Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Bungo Stray Dogs
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Gina Szanboti
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Well, so much for that.  I actually didn't mind Atsushi's this week, since it was just a couple of images and they didn't really dwell on it they way the have previously. In other words, they did something a little different with it, and that was really all I was asking for.
Interesting to see Dazai be so coldly brutal in Akutagawa's flashbacks, but maybe that's just how he remembers him. Or maybe not. But the highlight for me was Dazai pulling Chuuya's strings. Dance for me, my poppet, dance! 
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JaggedAuthor
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Aside from the tail end of the Dazai/Chuuya exchange, there wasn't much in the way of intentional comedy this week, but the tension-wrought stare-down between Atsushi and Akutagawa gave me a good laugh.
Am I alone in thinking Kenji bears an uncanny resemblance in both design and personality to Finny from Black Butler? I mean, I assume their backstories are different, but they're both happy-go-lucky blondes who dress like gardeners and possess superhuman strength. (I suppose Finny technically is a gardener, but his skills as a green thumb are lacking, to say the least.) |
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traitorAIZEN
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I still don't understand why this show seems popular. The show is generic and predictable with no real story aside from mafia wanting that tiger thing and fillers. Yup, he can transform now without the full moon because the plot demanded him to.
The characters are stupid and not interesting that it makes liking and relating to them hard. The villains are not even that good at being villains. I think Hamatora did this kind of story better and i'm not even a fan of that show. All of these are ofcourse only my opinions. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11352 |
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^^ Yes. If you hadn't said something, I would have eventually. Separated at birth, I guess. I think it's been nagging at me since the feature article, but it didn't hit home until the preview, since I somehow overlooked his strength (which was even mentioned in the article) before seeing him lift the car. That was totally a Finny moment.
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+ 光
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I think Dazai really was like that when he was part of the Mafia. I think we got to see a glimpse of the 'dark Dazai', if you could call it that? Something must have changed in him, and made him leave the Mafia. Even I don't know what though.
Yeah, Dazai is really clever like that, and Chuuya knows it. I don't think Chuuya can win in an argument against Dazai, and that's what makes him so frustrated.
No, you're definitely on the nose there. It be difficult not to think so, if you know both stories. Whether it's intentional or not though, I don't know.
On 'the plot demanded him to'-thing, there is a reason for that. We still don't know all of the Detective Agency members' abilities. On of them might have something to do with that. And the 'he can transform without the full moon'? That happened in episode 8 too, why are you bringing this up now? Atsushi's ability is 'moonlight beast' or 'beast beneath the moonlight'. Dazai is the one who deduces that Atsushi transforms into a tiger when it is full moon based on various accounts. However, Dazai does not have some 'encyclopedia to supernatural abilities', he could not possibly know all the conditions under which Atsushi's power can activate. This, and the fact that Atsushi doesn't transform into a full tiger but only his arms and legs do, brings me back to my first point. 'It makes it difficult to relate...' well I suppose, if the characters don't gel with your personality they don't gel with your personality, it's not the show's fault for that. Or are there some kind of 'obligatory standards to make all characters in an anime likable' that I don't know of? And 'the villains not good at being villains'. Well I suppose they are flailing in life, just as we all are. If their incompetence bothers you too much, and the show is failing at its job, which is to entertain above all else, then I'd suggest you find something else to watch. Just don't expect others to not like a show because you don't like it.
This guess was just so...I just have to confirm or deny it: spoiler[Yes, his ability does involve spending an obscene amount of money, and no, just not on lavish parties. Well, considering this is an 'battle' story, what else could he possible spend his money on? ] |
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Merida
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Hamatora is a pretty good comparison, though this show hasn't become quite as ridiculous...yet. I really want to like this anime. On paper it should be right up my alley but i just can't get myself to give a damn about any of these characters or the plot (whatever that is...). Truth be told, i was ready to drop it before F. Scott Fitzgerald appeared, but now i'm curious enough to hang in for a bit longer. |
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+ 光
Posts: 226 |
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Yes, you've been saying things like that since the earlier episodes of the show. I thought for sure that by nou you would have seen enough of the characters to feel differently by now. I like the characters becuase I know them from the manga, and I think all the hardcore fans of the show are those familiar with the manga. Certain parts which are emphasized are absolutely done with the intention of being a treat for the already established fandom in mind. I've tried seeing the show from a newcomer's perspective, and I don't blame you for not being able to become attached to the characters. The show really isn't good at doing that. Nevertheless, the show's purpose is still to gain a wider audience, and the little comedic parts they insert can be seen as an attempt at that. Whether it's successfuĺ or not, well, you can see the results of that yourself. |
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killjoy_the
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The episode looked great, which is why I wish Akutagawa just plain wasn't part of it. Everything involving the dude is cliché, rote, and completely boring.The standard "talk 'till he punches me" villain moments were annoying as hell and I just wanted the scene to be over with already. Dazai's scene wasn't that much better either, "no it was actually all part of my plan you see" types only work with me if I actually like the character doing them. He's fun when he's going for comedy, though, at least.
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11352 |
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Episode 11
I'm not sure I got a lot out of the first story (were her superiors being sarcastic about ganbatte over git 'er dun or what?), but the second was a real gem. The review sort of alluded to it, but it seemed like Kenji's attitude was in fact an actual power. Everyone faced with his charm seemed to suddenly be brainwashed by it into seeing unicorns and rainbows, and not simply nonplussed by the incongruity of the situation. Whatever the case, it was all great. |
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15462 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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In the first half I was wondering why we were supposed to care about the villains, like sure we were shown some of the pat of the one guy but not enough to care about these guys. Also, how was that burns to most of his body?
In the second half I was kind of taken out of it in regards to cars. That the car looked pretty intact smashed into the building, but the implication that the body was mush and unidentifiable. Or how he was able to pick up the car by grabbing the small piece on the side like that small piece could hold up the whole weight, like they are one solid mass that won't break easily. |
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JaggedAuthor
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While I thoroughly enjoyed the second segment, I can't help but feel that the first would have been better served by a longer format. Unlike the second story, it felt very condensed and slightly confusing in some spots. If you want to make us feel something for the baddies, you may as well go whole-hog.
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killjoy_the
Posts: 2459 |
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The first half was just plain bad. The usual kind of bad Bungou does, but still bad. Those full-auto shots that only manage to get one shot in (the rest of the bullets apparently just disappear into thin air), the convenient timing of everything, the cliché development, the fact that these aren't characters we care about at all. It felt like a waste of time.
The second half was fun, but I preferred the little interlude in the start of the episode. Kenji himself was okay, but it was only really Atsushi's reactions that got me actually laughing. It felt weird for him to be cowered by a bunch of thugs when he's got super healing and etc with his tiger stuff, too. Not that this show's ever been consistent with this stuff, though. I want more of Rampo and Kyouka's Elementary School Shenanigans. |
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+ 光
Posts: 226 |
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Not...exactly. The last episode is going to be a set-up for season 2, and is going to end in a reveal that will be important for the second season. In other words, a cliffhanger. Moving on. Why should we care about the Port Mafia? Because they 'ain't going nowhere. There is not as much focus on the Port Mafia as there is on the Detective Agency, so the PM characters don't feel that fleshed-out. But it is happening, just in a slower manner. With such a huge cast, you have to scrape the little bits and pieces together in order to see the bigger picture. For example, in the battle of episode 3, Akutagawa pushes Higuchi out of the way of one of Atsushi's attacks. That could a glimpse of why Higuchi cares for Akutagawa. Akutagawa is a very awkward character. Sometimes aloof, and other times kind in his own dastardly manner. Then, in episode 10, we see that he himself has experienced life in the slums, and that he didn't stay in an orphanage like Atsushi. He lived on the streets and survived to tell the tale. That was also thanks to Dazai, who took him in and trained him in his special ability. Dazai then went and adopted a new stray dog, which angered Akutagawa. This is explored a bit in episode 11, when Akutagawa tries to get Dazai's attention, 'the one who left without ever acknowledging [his] power', by blowing up a building. Akutagawa's want for Dazai to acknowledge him echoes Atsushi's wish for his existence to be acknowledged by saving people, since he was repeatedly told as a child that he was worthless (Atsushi gets a bit more development in this regard). Now, like Ms Silverman said, Higuchi and Akutagawa are the same in certain manners:
Here comes the difference. Higuchi, in a show of devotion and bravery, goes to save Akutagawa (Don't get me started on the 'countless bullets fired but none hits'. That's been easy protagonist plot armor for decades.) She succeeds, with the help of the timely arrival of her subordinates. Akutagawa then, ever the awkward fellow, says 'sorry about all this'. It's certainly more an 'approval' or 'praise' for Higuchi than Akutagawa has ever received from Dazai. Maybe everything Akutagawa ever wanted to be for Dazai, Higuchi already is for him. Akutagawa doesn't realize this, and that's what is so sad. I do hope that that changes someday. If you have the time and the desire too, this story could mean a lot more to you than what it appears on the surface. It's like an old wooden table - you have to wipe away all the dust and stains on top to see the beauty underneath. 
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Merida
Posts: 1945 |
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Well, i for one liked the first half of the episode better than the second, but that's probably because i don't really care any more (or any less) about the "good guys" than i care about the "bad guys" in this show.
Kenji is quite hilarious and it was nice to see him in action but the story felt rather pointless. And yes, i'm pretty disappointed that there was no F. Scott Fitzgerald anywhere in sight... 
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+ 光
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All in the name of some character-centered fun (and perhaps a small tribute to Drrr!!'s Shizuo Heiwajima and Black Butler's Finny).
If all goes according to the story, he'll be in the next episode 
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