Durarara!! / Final Impressions / First Impressions

「則天去私」 (Sokuten Kyoshi)
“Selfless Devotion”

Good eye to those who caught Kadota easily infiltrating the ranks of Horada’s Blue Square revival last time, as he and the other Dollars members lying in wait totally crashed the party. Not only that, but Masaomi got to give that bastard exactly what he deserved after learning that Horada was alongside Izumii when Saki was kidnapped and one of the key perpetrators behind it. I was really looking forward to seeing Celty and Anri kick some Blue Square ass here, but it turned out they didn’t need to get involved at all and focused on getting Masaomi to the hospital instead — the same one where Saki’s staying at his request. It was good to see Shizuo get some payback by stopping Horada’s escape on the freeway though. I was hoping he’d get some payback and boy did he ever by scaring the daylights out of Horada and his goons when they were the ones in the car going full speed at him. It’s pretty hard to overlook that street pole Shizuo was flailing around after all. It’s still a shame that he didn’t really get a chance to beat the crap out of Horada, but at least the scary motorcycle cop Kinnosuke showed up right after to haul their butts off to jail.

As befitting as all that was, the highlights of this finale had to be Anri trying to cut Izaya and put him under her control, followed by Simon laying the smack down after learning everything from Saki’s phone call to Russian Sushi. In the former case, I had my suspicions about Higa after seeing how troubled he looked when Horada was talking about the gun and the cops last episode, but I wasn’t expecting him to be working for Izaya of all people. What’s more, he turned out to be a Slasher under the control of Anri, which Izaya was already aware of even when he had Higa retrieve the gun that was used to shoot Shizuo. For the first time in this adaptation, Izaya made mention of the Awakusu group too and how he was hoping to be rewarded for arranging the attack on Shizuo (even though he survived), setting the stage for the next arc of the story (if it gets animated). Incidentally, I was pretty surprised at how well Izaya fended off Anri’s attacks and how he was expecting her to show up here so that he can make a declaration to her that he loves (manipulating) humans and won’t hand them over to her. It was a sort of an, “oh shit, now it’s on” type of moment, but I did get a good laugh out of how Izaya added that she can have Shizuo since he doesn’t need nor want him.

In the latter case with Simon, I can’t even describe the joy I felt when he appeared in front of Izaya and punched him in the face right away. Seeing as this is Izaya we’re talking about, I think the hit him first and ask questions later approach is rather suitable. Anyway, after all this time with our Ikebukuro information broker claiming he’s doing all this out of his love for human beings, it was pretty cool how Simon saw right through his lies and pinpointed the cause to his “Shizuo complex”. At the same time, it kind of took away from all the talk about Dullahans and seeing if Celty really takes warriors to Valhalla as per the legends, which I felt was a more outlandish yet interesting motive for starting a gang war in Ikebukuro. Regardless, this finale did wrap things up for our three main protagonists with everything finally coming to light between them. Upon learning that Saki purposely let herself get kidnapped by the Blue Squares as per Izaya’s instructions and knew Masaomi didn’t come to rescue her, and seeing Masaomi realize that he’s been manipulated all this time and confess to Saki, it was nice to finally see those two love birds get back together too. I know a lot of people find Saki creepy, but she’s still adorable to me with Fukuen Misato bringing out her girlish side really well. She’s grade A girlfriend material.

Looking back, I still wonder if Izaya really had a plan in all of this or if he just used the Dullahan legend as a guideline to manipulate everyone for his personal enjoyment. Evidently, he wasn’t the least bit frustrated nor disappointed when things went bust, so I’m leaning towards it being the latter. That was true even after he learned that Namie was the one who tipped off Horada about Mikado being the leader of Dollars and friends with Masaomi. In any case, Namie said the best line to Izaya this series by telling him that he may love humans, but she’s pretty damn sure they all hate him. Oh Namie, you’re the best! In terms of the wrap up for this arc and series as a whole, it was kind of sad to learn that Masaomi and Saki took off and disappeared without a trace, leaving Anri and Mikado behind, but Mikado reviving Dollars as a transparent existence of the city itself did let him know that Masaomi’s doing well at least. I got a good laugh out of how Masaomi was pretty unrelenting in making fun of Izaya in the chat room as well. Last but not least, Celty finally gave Shinra a little bit of a “reward” following the break up of the remaining Blue Squares. If Celty ever does get back her head, she would be even hotter, but Shinra doesn’t seem to mind one bit. I gather he’s a T&A kind of guy. =P

