From the same people who brought you "Baccano!", we have "Durarara!", an anime that, much like its predecessor, doesn't limit itself to one viewpoint and instead has an ensemble cast. But while "Baccano!" was set in 1930's America, "Durarara!" is set in modern times in the Japanese city Ikebukuro, where there is all sorts of mysterious phenomenon and trouble lurking around every corner. The result is a very unique and highly entertaining series in spite of a few notable flaws.
Story & World (8.5/10):
"Durarara!" is best described as "Baccano!" crossed with the "Persona" video game series. On one hand, it has the gangs, the multiple points-of-view style story telling and even several references to its predecessor. On the other, it's an urban fantasy set in a big, busy city with supernatural elements in the background. The story begins with Mikado Ryugamine, a teenage boy who moves to Ikebukuro as he longs for an exciting life. There he reunites with his childhood friend Masaomi Kida, whom he hasn't seen in years. Masaomi then gives Mikado a tour of the city, introducing him to various people, giving him warnings of who to stay clear of and talking about odd legends and rumours, most notably the Black Rider, who rides around Ikebukuro on a black bike that occasionally neighs like a horse and who is rumored to have no head under her helmet.
All of this is just one small part of the package that is "Durarara!". While the story starts with Mikado, you can't really call him the main character. Much like "Baccano!", there is no main character. The story switches perspective once per episode, allowing us to get into the heads of many individuals and learn their opinions on the current situation that they are in, as well as certain things that make them tick and keep them going in a city with a large underbelly. You will notice after a while, however, that the story does lean in favour of certain characters, though thankfully they're generally the more interesting ones.
The story has a lot of plot points, and it's not long before things start to get really complicated. Unfortunately, there's only so much you can fit into 24 episodes and there are quite a few things that go unresolved and even a few characters that just disappear and are never seen again. Additionally, it isn't until episode 11 that things start to really kick off, and so most of the episodes before feel like filler. The story is definitely interesting, however, with some great twists and turns and an excellent setting.
Art & Animation (7.5/10):
The art style and animation is pretty average in my book. The characters models are rather basic and there are plenty of rough edges. One notable part about the art style is that extras are grayed out to avoid distraction from the characters. However, I personally didn't like it, as I felt that it made the characters stick out like a sore thumb rather than simply standing out. It just seemed unnecessary to me. This show has a lot of strengths, but the visuals aren't one of them.
Sound & Dialogue (9/10):
The soundtrack is rather interesting, with a strange mixture of rap and jazz and numerous other types. The two openings are both great and the second ending theme is pretty good too, though the first one is rather forgettable. However, this is overshadowed by the fantastic voice acting, specifically the dub. The main cast includes Johnny Yong Bosch, Michelle Ruff, Crispin Freeman, Kari Wahlgren and Yuri Lowenthal, some of the best voice actors in the business. Overall, the sound is easily of the highlights of the series and very easy on the ears.
Characters (8/10):
If you have a name in "Durarara!", then there are two things for certain- you are a badass, in one way or another, and you aren't quite what you seem. The second episode makes a point about how everyone has something to hide, deep, dark secrets that they won't share even with the ones they care about most. Take Shizuo Heiwajima, for instance. An incredibly strong man with a vicious temper, Shizuo is one of two people Masaomi warns Mikado not to get on the bad side of, due to being viewed as violence personified. In one episode, he punches a guy so hard that he sends him flying straight out of his clothes. When we get to see things from his end, however, we learn that he's actually an unassuming and surprisingly nice person who suffers from a serious rage disorder and is just as disturbed by his violent outbursts as anyone else, perhaps even more so. And the Black Rider, Celty Sturluson, who apparently has no head? She's actually a very gentle and compassionate girl, who suffers from doubts and insecurities just like humans do and even wishes she was just like everyone else. In fact, she might actually the sane member of the cast. Yes, you read that right. The most normal person in the series is the death spirit who rides around on a shapeshifting horse and is afraid of aliens. That should tell you what kind of a series this is. There are more than a few characters I didn't like, but I'll focus on the ones I did like.
There are three main relationships in the series: the love story between Celty and Shinra, an underground doctor, the friendship between Mikado, Masaomi and a girl named Anri and the rivalry between Shizuo and Izaya, an information broker who serves as the main villain. Shinra has been infatuated with Celty ever since he was a kid and loves everything about her. He may seem normal, but he's actually just as screwed up as everyone else. He's not a yandere, but he is pretty obsessed with Celty all the same. However, he and Celty don't get to spend much time together since she's always out searching for her missing head. As far as he's concerned, she's just fine the way he is and he'll do anything to make her stay with him, though the series actually treats this as more heartwarming than disturbing.
I've already talked about Mikado and Masaomi, but early on they befriend a shy, quiet girl named Anri. The two of them have been best friends since they were kids and despite them having been apart for years since the beginning of the series and Masaomi declaring their in a love triangle with Anri, the two aren't any less close. Unfortunately, this friendship is definitely not as perfect as it sounds as all three of them are holding massive secrets from one another. Yes, Mikado and Masaomi both have secrets so big that they refuse to even share them with each other, despite being lifelong best friends. One by one, these secrets are revealed to the audience and later to each other, putting the friendship between them to the ultimate test. Of course, on the surface, Mikado, Masaomi and Anri come off as the most boring characters so these secrets do a fantastic job at developing their characters.
Finally, we have Shizuo and Izaya. Now, Izaya is, in a word, a troll. He's the kind of guy who will kidnap a suicidal girl to "prove" that, since she was scared, she's not really suicidally depressed and is just being a whiny emo teen. Then he'll encourage her to prove him wrong by showing her a ledge to jump off of and dangling her from it, for no reason other than his own sick amusement. In fact, that's exactly what he does in the very first episode in which he's prominent. He only gets pettier from there, and soon it's no wonder why Shizuo wants nothing more than to blow him off the face of the earth. Shizuo even outright says to his face that 99% of the time something weird happens in Ikebukuro, Izaya's somehow involved, with the sad truth being that he's RIGHT. He doesn't receive any comeuppance for his actions until the last episode, when Simon, a pacifistic Russian man almost as strong as Shizuo, punches him in the face and gives him a black eye. Simon had been mostly a background character up to that point, but that scene made him into one of my favourite characters.
Enjoyment (8/10):
As I mentioned before, "Durarara!" has a lot of filler episodes in the beginning, so those who lack patience are probably not going to like it very much or maybe even drop it before it gets to the good parts. Even if you can get past that, some may still find it to be a bit boring since there isn't really that much action, especially when compared to "Baccano!". That being said, there is a decent amount of comedy so those who like that will be kept entertained.
Overall:
"Durarara!" has its problems, but it's still a very unique and interesting series with great characters, an excellent setting and fantastic voice acting. You probably won't like everyone and the series isn't the nicest to look at, but it's still a brilliant series that's well worth watching. Liked "Baccano!"? You'll definitely like this. For more on "Durarara!", be sure to keep an eye out for my review for the second season, though I fear you'll be waiting a while.
Score:
8.5+7.5+9+8+8=41/50=8.2/10
