Story:
The fast-paced breakneck speed of the anime is what really excited me with this show. The only other show that I think have made me feel like this is probably Code Geass and Death Note. With every episode, a small part of the mystery unravels, and you start seeing the dots connecting. At times you are just as clueless as the characters, at times you know so much that they don't, and you're practically trying to jump into the screen to tell them. The absolute genius behind the storyline is completely breathtaking, with so many twists and turns it blows your mind away sometimes. The intricate web of networks in a thriving metropolis like Ikebukuro, and how every character is interrelated, and every action has overrreaching consequences, is mindblowing to say the least. With plenty of action, crazy (and I mean CRAZYYYY) characters, and a plot that shakes everything up, Durarara will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Art: I'm the kind of person who puts story before art, so if the storyline is good, the art doesn't really matter to me much. I think the studio did a good job though, as I could really feel the colours and contrasts that a complicated city like Ikebukuro has, and I love the opening and ending art very much, how they introduced the characters names. I also loved how they would put snippets from the previous ep in the opening song, blending it in very well.
Sound: It is no exaggeration for me to say that the OP was the first thing that I fell in love with in Durarara. Both OP songs are fantastic, the first more rock and the second more laidback, with lyrics that suited the anime and the story so well. The ending songs were also brilliant, especially the first one. And this anime had so many amazing seiyuus, it's hard to find a place to start! KAmiya Hiroshi as Izaya, Ono Daisuke as Shizuo, and Miyano Mamoru as Kida and the list goes on! They all did such a fantastic job~
Character: This is the other shining gem in this anime. The cast is immense, but yet you feel like you know each and every one of them. Every character is unique, and have such wonderful developments that I wonder how on earth did they manage to do all that in 24 eps. Izaya especially is a wonderful character, he made me wonder whether I actually love him or hate him, but I think in the end I still love him despite his evilness, just because he's so cunning and epic. And his arch rival, Shizuo is nothing like him, yet just as epic and sooo badass! Say "flying vending machine" to any Durarara fan, and they will immediately relate it to Shizuo. The best fighting scenes are any with Shizuo in them, and any episode with him in it will be freaking amazing, trust me. I love you SHIZUO! The three main characters, Mikado, Kida and Anri are all the "I am not who I seem" types. Then you have a headless rider, Celty, who turns out to be nowhere near scary and more like an adorable moe girl who sucks at cooking and is scared of aliens and cops. You have a Russian dude who works at a sushi shop, you get a crazy young doctor who is in love with Celty, and a few other important characters (Kadota!!) and you get a crazy mixing pot in Ikebukuro, where crazy things happen with all these crazy people.
Overall....just watch it. My excitement must have made an impression by now. You won't regret it :D
Now when is the second season coming....hurry upppppppp
