Bungou Stray Dogs: Beast
Bungo Stray Dogs: Beast

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I always have some kind of dissatisfaction when it comes to 'Bungou Stray Dogs'. Despite liking the different eye designs, the abilities based on real life authors and if we're talking about the Anime, the cool OSTs (I still listen to Eye of the Tiger & Inou no Susume) , I always had one problem.
Dazai is *too* interesting.
This might be one of the few cases where I found a character being 'too' interesting as a problem. Look, Dazai is cool and pretty much the boss & mastermind of the whole story, so bringing him at every point, in every character's episode, made him more of ... a main character, which weakened the main character-ness of Atsushi. Every port mafia backstory is so interesting that it pales in comparison to a story about a whimpy 18 year old trying to work hard in a detective agency while overcoming his fears & trauma. So, I never really liked when the Anime swifts focus from Dazai's backstory to the present Atsushi's story, and even then, it's more of Dazai's plan than Atsushi's growth.
In Beast, however, Dazai has less of a screentime, which works really well as his "Mastermind behind the scenes" character archetype. So, when his reveal about his master plan comes at the end of the story, it just hits differently, unlike in the Anime where it brings Dazai for every solution which just made him kinda boring.

But why does it matter? What did BSD Beast deliver by making one of it's dearest & best character as a side character?
Well, it achieved what the Anime couldn't quite deliver.

"Bungou Stray Dogs : Beast" is set in an alternate universe, where Akutagawa join the armed detective agency (ADA) and Dazai & Atsushi join the Port Mafia. We follow, Akutagawa Ryuunosuke who lost his sister to the "Man in Black" of port mafia and swore revenge on him.
I really liked how much Akutagawa worked as a protagonist. Seeing this alternate version of him in ADA is believable & kinda hard hitting, I particularly liked his interactions with Kenji. Seeing Aku coming to terms with his inner beast is quite inspirational. He went from despising the weak to protecting them. What really surprised me though, is Atsushi's character study. Though, it's pretty much the same as the parent story, it hits differently. The main reason why Beast works is because, it highlights the rivalry between Atsushi & Akutagawa. There's a small section where Aku & Atsu have a normal talk like friends, as they reminisce about the small rewards they used to have in their harsh pasts, it's quite sad & wholesome at the same time, and it is my favorite moment in this whole story. The battle between Aku & Atsu in the second half of the story is nail-bitingly intense, as they start to question each other's motives and pasts, this clash between these two rivals is what the Anime couldn't quite deliver which I always wanted to see and "Beast" does it miles better.

I initially didn't like the artstyle. I like the idea of having an overall dark shade for a darker storyline, but it needed time to get adjusted with. It's a shame we didn't get to see much of Chuuya (sad day for Chuuya fans) or Akiko (sad day for me).

I really like this to get animated more than the parent story. It's dark, intense, does all things right that the main storyline couldn't do and will probably be my favorite in the whole franchise.

(Does not contain spoilers, sorry for my bad English and the Spanish translation of the review is at the end)
Bungou stray dogs beast, is a non-canonical story to the original, where they do not put in an "alternate" situation in which the roles of Atsushi and Akutagawa are reversed.
It can be read if you have seen the first two seasons of BSD, since that way the characters that are presented will be known in advance and a better understanding of the scenes will be given.

Story: 9. Although it is a work marked in the category of "shounen" it tells you a story more raw than ... the original, where we can see the true emotions of the characters. Objectively this work deserves a ten, however it has two gaps: The variations of time, which being used to the original work will only make you think about things that have no explanation and together with that it has an open ending that it can easily be completed with the original work, which can cause confusion as to whether Akutagawa's past recounted here can be taken as a canon in the principal story.

Art: 10. I have always been a fan of Kafka's style, there has been no panel that I will not enjoy, the quality is maintained from the beginning to the end, each fight and even the looks of the characters is enjoyed, it may not have a linea super clean, but I can't help getting at her feet.

Characters: 10. The roles of all the members of the agency remain the same, except for those who are involved in the main plot, although here we are shown an Atsushi capable of killing and a "friendly" Akutagawa. The essence of both remains intact, at no time do the situations they face feel forced, although they would be things that you could not even imagine on the part of these characters.
The adaptation of their personalities is impeccable, accompanied by their pasts that are linked to their new goals. Certainly something that could change some people's focus on Akutagawa.

I have really enjoyed reading this manga, it is an easy to read work, clear and above all: short, it does not go around two hundred times, it tells you what it wants to tell you and at the same time it catches you leaving you one more wish that you feel is correct, since you know that if there were more, you might not enjoy it in the same way.
I would like more people to give it a try and recommend it since this has been read by my grandfather and 4 other people. ;;;;

(No contiene spoilers)
Bungou stray dogs beast, es una historia no canónica a la principal, donde no ponen en una situación "alterna" en la cual los papeles de Atsushi y Akutagawa se ve invertidos.
Puede leerse si te has visto las primeras dos temporadas de BSD, ya que de esa forma se conocerá de antemano los personajes que se presentan y se dará un mejor entendimiento de las escenas.

Story: 9. Si bien es una obra marcada en la categoría de "shounen" te cuenta una historia más cruda que la original, donde podemos ver las verdaderas emociones de los personajes. Objetivamente esta obra merece un diez, sin embargo cuenta con dos huecos: Las des variaciones del tiempo, que al estar acostumbrados a la obra original únicamente te harán darle vueltas a cosas que no tienen explicación alguna y junto a eso cuenta con un final abierto que se puede completar fácilmente con la obra original, lo cual puede causar confusión sobre si el pasado de Akutagawa aquí contado puede tomarse como un canon en la obra principal.

Art: 10. Siempre he sido fan del estilo de Kafka, no ha habido panel que no disfrutara, la calidad se mantiene desde el inicio hasta el final, cada pelea y hasta mirada de los personajes se disfruta, puede no contar con una linea super pulcra, pero no puedo evitar ponerme a sus pies.

Characters: 10. Los papeles de todos los miembros de la agencia siguen siendo los mismos, a excepción de aquellos que se ven involucrados en la trama principal, pese que aquí se nos muestra a un Atsushi capaz de matar y a un Akutagawa "amigable" la esencia de ambos se mantiene intacta, en ningún momento sientes forzadas las situaciones a las que se enfrentan, aunque fueran cosas que no podrías ni imaginar por parte de estos personajes.
La adaptación de sus personalidades es impecable, acompañados de sus pasados que se ligan a sus nuevos objetivos. Sin duda algo que podría cambiar el enfoque de algunas personas sobre Akutagawa.

He disfrutado muchísimo leyendo este manga, es una obra fácil de leer, clara y sobre todo: corta, no da doscientas vueltas a los temas, te cuenta lo que te quiere contar y a la vez te atrapa dejándote un deseo de más que sientes correcto, ya que sabes que si hubiera más quizá no lo disfrutarías de la misma forma.
Me gustaría que más personas le dieran una oportunidad y lo recomendaran ya que esto lo ha leído mi abuelo y 4 personas más. ;;;;