Durarara!

Durarara is probably one of the most overrated shows this season. While it is certainly the best (And is by all means fantastic!), I find that while it may have an engrossing plot and a very interesting cast of characters, a few big things could have been done to make it perfect (Like Baccano!)!

The story follows Mikado Ryugamine, a teenager who recently moved to Ikebukuro after being invited by a friend of his named Masaomi Kida. He is then introduced to rumors of invisible gangs, and a mysterious "Black Rider" who rides a jet black motorcycle around the city. After actually getting a chance to see the rider with his own two eyes, we then see Mikado beginning to actually like his life in the city. Unfortunately, supernatural events occur, resulting in quite a few conflicts among the various gangs in Ikebukuro that lead to Mikado getting involved himself.

Durarara's story is engrossing, continuing to get more complex and chaotic as it goes on, a trait that is also in Baccano's plot. The benefit of this trait is that it usually leads to a satisfying conclusion, the flaw being that the plot can get very confusing at times. This is a bit of a problem, as while the beginning isn't as confusing as Baccano's introduction, the middle has some really confusing moments that will require some viewers to rewatch episodes, something that really wasn't a problem in Baccano! (As the plot got easier to understand with each passing episode.). The first half of Durarara! moves in a non-linear structure, each episode seemingly focusing on a specific character, sometimes giving a different perspective of past events, leading to more depth being giving to each of those events and characters. This style of storytelling is brilliant, but is sadly non-existent in the second half, as the structure in the final arc is very linear and straightforward.

This may not seem like a problem, as the story is still engrossing, and the last arc still gives startling developments that will keep you hooked to the series. Unfortunately, this leads to my second problem with Durarara!, in that some characters are given lots of complexity and development. The reason I say some, is that about 60% of the characters in the second opening are given a substantial amount of screen time or depth. The other 40% are simply not in the show enough(Some actually appearing briefly in one episode), are given very little depth, or appear in the show a lot, but we are still given little to no back story about them. A perfect example of the latter being Semyon, as while he does the role as the voice of reason and wisdom in the show, he is given no back story what-so-ever. Another example would also be the motorcycle cop Kinnosuke, a character who only appears twice in the show, both appearances not being significant enough to warrant an appearance in the opening in the first place! The only major flaw with Durarara! is that while it does know how to create interesting characters, deliver a captivating plot and execute a complex plot, it has no friggin' idea how to balance out all the characters! Unlike Baccano, which was able to give depth and equal screen time to more than 80% of its cast in its opening with only 16 episodes (OVAs included), it still doesn't develop as much characters than Baccano does, something that is inexcusable due to Durarar having 24 episodes, eight more than Baccano had!

Thankfully, the show does everything excellently, as it (As I said earlier.) delivers a story that is very engrossing and interesting, has much better artistry than Baccano had, and even delivers quite a few captivating characters; the best one being Shizuo Heiwajima due to his badassery, unrealistic strength and invincibility. (Even though he probably wouldn't be able to take down Ladd Russo from Baccano!)

Overall, Durarara is the best show of the Spring season. It clearly has its moments where its quality even over shines Baccano and will be a favorite among many fans out their, making it an experience that should be watched. Unfortunately, that does not mean its perfect. For something that has a clear advantage over Baccano, it isn't actually better than it, as huge character development flaws stop from achieving perfection, thus making it inferior to its predecessor. If Durarara had kept utilizing its non-linear structure of storytelling, than perfection may have been achieved. Unfortunately we are introduced to a still fantastic product that could have been much better if it stuck with its original structure. Thankfully, it's still a show worth watching by all means! WATCH IT!

Opening 1: Great! Love the music, also very energetic. Sorta pisses me off that the character names are in Japanese though... (STILL AWESOME THOUGH!)

Ending 1: While it's basically a slide show, the visuals still look nice, with a great song to accompany it.

Opening 2: AMAZING! PERFECT! Absolutely love the song! Definitely one of my favorite openings!

Ending 2: Nice song, but lacking visuals! Definitely not as good as the first ending!

