huel.libby - 2013-08-19 14:45:35

This anime was very good to me because it's the only anime I've ever watched that was centered around a community of characters instead of just one protagonist . All the characters were different but i loved them all.Each has it own story that intertwine with each other.I was supervised by how well written the story to this show was because a lot of writers can pull off something like this.This anime also so how powerful an voice and idea really is. This boy starts a revolution with only his phone.It's a all around good show with a great set of characters.

tromp.aisha - 2013-08-15 17:46:43

Once I heard that durarara was made by the creator of baccano, I instantly gave it a shot, and I liked what I saw. It the show has a large cast of interesting characters, and a lot of references to other aniem and Japanese culture. Every character is interesting in his or her own way, and none of them ever get boring ( with the exception of the 3 main teenagers... ), the 4 characters that stand out the most to me are Shizuo, Izaya, Celty & Shinra. The first half of the show was so good, I was convinced that Ryohgo Narita outdid himself & that this will probably turn into one of the best anime I have ever seen...well that is until the second half kicked in, the mood of the show changed, the pacing slowed down, and they started focusing on the 3 main teenagers, eve though they said that the show did not have man characters, the worst part is those are the 3 least interesting characters, while the most interesting ones got pushed on the side lines. The show could have been the best, but it fucked up, it`s still good, don`t get me wrong, it`s one of my 20 favorite anime of all time, I just think it could have been a lot better.

carey63 - 2013-08-11 04:33:54

This is a review for the anime, and ONLY the anime.

As many of you know, this is the anime adaptation of the light novel series penned by the same man who brought to us Baccano! and, if you've watched this, you know you can expect great and unconventional storytelling. Indeed you can feel some similarities in the type of writing, but worry not, for this story is shown to us in a much more different way than Baccano! did.

Story and Character

I don't usually have both of these sections together, but this is an exception.

First and foremost for this anime: the characters. The characters and their points of view drive the story, and it is done in such a way that it makes the story feel most organic. In some moments, it makes it feel as if it wouldn't be too hard for this to be happening in real life, even if many supernatural plot devices are employed (yes, I mean this). The viewer is made to know only what the characters know, to feel the way characters feel, and to act (not really, no) the way characters do. This, in turn, gives the story its aroma of mystery.

The main layout of the story is set in Ikebukuro, a commercial and entertainment district in Tokyo. Here, we are taken through the streets of this dazzling part of the city, and shown the tribulations of the lives of some of its inhabitants. A local legend; "Black Rider", who rides around the district on a black bike and also rumored to have no head under its helmet, an internet-based anonymous gang called The Dollars and its acquaintances, an information broker, and a violent and superhumanly strong man, among many others, assemble the cast of Durarara!!. The story is born, progresses and grows as the characters pour in their knowledge of the current supernatural events going around in the city. It follows them pretty much equally (therefore, there is no main character) and it shows how all of their lives intersect, in more ways than one. The supernatural happenings -more frequent appearances of the Black Rider, Saika or "the Slasher", a demonic blade notable for its obsessive love of humanity and its ability to possess humans by cutting them and causing them pain- tense things up between the gangs of Ikebukuro, and the shit starts to hit the fan.

I'd like to talk more about the story, but I feel it'd be too full of spoilers...

Moving on.

Animation and Sound

The production values for the anime are great. Animation is overall exceptional, sparse use of repeated scenes and very detailed backgrounds. This, in fact, stands out as the background is quite similar to the real world Ikebukuro; having most of the same places.

As for sound, background music is very good, dull and mysterious when it has to be and riveting and exciting when action demands so. 4 main pieces of music (2 openings, 2 endings) and they're all very good songs. Little fact, the second opening is one of my favorite openings ever.

All in All

Its only downside (and I'm afraid I must tell you this) is that the final episode is somewhat inconclusive. By that, I mean it feels more like the ending of a season rather than the ending of the series. As far as I'm concerned, there is material for a second season, but no announcements on it whatsoever. If you're ok with this (or you're not that ok, but enough to wait for a second season) you are in for a treat.

The kind of treats superhumanly strong man likes to beat up.

