unlike the rest of the cast is difficult to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses. They both do a good job in the role. Crispin Freeman and Daisuke Ono both play Shizuo Heiwajima. Freeman goes more for a perpetually rougher, grittier feel, in his portrayal contrasting Daisuke Ono's is suave calmness into maniacal madman transitions is entertaining. Both performances portray the character differently, but both interpretations fit the character.

Johnny Yong Bosch and Hiroshi Kamiya play Izaya Orihara. Johnny Yong Bosch performance of Izaya is the definitive portrayal of Izaya. Hiroshi Kamiya is fine in the role, but Johnny Yong Bosch excessive smugness and hammy voice work serve Izaya far better. Unlike Kamiya, Johnny Yong Bosch is able to come across as a comical menace who can make you laugh and take him as a serious threat. Yuri Lowenthal and Jun Fukuyama both played Shinra Kishitani. Lowenthal performance is subtle and compose. It’s an unexpected performance with the contrast Fukuyama goes for the mad scientist route in his portrayal. Fukuyama performance is very fun in the over the top nature he acts, though Lowenthal comes across as a more likable Shinra because when he says something romantic towards Celty it sounds romantic instead of sounding insane.

There’s no wrong way to see Durarara!! since both English sub and English dub deliver the material in virtually the same way. Just a minor word or phrase changes to sound natural in their respective languages. However, the Japanese cast just barely etches out a victory as the superior audio track thanks to Toshiyuki Toyonaga in the leading role as Mikado Ryugamine. Darrel Guilbeau takes time to improve his performance before sounding natural in the role and taking a lot longer to become accustomed to hearing in a cast filled with great voice actors. Toshiyuki Toyonaga is strong from the beginning standing on his own. He provides Mikado a personality adding to the everyguy trait of Mikado. Unlike Darrel Guilbeau who starts out bland, Toshiyuki Toyonaga gets it right from episode one and is a smoother viewing experience. Whatever your preferences for viewing anime is both cast are good.

The first opening theme song, “Uragai no Yuuyake” (Sunset of Betrayal in English) by Theatre Brook is used in episode 1 - 12 is forgettable. It’s fit fine with the opening animation with light rock beats, though it’s nowhere near as memorable as it closing theme. Once the catchy R&B song with J-Pop lyrics, “Trust Me”, by Yuya Matsushita start playing in the outro it’ll be able to put anyone in good mood. The closing animation is a single image that’s pan down with color altering effects to show all the characters. Simple as it might be the track and the closing animation are oddly memorable. The fact there’s dozen of parodies of it first closing animation is a testament how memorable it is.

The second half of the anime has the opposite effect on the second opening (episode 13 - 24) and second closing tracks (episode 13 - 23). In the second half the opening track, “Complication”, by Rookiez is Punk’d is a far more memorable track building up excitement before the anime starts. It’s edgy sound combine with some vocals makes a good rock song that’s able to stand on its own even without having to see the anime. “Butterfly” by On/Off is an okay track that’s not as memorable as “Trust Me” by Yuya Matsushita. The most memorable thing about the track are it’s guitar chords at the end of the track which closes off things nicely. It’s unfortunately accompanied by an animated outro that tries to copy the closing animation of the first half, which is uncreative as it is forgettable.

The OST is composed by Makoto Yoshimori and it’s a fine soundtrack. Heavy in Jazz music it perfectly captures the mood of Ikebukuro from it thuggery environment to its more mysterious side giving off a cool and mysterious vibe. Combining Jazz with piano and violin melodies, industrial instrumental, orchestral, folklore music, and even random noises. Like inserting laughter in the middle of the track “Ikebukuro nishiguchi go mata-ro kostaten”. It’s diverse in genre and risking in composition culminating in a unique soundtrack with plenty of music of all types to offer.

Personal Enjoyment: Despite a lackluster second half I had a good time

It started out weak with it first episode doing nothing, but introducing many characters. Leading to mix feelings to how it might turn out in the long run. Episode two got rid off any and all concerns I might have had with the series. Showing it true strengths in providing an engrossing world and fantastic character moments. Another bonus for me was recognizing the character designer of the Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor series, Suzuhito Yasuda, also did the character designs for the anime in my second viewing of the series. For me personally, that added it a bit more charm to the series in being able to see more of Yasuda creations. Granted the series wasn’t smooth sailing for the entire run. Before reaching its final arc, it was starting to lose some steam which it never overcame. The ending did leave something to be desired on the story front by leaving dangling plot threads, but as a viewing experience I am completely satisfied. While the quality of the story takes a dip towards the end. The true draw of the series for me were the characters that kept me coming back episode after episode. No matter what character took focus I was more than happy to see the events unfold. Watching the series was enjoyable on so many level. Writing (and you possibly reading) this review, which turned out as long as it did not as fun.

Story: 2/3

Characters: 3/3

Production Values (animation, sound, etc.): 2/3

Personal Enjoyment: 1/1

Final Thoughts:

Durarara!! is an entertaining anime where the apparent flaws don’t ever seem to matter when viewing the anime. It’s so easy to get engrossed into the large cast of realize characters and the city of Ikebukuro that losing track of time becomes common in Durarara!!. In every area it has a strong point that stands out from the story that developed layered characters down to the memorable soundtrack that will be stuck in the viewer's head. It’s an anime that creates a world successfully that you will want to revisit it time and time again to see a different side of what makes Ikebukuro so special.

**SPOILER FREE REVIEW**

From its enigmatic characters, to its unhinged storyline, down to its eccentric name, Durarara!! is the definition of absurdity. Is that always a good thing? Certainly not. Is it a good thing in this case? Yes, it definitely is. This anime has everything you could ever want in a fast-paced, thrilling anime; epic plot twists, unique characters, and an exciting concept. Much like DRRR's spiritual predecessor, Baccano!, there is simply too much going on to give a good synopsis without spoilers. There are mythological figures, people with super-strength, gangsters, demonic possession, a seemingly omnipotent information broker waging psychological warfare, and much, much more. ... It's just downright insanity. Perfect? No. Fun? Yes.

The true allure of DRRR is that all of its ridiculousness is not revealed in separate story arcs, which is how essentially every other anime chooses to tell more then one story; it is instead told all at the same time in one massive, confusing, wacky plot, and that's what makes DRRR so unique. There is a lot to keep track of and there is no main focus of the plot; there is simply a collection of smaller stories all intertwined with one another in the unbelievably alive setting of Ikebukuro, Japan. This unique style of storytelling is very appealing and that is the reason I enjoyed the plot so much despite its minor flaws. DRRR simply stands out from the crowd. However, it is worth noting that the first season left quite a few loose ends that season 2 needs to tie up, but that's just another reason why I am extremely excited for it. I can not wait to see where the storyline goes from here, and that isn't a feeling that just any anime can give to you. Honestly, I have trouble imagining a scenario where season 2 can top the absurdity of the first season, but at the very least it can tie up the loose ends.

While the plot is the most unique thing about DRRR, it is very much a character-driven show. It sports a huge cast (too many to go over), but most of them are very unique and well-written. My favorite thing about the characters in DRRR is that there is a lot more to all of them then you initially think. For instance; Mikado seems like a token, stereotypical male lead from the very start of the show (he's sort of the show's pseudo-protagonist for a while). However, it turns out there is a lot more to him that meets the eye, because he has a very shocking secret about him that changes his character completely, and he is not the only character with a shocking secret. The fan favorites, however, are definitely Izaya and Shizou, and rightfully so. Watching those two go at each other never gets old. I am firmly in the camp of Team Izaya thanks to his intoxicating personality and general badassery, but Shizou is pretty cool too. Unfortunately, shows that sport such a large cast of characters often have problems with character development, and DRRR is no major exception thus-far. There are too many characters to flesh out in the given amount of screen time and yet the show tries to treat every character equally, and what results is some significant issues with balance. This is forgivable though considering the show still has an entire 2nd season on the way, where it will have plenty of time to work on that.

