Anime 32867 Bungou Stray Dogs 2nd Season Reviews

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.

Bungou Sleigh Bells returns just in time for the holidays. And just like that, I’m already out of holiday puns.

To be honest, following Bambi Stray Dogs throughout the season was a surprisingly difficult task. Not just because of the weird and scattered narrative, but also because Crunchyroll changed its release schedule at least thirty-five times, just like the number of people Kyouka killed. So, my recollection of this series, which I only finished watching about twelve minutes ago, is rather hazy.

Looking back at the first cour from the spring, Stray Doggos was a decent time that seemed to have some sort of identity crisis. It ... had fun characters with crazy powers and an interesting concept with the main cast being a group of detectives rivaled against a mafia, but the story took some sharp turns in conflicting directions and was plagued by slapstick comedy about as appropriately-timed as someone’s ringtone of ACDC’s ‘Highway to Hell’ going off in the middle of their father-in-law’s funeral. Hey, I found it funny. Can’t say the same for the guy’s wife, though.

Now, the question everyone wants to know: Does the second season improve on the first in this regard?

Eh…

Like the first season, Stray Puppers makes a strong first impression. It kicks off with a prequel focused on Dazai and has a more dark and consistent tone despite Dazai being the silliest character of the series. Yet, even this gets tiring after a couple episodes.
For some reason, the arc stops focusing on Dazai, the fan-favorite of the series, and instead moves the spotlight to a guy who’s name I don’t know, because he wasn’t even in the first season. Who the hell’s this guy? Why should I care about him? He’s not particularly interesting beyond having one of the coolest powers of the series: a premonition-based power that activates when he’s about to die so that he can avoid it. The way Studio Bones visualizes it is entrancing. But the guy himself isn’t worth cheering for, because you know exactly how the arc is going to end. The point is that Dazai leaves the Port Mafia due to the events in this arc. A little clarification is nice to have for Dazai’s past, but did it need last a third of the cour?
Imagine watching this on a binge. You clear twelve episodes in a day or two. You’re finally invested in the people in the Armed Detective Agency and are excited about seeing the story evolve. Then, without warning, the anime cuts to new characters loosely related to the overall narrative and focuses on them instead, without looking back at the past season or even reassuring you that they’ll be back. I’d imagine it’d be a little strange.

Of course, after a few episodes the anime returns the spotlight to Sushi Guy, who got kicked out of thirty-five orphanages. The comedy doesn’t cut through everything as sharply and it introduces a new group of villains on top of the already-established Port Mafia, creating a three-sided war. It’s pretty interesting… but I could never connect much with the villains. Many of the people in this season just show up and leave after a couple episodes, and the shifting focus on Bucko’s myriad characters can make it hard to follow. It did for me, especially given that Pokemon Moon absorbed about a month of my life. Praise Mimikyu.

The more serious plotline leaves less room for characters to dick around all day, so there aren’t a lot of funny, memorable moments like there were with the first season, and no one really changes. With the first season, I thought Atsushi was a decent lead character who had a lot of room to develop, and I was interested in seeing that happen in the second. Nope. He still acts like a bitch all the time--in fact, his bitchiness seems to have increased somehow, because the slightest of mistakes will trigger the Naruto-level repetitive flashback of thirty-five people kicking him out of an orphanage. Yeah, that didn’t stop happening either. I’m not even sure why he’s the main character. Everyone else hypes up his tiger-transforming power as if it’s the most impressive thing in the world, but it’s actually not when he gets his ass kicked by literally everyone, just like how he got kicked out of an orphanage. And although he has the determined, ambitious attitude of a common anime lead, his reduced screentime makes it even more difficult to justify his placement in the series.
Kyouka, who killed thirty-five people, is a gem from the first season that also deserved some more polish. Eh… She develops a little more, which is nice, but I can’t say that anything about her is remarkable aside from her gorgeous character design, but frankly that can be said for basically everyone else. She’s the cute, quiet girl who’s trying to fit in. There’s nothing else to say about her, besides the fact that she got kicked out of thirty-five people, which makes the end of the season pretty hilarious. They try setting up a big emotional moment even though she was almost as useless as Sushiman.

The highlight of Bouncy is the fights, for sure. I wasn’t too interested in the powers from the first season beyond the incredible diversity, but this season introduces a new cast inspired by Western authors with matching abilities. My favorite was probably the last one, ‘The Great Fitzgerald’, which powers up the user depending on how much money they have and are willing to spend. Obviously there’s no real logic behind this or most other powers, but it’s still creative and a lot of fun, and that’s what counts.

Production’s about the same, not much that’s new to comment on. The art is as good as it was from the first season because based Bones, though I don’t know how often they used blank faces back then. For some reason, most scenes will just remove people’s faces entirely when they’re at a distance. I somewhat appreciate the artistic approach here, but it just looks strange.