elsa37 - 2013-08-04 14:26:46

I love this anime. Although there were some flaws to it, the anime is still fun to watch. I love how the first few episode they do the story in different perspective, Talk about the character I love how there are lots of different type of Character in the anime, which bring the story more Intense I enjoy everything about the Anime, but its not the best Anime i have watch

muller.milton - 2013-07-19 20:50:42

From the very get-go, even from the opening title sequence, you can easily notice one thing about Durarara, and that is that it was made by Ryohgo Narita, creator of Baccano. Everything about this show besides the setting is very reminiscent of Baccano, so inevitably, it will be compared to it. So, how does DRRR hold up compared to Narita's previous work?Well, let's just get this out of the way now: No, it isn't as good as Baccano. But is it still good in it's own right? Yes. If you're a Baccano fan, Durarara is definitely worth watching. Even if you aren't a Baccano fan, Durarara is probably worth watching, though some of the references may be lost on you, seeing as how Baccano and Durarara take place in the same fictional universe. The main difference between the two is, perhaps bizarrely given their setting, Durarara is clearly the more mature of the two series. It opts for a darker, big city underworld chic as opposed to the vibrant 30's style of Baccano. A lot of it revolves around mystery, an element not present in its predecessor.While the plot of Durarara is hard to sum up briefly, the premise revolves largely around Celty Sturluson, a Dullahan (read: Headless Horseman) who has lost her head, and come to Japan in search, posing as a biker. At the same time, Mikado Ryugamine is moving to Ikebokuro, after growing tired of his life in the countryside, and meets up with his internet buddy Masaomi Kida. Kida is quick to warn Mikado of the colour gangs that roam Ikebokuro, such as the Yellow Scarves and Blue Square, as well as the mysterious "DOLLARS", a gang claiming to be colourless. The two of them soon befriend a shy, withdrawn girl named Anri Sonohara. But as the plor develops, it becomes clear that none of these people are as simple as they seem.One of the strengths of this show is the characters. Near enough every major character, and even some of the minor ones, are quite lovable, vibrant characters. Celty is considered fearsome by many, though is one of the most likeable characters you'll ever come across. Shizuo Heiwajima is an insanely strong man who hates violence, but is filled to the brim with unstoppable rage. Izaya Orihara is a crafty information broker who has a fondness for deranged chess motifs and knives. Shinra Kishitani is a quirky underground surgeon who has a loveably promiscuous fascination with Celty, and even minor characters like a gang of otaku who practise torture based on anime and manga add a comedic referential streak to the series, so if you're a fan of Spice and Wolf, Railgun, Dokuro-chan or Kino's Journey, expect a few giggles.Whilst the show is initially good, it doesn't really pick up until around a third of the way in, when it begins to move into the fast-paced action that Baccano performed to wonderfully. For most of the middle third of the series, the show is absolutely on its peak, keeping you absolutely glued to your seat wondering what will happen next. It skillfully runs through plots of Celty's missing head, a mysterious slasher attacking people, the background of the wars between the colour gangs, a medical organisation performing human experimentation, and people controlling everything from behind the scenes...But as great as all of this sounds, in the third act, everything begins to fall apart. Whilst initially hard to notice, once the slasher arc is over, most of the other plot threads are abandoned, and everything winds up revolving around the gang war plot, which is considerably weaker than the others, and at it's worst devolves into soap opera drama. This would've at least stood up strongly if it had kept skillfully using the other storylines, but the plot of Celty's head is completely and utterly ignored as a result of this massive plot tumour. All of this builds up to an anticlimactic and lacklustre ending that gives very little closure whatsoever. The upcoming specials are set to wrap this up, but I really don't consider that a valid excuse. The only way this would be forgiveable is if there was a second season, and by the way that the specials were announced, this seems unlikely.Final Words: At it's best, absolutely fantastic. Shame it went to waste.Animation/Graphics: 8/10Story/Plot: 8/10Music/Background: 9/10Overall: 8/10For Fans Of: Baccano, Boogiepop Phantom.