As for aesthetics, they are slightly above average in my overall opinion. DRRR's animation is very fluent, but it's not that all that visually appealing if you ask me. The people in the background, for example, are not even colored in; they are left black and white (symbolism?). It doesn't really look good and the environments could really use a bit more detail. Great character designs though. The soundtrack, on the other hand, is great in nearly every way possible; the first opening is absolutely fantastic, as is the first ending. I'm not crazy about the second OP or the second ED, but the OST is solid as well (albeit a bit lacking in diversity). The voice acting is above average in both the sub and dub, so take your pick

If you are looking for something fun, unique, and just downright entertaining, I would highly recommend checking out Durarara!!. It's far from perfect, but I had a blast watching it. If you love plot twists, unique/lovable characters, and over-the-top fun, DRRR is the anime for you. I await the 2nd season with a lot of excitement.

Right from the very beginning, something about the title, or was it the caution tape artwork that grabbed my attention. It was bizarre to me at first, to be watching an anime that featured a different character in every episode but after I warmed up to it, this anime was undoubtedly enjoyable. It was entirely unique, and refreshing, and overall, an anime with brilliant potential, but left with loose ends.

Pros:
Durarara features simply AMAZING artwork, something fans would go crazy about. The characters each had distinct personalities, some that even we as the viewers can relate to. Light-hearted at times and even sometimes comical, the creators ... did a great job keeping tabs on all the characters. I watched attentively as each person filtered in, adding their own touch to this gang-oriented anime. Refreshing, cool, and overall a memorable anime.

Cons:
Story, Art, Soundtrack etc. were all avant-garde (as Shinra would say). However, the one thing that didn't quite satisfy me was the ending. Towards the later episodes, 22, 23, etc. I could feel the tension building up as each character's deepest secrets were revealed, one by one. Trust and friendship all hanging on the thinnest line. I was just waiting for that "WOW" moment that would blow me away leaving my mind to ponder the plot for days on end. But, i was greatly disappointed. I felt the anime concluded weakly, obviously the viewer could piece together all the facts, but I just didn't feel that there was a solid conclusion. Loose ends maybe?

For example: Izaya, although we all know he is Ikebukuro's mastermind, what was his ultimate motive? He claims he loves humans, but what of it? Didn't he do this all to awaken Celty's head? And what of Celty? She's a main character, obviously, but other than transporting messages and bringing one character to another, what did she really do? What was the point of having a Dullahan in the story? I felt that each character had so much potential, but in the end it just didn't blow me away.

Narita manages to catch lightning in a bottle twice...sort of.

Overview:

Durarara is the spiritual successor to Baccano and takes place in the same universe. Once again, the famous light novelist Ryohgo Narita uses the formula of having TONS of zany characters that all somehow tie together. Also like in Baccano, the story is told non-sequentially and from multiple perspectives. The question you're probably asking is, "If he was going to basically re-make Baccano, why not just continue Baccano where the first series left off?" The answer to that question is marketing. Baccano took place in the US during the Prohibition Era and played around with American ... cultural tropes and cliches. I believe the author stated that he created Baccano after binge watching The Godfather, Goodfellas, and The Untouchables back to back. If you asked Tarantino to direct a prohibition era Mafia movie, it WOULD be Baccano. Although it also has that magic and sorcery randomly thrown in...maybe Del Toro guest directed along with Tarantino. The point is still that Baccano feels about as American as John Cena eating a cheese burger while riding a bald eagle. Needless to say, it didn't do as well in Japan as it did overseas. Japan as a market is maybe the only country even more self centered than the United States. Narita therefore decided to reboot the series in Japan with Japanese characters in the hopes that it would sell better with domestic audiences. It did. Fortunately for American audience members like me, the series did so well in Japan that it was aired on Adult Swim to the widest possible US audience release and features possibly the most All-Star English voice acting cast of any dub I have ever seen!


Story and characters

The story takes place in Tokyo, where a shy student from the Japanese countryside moves in to go to high school. This student is named Mikado after the 1880s Gilbert and Sullivan musical, which takes place in Japan. Odd fact: despite the fact this old British musical isn't exactly respectful towards Japan and their culture, it is widely popular in the same way that Kazakhs have embraced the movie Borat and especially the fake Kazakh anthem. Mikado meets up with his old friend Masaomi and is given a tour around town. This is where we are first introduced to some of the other ridiculous characters. One character is the brutal bartender Shizuo. Shizuo has superhuman strength because he can't feel pain and is able to push his body beyond its normal limits, even if this damages his body. This is the same explanation as Guts' Berserker armor, which isn't just coincidence. Shizuo hilariously goes into fits of blind rage where he is unable to tell friend from foe. He has devoted his life to killing a pretty boy rival and must fight through endless waves of said rival's minions while screaming the rival's name like a lunatic. He also has a brother named Kasuka, which is spelled very similar to Caska, Guts' love interest from Berserk. What can top a comedic Guts ripoff? How about a headless Irish fairy that rides a motorcycle and fights with a giant grim reaper scythe? Even she isn't the character with the wackiest background. That distinction goes to Semyon Brezhnev. Semyon is the son of a Russian woman and a Black American man who sought political refugee in the Soviet Union during the 1960s...so basically Huey Newton?! He fought for Spetsnaz GRU during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and climbed the ranks due to his superhuman strength. After the USSR fell apart, he randomly moved to Japan and became a sushi chef because...reasons. Let's summarize this: the insinuated bastard son of the Black Panthers founder is a super powered Spetsnaz GRU operative that randomly works in Japan as a sushi chef! Wow! That's what happens when you use Mad Libs to write your character backgrounds. With each episode, we get to meet new characters, learn more background, and see exactly how all these crazy characters connect.

Sound and Art:

The art is fantastic and Narita's attention to detail and use of real world locations for background is back with a vengence. One aesthetic difference from Baccano is that Durarara cuts down a LOT on the gore factor. I suppose that allowed it to get a wider release. I don't mind because gore obviously can't by itself make an anime good and its absence here didn't really spoil anything. The soundtrack isn't as catchy as Baccano's but is pretty solid. The voice acting for the English dub as previously mentioned is spectacular. A few episodes in we get a Mexican standoff between Crispin Freeman, Johnny Young Bosch, and Patrick Seitz. Can you possibly ask for more than that!?

Overall:

You might be wondering why I didn't rate this higher, since I've praised its high production value and zany storytelling. The reason is at least in part because Durarara is a bit of a disappointment following Baccano. By taking place outside Japan and playing with another culture's tropes, Baccano offered a unique outsider's perspective of American pop culture that was rather fascinating to watch. Durarara is a return to Japanese self examination for a domestic Japanese audience, which we've seen in other anime...a LOT. Baccano actually had a unique edge going for it, and they squashed it for the sake of sales. That kind of sucks. Baccano also had a slightly better cast of characters and knew how to balance time between characters. No one fucking cares about Masaomi! He's a boring character that gets WAY too much screen time, while the crazy and fun characters are underutilized. At least Celty got some development, but Semyon is given this ludicrous background...only to get shafted in the anime vs. the original light novels and have maybe 4 minutes of screen time. That would be like in Baccano if Claire Stanfield had all of his scenes save for his introduction cut out, so we could watch Eve Genoard and her maid be boring for 3 whole episodes. That's just fucking cruel to the audience! I never watched an episode of Baccano and thought, "Ah shit, this episode revolves around that douche bag?!" Besides the first episode of Baccano, which just sets up the world, every single episode is an absolute blast. Durarara is FAR more hit and miss. Durarara is a fine series by itself and I really did enjoy it, but it still doesn't hold a candle to Baccano!

Story: Story? What’s that? It’s the damn Baccano! look-alike it doesn't need a damn story, but okay for the sake of writing a story, I will TRY to explain the things...simply put there are a lot of characters, bizarre characters and oh yea supernatural ones too...taking place in the Japanese town of Ikebukuro the anime follows the adventures of the different characters in short segments and how each of this segments overlap each other to form a much bigger plot. Yes the kind of plot which is too exciting for pulp fiction addicts like me....takes a cue from Baccano! But still I think it achieved ... its goals perfectly and this is Durarara!!

Animation: Nice art which does a great justice to animation well I particularly have no complaints about it since the style of the story-line compensates for everything else.

Music: This one’s predecessor, Baccano! had some awesome Jazz music so this one doesn't disappoint either...from my Favorite 1st opening (Blow up Loud!) to the occasional blues-jazz background music I loved it all...