 

ED Sequence

Final Impressions:

I think what surprised me the most about this series is how vast the story feels a lot of the time. The huge cast of characters alone give an immediate impression of that and is a bit daunting at first, but once you get into it and realize how everyone’s stories are intertwined to form a bigger one, it’s really cool seeing it all come together. One of the things I particularly liked about this series is its tendency to show parts of the story again from another character’s perspective and develop things further that way. This wasn’t limited to just our three main protagonists either, as the unique assortment of characters — large role or small — all seemed to have something different to add to the overall story. Admittedly, I find this format a bit hard to get into at first, but once you get caught in the flow of the story it really takes off from there and has you looking forward to the watching the next episode. Compared to Narita Ryougo‘s Baccano series, I found Durarara much easier to get into simply because it eased me in with an introduction to Ikebukuro from Mikado’s perspective. From the onset, the actual premise is very unassuming and unpronounced, but quickly starts taking shape as more and more things start happening — often concurrently.

As weird as it may sound, I feel this slightly convoluted storytelling with a huge cast of characters is what we need to see more of in series today. It doesn’t rely on an overabundance of action or fan-service to attract the viewer’s attention and lets the story do all the talking (like it should). Quite frankly, I’m kind of sad to see Durarara end all of sudden when there’s clearly more story to be told, but sales of the light novels have gone up dramatically during the airing of this anime adaptation. Hopefully this means we’ll be in store for a second season by Brain’s Base sometime down the stretch, whose production work here has been quite a treat. As in most cases, novel, manga, and DVD/BD sales will probably decide if a sequel will be created, so it’s nice to see that things are already looking up in that regard. For now, I plan to get back to finishing Baccano since I never got around to doing that. For anyone who hasn’t checked out this series, I find it pretty easy to recommend, especially if you’re tired of the usual overused themes in anime. So yeah, do yourself a favor if you need a completed series to watch and pick up Durarara!!

92 Comments

  2. It’s because of Random Curiosity that I learned the existence of DRRR, so thank you! While I loved this serie, I’m really disappointed by the lack of closure of Celty’s head. Since it’s based on the light novels and the anime didn’t make up their own ending, I have hope that we will get a new season (with hopefully the same voice actors)

    Gimpyhair
    Reply

    1. Yeah, I was wondering about that. I didn’t think they had any time to fit Izaya’s sisters, and I’m sorta glad they didn’t. (It’d ruin the pacing). Possibly they could include them in an extra side episode on the DVD releases.

      Although, can sometime see the novel’s true ending, because those novels are unlikely to get localized…. *buys tons of english novels in the slight hope they get release… YENNN PREESSSS PLEEASSEE”

      shirokiryuu
      Reply

  6. Euh. I started to slowly lose interest in the show at around episode 12, so I didn’t really care how it would end. It just got extremely boring, and even a little annoying. Cheesy end, but it’s nice seeing Izaya get punched by Simon. 😛

    Oh, and Baccano >>>>>>>>>>>> Durarara. Get to finishing it, Divine. :/

    xHoneythief
    Reply

    2. I watched Baccano after the first 12 episodes of Durarara, and having seen all of Durarara.. I agree that Baccano is wayyyy better. Every character of Baccano is interesting, the same can’t be said about Durarara. The way the series is directed is brilliant too.

      Mike
      Reply

      1. Well, like Durarara!, some characters in Baccano! got somewhat wasted (just a bit though). Some included people like two of the Gandor brothers, Berga and Keith, and others like Eve and Lua. Its kinda like how Kinnosuke, Shingen, and Kasuga, who also had pretty minimal screen time. Still though, the characters probably have bigger roles to play in the latter volumes of the light novels.

