A Bungou Stray Dogs (2nd season) Review - Rewritten and Revised
Spoiler-free if you have watched the first season, not so much if you haven't.
TL;DR: A lot more serious and darker than the first season. Absolute improvement from what the first season offered.
1st arc (13-16): Osamu Dazai and the Dark Era
2nd Arc (17-20): Guild Arc; Double Black
3rd Arc (21-24): Yin and Yang Arc
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For the people who never watched Bungou Stray Dogs:
... What’re you doing here? Go watch the first season.
If you were to ask me if I suggest watching Bungou Stray Dogs:
Would I tell you Bungou Stray Dogs 1st season was great? Absolutely not.
Would I tell you Bungou Stray Dogs 2nd season was great? Absolutely.
“The people I’ve met back then made who I am now”
Story:
The first arc is a prequel to the anime. It really shows you what happened in Dazai’s past, including the people that were involved in his past. What’s the best part about it though, it shows a darkness in which the first season is incomparable to. It’s a very large difference, but also an enjoyable one at that. There’s a lot more emotion put into this, and it’s not so focused on terribly dark humor in which the first season pulled often. I’m not saying there weren’t any serious moments in the first season, though. What has been shown to us is actually some very heavy stuff for this part of the “second season.” The story so far, in basic terms, is well brought out explanation to what happened to Dazai in the past and what he was involved in.
The second arc might just be the most serious arc of the series. It continues where the story of the first season left off, and boy how it manifested the darkness in which the first season was leading up to. There's a new sinister feel in the air, in which there seems to be a war between the three organizations: The Guild, Port Mafia, and the Armed Detective Agency. There will be many more thrills to arrive, making me eagerly wait for each new episode of the week.
The third arc.. Was a phenomenal arc. It shows you that there’s such a big difference between Atsushi Nakajima and Ryuunosuke Akutagawa, yet it is as if they’re the same person. The goals that they seek to achieve are relevant, but from a far standpoint, they seemed so different. It was very well done, and I am glad they focused on that heavily in this arc. A very well done arc to end the series.
Between the three arcs in this second season, despite me saying that the third arc was phenomenal, the first arc was the absolute best arc. Oda Sakunosuke was the most notable character in this second season, despite him having only four episodes of screentime in the entire series. What that man goes through in this arc could be seen to reflect who Dazai became.
Character:
The high point of the series. Each character that is introduced into this series have their own strong resolve. The same characters that appeared in the first season took onto the screen again, along with the new group of people called The Guild. I will mostly be speaking about four extremely notable characters, no particular order of their notability. However, there is one character I found to be the best.
1. Dazai Osamu. A well-developed character.
What was seen as a very forced-comedic character with his forced-comedic suicidal attempts, turned to be one of the most beloved characters in the overall series. When he runs outside the range of the forced comedy, Dazai takes a dive into adult maturity, and becomes a very serious character in this second season. A very strong man, who was forced to witness too many things that a person really should not. A Port-Mafia blooded character, and the most Port Mafia-blooded character. Despite that being so, he becomes the most resolved individuals to walk across the screen in this series, and takes the trophy of being able to impress me with the improvement he receives. His reasons to his development made me see him as a very well-written character.
2. Atsushi Nakajima. The main character. Yin of the duo.
What is it like being kicked out of the orphanage? What is it like to be outcasted? Atsushi eventually grew to have a very strong drive in saving people who are outcasted. He learns what it means to be outcasted, and it makes him such a wonderful character. It is especially shown in this second season what he mentally goes through whenever he tries to do well for others, and it is spectacular. His resolve is trying to do well for others, as a way to approve himself. Despite his hatred for Ryuunosuke, it is as if those two were the same person in terms of resolve. Speaking of which.
3. Ryuunosuke Akutagawa. Reflection of Atsushi. Yang of the duo.
A powerful young man with a strong resolve, to prove to people who he truly is. A man who seeks approval from a specific audience. The absolute reflection of Nakajima Atsushi in terms of how they wish to achieve their resolve. He constantly pesters Atsushi with what seemed to be a self-righteous complex. However, it comes time to time where his true character was revealed, and it makes him become more notable every time. He means well for himself, but in Atsushi’s eyes, it seemed not so. But, indeed, they were aiming for the same resolve.
