Now, if you're one of the people looking to watch this show because you enjoyed Baccano! (I mean, who didn't?), then this is NOT for you. It will rub you all sorts of the wrong way. If you are someone that enjoys psychological thrillers with violence and mythology, step right up! However, I warn you now that it is a LOT to keep track of and isn't an overdose of any one genre specifically (except the sick pervy romance kind.)
Let's begin with the STORY, which I gave a 6. I pondered over this one for a little because it's actually a lot of stories all jammed in together, and individually they are all pretty boring, but together it makes for an interesting mix. In Baccano, which I highly recommend, you have three or less stories to keep track of at any one time; in Durarara, you have ... I dunno... a lot? A lot. You've got headless horsemen, sick doctors, unloved high school girls, a psychotic informant, some guy that throws vending machines, high school kids that lead huge street gangs, and some manga-obsessed quad-team that doesn't seem to matter but takes up screen time to confuse you. And yes, all of these things are stories that all interlace and run headlong into each other, until you don't know which was is up or down, and if you wanted it to be either of them!
Granted, people throwing vending machines is REALLY cool, so Crispin Freeman can have his kudos for being one of the few awesome characters. But I mean. If you're just gonna watch it for Shizzy-chan, then just watch episode 7, which is his backstory, and be done with it.
I just have a sinking feeling that this is the kind of anime that won't ever be resolved in a satisfying way. Why do I say that? Well, at the point where you find the epicenter of ONE of the plot lines, and two characters meet head to head (figuratively speaking, since one of them is headless), there is the feeling that the source of all the pain should be taken and everything can be resolved and we can move forward. What happens? One of the characters says 'Nice job killing everyone. Bye.'
Seriously?
Anyway, the art (which got an 8 in my book). Well. It's very stylized, and I particularly love the grayed out background people, because it helps you keep track of who is not important. Until of course, everyone gets colored in as a huge 'EVERYONE IS IMPORTANT' statement. Hello Captain Obvious! I won't deny that the animation is fairly well done and the background work is phenomenal. Very rarely do they reuse any of the footage. We see the inside of one man's office maybe 20+ times, and only 3-5 of those times is it the same art. I really appreciate them not half-assing it artways, but it doesn't necessarily make up for the shitty incoherent plot they tried to concoct.
As for sound, I'm extremely picky. If I don't notice it, it sucked. My favorite sound track is from Eureka Seven, but I can honestly say DRRR comes pretty close! It is not very often that I actually LIKE the OP and ED songs from a show these days. It is even rarer that animators use music correctly! However, they have a refrain that they play several times when everyone should be rainbows and butterflies, and I love it! Absolutely love it! So the sound got a 9!
The characters were... mediocre at best. They were all very stereotypical, and nothing was TOO surprising. Watching them develop hasn't been the most interesting thing in the world, in fact it sometimes seems irrelevant despite the fact that the whole thing slowly seems to be turning into a slasher soap opera. As I said for the 'story' section, it is more about the characters than anything else, and so their histories ARE, essentially, the story. But you know, innocent high schoolers being majorly important gang leader/murderer/opposing gang leader... that's really original. I totally didn't see that coming in Higurashi when all the girls took out butcher knives and killed everyone. Come. On!
I did enjoy all the character DESIGNS. Especially Shizuo and his bartender outfit, and Selty with her shadow-leather biker suit. So I didn't score it TOO badly. I just wish... all the characters had been less typical. In Baccano, all the characters kept me guessing; I couldn't tell bad from good and I loved every second of it! (Jacuzzi was the most surprising!) But man... like I didn't know Celty was gonna turn into a pile of mush around her captor (Stockholm Syndrome much?) Shinra? Everyone can see it coming, so it's not a spoiler. If you didn't, this anime is too dense for you, you need some light hearted shojo. (May I recommend Kaicho wa Maid-sama?)
As for enjoyment, I gave it a 6. I'm still watching it aren't I? Could be I'm cooped up in the house for winter break like any anime fan, but it also could be that it has a mildly captivating watch value. I would recommend a rewatch, but only because it's so damn confusing. I feel like I should make a chart or something; in fact... I almost did. But how silly is that? If you have to watch anime with a chart, then it's too fucking complicated. Even Spice and Wolf, which people complain has a LOT of dialogue, isn't that complicated (AND IT INVOLVEES MATH PEOPLE.)
So anyway, I gave DRRR a 6. And I wanted to be able to provide a comprehensive reason as to why I'm scoring so low, so as to provide a new and fresh look on things. I hope it helped!