dshanahan - 2013-07-07 20:01:27

Story9.5/10This is my second experience with Brains Base's work, the first one being Baccano. I really have to give it to them for making such a great story. Every episode was really clean and well thought out, and every character was explained very thoroughly. I'm very thankful that I didn't see any spoilers for this anime, because I could see how it would ruin the whole show, even if I saw a little image of Kida wearing a yellow scarf. The first couple episodes where they broke down most of the characters was a little boring and drawn out, but it was necessary for the character development. I never expected Kida and Mikado to be a gang leaders/creators at all, and I never even thought about Anri being Saika. The story behind how Kida is basically forced back into the Yellow Scarves was intense, the same goes for Mikado and the Dollars. I never suspected Anri being Sika either. It was truly epic.I was a little disappointed about Celty giving up on trying to find her head, but I think I got over that pretty quick.Spoiler:And another thing, as soon as I finished this anime, I went and checked MAL and ANN, and saw that they didn't mark this show as a Comedy. This really surprised me. I laughed so much watching this series I think my parents thought I was insane for a week xD. The comedic relief coming from Kida, Shizuo, and many others is just what every anime needs. I could probably watch this series multiple times and still laugh at the jokes that everyone made.I also have to note the random references in this anime. It was really great seeing Isaac and Miria again from Baccano, and I also saw Taiga from Toradora in there. If you want a list of all of the references, click here.The ending to this anime was golden. I felt really satisfied when Kida, Mikado, and Anri finally figured out each others secrets. It seems like Kida went away with his girlfriend Saki in the end, and Mikado and Anri are finally making some progress, but it doesn't matter that they all got split up, since they all are in a chatroom together now, and probably talking every day. We can only imagine what happened after the ending.Art9/10The art in this anime was ace. I love the more darker themed shows, it just suits my taste. The way that they animated Iekbukuro is very beautiful. Almost every scene is filled with something that looks great. The attention to detail is also one of this animes good points. There are some episodes you can tell they slacked off a bit though. I think thats all I can say about it, its just great xD. Check the spoiler for some images of the art.Sound9/10The music never failed to catch me while watching this show. They can always set a mood with the music they presented in this anime. Other than the music, the other sounds were decent.This show really does well with its music though.Character9/10The characters throughout this anime were in my opinion all likable. Every character is explained extremely well, and all have their differences. Like I said before, the jokes that some of the characters throw out are amazing. Kida has one of those special kind of personalities, and everyone has a friend thats like him, and you know it .Izaya, right from the very beginning, is very mysterious, and a little insane. Mikado is one of those shyer people, but very likable. Anri has a very special personality also. She is very shy at times and is overall really cute. Celity is also a nice and well thought out character. Finally, we have Shizuo. Who can hate him? He is probably the most strongest in Ikebukuro, and has a huge rivalry against Izaya.There are other characters, but they are not that important. They all hold up to my expectations anyhow.Enjoyment9.5/10My overall enjoyment of this amine is pretty fantastic. I really enjoyed seeing all of the characters develop and I loved how the story kept me watching until the very end. The thrills, comedy, drama, and the supernatural were all terrific. I am very pleased with this anime.Overall9/10Overall, I'm very satisfied with this anime. The story was brilliant, and very neat. I loved every bit of it. The animation of this anime is also incredibly polished and vivid. I enjoyed every single character in this anime, whether it be the mysterious Izaya, the crazy Shizuo, the funny Kida, or the shy but intelligent Mikado. The music really goes well with the anime and is very enjoyable. It really sets the mood in certain scenes. I couldn't of done anything else with my time that would of been better than watching this series.If you haven't already, I recommend you watch this show, and tell everyone how awesome it is. ConclusionStory = 9.5/10Animation = 9Sound = 9Character = 9Enjoyment = 9.5/10Overall = 9/10

sfritsch - 2013-07-07 02:00:50

I watched this anime because I read a lot of recommendations saying that this anime is "Death note alike". IT'S A TRAP!!!I mean, after Death note, Code Geass ... how can you even compare this SHIT with those masterpieces?Durarara has a lame and messy story. At the end it was just another gang fight story.Btw background music, superb! (Don't care about openings&endings)

