Durarara!! is an anime based on the light novel series written by Ryogo Narita (author of Baccano!) and begins with Ryuugamine Mikado to Ikebukuro to attend high school on an invitation from his best friend, Kida Masaomi. Kida, picks him up at the subway station and shows him around the district, warning him not to mess with the notorious Heiwajima Shizuo and Orihara Izaya, as well as Simon Brezhnev. The infamous D0LLARS gang is briefly introduced, setting the stage for the rest of the plot. The story revolves around the characters and their back stories with the main obstacles for the characters to overcome resulting from misunderstandings and complicated relationships.

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Analysis

Durarara!! is an anime with touching themes of friendship and loyalty and casts a wide range of characters, each with his or her own unique personality. Mikado, Kida, and Anri, a close trio of friends, all secretly lead their own gangs behind each others' backs. These groups move beyond their control and come into conflict with each other. As they try to help one another overcome difficulties, the three are actually hurting each other and causing more turmoil and chaos. However, despite belonging to conflicting groups, the three still remain close friends by understanding each other's true intentions and situations. Only through Mikado and Anri's loyalty and care (along with the strength of Celty and Shizuo) is Kida able to overcome the mutiny within his own gang, the Yellow Scarves.

Also, almost every character can represent a personality trait. Celty represents individuality. She is suppressed and cannot fully expose or express herself in public. However, she has a good nature and when some of the characters actually get to know her, she is appreciated for her unique qualities; as shown in the first D0LLARS gathering, she is able to come to the conclusion that she is fine the way she is and does not need to change herself to fit into society.

Shizuo and Izaya represent brute strength and genius intellect, respectively. They are both in eternal conflict and, although contrasting, are in a sort of harmony in that they share many personality traits (confidence, bravery, both are acquainted with Celty, etc.) While Shizuo unconsciously manipulates the population using physical strength to induce fear, Izaya consciously uses the population by playing with their emotions and minds like a puppeteer. Simon represents reason; he is the peace-maker in the fights between Shizuo and Izaya and is the one who guides Kida when he is troubled. The extremities of each character allow each to represent a certain element of a person and they all work together (like Izaya's game of chess) to create a person, with the characters forming a balanced society.

Criticism

Durarara!! unfolds at an extremely slow pace but tries to tie everything together with one last arc. As with all animes that are based on incomplete mangas/light novels, the plot feels rather unfinished and ends with an ambiguous 'life goes on' type of ending. However, this kind of ending suited Durarara!! rather well, probably because it was a quiet and slow-paced anime to begin with. Still, characters and arcs felt like they were thrown at you all in one go with little development. For example, Kida's relationship with Saki felt really sudden and Simon, although he got plenty of screentime, went through almost no character development and had very little depth. There were also a few unnecessary episodes in the series (like the Kaztono episode) that if changed, could have developed the central plot more.

Final Thoughts

Even though the plot wasn't extremely fantastic, the characters and themes are very loveable (and proved to be incredibly popular among the fandom). The art style is great as well as the animation, and the soundtracks for the series are nice and relaxing to listen to. Durarara!! is full of moments of angst and despair, as well as comedic relief that will make you love the characters even more.

Omake (Extras)

- Durarara!! contains many hidden references to numerous anime series, including Toradora!, Shakugan no Shana (Burning-eyed Shana), Jigoku Shoujo (Hell Girl), Okami to Kyoshinryo (Spice and Wolf), and Baccano! (with a very obvious visit from Isaac and Miria). See how many you can find!

- The background scenes of Ikebukuro in Durarara!! are extremely accurate to the real district; you could even visit the exact locations!

- The title Durarara!! is a reference to Celty, who is a Dullahan.

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Durarara!! OP Eng Sub :

Durarara Ending 1:

Durarara!! Opening 2:

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