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Bungou Stray Dogs

What do y'all think of this series? For those who don't know, it's based on the premise of literary authors (mostly Japanese) cast in the modern day as attractive young people with superpowers themed off of their literary works. The plot stars Atsushi, a young man kicked out of an orphanage who has the power to become a giant phantasmal tiger in moonlight, getting roped into a supernatural detective agency run by other famous literary figures (including straight-man Kunikida and Dazai as a comedic figure obsessed with suicide).

Any thoughts?
Evil flower of Pure Illusion... we're going to pluck you out!
Why lemon bombs, of all things? Not knowing what author the character in question is based off, it comes off as just really random. Unless they wanted to sneak in a Cave Johnson reference...

After a few episodes of Atsushi being a near useless viewer-insert, it's nice to see him actually acting cool and heroic for once. I'm a sucker for big grandiose shows of heroism, and Atsushi leaping out of a moving train to catch a girl, ripping the bomb off her chest and throwing it into the air moments before detonation, and then falling into the river together with her certainly fits the bill.

Kyoka is also probably the most moe Mafia hitwoman ever. Even knowing that she's killed 35 people, I can't help but want a happy ending for her anyway (which was obviously the point). Especially since she's been raised as an assassin since she was a kid and has little control over her own ability. That utterly stoic, lifeless voice clearly gives the impression of someone burdened by enormous regrets. Just hope the show doesn't try to pull some kind of emotional gut-punch by killing her off dramatically at some point (likely in front of Atsushi...). Please don't die, Kyouka-san!

Update: So, apparently the historical Kaiji wrote a story about a sickly guy who fantasized about turning a lemon into a time-bomb. Given that, BSD's Kaiji's superpower being to create lemon-bombs/turn existing lemons into bombs (it's not exactly clear) is actually very clever and fitting.
Evil flower of Pure Illusion... we're going to pluck you out!
Checked out the first episode of the new season/cour two days ago. Pretty interesting. Rather grim atmosphere overall but it fit given we're dealing with a bunch of Mafioso (and it was implied many times in the original season that Dazai's backstory was some dark shit). Dazai's silly antics definitely helped lighten the load throughout.

Looking forward to when we get back to Atsushi & co and of course, the Guild.
Evil flower of Pure Illusion... we're going to pluck you out!
What was even going on with Angou in this episode? First he's set up to be a
double agent
for Mimic, then he's apparently a
triple agent
infiltrating
Mimic
for the Port Mafia, and then by the end he's been working for
Mimic
all along and just lied to Odasaku about his loyalties? And if we was loyal to them all along, why were they willing to blow him up? Or was it all just a trap to lure Oda there?

In any case, it's rather confusing. I'm also wondering how many episodes are going to be spent in this little flashback arc. I mean, getting to see Dazai's darker side is nice and all, and these other characters are hardly bad but I really want more of Atsushi, Kyouka* (AKA the most adorable Mafia hitwoman ever) and the Guild! And honestly, the tone is a little grim for me, even with Dazai's antics. If this was my first experience with the franchise, I would probably have dropped it by now.

*Funny story, on the streaming site I use, a good percent of the comments for the latest episode are just variants of 'Where's Kyouka?'
Evil flower of Pure Illusion... we're going to pluck you out!
Wow, this episode was great, but so, so sad. While it's still stylish as all Hell and has some seriously good fight choreography, I think one more episode is all I can think of this unrelentingly dark and gloomy atmosphere. Looks very likely
Odasaku
's going to end up dead when this whole arc wraps up too, probably bringing Gide down with him.

Kind of odd that Odasaku and
Gide
have what seems to be the exact same power. Obviously for the plot's sake it works quite well but given that the characters are based off real-life writers, I wonder if there's some deeper thematic meaning behind this choice as well. For anybody who knows more about Japanese literature then me, were Odasaku and
Gide
's writings noted to be similar or have inspired each other in any particular way? Just curious.

I also wonder who that older guy in Odasaku's flashback telling him to become a writer was. Somebody important who'll show up later (probably when this whole flashback arc is finished), just some random guy or what? I even wondered briefly if the whole thing was symbolic and the guy was supposed to be, like, Odasaku's possible future self. (Which would explain why he disappears after Odasaku
reaches his point of no return
)
Evil flower of Pure Illusion... we're going to pluck you out!
So, I just watched the end of Bungou Stray Dogs' flashback arc. While definitely a tragedy, it ultimately ended on a rather upbeat note.
Odasaku
's story may've ended, but at least he inspired Dazai to quit the Port Mafia life and try to be a good person. It makes Dazai come off as a intriguing anti-nihilistic type character, who recognizes that his life is ultimately meaningless but thinks for that very reason, he might as well try to be heroic and help people if nothing else. While I can kind of admire that ethos, it is very tragic and I hope that someday Dazai can find what he's seeking, even if he's given up on it...

