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Springing out of a light novel series written by Ryohgo Narita with illustrations supplied by Suzuhito Yasuda, Durarara!! has made quite the splash over in Japan, gaining a substantial fan following so as to spread its gospel to the States. The series spawned an anime that ran on Japanese TV back June of 2010 and since then, its fan-base has grown substantially. Aniplex USA acquired the rights to the series and decided to make it the first release in their venture into the American anime market.
In many ways, Durarara!! is something of a spiritual successor to Baccano! Both are the spawn of Narita’s conscious as-well-as share the same animation studio and the style and tone in which the stories are told are nearly interchangeable. Both also rely heavily on a large cast of eclectic characters whose clashing personalities act as the driving forces behind their respective series.
In the city of Ikebukuro, people go about their daily lives without so much as a sideways glance to the strange happenings going on around them. As with Narita’s signature style, the further the story progresses, one character’s life will intersect with another and their story will spread into further episodes and be seen from different perspectives, building with each appearance until it reaches a crescendo that see’s every character brought together. In terms of the plot, there really isn’t much of one beyond the ever shifting landscape of the city beneath the rising chaos created by these characters.
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Each character has a distinctive personality that makes them memorable and plays on certain archetypes. For example, the Black Rider, though visually striking remains silent for a good portion of the set however its actions and personality allow it to convey a sense of mystery and horror that immediately grabs hold of viewers. Equally striking is Izaya Orihara, in personality moreso than design. His philosophy of the world and glee at proving others to be spineless cowards isn’t necessarily new to anime but is dynamic given the way its handled here.
Caught is the middle of the hulking beast that is Ikebukuro is Mikado Ryugamine, a high school student who just moved into town after being encouraged by his best friend. Despite the massive cast, Mikado can be considered the heart of it, watching with wide-eyed enthusiasm as all this insanity takes place around him.
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As previously stated, Durarara!! shares its visual style with that of Baccano!, thus ensuring dynamic character designs and a fluid sense of movement. This is a longer show and it can be argued a larger cast to juggle, allowing the studio to flex its muscles.
Aniplex USA hits it out of the park with Durarara!!. The series just feels so fresh and makes for an excellent entry into the US anime market. The nine episodes featured here are addictive and will have viewers clamoring for the next set, which can’t come soon enough.
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