Rating: Excellent

Durarara: Episode 24

Damn was this a nice conclusion! While it did leave a few plot holes open, I loved how it gave lots of closure to the relationships between characters and left open the possibility of a sequel (Even though I seriously doubt that there actually will be one). The episode opens with Anri, Kida, Celty and Mikado being surrounded by the Blue Square gang, their numbers being way to numerous for them to fight off. However, Korodato and a few members of the dollars disguised as the Blue Square gang stage an attack against the Blue Square gang at the last minute, saving the lives of Anri, Kida, Celty and Mikado. Horada tries to escape in the last minute, but is unsuccessful after being attacked by a vengeful Shizuo and finally being captured by Kinnosuke.

The scene was very well done, as it was very nice to see Horada finally get what he deserved. I was also a bit surprised that Mikado accepted the fact that Kida was the leader of Yellow Scarves and Anri was the wielder of Saika very quickly, as Kida, took a very long time to accept the identities of Anri and Mikado. It was nice to see Kinnosuke finally get some screen time, even if it did feel like they put him in at the last minute. It was also very odd that the police stopped being concerned over Celty, as headless scythe-wielding motorcycle rider is a pretty huge phenomenon. The best part of the scene was how Horada was completely losing his sanity as his situation got worse, making for a pretty hilarious scene as his car was sliced by Shizuo.

The next scene where Anri and Izaya confront each other was also well done, as we get to see a pretty well done, albeit short, action scene between the two. The reason Izaya has for declaring war on Anri was also very interesting, as I wasn't really expecting him to fight Saika over the loving humans. Come to think of it, Izaya talks about humans as if they were a species he isn't a part of. Does that mean that he isn't human himself? (Just a possibility...)

However, the best scene in this episode was when Semyon successfully punches Izaya in the face! It was about time that Izaya received payback for all the atrocities he committed in the past, as his invincibility was becoming a bit ridiculous. I also was surprised that Izaya new Russian, as he started conversing with Semyon in Russian.

The remaining part of the episode has all the main characters resolving their conflicts. Thankfully, while the ending may not resolve all the endings, it resolves most of the problems that each have. Overall, this was a great ending that may not have ended with a bang, but brings closure to the series.
Rating: Great

Durarara: Episode 23

Wow! What an excellent episode! While it does confirm my suspicion that Semyon, Shingen, Kasuka, the two Otakus, Tom, Saburo, and Kinnosuke won't be given any back story, it does make me very excited for the final episode. After getting fired by the yellow scarves and discovering that Horada knows who the leader of the dollars is, Kida then decides to leave his depressed state and take action, deciding to confront Horada in order to stop them from killing Mikado. He then confronts the gang, discovering that members of the Blue Square gang were actually inside the yellow scarves gang from the start. He then attempts to kill Horada, but ends up getting whacked in the head with a crowbar quite a few times by members of the gang, rendering him unable to achieve the task.

Damn was this plot thread well done, as we finally get to see Kida in action after seeing him get depressed for the last few episodes over... nothing. I was also surprised to see that Kida actually incapacitated quite a few gang members before becoming severely wounded himself. I also thought that his blood being splattered all over his face was a nice touch that added lots of intensity to the scene. Overall, this part was probably the highlight of the episode.

The part where Shizuo got shot by the yellow scarves gang last episode was not very suspenseful, as I knew that he probably would survive the attack. This episode confirmed my guess, as we see him walking inside Shinra's apartment as if the bullet wounds were not even painful. I mean, Shizuo survived getting hit by a truck, got smashed in the head with a baseball bat, was attacked by hundreds of people simultaneously, can lift vending machines and telephone poles with ease, and was actually stabbed once in the first arc. Does the author really expect us to believe that he can actually be killed by two bullet wounds that were fired in his leg and the very edge of his body? Those areas aren't even lethal! Well... blood loss could still kill him, but knowing Shizuo, he would probably shrug off the wounds as if they were nothing! These problems aside, it's at least nice that the creators didn't decide to kill him off due to blood loss.

Finally, Anri and Mikado then head to the warehouse in order to confront Kida after being misinformed that he ordered the attempted assasination of Shizuo. They arrive to discover Kida kneeling in front of Horada who is preparing to kill him via pistol. Next episode is going to have quite a tough job, as it's going to have to resolve the current conflict and must provide a resolution to many other plot threads that haven't been wrapped up. While I'm not expecting it resolve everything, it should at least tie up most of the loose ends.

Overall, this episode was fantastic, as it has built up enough suspense in order to have me begging for the next episode. Hopefully, the final episode will end with a bang.
Rating: Excellent