I wonder, would that make him a Knight Of Infinite Resignation in the Kierkegaardian sense or am I misusing that term? Essentially, Dazai's somebody who's resigned to his life being meaningless, has apparently given up on any possibility that he could find any meaning, and so just decides to live the best life he can anyways, acting cheerfully since, in a universe utterly devoid of purpose, there's no reason not to try and be cheerful. In that way, he's fundamentally different then Gide since the latter tried to give his life meaning through dying against a worthy opponent, whereas Dazai seems to have given up on finding a meaning altogether, ultimately just shrugging and deciding to keep living on anyways. (Hence why Odasaku said they weren't alike at the end)

Makes me wonder just what got Dazai into his existential rut in the first place. We got his backstory to explain why he left the Port Mafia, but nothing to explain why he was the way he was to begin with. The most obvious possibility would be the death of a lover or something, but that could easily come off as awfully cliché after all this mystery surrounding his character...

On a more technical level, the climactic gunfight between Odasaku and Gide was definitely jaw-dropping. The part where Port Mafia and Mimic reinforcements appeared on either side and Odasaku and Gide just danced around each other, shooting at the opposing forces and each other at the same time while moving together in perfect, deadly harmony was outright breathtaking. Really shows how, while they were mortal enemies, the two definitely came to understand each other in that moment on a very deep level.

I can't really describe it very well since it's so intricate and complicated that you really just have to see the scene for yourself to know what I mean. Overall, I'd rate this flashback arc as pretty good. While the somber elements were a little too touch for me at times, the glimpse into Dazai's past definitely helped me get a better idea of who he is as a character and the way the arc wrapped up managed to find a glimmer of optimism (or at least, perseverance) in what was otherwise a tragic tale. Lit-crit mode aside, just having that awesome gun-kata showdown at the end easily justified this arc's existence, IMO. Best fight of this show by far, I'd reckon. (Just hope the rest can live up to it...)

Looking forward to seeing Atsushi and the others again finally! Even this week, we got a brief cameo from a certain loveable detective...
Evil flower of Pure Illusion... we're going to pluck you out!
Hmm. Just finished the latest episode this morning. While the fights were really cool and all, I'm honestly starting to question the power-levels at work here. First, a handful of Guild members are introduced utterly crushing most of the heroes and a top-tier Port Mafia executive (so easily that the fight isn't even shown on-screen).

Next time we see them, they're getting knocked around by Akutagawa. Given that these guys are supposed to be the hype-worthy new villains, having them job to a guy that's already been defeated by the heroes prior strikes me as a rather... questionable decision.

Though, given the focus on Akutagawa (especially in the Yaoi-tastic ending themes) it's pretty likely he'll end up redeemed and becoming a hero at some point or another. Otherwise, the continual focus on him (at the expense of the Guild) doesn't really make much sense now that he's no longer serving the role of Atsushi's rival. I mean, he is really cool and all so I definitely wouldn't mind if the show did more with him (and the last shot of the OP does look like it could imply some kind of Atsushi x Akutagawa team-up).
Evil flower of Pure Illusion... we're going to pluck you out!
The more I watch it, the more I realize I absolutely love this show. There were tons of ridiculously cool moments and chances for Guild members to show off their abilities (have to say, I expected Steinbeck's to be something to do with grapes but the way it was done was really creative) in this episode. Even the interns got a chance to act a little badass by jumping on the back of a moving train.

I wonder, does that scene at the end mean Kyouka is a
Guild member
now or she just happened to stumble upon them?
Evil flower of Pure Illusion... we're going to pluck you out!
This was a good episode and all, but... how in the hell did Dazai get that bomb inside
Lovecraft
's Cthulhu form at the end? I guess Chuuya could've planted it while he was tearing his way through, but it didn't seem like he had anywhere near the mental acuity to do such a precise thing at that point. It was a cool scene for sure, but the logic kind of strains.
Evil flower of Pure Illusion... we're going to pluck you out!
This was a pretty dandy finale. Wrapped things up satisfactorily while leaving enough open for a sequel. I'm a little surprised the final fight with Fitz was over so quickly (for comparison, the Atsushi versus Akutagawa fight back in S1 felt like it took nearly a whole episode) but I guess that's because a lot of the fight was in the previous episode and we still needed room to wrap up loose ends afterwards.

Nice to see Kyouka getting a chance to prove her heroism after being put through an emotional wringer for most of the season. Her heartfelt blushing expression when she reunited with Atsushi was just the most adorable thing in the universe. Now I'm struck by the sudden urge to write some fluffy Atsushi x Kyouka fanfic... Seeing Dazai turn his rather nihilistic philosophy into something positive in order to convince Kyouka she can be more then just a killer was also great. Shows he's a whole lot more then the goofy 'suicidal maniac' he was back in S1...

While it was great that Kyouka got a chance to save the day, it feels sort of strange how it was done. I mean, if it was that easy to
crash the Moby Dick from outside
, then why wouldn't they just have done that from the start rather then risking their operatives and the safety of the whole city on an inside mission? Though, I guess that can be justified since it seems almost the entire thing was set up by
Dazai
as a way to test Atsushi & Akutagawa for when 'the demon' shows up...
Dazai
, you magnificent bastard, you!

Overall, this was a great finale, a great show all in all and I'm definitely looking out for a possible season 3! Toast to the stray dogs, everybody!
Evil flower of Pure Illusion... we're going to pluck you out!