Let's start with the good things. First off, Bungo Stray Dogs has a wonderfully hilarious premise for literary nerds. The mangaka created the story in the hopes that it would get people more interested in Japanese literature, and I think he's successful for the most part. At the same time, a lot of author dynamics are inverted in the anime compared to how they are in real life (for example, Atsushi is younger than Dazai in the anime, but was from the previous generation of writers in reality), so there's also intrigue for people who are already familiar with Japanese literature.
The second good thing I think BSD has is art and animation, particularly character design. BSD has an enormous cast, which means each character needs to look unique so a viewer can recognize them and their story without too much effort. Do I think that Dazai's bandages and Atsushi's tiger-tail belt are as on the nose as Denki Kaminari's yellow lightning-bolt hair? Yes, but those stylistic choices also make the characters memorable and unique. I also love the stylized animation with varying outline thickness to convey character emotion, and as a Studio Bones property, you can rest assured that the action scenes look great. They do not love to draw in faces on far shots to save budget, but I think that overall, that's a small price to pay.
That said, BSD S1 has two glaring faults, particularly in the opening episodes, and the first of those is pacing. For something that bills itself as an action series, there’s not much plot-driven action at first; in fact, the plot does not arguably begin until episode 8 out of 12. While episodes 9 through 12 are certainly fun and exciting, and make you leave the season on a high note with the promise of better things to come, there’s a lot to wade through to get there. Episodes 1 through (most of) 8 are slow and repetitive slice-of-life, with blatantly obvious (and somewhat boring) mysteries for something that bills itself as a mystery series. You really have to be invested in the characters to enjoy the slower, chaotically comedic, and generally plotless nature of those first episodes.
And that brings me to the other glaring fault of the BSD S1: the characters. With its large cast, BSD really only works if you become invested in the main core of characters. The problem is, the main core of characters don’t leave a good first impression. Fan-favorite Dazai is (canonically speaking) a “suicide maniac,” who constantly drops the idea of committing suicide like it’s the funniest thing in existence (the directorial choices around this are… interesting). Atsushi is adorably bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but also an angsty wet blanket for most of the opening episodes, and a bit of a hard sell as the main protagonist. Kunikida is (until episode 6) a one-dimensional straight-man; Ranpo is (until season 2) purposefully and very successfully annoying; Yosano is (until episode 8) sexualized in a bizarrely uncomfortable way; and Tanizaki and his sister are just an blatantly and uncomfortably incestuous disaster. Fans of the franchise will tell you that the characters get better with time, and that’s true, but unless your taste runs in the right ways, they’re a really hard sell at first.
So what DOES BSD offer, given these glaring faults? All I can say is, it really gets better with time. Although the execution is clumsy and off-color at first, the premise is wonderfully creative, and the plot does get going eventually. The characters grow more loveable with time, and as the cast expands, it’s pretty much guaranteed you’ll grow like someone eventually. There are some legitimately wonderful explorations of the concepts of humanity, what it means to live, and more. The score is solid, as is the voice acting, in both sub and dub. For once, the dub matches the unhinged humor of the franchise with fervor and is legitimately hilarious at times.
Try to give BSD a chance, knowing that the later parts (both in S1 and onward) will reward you. If you don’t like it at first, but can get behind at least one character, the wacky premise, and chaotic sense of humor, keep going. But if you get to the ending of episode 6 and it’s still a major effort to get through, just drop it while you’re ahead.