        Click
        Reply

      2. Oh! Found somebody that favors Baccano over Durarara too!:D I wanted to see more of Tick, and wish they added Maria, who we saw a glimpse in the first episode…but had no voice. Im just glad that we saw Graham Spector, coz I totally loved his ridiculousness throughout the novels.

        unknown2
        Reply

      3. I only watched 1 episode of Bacanno. Didnt seem that interesting so I stopped after that. Maybe its time to go back and watch it.

        ps. I loved the Shizzy-chan ‘fight.’ Was laughing so hard.

        Anon
        Reply

      4. Anon, thats interesting. I watched the first episode of Baccano right when it came out and I dropped it immediately coz, like you, I found it boring. It was not until a year later I caught my sister watching it on a specific scene that was interesting …and it drew it me in. I marathoned it…plus the 2 OVAs that were out.Then went out to buy the novels to see what happened after. But eitherway, the anime arc was still the best

        unknown2
        Reply

    3. I thought that Baccano! was pretty good as series, but I kinda felt the the OVA’s weren’t that good =P. Kinda not sure though which series of the 2 series I liked better, but I’m kinda leaning in favor to Durarara!

      Click
      Reply

      1. Sorry, but I have to say I prefer Durarara!!, I dunno if it gets stronger towards it’s conclusion, but 6, 7, 8 of Baccano! I was just going, where is Isaac? or Maria? And where’s Shane? I don’t care about this? Before I knew it, I skipped three episode of a 12 episodes series, and 9 wasn’t looking better. Then I dropped it. Durarara!!’s final arc was it’s weakest, but still, by then I cared enough to stay the course.

        Roger
        Reply

  8. I wonder if the Masaomi and her girlfriend leving town is part of the novels or some original part of the anime. Can anybody tell me?

    I’d love to see another season of this anime, although since I’m still waiting for another season of Baccano, it’ll probably end up being just another wish…

    Ransom
    Reply

  9. This was just an okay series for me. The third arc was really messy and I couldn’t sympathize with any of the three main characters – though they weren’t particularly annoying or anything. One of the better series to come out from the last few seasons but not going on my favourites list (which Baccano! is on =P). I do look forward to the second season that will probably be announced any day now…

    oh yeah. Sort of annoyed at Kida and Saki getting back together, though that was expected as this series is all about ~twisted love~. Aside from like two lines about him being cool, all she ever talked about was Izaya. Every time Kida and Saki are together they might as well be having a threesome… with Izaya. Creepy girl, yeah. Even her character design fits that description.

    You-tachi
    Reply

    1. Yes, I heard an episode 25th! Right I forgot about that! I heard, I forgot where, not sure if true, but its gonna be about the vol 7 or 8…..maybe there we can expect hints for a 2nd season!

      unknown2
      Reply

  12. Looks like I’m the only person who thought this show was probably THE show of the year so far ._. I thought the series was actually pretty fantastic. It had a lot of everything: action, humor, FANTASTIC characters, great plot twists, THE MOST CAMEOS I’VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE, and a very unique story in my opinion. Also, watching everything flow together so well, especially in the first part was great. The characters and their interactions were probably the best part about this series, especially the feud between Shizuo and Izaya. And even though the story is quite vast and not nearly as big as the cast of characters, everything came together very well, and we got a look into each of the characters unique perks and personalities. This was definitely one of the better shows during the Winter and Spring seasons, and maybe even the best. If you have the time, definitely go and watch this series. If not, go watch Baccano!. Its just as good.

    So uh, anybody figure out who the main character was? Some say it was Celty, others say it was Mikado, and people even say that there is none. So who do you guys figure who was the central protagonist? In my opinion its Ikebukuro itself, since I felt that the events spiraled around the city itself, but then again, that’s just me.

    Click
    Reply

    1. i totally agree with you!!! i also thought that this show was the best this year. 😀
      and according to narita ryohgo the main character was suppose to be celty, but a lot of people were suprised upon hearing that

      reyan16
      Reply

    2. I’ve always seen Mikado, Anri, and Masaomi as the main characters, but only in the arc covered by this anime.

      I can see Celty as the main character from the broader perspective, which I gather we’d get a feel for as the story moves on to the next arc.

      divine
      Reply

    3. Whats unique with Narita’s works is that he doesnt really have a main character sometimes, as with Baccano. I remember reading his after comments in the novels in Baccano hoew he wanted us to guess whos the main guys is…although he kinda hinted Firo was.. Prob same with Durarara but as per arc, I guess that changes…and agreeing with Divine, that Celty is the overall main character..

      unknown2
      Reply

      1. I think Durarara!! is the **** too! And Celty is suppose to be the protagonist. The anime really does favor Mikado though, and with it ending at the third novel where Kida and Saki are the ones that really get plot resolvement, you’d think Masaomi would be the second main character. In way that’s bad, because Mikado was a main character stereotype Narita wanted to subvert.

