These days, I have a tendency to put more than half my chosen anime titles every season in the backburner. I mean, reading books and watching any form of media, while doing all the housework and childminding by yourself means that you really never, ever get enough time to finish them all.
It wasn't until the past spring anime season that I realized the changes that stuck in my now viewing habits. Wherein most series would get a cursory single or two episode viewing, just long enough to deem if it's worth adding to the viewing list. But among the bunch, some two to three titles would require a more timely viewing, or a marathon conducted every free time I could wrangle after the last episode aired.
Bungou Stray Dogs wasn't my first choice to include in that particular group. But it was hard not to once I started watching it. (My promptness to post about it, however, is abysmal)
Nakajima Atsushi was kicked out of his orphanage and is half ready to die from hunger. But a chance encounter with Dazai Osamu, who was trying to drown himself in the river, ends up delaying what he thought was inevitable. A conversation with Dazai and Kunikida Oppo reveals that they are working for the Armed Detective Agency, known for employing individuals with supernatural powers. The two were in the midst of investigating the appearance of a white tiger in the city, when Dazai decided to try drowning (though he would still prefer a double suicide with a beautiful girl). Atsushi reveals that the white tiger has been following him ever since he left the orphanage. Dazai, with his keen observation skills despite his penchant for suicidal thoughts, immediately discern that Atsushi and the tiger are one and the same, revealing that Atsushi himself is also superpowered. Dazai also sees a potential in Atsushi, one that marks the latter's beginning of his new life as part of the Armed Detective Agency.
When your main characters have superpowers, you expect that the enemies are going to be similarly gifted (otherwise, that's just going to be boring). And in Bungou Stray Dogs, the Armed Detective Agency is, time and again, pitted against the Port Mafia, a criminal organization that also employs superpowered individuals. Chief among them is Akutagawa Ryunosuke, wielder of the feared Rashomon, who has a particular grudge against Atsushi for gaining Dazai's interest. With a large bounty on Atsushi's head, the Armed Detective Agency and the Port Mafia clash in nearly every or every other episode, with their conflicts interspersed with cases that involve other criminal individuals or groups.
The members of the agency are varied in abilities, with Atsushi learning about them the more he gets involved in the cases that they are working on. He also discovers that those varied superpowers also translate into varied personalities. Atsushi's realization that the Armed Detective Agency is actually a mix of rather unusual personalities is usually a source of comedy, because those personalities tend to run on the eccentric side. Dazai is always trying to kill himself, hopefully with a beautiful woman alongside him. Kunikida is stringent on following his ideals, even down to the type of woman he should end up with. Tanizaki Junichiro has a questionable relationship with his sister Naomi. Yosano Akiko's medical ability is partnered with a near sadistic streak. Miyazawa Kenji is a country boy at heart and solves cases in the most unusual ways. And Edogawa Ranpo, the top detective at the agency with a rather large ego, doesn't actually have a superpower but is instead just really gifted at deduction.
With superpowers running a muck in pretty much every episode, it makes for interesting fight scenes. This is especially notable when it's Akutagawa that they're pitted against, because Rashomon is considered to be pretty much unbeatable. Except when Dazai utilizes his No Longer Human ability, which negates other abilities with a touch, and when Atsushi unleashes the tiger, lending him with exceptional regenerative powers that give him a fighting chance against Akutagawa. The fights can get intense, especially since Bungou Stray Dogs doesn't particularly shy away from grisly violence, and it does very well at building up to rousing moments of triumph despite injuries or beatdowns.
In terms of storytelling, Bungou Stray Dogs offers a pretty solid overarching story, but one that isn't completely fleshed out because of the expected second season that will come out later in the year. This season covered introducing the Armed Detective Agency, and exploring their rivalry with the Port Mafia. The latter episodes hint at a bigger bad that could be considered a common enemy for both groups, and one that offers more variety in terms of fighting between the different types of powers that are sure to clash.
On paper, Bungou Stray Dogs isn't completely original. There are probably a few titles that I've blogged about that also features a motley group of superpowered characters that have a mix of drama and comedy in its storytelling. But that doesn't mean that Bungou Stray Dogs isn't worth watching. In fact, it's a lot of fun to watch, offering a solid story that's punctuated with comedy, drama and action in just the right doses. Partner this with great looking animation and beautifully drawn characters, it really isn't much of a surprise that I ended up prioritizing Bungou Stray Dogs in my viewing list.
Happy viewing!Labels: Action, Adaptation, Anime, Bungou Stray Dogs, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Must-Watch, Mystery, Supernatural, TV