Summary: Overall as I said before a must-watch for those who are fond of such crazy intertwining plots...the ride for the head through this anime is really something to cherish. Such an innovative idea in shaping up the story makes it one of the most loved story-lines for me. Having contrasting characters with a touch of comedy makes it just something one should not miss...Just one of the anime I hold in my highest regard and we are also getting a 2nd season for it soon, now don’t that make it more easy to understand the awesomeness of this anime?....so just go on and watch it...

Durarara clearly wants to establish itself as the rule of cool successor to Baccano. Sadly, its just doesn’t have a strong enough cast nor a focused tone to live up to the lively setting of Ikebukuro.

Story (6/10):

Durarara starts off fairly well. It follows in the vein of Baccano in which we follow each and every character’s whereabouts and how they all eventually intervene. It establishes the characters, their relationships with one another, and their issues. And some of the characters individual stories were downright fun to watch (Anything with Shizuo Heiwajima is a blast). But due to this style, the plot is stretched ... out much longer than it needs to be making the viewer forget some details as well as being frustrated as to what's going on. But it all leads up to the climax that surprises, but never really answers the main conflict.

The plot worsens in the second half as it went from a flawed, but still entertaining ride, to a melodramatic mess. Sure the story becomes more focused, but it also loses a lot of what originally made the show somewhat charming. The inconsistent tone shift from a chill, rather light setting to a more dark and dramatic one was plain jarring. It baffles me that out of all the quirky characters in the roster from the maniplative Izaya to the ironically destructive Shizuo that the show would focus of the three bland high schoolers. They simply don’t have the wit or drive that made me invested in the previous arcs.

As for the narration, it’s a hit or miss. On some episodes, it’s was used for good effect to emphasize the personalities of certain characters with some clever writing with a great example being in episode 3 (Men with overwhelming power instinctively strike fear into the hearts of others. He’s violence personified. Its what he lives and breathes. Simply put, he’s the very definition of violence). If that's not awesome then I don't know what is. But at it’s worst, the narration can lead to info dumping, over explaining, and redundant recapping of stuff we already picked up.

Characters (6/10):

If there was one thing Baccano did right, it was giving almost every character an equal amount of screentime to flesh out their personalities and make them one to remember. Durarara, on the other hand, gives the spotlight to the uninteresting characters which sidelines the quirky characters we actually want to get to know which makes the forgettable characters forgettable and the potential characters forgotten. You can’t deny that you wanted more Shizuo vs. Izaya, more Russia Sushi, and more missions with Celty.

The main character Mikado is as bland as any protagonist can get. He’s average, wimpy, and just doesn’t stand out no matter how high the stakes can get. Anri is slightly better as we sort of get an insight on why she is the way she is, but she is still uninteresting and you just know a character is shallow when the only thing standing out is her big... (Well, you know). Masaomi is the only one of the three who gets actual development even if it was melodramatic. He still pales to the rest of the cast and can get tiresome at times, but he at least tries to have sort of a chemistry with the other two mains.

The side characters are thankfully much more interesting than the mains. Shizuo Heiwajima’s mindset of hating violence, but solving with violence is an absolute joy to watch. He steals the screen every time he’s featured and his individual episode was probably the pinnacle of the shows awesome absurdity. His chemistry with Izaya is miles above the rest of the cast as you can just feel the tense rivalry between the two. Izaya seems to be there as a plot device to explain everything that's happening which can be a bit overbearing, but with such a despicably fun personality I can almost forgive this. Celty, for someone who lacks a head, is probably the most human and likable of the characters which will keep you invested in her arc. As for the rest, they’re quirky and fun, but they have a severe lack of screentime to make them memorable.

Animation (7/10):

Brains Base does a great job with the detailed backgrounds giving life to Ikebukuro and the animation being smooth for the most part. The show has a unique look to it which gives it identity, As for the background characters being greyed out, i'm not really a huge fan of this. While it gives focus to the featured character, shouldn’t the character have enough features to make him/herself distinct. If not, then this is a clear flaw in character design.

Sound (8/10):

Opening 1 is fantastic and fits the show very well. It just makes you feel cool when you listen to it. Opening 2, is fitting with the second half of the show in which the show takes a more dramatic turn. Its still a great listen, but it just didn’t hype me up for what was otherwise a disappointing second half while the first opening could hype me up no matter what. I never bothered to listen much to the endings, so I can’t comment much on them other than they simply didn’t stand out.

The ost for Durarara is what gave the show it's cool status, it’s wild personality, and it’s life in general. As intense jazz plays in the background, you know something is going to go down. As the calm whistles play in the background, you can immerse yourself in the odd city of Ikebukuro. Each piece just sees so fitting and it's something I can listen too on its own. Having seen the dub, it definitely works. Everyone fits their role well from the uncertain Mikado, to the intimidating Shizuo, to the charismatic Izaya, to the curious Celty, this is very well done. The narration is also much easier to listen to for the dub so that's also a plus.

Conclusion:

Watch Baccano first not just for a comparison, but there is also a really great easter egg in one of Durarara’s episodes so be on the lookout. But on its own, Durarara is much less interesting than it pretends to be, but that's not to say that I didn’t enjoy it. After all, it's still reaches rule of cool at points thanks to a fun setting and characters. Overall, I give Durarara a 6/10.

Welcome to Ikebukuro. Let me show you around. Don't mind the occasional torn up sign posts or flying street signs. Or people, for that matter. Now walk these streets and take a gander at life in between the urban bustle. Now, I don't mean to presume but since you've come all this way, there's no doubt you've been looking for some good old-fashioned excitement. If that's the case, you're in the right place. Here in Ikebukuro, excitement's aplenty; you'll never want. In fact, there's also some gossip that's come in that you might find interesting. It's about the Black Rider. Ever heard of it? No? ... Well, I'll let you in on a secret. Most folks think she's a headless harbinger of death on a motorcycle. Well, the motorcycle bit's true. The headless part too. But she's pretty friendly, actually. Say “hi” for me if you happen to see her.

Durarara!! was produced by Brains Base, responsible for other works such as Spice and Wolf II, Natume's Book of Friends, Denpa Teki na Kanojo, and Baccano! Speaking of Baccano!, this show's an adaptation of a novel franchise of the same name by the creator of Baccano!, Ryohgo Narita. Character designs for both the text and anime format were done by Suzuhito Yasuda and Takahiro Kishida respectively. Script was done Toshizou Nimoto. Direction, by Takahiro Omori. From a visual standpoint, the setting's what you'd expect the entertainment district of a major metropolis would feel like given that eccentric anime touch. The backgrounds portray the city well, gleam and grit, and the animation is something to applaud. The fluidity of it may take from from the budget that would have otherwise been used to color in passersby, but it's nothing much to fret about, given how much people are usually strangers to each other in the city anyway. In fact, it's rather clever in how it's made the most of in the show in how much color, when applied, stand out in the sea of gray.

I'd be lying if all the crazy shit that happens in the show wasn't a blast to watch. The strength of the show, however, is undoubtedly its characters. For a show that features such an enormous cast of them, for most to have their own distinct personalities, some neurotic, always entertaining, is worthy of mention. For the majority to sport a good to great amount of depth... that's a remarkable feat. Now, I won't say this reasoning applies to every character, (one seems to exist solely for the ends of trolling people and modeling as a vent for fangirls-by-nature, yaoi included, to squee their throats out) but many of them are linked thematically. Whether it's in school, Ikebukuro, society in general, or the whole of humankind, many tread the border of alienation, between right to joy and left to despair. It's the utmost desire to be wanted, needed, appreciated, and loved in the most genuine of senses. It's the sought after initiative to feel for others in turn. In spite of past traumas. In spite of present hurt. What makes the difference between which direction, left or right, one gravitates to hinges on one's own capacity for genuineness as well: genuineness toward oneself and genuineness toward others. Only then can one belong. This is also why, in spite of criticisms about the show's more drama packed 2nd half, the show requires both clear skies and down casts for its theme to be true as well.

