Anime Review : Durarara!!! (Series, 24 eps)

 An entertaining and original take on gang based drama.
                    

 

 Durarara is an odd recipe of sorts. Mixing together gangs, urban legends, manipulation,high-school kids and even an irish headless horseman. Pre-Heat and bake for 24 episodes, and you've got a tasty treat. The story focuses on 3 high-school friends, and the world they live in. Each of the friends has one massive secret that they hide from each other. The province of Ikebukoro is controlled by 2 major gangs. The Dollars, and the Yellow Scarves. These are not your average gangs though. This is the technology generation, and as such, these gangs are merely internet based. Until that is, people start vanishing and reports of a killer known as "The Slasher" start showing up. The leader of the Dollars decides to start placing posts on the forums to help put a stop to the killings, but things begin
worsening as more complex problems arise. To further complicate things, rumors begin surfacing that the slasher is a member of the Dollars.

                                       "Possibly the two coolest characters in Drrr."

At times light-hearted and silly, Durarara begins to focus more towards plot as the story progresses. Episode after episode, the plot slowly thickens, charging towards its conclusion. The slasher now has an army, and so does the Dollars, and now the Yellow Scarves are growing at a major rate, and at the very center, are these 3 friends, who are much more involved than any of them realize. The humor is good at times, and always lightens the mood, which at times can be very serious. This blends well and takes away some drama, which is a good thing. My only complaint, is with the ending. Although not bad, it does leave a lot of holes. Although this could be intentional, as even though I don't expect a continuation, they did leave a LOT of doors open to close later.

                                              "Yes, she really doesn't have a head."


Durarara is a fun series that leads with story,
and follows with wit. The good guys are fun
to root for, the bad guys are fun to hate,
and the mastermind pulling the strings is                
too awesome not to love. Durarara could
be better, but it could also be a lot worse.
The plot is original, and is well thought out.
With great art, great animation, and some
awesome and hilarious fight scenes, Drrr has
it all, and does it all well.

Pros : Story / Sound / Art design / Humor

Cons : Ending seemed rushed / BIG questions unanswered


- Darrell