The story. Now, with most anime, genres are fixed things. You can use standard mixes like romance and comedy or maybe political and mecha (I see these two cone together quite a bit). This anime is a tad different. Why did I talk about the genre instead of the story? Because I'll describe it the same way. Indescribable. The closest I ever got to a description was 'Imagine parallel lines. Then pull some epic stunt and make them converge in an explosion of awesomeness'. You start off with a rather plain main character, Ryugamine Mikado, something like a country bumkin. Now plonk him into Ikebukuro, a bustling metropolis somewhere in Tokyo with its fair share of troubles and urban legends. Then put him next to his old friend who's a bit off in the head and really talkative, Kida Masaomi. And in one episode, throw in the world's strongest man, a headless biker, a really buff black guy working for a Russian sushi restaurant, gang wars and rumors of a rising gang known as the Dollars. That's pretty much the first episode. The show will cycle through these stories and several others introduced later in the series, and have them converge in a most unlikely but highly enjoyable fashion, jam-packed with action and comedy, sometimes with dark undertones, sometimes without. One thing's for sure, there's never a dull moment in this series.
Apart from the characters, which I'll get to in a bit, the execution is really what made this show among the best of the best. In the first few episodes, the method of execution was narration by a different character almost every episode. This means you're given the perspective of multiple characters (not all, they probably didn't have enough story or time to do that much). After quite a bit into the series, the narration gives way to the usual anime style, which is letting the show tell the story. While the change itself is rather abrupt, it is executed such that this abruptness doesn't feel as such, and it is, in fact, barely noticeable.
Moving on to the technical aspects. The art, while not exactly the best of the best, fits the show well. I'm not exactly an expert in this field, so I suppose for a more detailed description of the art you'll have to go to he reviewers who are experts. The music, however, was terrific. It doesn't steal the show, but it stands out enough for you to notice it. For me, the music is what separates good anime from really good anime. And Durarara succeeded. The characters each had a song that kind of suited them, and seeing as to how the characters were the centerpiece of the anime, that was really well done. Furthermore, the jazzy feel of these songs allow it to blend in with the scenes, so they serve both the purpose of portraying the characters and enhancing the overall feel of the show.
Now for the plot and character development. The plot was well forged and well molded. Stories that didn't seem to be able to fit together smoothly did just that. It shows the power of coincidence, while at the same time throwing in hints of Fate at play. I would write more but I would risk inadvertently spoiling the show and reducing your enjoyment of it.
The characters were the key to the show. If one had been lacking, the show would have been able to go on, but in a much less enjoyable manner. Each character played an important role in the show, from the plain country bumkin of a main character, Mikado, to that random girl who was the narrator for episode two, to that one guy who wanted to find the world's strongest man in obey of the later episodes. Almost all characters in the show important enough to be given colors and a face played a role in the overall story, and whether or not they were small cogs or huge gears, the masterpiece that is Durarara would not have worked as well without them.
Just as a side note, I keep mentioning Mikado as the main character but in truth there are three main main characters and several more side main characters, all of which are absolutely vital to the show.
All in all, this anime is a must watch for all you anime watchers who don't only focus one one genre. It is an all rounded overachiever which can be enjoyed by everyone who isn't, again, locked on one specific genre. If you're looking for laughs, watch this. If you're looking for excitement, watch this. If you're bored, seriously, you have to watch this. So, in short, just watch it.
Happy watching.
