Series: Durarara!! Vol. 3
UK Release date: 13th June 2011
Distributor: Beez
Certificate: 15
Director: Takahiro Omori
Genre: Anime
Format: DVD
Country of Production: Japan
Language: Japanese
Review by: Alice Instone-Brewer
The recently released third volume of Durarara!! continues the anime adaptation of the first three novels in Ryohgo Narita’s light novel series. Brought to us by the team behind the famous Baccano!, and dealing with everything from shy students to city gangs and the supernatural, Durarara!! is a character-driven series of similar tone to the one that made Baccano! so popular, and has already gathered itself a loyal fan base.
The series as a whole follows seemingly shy country teenager Mikado Ryugamine after he moves to the “Big City” in search of excitement. Despite his shy appearance, his greatest fear is living an ordinary life – a fear that drives his often dangerous actions. The “Big City”, in this case, is Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Once there, he crosses paths with his confident and streetwise childhood friend, Masaomi, who takes him under his wing.
The plot centres around an internet-based city gang called the Dollars and their rivalry with the Yellow Scarves - a feud that is made worse by repeated attacks from a mysterious Slasher, who the Yellow Scarves claim works for the Dollars. On top of this, various characters possess elements of the supernatural. The most notable of these is Celty Sturluson, an Irish Dullahan (headless horseman) who travels disguised as a biker whilst she searches for her lost head. Like the rest of the characters, she becomes deeply involved in the gang war.
Though Mikado is technically the main character of the series, equal time is given to everyone, developing each character’s plotline as they intermingle and complicate each other’s lives. Episodes are told from different characters’ points of view through a Noir-esque narration. In volume three, which starts on episode 18 (‘Life And Death Are Up To Fate’), we pick up with Mikado and Masaomi as they walk Anri - the curvy completion to their trio - from hospital after her recovery. The episode hooks people straight into the third volume DVD with some revealing flashbacks for Masaomi and his history with a girl named Saki. The following episodes continue to deliver shocking revelations to and about the characters, causing their situations to become more and more volatile and unstable as the action heads towards the season’s life-or-death climax in episode 25, ‘World Peace’…
Durarara!! is certainly an anime with style and class. From the artwork to the scripting to the music, there is a bluesy, moody feel to the series. A laymen’s stereotype of the anime art-form might be of something loud, fast paced and highly saturated; this couldn’t be further from the truth here. This show is quiet, subdued, shadowy; all as Noir as its narrations. The acting communicates the tone perfectly; dialogue is often spoken in a quiet murmur, subtly tinged with either angst or menace, and often effortlessly cool. Of course, it wouldn’t be anime without irate and emphatic outbursts, but if you were to leave this DVD running in the background of your home, the tone of the voices, accompanied by the music, would often conjure up very smoky, Raymond Chandler inspired images.
Telling the story from changing points of view was a perfect choice for this style of show. It develops the plot slowly, yet to a rich effect. In a series where everyone has secrets and there is no clear-cut right and wrong, seeing the events from every angle allows us a privileged peak into characters’ hidden motives. We’re the only people that know what’s really going on. Coming at the series from this all-seeing perspective shows the audience just how complicated the web of secrecy has become. We can see the misunderstandings and the moral dilemmas for what they are. This is an advantageous way to enjoy a plot about gangs and trickery, but also the complexities of the human relationships within it - be they good or bad. If you can tolerate the pacing, you get more out of the show for it, much like the slower, character-driven early days of films and television.
Izaya Orihara buys and sells information, and his influence can be found behind many of the important plot developments. Like the audience, he too sits in a position of power, overlooking the events with more knowledge than the other characters – mere pawns, as he sees them, running around as he manipulates them. He is also the king of the charismatic delivery mentioned earlier, thanks to the voice of Hiroshi Kamiya. Every show needs a morally grey character with menace and charisma for us to harbour a guilty love for, and Orihara fulfils that requirement here. He seems to torture and control people for the sheer love of it, though his grand goal is to cause a full-out war in the city in order to wake Celty’s sleeping head.
In the volume’s first episode, his love of manipulation is symbolically demonstrated as he schemes hunched over Japanese board game pieces. He gloats about causing a three-way standoff between the Dollars, Yellow Scarves and the third gang, the Blue Squares, speculating and delighting at the power and explosive nature of such struggles. This scene comes right after one discussing a love triangle, making the link between person-to-person dynamics and the constant bigger picture. Whilst gloating, Orihara sets the pieces on fire and watches them burn, marking the downward spiral of events that will follow.
Thanks to the pacing, the audience has time to soak in and appreciate Durarara!!’s skilled artwork. Akira Ito’s images and Akira Takata’s animation are both expressive and admirable, mingling with Makoto Yoshimori’s music to create something that not only communicates the story, but is in itself a pleasure to listen to and observe. It is sometimes fortunate for the show that these visuals are as emotive and engaging as they are, as they help hold the audience’s attention. If these elements were not strong players, then no matter how good the writing might be people would lose interest. There are, of course, plenty of action scenes as well, which are animated to a similarly good standard.
Discussion of the gangs can feel unnecessarily repetitive, at times, such as Anri’s many repeating questions to herself as she runs from the Yellow Scarves in episode 19, ‘The Blue Sky Perishes’. In fact, you may start to worry that the words “Yellow Scarves” and “Dollars” will have burnt impressions of themselves onto your TV screen from how many times you’ve read them in the course of an episode. This could, however, be fruitful fodder for a drinking game. The scripting also struggles with the issue that much of the drama takes place online, as this is where the gangs originate and how they communicate. Fortunately, as said above, the voice acting, artistry and score help these moments stay interesting.
Because it shares many of the same creators, Durarara!! has inevitably been compared to Baccano! by many people. It is considerably less violent than its brother show, but certainly not lacking in grit and drama. If you appreciate one of the shows, the chances are you should check out the other one. Durarara!! is clever, attractive to look at, occasionally moving, and has a healthy balance of action and relationships – so, everyone’s happy. If you’re not usually an anime fan, you might find that you still enjoy this one. If you are already fond of the genre, and haven’t watched this already, then definitely give it a try.
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