Durarara!!

Synopsis:

Looking to pursue a life that's anything but normal, Mikado Ryuugamine transfers to a school in the city of Ikebukuro with a little encouragement from his friend Masaomi Kida. But, what he encounters may be a little more than he was looking for. Warring gangs, a secret society that exists to include everyone but then no one, a man dressed as a bartender that posses supernatural strength and a short fused temper to accompany it, a bizarre shop selling Russian sushi, a slasher that roams the streets at night leaving a trail of dead bodies but has never been seen, and an urban legend that Ryuugamine witnesses on his first night in Ikebukuro... a headless motorcycle driver named, The Black Rider. Oh yeah, Ikebukuro is far being... normal.


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 24


Review:

Y'know, when you watch anime on a constant basis you start to see re-occurring trends when it comes to any genre. So much to the point you almost start to get bored with everything or you already know what the show will be about and how it will end just by reading it's description. And honestly, when I read the summary for Durarara!! and looked and the artwork I was less than impressed, as a matter of fact I totally disregarded it altogether. But when online digital media distributor Crunchyroll announced they picked up this title I could have cared less but since everything Crunchyroll had obtained for that season was utterly pathetic I decided to give Durarara!! a chance as I figured, what have I got to lose... I might as well use this premium subscription I paid for. Well, let me put it this way... it only took one episode and I was totally hooked. Now, don't get me wrong, Crunchyroll still sucks peanut infused turds through a shit encrusted poop chute but that's not the point here. The main picture here is that Durarara!! is one of the most well thought out anime series to show itself in a sea of mediocrity making it one series that must be watched even if you're only a casual anime viewer. How so, you ask? Let me try to break it down for you without going into some long winded boring ass review.

What Durarara!! does so well is taking a truly strange and uncommon character set that hasn't been used before in any anme series that I've seen and puts them together in plot that they share one common element, they all know each other. But as the story moves on, even though everyone shares some sort of common bond you also get to see their dark side that they are hiding from each other. The only person that has nothing to hide is the Black Rider herself, Celty. She is a headless entity that is more than willing to show anyone that nothing exists behind that tinted visor on her motorcycle helmet but this also ties her into each character with her search for her missing head. But what of everyone else? Well, since I don't want to spoil the plot let me put it this way... Ryuugamine is the quiet guy that keeps to himself but what is his real story, Kida is his best friend and outspoken but there is something about this guy that just doesn't set well, then there's Sonohara who is a very apprehensive girl that doesn't have much to say yet she is a living age old curse, three friends that look out for each other but with their secrets that they hide have unknowingly made them each others own worst enemy.

The wonderful thing about Durarara!! is that it manages to hide this dark fact from the audience for a good portion of the show and reveals everything slowly and very effectively. This gives the show the right amount of pacing and takes the plot in just the right direction that really pushes you to want to keep moving from episode to episode non-stop. To make this trip even more enjoyable is the fact that it's Celty, the headless motorcyclist, that manages to help reveal everyone's hidden identity to each other without wanting to kill one another in the process but instead accept each other for who they truly are. Durarara!! drops in short stories regarding everyone's past that prove informative but not overly boring making for simply fantastic characterization and as everything winds down you're left with somewhat of an unfulfilling yet satisfactory conclusion. Average animation with a strong cast and deep rooted plot to back it up, Durarara!! is one show that should not be missed by anyone who enjoys anime and it is completely worthy of every minute you spend watching it.

Oh, and about the title? FFFFFFFFF... hell if I know...

Durarara!! (opening)

Recommendation: |Very High|

Online viewing: (Available at Crunchyroll) -

Durarara!! (English subtitled)

Media type: Internet streaming
From: Crunchyroll
Languages: Japanese
Subtitles: English

*Note - And it looks like Crunchyroll has failed again as Aniplex USA has taken this title away and will be releasing it on DVD along with an English dubbed track. You can still stream it but since streaming online licks balls, the DVD version is on the way. But, if you want to see this awesome series now then just click and watch-it! Why wait?