        Roger
        Reply

  16. The first half was great.

    The second half slowed down quite a bit and got boring. But these last few episodes have really used that build up and picked up the pace.

    Overall a great anime. Now for Angel Beats finale tomorrow!

    goldconker
    Reply

  17. Yeah, Simon’s beatdown of Izaya felt quite cathartic. I was hoping he’d get taken down by the main 3, but I guess this is good enough. Ending montage was very good, too. Celty in summer clothes is wonderful.

    lvlln
    Reply

  18. awesome!!!
    definitely waiting for a second season!!!!
    there are still things unexplained….
    this is probably one of my all time favorite now 🙂
    novel reading time… and as always, thanks for the post 🙂

    ps. Divine, the Brain’s Base link is currently broken… apparently there was a “h” missing in the beginning

    jrj
    Reply

  21. The only thing that I have to say about Durarara!! is that Narita Ryougo is a genius. The characters you thought you knew are truly beyond the surface. *cough* Mika*cough*( read the novel spoilers:) Overall, looking forward to the future of more Durarara!!, or should I say the past?

    Xrtear
    Reply

  22. I kinda laughed at Simon and Izaya speaking Russian. Not knowing the language myself, Simon sounded realistic, and Izaya was doing a good job until at some point he sounded like he was saying “bleh bleh gyaaa” It was at the end of a sentence and it just made me think that his VA got tongue-tied and no one noticed. XD

    Narita Ryougo banzai~~ <3

    Absolutely amazing. Every step of the way, I was begging to know more (and I did spoil myself in some bits, but whatever). This is one of the best series I've ever watched. =D

    Satoida
    Reply

  23. I put this one on hold so I can watch it all in one go, and now that it’s finished I can now spend a significant amount of my weekend slouching in front of this computer screen, bulldozing through a pile of junk food, and plowing through a 24-episode marathon that is Durarara!!

    After that…

    Pao
    Reply

  25. I really enjoyed this show, would like a second season so the storie can go on but oh well, let’s wait and see what happens xD and yeah Saki is adorable indeed Divine 😀

    Pazoozoo
    Reply

  26. I totally agree with Click on the main character choice in the series – to me this was definitely a story about the city and its myths composed, like you als said, of intertwining personal myths. It’s pretty clear to me that Mikado’s role is really that of the boy who kinda goes out into the real world, to the wilderness to become a man, to prove himself. He’s a basic example for that, HOWEVER that cannot be said about the other characters, in the sense that they cannot be simply watered down to campbellian archetypes so it’s pointless to uses this type of analysis on them. No, I believe the other characters (aside from Mikado basically, who’s the visitor, who’s only begun to form his on myth, to weave his own story with the others, to bond with them) are the modern day heroes and demons of legend that make Ikebukuro, the mysterious city all the more mysterious and anime-like.
    What I liked about this series was really that the creators of it didn’t really sort of… chase ratings and make it a show that has a lot of eye candy for the grandmas and kids to watch, you know to take in the largest audience possible. I think it’s cool that the first part of the show is simply a steady exposition, formed in a composition of short stories, incomplete stories, featuring certain characters. What I really liked in this part is that many of the characters’ oddities and quirks were reflected from the other character’s perspective,so you could really look through the eyes of different people in each episode and grasp a slightly different reality. I believe this is the moment when u decide whether you believe in the show and you like it as it is or do you fancy another show, probably more cliche and typical compared to Durarara!!. Because, I mean it really isn’t a really child friendly, colourful kind of thing, it is a grayish sort, an unwelcoming one at that. I understand the people who could get lost beacuse of these things, the multitude of characters, the sort of green/gray sort of filter to it, the story, or stories that go on and have their own life regardless if you are watching. And the city which will still remain this bastion of dreams and arena of nightmares for the characters’ myths along with the the myths of other people that we, the viewers of the show, have not met, but we know they’re there. Ikebukuro surely has a story of its own, and will life on and change, some arriving, like Mikado, will want to participate in the play, the theater of the city, where modern day myths are born.