What else is genuine about this show is that it has flaws. Major conflicts yet to be satisfactorily resolved are set aside for other pressing developments to take to the fore. Characters that were significant in previous arcs become relegated to minor or cameo roles, while others take up major ones. As a result, the plot can feel unfocused at times. There's also the chance that prominent cast members and their spotlights of the successor arcs pale in comparison to the prominent cast members and their moments to shine of the previous arcs. This isn't to say those arcs are bad, because I quite enjoyed the story to the end. It's just frustrating to get attached to some people and then be forced to endure having them sidelined. The new people we are supposed to be attached to might not be as endearing as our previous favorites. In addition, some characters that were initially introduced with the impression of importance either disappear entirely later on or are added in as after thoughts toward the end. The new characters that appear in the show's 2nd half are guilty of that, though it's a common pitfall that many shows with a large character roster fall into. There were also some issues with how unnatural the new developments were revved up and maintained the story of later arcs. It's not like these happenings came out of nowhere. It's just bugged me how inelegant the foreshadow for these happenings was. A hint toward a development might be dropped and then be altogether forgotten by the show until a good few episodes in where it suddenly becomes convenient to reintroduce it to drive the plot (e.g. The Slasher's identity). Or a suggestion might be reiterated a number of times in a rather obnoxious manner (e.g. Masaomi Kida's past).

Both Durarara!!'s OPs happen to take a page from Baccano!'s OP mastery of character introductions. All the transitions to each are smooth, seamless, and radiate with a sense of energy and purpose. Both Durarara!!'s OPs happen to reflect the moods they happen to herald. OP1, “Uragiri no Yuuyake” or “Sunset of Betrayal” by Theater Brook introduces the viewer to the show's more static lighthearted exterior. OP2, “Complication” by ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D segue ways the viewer to it's more dynamic heavyhearted interior. They also sound superb out of context as well, electric guitars and drum set complementing the contemporary rock-tempered rasp of the male lead vocalists as they start the audience small with the rhythm before exploding with fiery flares of passion. If you weren't paying attention to the lyrics, you might have a hard time distinguishing it from certain tracks from American pop rock. Same thing can be said for ED1, “Trust me” by Yuya Matsushita, but with a boy band flair. I'm not too much into boy bands myself, but even I'll admit I found myself humming this song fairly often. It features the significant cast standing on top or clinging to each other in various poses. Something similar can be said for ED2, “Butterfly” by ON/OFF, though the poses this time around are horizontally grounded. Guitars and drums are very prevalent, and the voices are lower-pitched than its predecessor ED. Overall, it makes for a good song. It just pales in expressiveness by a fraction compared to the other music selections.

In spite of the negatives, the show's still a lot of fun, and it's nothing particularly mindless either. If you ever happen to find yourself strolling down Ikebukuro's cityscape (figuratively speaking), let me be the first to say this as your guide. Make yourself at home.

I give Durarara!! an 8 out of 10.

Durarara!! can best be described as an attempt to improve upon its earlier, sister series, Baccano! Both are based off of the original works of Narita Ryohgo, and directed by Omori Takahiro. I thoroughly enjoyed Baccano and as such, looked forward to watching another similar work utilizing the same story-telling method that made the previous series so refreshing to watch. To say that Durarara was not enjoyable would be a lie. While it retained a lot of the characteristics that made Baccano so great, there remained some items that left a lot to be desired.
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STORY (7) : Let me preface this first by ... saying, if you haven't watched Baccano yet, WATCH IT FIRST! If you're a sucker for cross-references or cameo appearances, your experience of Durarara will be that much better if you do (at least for me it did).

The story is fairly unique. It is told using a fragmented story-telling structure that utilizes different character perspectives to tell an overarching tale of the Ikebukuro underworld. This is a wonderful way to immerse viewers into the world, if done right. In my opinion, Brains Base kinda missed the mark on this one. There are several reasons for this:

1) There are too many 'fragments' that need to be pieced together. Baccano was successful because although there were numerous fragments, the 13 episode nature of the series meant that most of the 'wtf is happening' moments are quickly solved. Not to mention that there are always re-cuts that show you how the pieces exactly fit together, so you're never in the dark for too long. In Durarara's 24 episode case, I often found myself forgetting why something was happening not only because these fragments were too intertwined with other fragments, but because the resolutions to these fragments were so far apart from each other, despite the presence of several (less frequent) re-cuts to help re-orient viewers. An element in episode 8 may not be fully fleshed out until 6 or 7 episodes later, where I would often find myself asking, "how did this come about again?".

2) Solutions to conflicts are solved by -insert the omnipotent and omniscient Orihara plot device-. It was just a bit too convenient for my liking. Instead of having the story fragments come together independently and making the viewer go, "OH SHIT, SO THAT'S HOW IT WENT DOWN?", each arc/conflict was solved by a simple explanation (mostly Orihara) claiming that they caused X problem and knew that X person would do this.

Despite these issues, when you really wrap your head around how many characters were incorporated into the story and the unique blend of gangsters, supernatural occurrences, and folk-tales, its really hard not to give Brains Base an A for effort. I still thoroughly enjoyed many parts but not as much as I wanted to.

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ART (8) : Solid animation. Characters are consistent and the movement is smooth. Attention to detail is great. One peeve that I have though, are the cop-outs on the extras. I know it's hard to design hundreds of unimportant characters, but at least give them colour or something ): It's not game-breaking though, since everything else was very well-done.

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SOUND (8): Love the OPs and EDs. The first OP is just super memorable with that catchy drumline. OST was good, could stand for a BIT more variety. Some memorable tracks, most were just average. VA was well-done, no complaints in this department either, all-star lineup.

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CHARACTERS (6): Okay, it gets kinda ugly here. I found it extremely hard to grow attached to any of the main characters because for the most part, they're extremely pedestrian. The only characters that I invested myself in were (isn't it obvious?) Celty and Shizuo, mostly because their personalities and unique traits set themselves apart from the rest of the cast. Let's focus of the main triangle of Anri, Mikado and Masaomi for now:

The main focus of the story is based around the struggles of these three teenagers and the battles against their own personal demons and how it adversely affected their relationships with each other. Although Anri and Masaomi's backgrounds were fleshed out, I still can't wrap my head around Mikado's. To put it simply, he started off as a pushover, and concluded the story as a pushover, but not as much as he was before. For the duration of the series, Mikado demonstrates that he's powerless to do anything and rarely showed the initiative to change himself as opposed to Anri and Masaomi. Without any spoilers, the climax of the series involves a potential standoff between these three characters, and the resolution to it was rather...lackluster. It was extremely cliche and straightforward. Definitely leaves you craving for a more refined conflict at the end.

In fact, the story would have fared much better had it focused on what I thought, was an extremely intriguing character. I would of much rather have a series completely focused around Celty's quest for her missing head and the evolution of her struggles between her current self, and the self that she wants to be. Not to mention that Celty's problems were never really resolved at the end of the series, which brings me to my last issue with the characters.

The story introduces multiple characters, and aside from a quick background blurb about their motives, many of them are left to their own, many of which just disappear after a single appearance (ie. Kasuka's father). For example: Saki, the Yagiri siblings and the 'dotachin band of travellers' are present in various scenes with enough background given to make you think that they're bigger players in the story, they really don't do anything. They're all very lukewarm characters. I hate to keep bringing up Baccano, but I can remember at least 75% of the names from that anime and they were all excellently portrayed and had unique personalities. Aside from Celty and the badass Shizuo, I can't really say I remember any more than that.

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OVERALL ENJOYMENT (7) : There's a lot to like about this anime, even though my review may not reflect as such. Ultimately, Durarara took a step back from what was a superior anime in Baccano, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. When you try to implement a similar structure into a completely new setting with a more diverse cast of characters and storylines, it becomes a lot harder to duplicate your success. Even though it may be a step down in completeness, it still stands a step above other series in sheer scale of the story, which must be acknowledged. Durarara is an enjoyable watch, especially if you're a fan of mystery and drama. With three additional seasons recently announced to be in the works, we can expect some of the questions that remained at the end of this series to be answered in the near future.

As a quick introduction, I hope to write reviews to 'Inform' and to 'Educate' the mass on certain shows, whether it be deserving of more attention or overhyped, with tihs being one of the latter.

Durarara can be described in one word; Disappointing. Why? With Durarara having been constantly compared to it's predecessor, and what I believe to be the superior, turned out to be disappointing and a cheap shot by Brains Base. With this in mind, I hope to address the merits and flaws of this show through compare and contrast with Baccano.

