Series: Durarara!! Vol. 1
Release date: 29th November 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 220 mins
Director: Shinya Kawatsura & Takahiro Omori
Starring: Toshiyuki Toyonaga, Mamoru Miyano
Genre: Anime
Studio: Beez
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
Based on Nyohgo Narita’s popular graphic novel series, this television version of Durarara!! is adapted by director Takahiro Omori. Omori has past experience in adapting Narita’s works, having previously overseen the television series Baccano! based on Narita’s writing in 2007.
Durarara!! revolves around the strange happenings and legends of the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo. At the behest of his popular childhood friend Masaomi Kida (Mamoru Miyano), Mikado Ryugamine (Toshiyuki Toyonaga) transfers from his hometown to the same school as Masaomi in order to pursue the excitement of big city life in Ikebukuro.
Yet Mikado gets more than he bargained for, as he crosses paths with a number of characters within this strange district. Ikebukuro is host to a number of exciting new dangers and legends, including secretive street gangs such as the ‘Dollars’ and the mysterious ‘Headless Rider’ roaming the city aboard a pitch-black motorcycle.
Upon his first day in the area, Mikado witnesses the ‘Headless Rider’ driving through the city streets; piquing his interest in Ikebukuro’s hidden depths and supernatural sights in the night time. From then on, a series of random attacks and events begin to occur on the streets of Ikebukuro, and a group known as the Yellow Scarves arises as Ikebukuro begins to crumble…
Throughout the Durarara!! series there is a multitude of interesting and often bizarre characters who interact with each other in different ways. Mikado is undoubtedly the anchor of events; witnessing the strange idiosyncrasies of Ikebukuro for the first time much in the same way as the viewer. Mikado’s quiet and modest nature contrasts with the brashness of his friend Masaomi, who is (deliberately) annoying as the ‘cool kid’ at the school who is seemingly aware of what lurks in the city.
Yet, while Mikado is the anchor of events in the series, it is the other characters with more mysterious or even supernatural elements that are the most interesting. For instance, one of the chief recurring symbols of the inherent strangeness of Ikebukuro is the legendary figure known as the ‘Headless Rider’, also known as Celty Sturluson. In episode four of the series, the murky back-story of Celty is examined for the first time, where she is referred to as a ‘dullahan’ (from the Irish myth of a headless faerie and harbinger of death).
Where at first the character appears dark and dangerous, this episode reveals another side to the creature who is constantly searching for memories held in her lost head. She shares a flat with an underground doctor, and is shown talking to her flatmate and carrying out mundane tasks while they discuss her past. If this situation sounds odd, it’s because it most certainly is – yet, oddly enough, it fits within the strange brilliance of the Durarara!! series. The ‘Headless Rider’ is revealed literally to have no head under her motorcycle helmet (instead there is a wispy black smoke like presence), and yet is still able to speak and to see “further than a normal human being.” In other circumstances, this facet of the character might be somewhat laughable, yet the character maintains a sense of mysterious allure that is seemingly inherent to the area of Ikebukuro. As a result, the viewer can buy into the story.
Indeed, the series as a whole is full of twists and turns, and bizarre (yet enthralling) events. Durarara!! also scrutinises the emotions of young people who go through seriously difficult and turbulent events; further allowing the viewer to buy into the absurdity of a world where true character emotions lie at the core. In one episode, a classmate of Mikado contemplates suicide because she becomes aware of her father’s adultery, and cannot face up to the prospect of damaging her family by acknowledging the truth. She is goaded and manipulated into almost performing an act of suicide by the dangerous Izaya Orihara (Hiroshi Kamiya), before she is prevented by the ‘Headless Rider’ with the message: “Life isn’t so bad.”
Durarara!!, then, is an anime series with a great deal of darkness and emotion at its core that improbably co-exists with some of its supernatural thriller elements, pushing the boundaries of its 12-rated UK classification.
The series is beautifully and vibrantly drawn, with the bleakness of unlit alleys and dangerous night-time areas contrasting with the vibrancy of Ikebukuro where there are masses of people under lit-up Tokyo backdrops (similarly, the masses uniquely appear as grey shadows in contrast to the vibrant colours of the main characters in each scene).
The plot can occasionally become rather bogged down and the full plethora of interwoven character stories may be hard to follow, but the series as a whole overcomes these issues through its immensely quirky charm.
This is an excellent adaptation of Nyohgo Narita’s original anime series, and it’s not hard to see why the property has been so popular (it has spawned manga comic spin-offs and a Playstation Portable game in Japan). Full of twists and turns within an often convoluted yet intriguingly odd world, Durarara!! is a highly recommended watch for anime fans. DB