    Toshi
    Reply

  27. Aww END.
    I kinda had hopes for an announcement for a 2nd season due to its popularity. Guess not. But maybe later.
    Now that its over, Imma finish off the rest of the books. Theres an Durarara fair at animate till end of this month and I got a mug. Not sure weather to use it or just keep it. Might visit Ikebukuro …havent been there for years coz I was more of the Shibuya person…

    And finish that Baccano series! I still have hopes for a second season with the popularity Naritas works are have. NARITA RYOHGO LOVE <3

    unknown2
    Reply

  28. I’ve been learned that a DRRR event is going to take place in September. Hopefully, the 2nd season is gonna be announced there. Yeah that’s what I hope. We need the 2nd season of this anime so bad.

    DC/AC
    Reply

  30. I think the number of characters, and the multiple threads of the storyline is a sort… standard for this author. I had the exact same feeling when Baccano ended. Although with the latter, the DVD episodes did help conclude some stuff… so I’m waiting to see what’s in store for the DVD episodes for Durarara. 🙂

    Thank you very much for covering this. Hope you’ll watch the DVD episodes as well.

    Vera
    Reply

  31. This was totally THE series for me. Along with Baccano, that is. I’m not exactly sure why, but I can’t help but love Durarara. Maybe it was Izaya. Maybe the overall. Whatever it was, I sure enjoyed.

    Vaiap
    Reply

  37. After I finished this episode, I couldn’t understand why I was so disturbed by Saki and Masaomi so much, then you said it for me “I know a lot of people find Saki creepy…” DING!DING!DING!DING~! I know you don’t feel that way, but she is on par with Mika (that chick who’s face looks like Celty’s) on creepy purely by BEHAVIOR not appearance. I get shivers thinking about them for too long.

    Nonetheless, I enjoyed it and I agree with many others that the later half started to get slow and I was getting annoyed by the 3 main protagonists pathetic behavior. The highlight characters for me were Shizuo, Celty, Shinra and Kodota and his crew for, well, not being pathetic, haha. I guess this just displays and compares the age gap and maturity. Hopefully, there will be a season 2 as you say. (:

    Anjo
    Reply

  38. Awww man they make eloping with your love look so easy in this I want to try it too.Life looks so easy in Ikebukuro.(I’m joking,don’t say me “no it isn’t” please I know already I went there)

    I found Saki quite cute too this time too maybeeeeee she’s gonna be a grade A girlfriend for me too.With this, my life will get boring again without some Durarara!! Friday’s night.They have to make a second season of both this and Baccano!, I hope the DVD/BD sales goes KA-BOOM so they animate more.Damn why we don’t get awesome Light Novels like that translated.Amado you can spoil me all you want now lol.

    I’m also interested in the ending song, it was nice, I love when series that kept me hooked for months like that ends with a nice song and images of everything that happened.It makes you feel nostalgic.

    I agree that Durarara!! is much more easy to start, and I’ll tell all my friends to watch it so they get hooked to the magnificent storytelling and they’ll look up Baccano! too.It was a marvelous show.

    And hey Divine back off!! Namie’s mai waifu!! :p

    Rockmanshii
    Reply

  39. Personally I enjoyed Baccano because of the vein-pumping octane levels of adrenaline and thrill there was.

    But Durarara was really well done, easily claims top anime of 2010 so far. I love how the entire plot seemed to build up and lead us off towards an intense ending, and we end up left with an anticlimax of sorts. In fact, Mikado even says it himself that he has changed, but the world around him has not.

    In the end, it’s as if nothing happened, but these characters have all gone through something truly spectacular, and I think the staff did an excellent job portraying that.