4.Oda Sakunosuke. Reason to Dazai’s development. The best character.
“My throat hurt. I couldn’t breathe. I heard someone screaming. I realized, because my throat hurt so much, that I was the one who was screaming.”
Oda Sakunosuke is one of the biggest reasons I could say that this season takes a dark turn. Everything this man goes through was absolutely dreadful, and it makes me sympathize his character. It releases his resolve, and is done so well when the big fight with him occurred. He had a very strong relationship with Dazai Osamu, and everything that Dazai Osamu does was due to him meeting this man. I was able to emotionally invest myself into this character, despite him having to appear only for four episodes of the series.
Going back to the other characters, most of them you find out why they are doing what they do in the first season, especially for the Armed Detective Agency. The formidable groups they have to go against are Port Mafia and The Guild. They all show to have extremely powerful individuals who are intelligent, and very-well experienced in defending their group. How will the Armed Detective Agency deal with these people?
Animation:
Studio Bones decided for this second season that it was time to take a dive in their budget. The animation quality is such a beautiful improvement, it’s like watching a beautiful painting constantly being made in front of my eyes. You can SEE the improvement in their budget when it comes to their animation. A spectrum of vivid colors being brought together so beautifully. The OP and ED’s do not disappoint for this factor, either.
When a sinister air reeks onto the battlefield, the animation matches the intensity so well. The atmosphere, comparing the two seasons, it is like the second season came from an absolutely different studios. It invokes what this season was trying to display and it is magnificent.
The OP has a very excited pace, in which they display each one of the groups within the story. I personally loved looking at the opening.
The symbolism in the ED between the three characters: Atsushi, Ryuunosuke, and Osamu. It heavily displays the relationship between the three, and it is stunning. It shows the development that occurs over time in the series, as it heavily focuses on the color blue, Dazai’s straps, and blood. I thought it was stunning visuals.
Sound:
The sound, again, shows the improvement of studio Bones’ budget. The voice acting is so well done, it is as if you can’t tell if the actors ARE these characters. The most notable voice acting is Oda Sakunosuke. When everything takes place, the emotions being put into the voice acting by his seiyuu is exquisite, absolutely well-done. The voice acting for many of the characters changed so much in this second season. They come to take a very serious tone, especially Osamu and Atsushi.
The OP and ED were very catchy, and they fit very well to the atmosphere this second season has. The OP was done by the same people who made *Cough cough Musaigen no Phantom World cough* opening. However, they also did the Food Wars 2nd season opening, which I thought was fantastic.
Talking about the OST, it gave off such a mafia-like vibe, which is definitely manifested within the story, so the OST very-well matched the second season’s atmosphere.
Enjoyment:
I personally love having my heart twisted around, and this second season doesn’t hesitate at any cost in doing so. It is much more focused on the dark aspects than the first season, which had dry comedy about suicide, trying to be dark-humor based. The second season takes a very mature approach, which I found to be extremely enjoyable.
Overall: 8.5
Mature, dark, and spicy. Those are the three words I have for the second season. I’m very amazed at the difference between first and second season. It focuses on more of an emotional aspect, while also being very dark. The first season is very mission focused, but the second season strongly focuses on the development of the characters and story. I think it did a great job in being able to have me emotionally invested into the story. Was it enough for me to think this story was great? Absolutely. Hopefully, it can do so for you too.
Alternative Titles Japanese: 文豪ストレイドッグス Information Type: TV Episodes: 12 Status: Finished Airing Aired: Oct 6, 2016 to Dec 16, 2016 Premiered: Fall 2016 Broadcast: Fridays at 22:30 (JST) Producers: Lantis, Movic, KlockWorx, Bandai Namco Live Creative, Glovision, Lawson HMV Entertainment, Sony PCL, Kadokawa Studios: Bones Source: Manga Demographic: Seinen Duration: 23 min. per ep. Rating: R - 17+ (violence & profanity) Statistics Score: 8.181 (scored by 496,200 users) 1 indicates a . Ranked: #3982 2 based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #205 Members: 856,371 Favorites: 6,787 Available AtResources |
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