Story- 3
Why have I given this a 3? The story was neither ... 'Dreadful', or 'Pathetic', but is undeserving to be rated as Decent or anything better, because It could be summed up as a cheap and literal translation from Novel to Anime, with 0 creativity put in, which was a slap in the face for those who expected Brains Base to present us Durarara in the same or similar format on how they handled Baccano; Having small parts of different story arcs placed in an episode for us to piece together as the story progressed. The same can't be said about Durarara, which was a stark contrast to Baccano, being painful and slow, especially those who expected this to be as dynamic as it's predecessor. Furthermore, the only interesting 'part' of the series was perhaps its 2nd arc, which was short-lived and ignored by the finall arc, which was supposed to sum this whole series together.

Art- 9
Not much can really be 'debated' in this area, as modern anime goes, the animation was smooth, the characters were consistent, and I had no quells with the design adaptations of the novel characters to anime, but it certainlhy isn't outstanding, which is why I believed 'Great' did justice in this criteria.

Sound- 8
The same is said in regards to Sound, as there really is no 'debate' over one's preference to their likes and dislikes regarding the sound of an anime; The Openings and Endings were decent, the cast of Seiyus were accepable, and the BGM did not ruin the viewer's enjoyment of the show.

Character- 2
Why 2? Brains Base, was well... dreadful. I was not attached to a single of the characters in the whole series. Not one of what, 20+ characters? Not one of them appealed to me, and that to be honest is a shock. Their personalities ranged from the typical 1-dimensional pussy to the complete asshole. Really, 20+ characters were available to be molded and not one gave me any sort of attachment, and that is a shock. I watched the show hoping the pussy or the asshole would have even a marginal evolution in terms of their personality only to be mind-raped at the last episode, with the stark reality of life hammered into me that shit just doesn't change. And unlike Baccano, where comic relief is entertaining, the so called comic relief presented in this show is either horrifying or incredibly narcissistic. One of the only few moments that I enjoyed was having one asshole be an asshole to another asshole, if that should have been redeeming.

Enjoyment- 3
I expected this serie to give me the same dynamic pace that Baccano gave me, not the direct opposite. It was in general agonizing to go through Durarara only to realize that it's going to cop you out of all the hype you felt over this show. I expected the same, fast-pace story telling that Baccano had as an appeal only to bve shattered by the abysmal mess of Durarara. At first this was a show that me and my friends would be able to be look forward to, to watch together only to be shoved to a side as we realized that this was an absolute abomination. Durarara kills the element of sleuthing that Baccano gave us as we question what would happen next by having the explanation given the episode after the 'story'. I have this a 'poor' for the little moments I enjoyed this as a sort of moment of gathering, which failed miserably after around the 12th episode.

Overal- 3l

sure, some would say it's got great visuals and sound, but it fails to deliver the touch that I had expected from Baccano, turning this show into a slow, agonizing chore that I lived with in spite of far better shows at the time, and a waste of what could have been critically acclaimed like Baccano was. There will always be conflicting ideas from other (re)viewers as their tastes are unique, and their points are most probably valid in their own rights, but in honesty I cannot reccommend this show genuinely to those that hoped for show that would be on-par with Baccano or maybe better than Baccano, as this is, to be blunt, a piece of shit in comparison.

Regards.

At the beginning of the anime I wasn't really full with expactations, since the bit of information I had read about the show didn't really stirr my interest, the only reason for me watching it was me being bored.
Seeing a boy like Ryuugamine Mikado at the very beginning made my head scream "please, no timid protagonist!!!". However, seeing Orihara Izaya in the second episode made my expectations jump high, but I'll explain more about that later.

So I went on watching the show until episode 8 or something like that.
I have to say that at this point it seemed to me like there was no real ... plot to the story, just some people living their not so normal life in a city called Ikebukuro.
So I stopped watching the show.
At some point I ran out of anime with good characters and i remembered a guy called Izaya, so went on watching Durarara!!.
that was when I realized I had stopped watching just before the story was about to begin.
Seeing as there is a wide field of interesting characters to explore, they had to be introduced during the first 9 episodes. That's when the real plot began:
i saw a heavy character development coming and I didn't want to miss it. I don't want to spoil the show (the rules prohibit it) so I'll try to express myself the best way I can:
There were lots of heavy decisions to be made by the characters and unexpected identities to be revealed.

About the artwork: it isn't really something that amazes you, at least not me. However, it does support the story very well, the different places give off the feeling, they should. For example the headquaters of the Yellow Scarves being an old building, maybe some kind of warehouse, since this is a gang founded by teenagers without the money for a bigger place and not some high class mafia, which makes it more realistic. As much as I know the places shown mostly do exist, excluding Raira Academy.

I have to admit, I don't really pay attetntion to the music in anime, movies etc.
However, that tiny bit I did notice was always fit to the situation. i want describe this topic any further since my intention is not the analysis of background music.

Alright, up to my favorite part of anime: the characters!
they were the sole reason for me watching this show. I have to say that I have a bit of a fetish for crazy, kind of evil anime boys. So I was really happy seeing a character like Izaya show up and not only a few times.
I think the wide range of characters presented in this anime has something to provide for anyone (I don't want to offend anyone or reduce poeple just to their looks in the following part):
A timid innocent boy with character development;
the happy-go-lucky kind of guy with a not so happy past;
a big busted, glasses-wearing school girl, who learns about the values of friends after a tragedy in the past;
a crazy informant broker with the hobby of making humans play into his plans;
an uneblievable strong bartender, who wants to live his live in peace;
a mysterious, mature female Dullahan, in search for her head;
a friendly, somewhat strange doctor; a stalker
and lots more!

I have to admit, that my rating was influenced by my love for many strange characters, but even if i didn't I had to say that all of the mentioned aspects play well together and create a unique anime show.
I was really content watching Durarara!! and would recommend it any time.

Anime/Manga start off with a main character and audiences are taken on a journey as he/she goes through the story. Durarara takes a completely different path as it gives different views of the same story through most of the characters involved and expects the viewers to put it together.

Pros:
Great ost especially the openings and endings were amazing
Unconventional way of looking at anime
Art and animation are fantastic especially in the fighting scenes
English dub was pretty good
great choices for a favorite character

Cons:
Long introduction, there are a lot of characters in this show so introducing and getting familiar with each one took a long time, not to ... mention memorizing all their names
Stories were limited by characters as they're were many characters so the stories weren't as adaptable as with less characters.
Not much individuality as I didn't get enough of my favorite character as I wanted.

Overall:
It was a great anime especially loved how it followed a different path from regular anime. If your looking to try something new, definitely give this a watch.

Let’s say that the soundtrack is exellent. If you happen to find yourself neglected by the people who actually know what’s going on in the series, don’t ponder over your miniature power of understanding and just follow the tune...
An ordinary boy leaves his small hometown and moves Tokyo. A good point to start the story of the town he’s suddenly in. But it does make you wonder whether the story is about the town itself or the boy we’re following as the main character, since the series itself doesn’t take sides, which is ok in the beginning, but gets confusing as the story progresses.

Base ... Brains + Aniplex = beautifully animated, stylish and lively. Dynamic camera movements, nice shots, carefully chosen point of view etc. I don’t want to underestimate anything, but after Kaiba, everything just seems mediocre. What you truly like about the atmosphere is this insisting on the danger, on the dark side of the town. You sit and watch an honest and naive boy in the midst of the urban jungle, all its dangers being presented to you, one by one, (thus bringing in new characters and story elements); wondering is he actually aware of all the things lurking from the dark?

Wait. What things? Well, the mysterious part that gets you tangled up in the story in the beginning is very soon explained and elaborated. Too soon, in my opinion. While it does feel necessary, and it is the main drive in all stories containing the horror or mystery element, I still didn’t think that you could uncover what lies behind so recklessly and get away with it. This series did. And when it started uncovering the rest, the disappointment started piling up.

And what gets you most is the narrative. It’s mechanical, made to make you think it’s not linear thus cool, as if that meant anything by itself. In order to turn your head away from the potential problems you may imagine developing and deeply damaging the series, you are confronted with a growing pile of main characters, and they’re all positive. The whole series reeks of being world/peace/human/whateverthef loving. In order to cover that up, you are presented with: a question of suicide/sick love/cowardice/WWII aura experiments on humans...