    A great way to kick off the new decade too 🙂

    … Although now I have to find something else to commit my time too darn.

    invAZN
    Reply

  40. Another thought: that wall that Simon punches Izaya into “coincentally” happens to say LOVE.

    Possibly the only interesting romance-esque anime that I have watched ahaha =)

    invAZN
    Reply

      3. I saw photos comparing all the places in Durarara to real life Ikebukuro – the production team really went to the city and assign where the scenes would take place IRL. If one looked carefully, the surroundings of the LOVE sculpture Izaya landed on is the same as the one in Shinjuku, so I’d say it’s on purpose 😀

        moto
        Reply

  41. So.. This was the final episode of durarara? If so, im so MAD!! Omg i mean the story could have been longer like when Cletly can get back her head or something or when slasher can get together with masiomi…

    YuukiiChan
    Reply

  42. For me the thing I will always remember about this series is the one moment I saw the funniest thing ever in an anime… Shizuo punching a guy so hard his clothes fell off.

    Karmafan
    Reply

  43. the final episode was great, masaomiXsaki and mikadoXanri, the punch on izaya..yeah a great ending for durarara.
    the first 12 ep were my fave because of the air of mystery and the ending also followed the novel and was great(though there was a part where saika was disgusted by human being for the first time).
    now I hope they make the 2nd season since there are more characters in it that pique my interest…. and I heard there were OVA’s of durarara this summer.

    amado
    Reply

  44. Durarara!! is indeed a great anime. It had its weak parts, but overall its characters and stories are great. I do agree with the legions of people that say Baccano! is greater, though. If you’re going to finish it, I actually recommend the English dub as they capture the feel of the anime perfectly.

    I am so glad Masaomi punched Horada. Also, Shizuo looked really cool swinging that signpost. I was expecting him to send the car flying like a baseball but I guess at least leading them to get arrested by that cop is alright as well.

    And in the end Izaya get what was coming to him. He might have escaped Anri but he got Simon mad, which isn’t a good idea… He seemed slightly more human at that time to me, it makes me even more interested in him somehow.

    I love Bakyura’s blatant “Go die, Kanra.” comments. XD I know Masaomi will still be here through Bakyura, but a second season would be severely lacking without him.

    akani
    Reply

  46. Ya Dura is way better. Baccano jumped back and forth too much for my taste from past to present to future. Also Isaac and Miria were “too stupid”. They were morons of the 3 stooges variety and would not be able to pull off the things they did with that level of stupidity.

    Karmafan
    Reply

  47. Durarara was a great ride and hope they will pull out another season soon. Probably along with Angel Beats, the only reason I’ve looked forward to Fridays. Do we know for sure Anri and Mikado became an item or just insinuations?

    Shinjiro
    Reply

  50. Why are people comparing baccano to Durarara? Yes, they’re by the same author. But that doesn’t mean much of anything. It’s like comparing Juushin Enbu (Hero Tales) to Fullmetal Alchemist. Same author (sort of, hero tales is a mix of 3 authors. But the artist is fma’s), but the two animes are completely different.

    Lets stop with the “blank>>>>>>>>>blank”

    Anyways, I loved Durarara. I really hope the later light novels get animated. They’re full of epic and deserve voice-acting and music XP

    NYA
    Reply

  52. I’m going to watch Baccano! next after reading the comments above.

    About the last episode, it felt “incomplete” to me. I mean the I expected a better way to end it BUT I wouldn’t mind at all if there would be a season 2 >:)

    supercell
    Reply

  54. I am quite curious that although Izaya is known by all to be the source of all troubles by the main characters, he still manages to stay so elusive. If all 3 factions ganged up on him he would be in so much trouble imo. But oh well there wouldn’t be a main villain anymore haha. Out of so many secrets being revealed, no one reveals abt Celty’s Head being in Izaya’s possession. Oh well, I hope there’s a 2nd season or if there’s anywhere online for me to read the manga. Still an interesting series which has a unique sense to it. =)

    Tenkou
    Reply

  56. Yo, I never comment on this site, but Durarara!! was too epic not too comment. Best series of this season. Baccano rocks too. Anime needs to drop the fan service and up the storytelling. Props to Brain’s Base, Ryohgo Narita, and Takahiro Omori for making an excellent series this season.

    MiyaDV
    Reply

  57. am I the only one who thought the last episode was somewhat anti-climatic? I have no idea what I was expecting, but everything was tied up so neatly and easily… there was something lacking… but I did love this show. Go DURARRARA !

    Kethy-chan
    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *