Bungó Stray Dogs

I think that the Bones Inc. animation studio basically smashed it with the best of the spring 2016 releases. Both of its new anime series impressed me, and I thought that even Concrete Revolutio had significantly improved in it's second season. In other words, as I watch more and more anime series I am starting to hanker more after originality, and so far I have found every production by the Bones Inc. studio really original in its own way. Sure, some may have a similar subject matter, however, they are usually diametrically opposed in their treatment of it, and so I find it quite difficult to compare them to each other. Moreover, this originality is really most evident in the characters, the narrative, and also in the animation. In addition to this aspect of being original, many of the studio's productions have another thing in common. They are usually very playful and when watching them, you get that rather pleasant feeling of "expecting the unexpected", and you can really get into it. Summing it up, I am starting to believe more and more that the Bones Inc. producers are genuinely really into anime, and with every new anime series they seem to be coming up with more and more new ideas. Plus, I am also personally really into it. I really like it when I can watch something that I am constantly finding surprising, and it does not have to have a massive plot twist, however, perhaps it just has an interesting end to some dialogue like an unexpected funny punchline, an expression on the face of one of the characters that I have never seen before, or how a character is going to behave, and other similar small details that make me feel like it is not so predictable. Bungo Stray Dogs has all of these aforementioned features, and I really enjoy watching it because I can have some idea where the plot is heading, even though I cannot really know for sure. Plus, I can only guess what the main characters, and especially Dazai, who is quite a strange character, are capable of. You can add to that the really very interesting conclusion to the first season featuring two very distinct characters (the leader of the Port Mafia and the leader of the Guild). All indications are that we are going to get dragged into an insane war between three very powerful sides in the second season, so I am really looking forward to future episodes... To sum up this show is very original, quite funny, playful, and enjoyable. 8/10. (30.05.2019)

Even though the beginning of the second season of Bungo Stray Dogs is "just" a backstory, I really enjoyed it. It had a very interesting narrative, and I definitely enjoyed watching the mafia "anecdotes." Plus, Dazai is in many good scenes and even shows new aspects of his very interesting character. So the first half did not disappoint me in any way. As for the second half, I expected the fight scenes and the war between the mafia, the guild, and the agency to be much more epic. On the other hand, I did not mind the storyline and the style of its denouement, and since I actually found Izumi Kyouka really likable, I was pleased with everything. However, if I could be critical for a moment, the ending itself was kind of "clichéd as hell," even though it had its moments (the boss fight, the final scene, and of course Kyouka!). Well, because of the open ending, I guess nothing is stopping them from making a possible follow-up, and I am looking forward to that. I still found this original (even though it is not very original anymore), quite amusing, playful and enjoyable - 7.8/10. (13.10.2016)

The third season of Bungo Stray Dogs is like a carbon copy of the second. It once again starts with a flashback, and once again we have some "major conflict" in the second half. Although the first half of the season failed to engage me that much this time, thankfully, the second half was much more entertaining, more thrilling, and more imaginative. So it redeemed the overall impression I had of the third season (I wrote something similar about the movie, didn't I?), and I thought that the ending itself (the last part) could have deserved quite possibly five stars. So, it is safe to say that this time around I still did not find Bungo Stray Dogs disappointing, and when I worked it out in my head, I came up with something like 7/10. (30.06.2019)

Bungo Stray Dogs is the kind of show where I can easily predict what the new season will be like – an initial flashback to introduce some of the characters and their relationships, then a slower build-up to create the atmosphere, and then in the second half everything suddenly takes a turn, things get going and there’s an awesome action, drama, psychology... This time, however, the main storyline is open-ended. It ends at the height of action when everything is still in motion, pieces are literally flying across the chessboard, and two geniuses are playing their game in which nothing is ever the way it seems at first glance. Even though one of them may have twenty moves planned out, the other one is still one move ahead of him. I’m having a great time trying to predict the unpredictable, which I mostly fail at, so the series keeps on surprising me. Even though the twists get increasingly wild, everything still makes sense within the universe and in terms of general logic. It really is quite a ride. Another strong player has joined the game, the stakes are damn high, and things aren’t looking up for the main characters this time. The only thing that slightly annoys me is that all the characters have plot armor. In a conflict of this magnitude with so many extremely strong players, it's just not possible and some casualties would lend it some gravity. Of course, even this fits into the whole "expect the unexpected" concept that this series excels at. I'm very satisfied, though not enough for five stars. It might happen in the next season as it has an excellent starting point. 8.3/10 (29.03.2023)

For me, this was definitely the most entertaining and action-packed part of the series, building on the momentum from the previous seasons. There's never a dull moment here; the plot keeps you on the edge with big and sometimes downright crazy twists in practically every episode. Even though the members of the Detective Agency seem to have an almost unbelievable plot armor, there are still moments where you genuinely fear for their safety. The story reaches a climax at the end of the tenth episode, where the desperation is almost palpable. I was thoroughly engaged throughout, especially during the intense "escape game" between Dazai and Fyodor, which was brilliantly done. The motivations of the main villains were intriguing, even if what one of them did felt reminiscent of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. Simply put, I have no complaints. I eagerly looked forward to each new episode, and several twists caught me completely off guard (some so much that I wondered if the creators were pushing the limits). As a fan of unpredictability, when an action series refuses to let me catch my breath and maintains its style and cool factor, I have to give credit where it's due. That's why the fifth season earns a solid 5 stars from me. Even my apprehension about what might come next after the resolution of the drama was perfectly soothed by the final scene. I'm eagerly anticipating the sixth season. 8.8/10 (20.09.2023)