luisa95 - 2013-06-28 17:58:08

Life in the city is chaotic and messy, and as someone who's lived in a small city for years and has lived in multiple big cities for months at a time, it's easy to feel lost in the sensation and in the beat of the crowd. Durarara is a show that echoes this idea, and in its massive cast of characters and its massive story pieces, it shows what the real life of the city is: Its people. Our story takes place in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district, and centers around some of its most interesting inhabitants. Durarara has a main cast so large that it would be counterproductive for me to try and describe all of them, so I'll take my time to go in depth on the 6 most important of the bunch:Firstly, we have Mikado Ryugamine, a shy and introverted transfer student to Raira academy. Mikado is the first character the show introduces you too, and we learn about a lot of Ikebukuro through his eyes. Mikado is a character who loves life, and who wants to live a life far different to that of other men. This leads to him getting stuck in a lot of drama starting in the Bukuro. He's a surprisingly interesting character, and while he doesn't end up developig as much as I would have liked, he is definitely a great character.Nextly, we have Masaomi Kida. The comic relief character, Kida is one of the most well developed and sympathetic characters in this whole show, taking a massive leading role in the second season. Kida is your typical high school student, a joker who likes hitting on girls. I'd say more, but I can't reveal any of the great character developments of the second season.Rounding out the high school club, we have Anri Sonohara. The vessel for the second season's most surprising twist, Sonohara has a tragic backstory that leaves her a much less emotional person than before. She is the typical highschool bookworm in season one, and provides a very good love interest for Mikado. First in the grownup characters, we have Shizuo Heiwajima. A man who literally cannot control his own strength, Shizuo is known as the strongest man in Ikebukuro. A really interesting static character, Shizuo's anger and his hatred for Izaya Orihara make for a great relationship and an incredible character.Speaking of rivalries, the persay "villain" of the show, the information broker Izaya Orihara, is honestly one of the more interesting characters in the show. A man who claims to love humans, Izaya is generally the starting point through which all conflicts flow. Izaya loves to see how humans react to various situations, and spends his time either collecting or giving out information. Finally, we have Celty Sturlson, AKA the headless rider. A mythical faerie from the land of ireland, Celty is attempting to find her head. She's a great character, and I love her a ton, but I just can't explain why I do. Watch the show and you'll find out why I love her so. Something highly positive I can say about Durarara that I can say about very few anime is that it takes the time to develop its characters. Using a unique art style that has only main, focal characters colored, Durarara's main characters all have interwoven backstories, and interwoven plots such that everyone has a relationship with just about anyone. With the first season being a large amount of character based episodes, just about every character gets their due. Each episode shows different aspects of a character and different aspects of a city as well. On the Art, Durarara is clean and well animated. Few of the animations were highly complex, but all the character designs were great, and I was very impressed with the reveal of the dollars. All the shadows becoming colored at once wasn't excessively complex, but it was enough to impress me. Brain Base is, as always, animating some damn good episodes. In terms of Music, the soundtrack was very good, although there were few standout tracks other than the Slasher's theme, which I don't know the name of. The track itself was incredibly creepy and strange, and I was very impressed by how much it seemed to explain the personality of the slasher. Props also go to the first opening's theme song Uragiri no Yuuyake, which is a great tune and helped hook me in on the show. So, the time comes for my biggest complaint with the series, and It really saddens me to say this. Durarara suffers heavily from Little brother syndrome, and Durarara is Brains Base's way of trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice and create another Baccano. And I'll be damned if I say that they haven't done an admirable job of it, but at its heart, it wants to be Baccano so very bad, and it just can't be damned to break from that mold. And that really disappointed me, because it had enough potential to be a masterpiece of a show, but by refusing to break from that mold, it just fizzled. So, in terms of reccomendations, I would reccomend watching this, but after you watch Baccano. Durarara is covered in references to the show, and to fully appreciate them, you need to see the show. Dub or Sub wise, I'd go with Sub. The actors are great either way, but the Japanese just fits better there, and I prefer Izaya's seiyyu to JYB's voice, weirdly enough.

stark.davon - 2013-06-26 00:04:04

I was unhappy with my old review of Durarara!!, and saw how unpopular my review was, so I decided to write another. Durarara!! in a word, is brilliant. Story wise, the show is very clever. It has a wonderfully executed story, told through the eyes of different characters from episode to episode. It is very complex, and very subtle hints early on hint at events that occur later on, though in such a way where most people wouldn't be able to guess what occurs. The show is very character driven, where each character, some not even being very important, progress the story forward while giving in depth characterization on each one of them. While this is occuring, one may notice how very detailed and interesting each of the characters are, each having their own secrets. They tell a story of love, of gangs, and of the supernatural. This makes it seem very similar to Baccano in idea, though this anime seems very different from Baccano, despite being made by the same people. That said, I've only seen one episode of Baccano, so I could be wrong. I watched this show on Adult Swim, and it seems to have a very nice dub, so no worries there. The music is very fitting, though if one were to listen to it as stand-alone music, one may find it annoying or uninteresting, but in show, it is very good. It has anywhere from a simple keyboard playing, to a nice jazzy sound, to a creepy collaboration of weird sound effects. The opening and ending themes are very hip and modern (in a good way). The openings are both very rock oriented, and the endings have sort of a rap/hip hop thing to them. The art is very stylish and very entertaining to look at, and it stands out among other anime. This show is very fun to watch, and very rewatchable, and I certainly recomend watching it.

lyda56 - 2013-05-19 04:07:55

Okay I can't say much about this anime so I'll be quick

Initial Feelings:

After watching the first to episodes it seemed slow to me and I almost dropped it (I quit animes quickly bad habit) but I am glad I didn't, because after it finishes explaining the characters and giving some background it gets into a amazing story.

Characters:

Each of the characters are good in there own way (Black Russian that sells sushi need I say more?) all the characters may seem to be separated but hey its a small world they all get connected somehow in a way I wish I could tell you but I can not because spoilers :(. 

Story:

Honestly one of the best stories I have seen in a anime to this day. While I cant exactly call it a action anime it does have action segments but while the action is good one should focus more on the story behind each character is excellent and satisfying. Another interesting thing is how the story is told from multiple view points of different characters giving you multiple ways to look at things and unique short stories for each character.

Sound:

I will be quick with this one season 2 had one of my favorite opening songs (Complication by Rookiez is Punk'd). Overall I found the opening songs and closing songs good though.

Overall:

I would pretty much recommend this to anyone who appreciates a good story. While it may not fit ones usuall tastes it has a very well written story for anyone looking for one. If you are looking for a new anime then give this one a watch the first couple episodes are slow but keep going with 24 episodes total its not a waste of time. 4/5

-HauntedW