The characters can’t deliver the message well because they’re omnipotent, and when they clash – wait, he was omnipotent in the previous episode, so he must win; but if you don’t remember, the other one was also super cool, and he’ll even say it out loud. Just to remind you. And I don’t like that. Recapitulations without a good cause, or to fill the void of oblivion that the character fell into while you were following the other seven having a lazy stroll? I don’t like things falling out of authors hands. I did see a movie once where all characters are bad, and it was a good movie. But having them all good puts you in a position where the real opposition is impossible. How do you solve the problem in the end, who will make the balance; even the police are way out of the line cool. Even if you go with the flow and empathise, the “I’m sorry” part stabs you in the back. Teenagers need a catharsis too. You can’t just think of them as dumb.

It did have a good start, though. But the main ingredient failed. The myth you just might have fallen in love with, gets neglected by the author. Or, a less optimistic viewer might say the author didn’t know what to do with it. It’s like you have a god appear in your script and you don’t know what to put in his mouth, so you decide to let him be. But a silent god is still a declaration, so you decide to have him, but have him sleeping. And that’s about it to the series. You won’t hear it.

Well, since there are so many good stuff to say about this anime, I'm not sure where the hell I should start.

The plot is sophisticated and unique, but surprisingly easy to follow. Though I believe the plot progresses a bit too slow than it could have been not. It took a few episodes to clearly set the characters backgrounds and the relationships taken place before the actual Durarara timeline. However, If you haven't watched Baccano, the idea of these two anime is to set the individual stories and motives for each character and later clash them together. So technically, the ... plot has been developing since episode one, you just don't see the grandness of it till later. Then BAM! When the plot really starts, I didn't even see it coming. Then when I realized that I didn't see it coming, I was high on pure amazement, respect and delight!

Anyway, the characters are indeed very interesting (it might be almost safe to say that every character is insane), not to mention very essential to the light philosophy and plot. It's amazing that even this anime is not set in a fantasy setting, the colorful characters themselves shows the staff's overwhelming powerful engine of imagination at work. I can even say that it's better than the manga! There are lots of LOL moments too, thus no time for yawns.

Only thing I have to complain about is that the very first episode was a rather push-away and non-attention grabbing introduction into the series. I believe this is why the popularity isn't high as it might have been. The director probably wanted to set their popularity based on Baccano! With the ranking on MAL, Durarara!! started as ranked #3xx, then gradually progressed to #48 this week during the first cliffhanger of climax.

I really freaking love this anime and I won't lie a big part of it may be nostalgia but the fact that I rewatch it every year and have just as much joy as the first time I watched it is a good show for the quality of this anime.

Story (9/10)
The story is non-linear, which I love in anime because as it wraps up it doesn't feel like an arc it just feels like a slice in a large multi-flavored cake. It gives you a good taste on what the whole thing is about; however, it still is only a slice in a giant story ... and while to some that is annoying I really like it. I do think that if you don't like Masaomi, Mikado, and Anri you will like the story a bit less because the second half does focus on them (as the first half focuses on Celty) and so you may not like the second half as much. I personally love the characters and because of that loved the story.

Art (9/10)
It's very nice on the eyes and is exceptional at highlighting the characters and showing the characters emotions in a bright or dark way depending. There is a nice highlight on the characters who are important to the story while the background characters are gray and since this anime doesn't try and make every character seem like a shounen main character it helps us see who's the important snowflake out of the snow storm and I love that, because it really gets at the theme of the anime. It helps portray that every person in life is important and interesting and has their own story but this anime focuses on a few select characters.

Sound (10/10)
Favorite soundtrack of all time done by Makoto Yoshimori (responsible for Baccano's wonderful soundtrack and Hamatora's quite pleasant soundtrack as well) it really just sets the atmosphere the entire anime and makes me so satisfied the whole ride of the anime. The anime would not be the same without it's soundtrack set at the perfect times and I think that that's the best way to give this soundtrack praise.

Character (11/10)
I think that if I had to say anything about durarara it's that you may not enjoy it as much as everyone else, but there will be one character you will love. In my case I love every character and it's the only anime to throw at me shitty human beings who I still love as characters. There's not a character in Durarara I don't like or enjoy (even the side characters are hilarious or lovable). It's really a character driven plot and the characters interact in such a realistic fluid way that it all feels real. Ikebukuro feels real and the characters cannot be done justice in words. Every character is so unique even though on the outside they feel so similar. They are all multidimensional and have good and bad things about them and YOU, THE PERSON WATCHING WILL PROBABLY RELATE TO AT LEAST ONE OF THEM. You start to care for the characters and hope that everything works out right.

Enjoyment (10/10)
It may be the nostalgia talking here but I just love Durarara!! From it's soundtrack to its artstyle to its characters to its fluid pacing and perfect mix of comedy action and characters it just never gets stale for me. I watch it again and again and I never get tired of it and I think the best way to put it is it FEELS natural. Everything about the anime is a pleasure to experience and I highly recommend you watch it.

Some people say it's "overhyped" or that that "the second season is terrible" but it's just focusing on the characters you yourself don't like or relate too and while that may make you not like it that does not take away from it as an anime. I promise if you watch it you will not be displeased and you will not come away from it regretting you watched it. It's truly a breathtaking original wonderful experience.

Durarara is one of those shows which can seem fun looking at first, but deep down, is actually a poorly written show. It is a true waste of good voice actors, good premise and by the time the show ends, nothing has truly changed.

Why? Because of lack of a simple principle: SHOW, DON'T TELL.

Since the era of entertainment, SHOW, DON'T TELL is an integral part of any show. And it does not mean to focus only on the visual elements, however, it means to leave as much elements of the story line to the viewer's imagination, while bringing about the story. Even exposition, where there ... is a lot of talking, can use the principle of show, don't tell by intriguing the audience into the slight hints about the character and also the setting. The principle of world building is built upon this very rule. You don't show the city immediately without discussing about it beforehand and bringing some facts and unique characteristics about the city, making the viewer imagine these to allow for a greater experience. Similar to how the idea of eating a pizza is a lot appetizing than the pizza itself, "Show, don't tell" is a part of entertainment.

All of this is so badly violated in Durarara. For starters, EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER HAS AN EPISODE WHERE THEY HAVE AN EXPOSITION. EVERY DETAIL ABOUT THEIR LIFE IS DISCUSSED IN LENGTH. IT IS DONE SO BADLY THAT YOU MIGHT BE MISTAKEN THAT THEY WERE RECITING THE LIGHT NOVEL. See how the previous sentences looked like I was shouting to you? in a similar fashion, the anime goes out of its way to throw all the facts and force them DOWN YOUR THROAT. See how discomfortable that can be? This turns people off.

In fact, when someone does something, every single character's thoughts are voiced so often, which makes it impossible to sympathize with these characters. Why? If you know what a character is like, and what he/she will do, they become tooo predictable. And you cannot seriously comprehend what went wrong with them when they do something too emotionally. Again, "SHOW, DON'T TELL".


A testament to this fact is Izaya Orihara, a man whose character/life is never explored or told in the anime, however, he remains just as intriguing and mysterious enough to be the only CHARACTER in this entire anime to be likable. And HE IS THE VILLAIN FOR GOD'S SAKES. Imagine how badly the anime should be when the villain is the only one you can root for?!

Because every single character in this show is just a spoilt kid whining to the audience about how bad their life is, it makes us senseless to their actions and makes them hated. RIGHTFULLY TOO. I mean, the thoughts in each one of their minds DISGUST me. The headless biker thinks about how cool a guy fighting is despite the fact that said guy is doing nothing cool. A outsider thinks that a murderous psychopath with another lady giving him love advice must be cool as fuck. In just what world does that work??

In the end of this show, I was just happy that I was able to run off this stupid piece of shit story. The fact that the sequels to this anime aired only after five years and also by a different studio is testament to this effect.

I rate this show a 1/10 because of just this violation that ruined everything. And just as an advice to other anime, and entertainment in general, ALWAYS LEAVE SOMETHING TO THE AUDIENCE'S IMAGINATION. That's the only way to get your audience invested in the characters and also the story. Don't become the train wreck that is Durarara!!(Exclamation mark unintended)

End of review, SPOILERS AHEAD.




PS: I hated that big boobs girl. She was a slut if you ask me, trying to make love to everyone.

Durarara is an interesting take on the urban fantasy genre, and was one of the best anime series to come out of its respective season. The subs great, so is the dub. The only thing that left me disappointing was that this series is obviously a "commercial" of sorts for the series of light novels.... light novels that will almost certainty never be officially translated.

The art in Durarara is some of the crispest I've ever seen. Every scene was crafted with 1080p in mind, and you will be missing out if you don't at least watch it in 780p. The aesthetic where unimportant-to-the-plot characters ... appear as grey silhouettes allowed the animators to portray Ikebukuro as bustling as it actually is without dumping their entire budget into crowd animation or relying on tacky still-frames. The sights and sounds of the city are perfectly recreated, from humid subway stations to cramped restaurants and dark alleys. It makes you understand how city dwellers fall in love with their cities.

The story in Durarara is a web of intersecting plots, plans, grudges, and coincidences. It's a character centric story, and the episodes are just as likely to deal with foiling a kidnappings, investigating a corrupt biomedical group, or breaking up a gang war as they are to deal with everyday things such as a visit by obnoxious in laws or sibling relations. It's an interesting mix, as there is quite a bit of drama and action, but there are slice of life elements as the series reminds us that these people's lives do no revolve around the central conflict every waking hour. The downside, due to the fact that the anime is based on an ongoing light novel series, is that many loose threads are left hanging during the last episode. the plot arc in the second season, dealing with an entity known as "Saika", starts out scary but winds up falling face first into every item on the yandere cliche checklist. While it is not enough to scuff the great overall story of Izaya VS pretty-much-everyone, the use of those cliches did put a damper on what was otherwise a very original tale.

As stated before, characters are Durarara's strong point, and it has a ton of them. It's almost too much of a good thing, as there's not enough screen time to divide amongst the two-dozen-plus fully fleshed out characters. While Celty may be the main character, Durarara treats nearly everyone's story as equally important. Unlike Narita's preceding work to be adapted to anime, "Baccano!", Durarara only jumps from character to character, instead of jumping from year to year AND character to character like the former.

Musically Durarara has a solid soundtrack with quite a few memorable pieces. While there are some mishaps (such as the violin piece that's supposed to play during heartwarming scenes but instead invokes an aura of cheesiness) the overall quality of the soundtrack overshadows it's flaws. The jazz pieces are especially great, capturing the atmosphere of a city at night perfectly.

Overall, Durarara is an experience unlike anything else and worth checking out. It's a fun ride that's over far too soon.

Durarara!! is an amazing creative anime. Let’s break down why!

This review is spoiler free. :D

Characters: 8/10

This is a tough category to rate because I enjoy most of the cast, love some of them, and find three in particular horribly boring (so boring I have my overall rating a 8/10 instead of 9/10). There are some stock characters that I find hilarious if one-dimensional. There are characters I love and relationships I find mature, highly entertaining, and unique.

But there is also Mikado Ryugamine. Of all the characters he is, unfortunately, the main one. He has the personality of a white bread and ... watching him is about as fun as watching paint dry. His friends (also, sadly, main characters) aren’t much better. One, at first, seems like nothing but fan service but later becomes interesting. His other friend starts funny but gets too “angsty” towards the end for me.

But, if you can get past these three, the cast is nothing short of amazing.

Story: 9/10

As far as plot goes, Durarara!! doesn’t not have the grandest plot. To be frank, the plot seems somewhat irrelevant in comparison to how the story is told. It unfolds in a way similar to a Russian novel or Frank Herbert’s Dune. You will see several repeated scenes in Durarara!!. In the one episode, Character A may have brushed the shoulder of Character B. First, you see the scene from Character A’s perspective, but, later, in a later episode, you will see what Character B was doing during that scene. The characters seem connected by stings that interweave in each others’ lives. It’s brilliant, different, and interesting, but it does make for a bit of slow moving plot. However, once all those stings connect the whole patterns comes together in a fun adventure.


Art (and cinematic in general): 10/10

With bright and bold colors that fit the “danger: stay out” scheme of the whole show, I have noting to complain about here. Fights are easy to follow. The characters’ faces stay consistent. The outfits are cool. You get the picture.

(music): I don’t have much to say here. I can’t remember it being particularly amazing or horrible. I’m going to guess that it worked well with the show.

(angles): Most anime don’t pay too much attention to this, but Durarara!! offers different shots that allow that you to see the bigger pictures (aka. Character A and B) if you’re paying attention. They didn’t just slap down random angles but it seems they actually thought about it.

(intro/outro): Love the first intro and outro. They fit the tone of the show and have great songs. Second ones are a little weaker but not bad.

Fan service: 3/10

You WANT a low score here (if you care about female representation). While one girl has large boobs and is often called “booby-licious”, the show largely avoids titillating the audience with up-skirt shots and girls who just happening to be changing as they talk. No pointless clothing damage while fighting either. There is one scene where a girl undergoes torture while naked, but the scene is not meant to be a turn-on, is brief, and doesn't show much.

However, there is more than one version of fan service. This show does throw some fun bones for the audience to chew on. But I don’t spoil those.

Female Representation: 10/10

One of the main characters, Celty, is a female. A headless Dullahan, she talks through text messages and is one of my favorite characters. Females fair rather well in the anime, serving as more than just tag-alongs for the male leads (also, this show as one of my favorite heterosexual ships! It's healthy, functional, and based on more realistic emotions and mature reactions).

Sub vs Dub:

I watched it in dub and enjoyed it immensely. It has some of my favorite voice actors, and I recommend it. That being said, I haven’t watched the sub. As far as I know, that’s great too.

Warnings:

One character speaks mainly through text messages, so make sure that, when you watch it, those have been translated into English.

Also, one character speaks in Russian, which is often subtitled in Japanese at the bottom, which doesn’t help English speakers.

Overall rating: 8/10

Without Mikado Ryugamine and his blond-haired sidekick, this show is a hands down a 9/10. Sadly, those two drove me up a wall and forced me to lower my score an entire point.

This show is original and a blast. It has got something for everyone and I highly recommend it.

Sometimes I wonder... "What even is fun?" and why am I giving out so many 10/10s nowadays?

Does fun require requirements? Do I have to review something just because it's fun? Do I have to give a series 10/10 just because it's fun?

The number 1 to 10. Do they truly express my joy to the countless of series I have watched? Or do they simply act as a set of rules that disallows me to like something as much as I want myself to?

It's like love. Why does age matter when they have feelings for each other? Why do we need to have ... a wall in between that separates our desires? If there's a woman who's 28 years old and a loli who's 12 years old and they both have feelings with each other. Why won't the world just allow them to scissor each other instead of calling the FBI?

Same goes to the rating system. Who cares about giving an anime 10/10 so long as you actually enjoyed it? Even if the score might decrease as time passes. It's simply like how you drink a water bottle and the water inside the bottle slowly goes down until you're too tired to drink it or you completely drank all of em'. What do you do with the bottle next? Throw it into the bin of course.

Oh. Not trying to symbolize it offensively or anything. I'm just saying that if it feels right at the moment then just do it even if it won't feel the same in the future. Wait... That still sounds bad if you look at it in a perspective..

Story : 5/10

Ehhh. There's not really a story for Durarara. I mean- there is but if that part of the show was actually a story then it's just a big lump of cliches.

That's what's so good about the show though. The feeling of "the fuck?" and "yes" at the same time. Pretty peculiar but don't get me wrong. I don't hate the story at all. It's just that... It feels like it's missing things which are very important... And that missing feeling I always feel drags the show down at times. Still, I didn't mind up until the point where I'd write a full essay to criticize about it.

Art : 10/10

Good quality for a 2010 anime.

Sound : ?/10

The first opening was FIRE. I will practice to sing it at some point after I finish the whole series. The second opening was dogshit and here's why :

I have a bad record with it.

I kept hearing it on nearly every Youtuber's ending song so instead of me liking it it pisses me off now. That's about it.

Other than the OPs. Everything else is satisfactory.

Character : 10/10

The best thing about this show are the characters and their character developments!

It's like Communism. Every characters are equally given an equal amount of screen time. Well some obviously has more but that doesn't matter. Seeing every episode being at least an introduction for a character ( at least for half of the series ), it makes me feel like the anime's trying to tell me something directly. "Love these characters, [INPUT NAME]!" , "Remember these characters well, [INPUT NAME]!!". Something along the lines of that.

The character I like the most is Sturluson Celty. The female version of Ghost Rider but instead of a skull as a head she doesn't have one. MMmm... I wouldn't have enjoyed the show this much if Celty didn't exist. She was kinda carrying the entire show like a dark horse within the shadows. Her personality's kawaii, and I've always had a thing for busty anime ghost girls ever since I watched Dusk Maiden. Ok. Anything as long as it looks hot I guess. Haha. What am I even saying?

Enjoyment : 10/10

Overall : 10/10

...... I'm heading to Season 2.

P.S. The paragraphs I wrote at the start were just a joke so please don't take it too seriously!

'Welcome to Ikebukuro.'

"Durarara!!" is the story of a boy who came to the big city with hopes of escaping his boring and ordinary life, as he encounters many extraordinary people and strange events in the big city that is Ikebukuro.


STORY: 7/10
This may be a bit harsh since we live in an era where everything's been done before and recycled plotlines are hard to avoid, but the story of "Durarara!!" is like a bunch of previous Japanese works patched together.

Unveiling of the characters and exploration of loneliness in Tokyo in first half, as well as the intertwining events/lives and search for the extraordinary lives is a ... carbon copy of 2009 film "Lala Pipo" (2005 novel). This may be excused since this series was produced by many of the same staff from "Baccano!", but the similarity was disturbing.

The general atmosphere and gang war aspect in the second half is almost identical to the infamous dorama "Ikebukuro West Gate Park" (IWGP). In fact, the main color gang even had yellow identification color just like IWGP, so was the gang leader's jester personality and Heiwajima Shizuo as the invincible fighter (though he's in different gang and strength was significantly beefed up).

Then you have Orihara Izaya, who's pulling strings from behind the scenes like controlling chess pieces, much like the duo from "Death Note".

I did like the concept of cyber-gang community Dollars and the three-way standoff as leaders for gangs, though not sure if they've been ripped off from some other contemporary works...

Individual segments of the story may be unoriginal, but they were fused well together to make a story as a whole. The entire show had a consistent atmosphere and pacing, and surprisingly, the modernized Dullahan didn't seem to be forced into the story.

The ending was slightly disappointing for me, since
everything worked out too well. It felt like they were trying too hard to make an 'everyone's happy' ending.
Fortunately, we can expect much darker story if they ever decide to make a sequel, judging from plot synopses of following novels.


ANIMATION: 9/10
The photo-realism of the background and simplicity of the characters generated a unique atmosphere for this series.

The background has extreme detail, with enough deliberate flaws (such as fading street lines, stained asphalt, individually colored bricks etc) and natural reflection of light to make them seem more than just drawings. What makes them seem even more realistic is that certain locales are exact reenactment of the actual city. The JR station in the first episode, for example even used their actual, un-altered logo. There were many other scenes where I actually recognized the backgrounds, and even the stores like Tokyu Hands and Wendy's had the original logo designs with minimal alteration in spellings.

3D-CG was applied very effectively, mostly used only to retain realistic form for moving backgrounds, and 'painted' over so that CG doesn't stand out.

Characters are often drawn without even having shadows on their faces. However, character design was anything but generic, and quite memorable. The simplicity also makes the smooth movements possible. While some characters' faces were slightly idealized, they all had proper proportions, and distinct fashion sense that you'll encounter in the actual city.

The background characters (or extras, if this was live action) were monochrome outlines. I personally don't like this technique being overused throughout the series, but as usual, it worked very well in certain scenes to show the busyness of the city and one's insignificance in society. Of course, it also brings out the main characters.

I would say there was very little room for improvement in animation considering the atmosphere they were trying to create. Although there could've been a lot more surreal scenes.

SOUND: 9/10
Voice acting done very well, especially for Kida, whose voice was somewhat unique and showed massive variance from when he's serious to joking. The entire cast were noticeably motivated. You can tell they gave everything they've got, especially in dramatic scenes.

This may be a personal opinion, but I firmly believe a seiyuu's skill is measured by quality of his/her narration. It's something that you can't bullshit through, and truly talented voice actors are capable of moving the audience by subtly expressing emotion in seemingly unemotional dialogs. "Durarara!!" had different narrators for almost every single episode, and I feel I really connected with almost every characters by the end of the show.

Music score was pretty good, often essential in setting the atmosphere. There was a particular clown-ish, jovial piece that really impressed me.

I didn't find any of the OP/ED to be catchy, but use of recaps as preview for each episode in middle of OP was a wonderful idea, especially since many episodes consisted of overlapping time lines from different perspective or a mystery in the past episode solved. It also removed the necessity for an entire recap episode for new audiences in middle of the series.

CHARACTERS: 8/10
Characters are the most intriguing part of this series, without being outright ridiculous *cough* Arakawa *cough*

The protagonist is Ryuugamine Mikado, seemingly an ordinary boy who's curious about everything about the big city he moved into for high school. Other than his super-cool name and secret background, I would say that he is THE Mr. Average, even that he so bland that he doesn't have a personality.

Like "Baccano!" there are many main characters with nearly equal screen time, each of them with unique backgrounds and interests that eventually converge. ("Baccano!" cameos and that particular episode was epic too.)

The most interesting of such characters were Celty and Heiwajima. Celty Sturluson represents the mystique this big city Ikebukuro has to offer. Other than having kick ass 'horse' and method of communication, her character was the most complex out of all the cast in the series, ironically making her the most human out of all. Then you have Heiwajima Shizuo on the other side of the scale. Despite the fact that he is a human being, his monstrous power is just absurd with attention span of a child and serious temper tantrums. He's like the coolest walking destruction.

Most of the story focuses on the unveiling of the characters' unique backgrounds rather than actual development.

ENJOYMENT/OVERALL: 8.5/10
"Durarara!!" attempts to explore a large number of extremely common themes in Japanese media such as personal barrier, search for meaning in life, violence as a form of love, responsibility as leader etc, but none particularly as in-depth as they could've been.

It is still the series that left me the most lasting impression this season though, with unique animation, sounds, and characters. The story lacked focus, but the pacing was excellent and kept me interested throughout the 24 episodes. What this series had, was the magic, and I will definitely watch another season if it ever comes out.

Durarara is nothing like Baccano, I can guarantee you that. Don't be fooled by its action scenes, non-linear storytelling or awesome opening sequence. Durarara is a ride which twists your insides really tight then suddenly explodes in your face.

Story: 7/10.
Its uniqueness lies in the story. What makes Durarara stand alone is its depth into the dark side of human psychology. This anime tackles suicide, exceptional forms of love and abuse. These aspects are hidden within the main focus of comic relief and fast paced action. Not to mention its fair share of the supernatural, from souls possession to urban legends.

Durarara has such a large cast ... that it sweeps you up in the urban atmosphere of Ikebukuro, Tokyo. It has the uncanny talent of having that realistic feeling that despite the significance of your action, you are just another human in the curious impersonal place of Ikebukuro, Tokyo.

The storyline itself starts with each episode focusing on one character. You are rewound to the character past experiences and thoughts that have shaped them and others to the present. Every character moves forward in the present, cleverly overlapping each other and tying the several linear storylines together. Secrets start to emerge, and suddenly you find yourself agitated on the edge of your seat for the unpredictable ride through gang wars, borderline zombie fighting and politics. The tension inside Durarara always makes you hungry for more.

Character: 8/10
How realistic the emotions that give each character depth is astonishing. You are given a whole glimpse of the spectrum, from psychopaths to a girl who knows naught of love. Character development occurs simultaneously with the storyline as each character tries to find peace, themselves and resolutions to whatever haunts them from the past. The anime is then able to tie it all together with the development of complex character relationships. As each one evidently finds out secrets and thus the storyline unfolds.

Art: 9/10. Sound: 7/10.
Eye candy. The characters are drawn beautifully, the scenery is spectacular. A must to watch in HD. Feast your eyes. The opening and ending soundtrack fit the anime perfectly. It certainly throws you into the upbeat Durarara atmosphere. The OST compliments the anime, particularly giving mystical, thriller scenes an eerie, chilling effect.

Enjoyment: 7/10. Overall: 8/10.
Personally, Durarara is nothing I expected. Being action and emotion packed, it is certainly a unique experience to remember. I leave you with the sentence in the opening paragraph; Durarara is a ride which twists your insides really tight then suddenly explodes in your face.