Taku Iwasaki still remains a mixed bag to me, some of the backing music sounds hype as hell, and some of it sounds like he put a randomizer on some music studio on his computer. The opening song isn’t as good as GRANRODEO’s ‘Trash Candy’, which for me is one of my favorite’s this year, but SCREEN mode did a pretty nice job regardless. The accompanying animation wasn’t very memorable, but still appreciable because there are three different sequences, with the first two only showing up for a single episode. The ED sounds familiar because it’s by the same band who did the first season’s; it’s as good for me because its slow start makes for a great transition, and the moderate energy of the song makes it a good way to end an action-based show. Strong marks for this. Insert joke about Kyouka murdering people for consistency.

Overall, this second season of Gumball improved the show somewhat, but still opened up some new holes. It’s like sitting on a nice boat in the middle of a lake, but then you notice a hole, and now the boat’s sinking. You cover up the hole with your hands, but then another hole opens somewhere else, and it just keeps repeating. You can’t cover them all because you only have two hands and there are thirty-five holes. And the boat’s actually an orphanage.

Story - 5/10
Art - 7/10
Sound - 7/10
Characters - 5/10
Enjoyment - 5/10
People killed by Kyouka - 35/10
Overall - 5.0 (Score range: 4.0-6.0)
Recommendation level - Medium

After watching the first season of Bungou Stray Dogs, I have to admit that the author made a rather bold attempt at constructing such a show based on literal characters. At its core, the series has an extraordinary cast of characters. By that, I mean they are able to perform supernatural feats that defies the logic of nature. The second season can also be described as extraordinary in more ways than one.

One of the most unique dynamics about Bungou Stray Dogs is about its characters. There’s such a diverse and colorful cast. The main cast consists of the Armed Detective Agency with each character having ... their own unique traits. Most prominently, we learn a lot more about Osamu Dazai. If we take a closer look, it also reveals more about not only Dazai’s past but also the underworld system of where the series takes place. The truth is, there’s actually more than we don’t know from the surface. The first few episodes of the second season establishes Daizai as someone that seems to be easily influenced. His relationships with characters such as Sakaguchi Ango and and Sakunosuke Oda are told from his perspective which is more than enough for the viewers to understand him. At the same time, the show cleverly gives an insight about Oda and his own ideals. Despite being a new character, his moments are memorable through his relationship with Daizai and his nobility. That being said, viewers may take a little bit of time to get accustomed with the background storytelling. They are actually not based on the manga so my initial expectations at watching the first episodes of this season left me somewhat bewildered. But once you take in the story, it may give you a better insight about Daizai and who he really was.

The show does eventually re-enter the main story again. From this season, we also meet The Guild, an American organization led by Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. They are very influential and possesses a great amount of power and authority. As such, expect them to take over the show as the series’ main antagonists. Of course, Port Mafia still remains relevant with its core members such as Ryunnosuke Akutagawa. Somewhere in between, there’s also Kyouka. Remember her? She’s the girl that killed 35 people and became lost in the world of her purpose until Atsushi took her under the Armed Detective Agency. The problem now is that there are also others that wants her back, namely Port Mafia. Kyouka’s struggle with her own personal demons are further amplified this season and she finds it difficult to get close to others. In the meantime, we are also introduced to other new members of The Guild such as John Steinback and H.P. Lovecraft. It’s also no surprise that the characters of this series are based on their literature figures. A good example would be Margaret Mitchell, author of “Gone of the Wind” with an ability that is named as such. Back to what I mentioned before, Bungou Stray Dogs excels at its diverse range of characters. Whether you’re a fan of literature or not, the series is able to find ways to capitalize on each character. For their roles, personality, or abilities, many of them will likely remain memorable because of the show is able to push them as figures larger than life.

A main major story conflict that develops seems to be a triple threat conflict between the Armed Detective Agency, Port Mafia, and The Guild. Each one wants to remain the last group standing while their members make key moves to ensure their successes. If you remember from season 1, Akutagawa had some major issues with Atsushi while the latter seems to have developed a personal rivalry with him. As such, expect their rivalry to escalate more into this sequel. The Armed Detective Agency also realizes the threat of The Guild and as such takes steps to counter against their influences. Other rivalries throughout the show between the three factions are also explored including the very cleverly crafted Ranpo Edogawa/Edgar Allen Poe feud. When you realize that imaginations can blend between fiction and reality, that’s where the show really shines. Indeed, Bungou Stray Dogs is no stranger to exploring supernatural phenomenon whether they are abilities to cause malevolence, utility to help others, or means of influencing the world. The sequel brings out that to a very unique form with abilities such as the Black Cat in the Rue Mogue, Moby Dick, The Grapes of Wrath, among others. It’s what makes the show that damn special.

In terms of technicality, the sequel remains generally the same by retaining its strong visual dynamics. Characters expressions are what draws the viewers’ attention the most especially with Kyouka’s inner struggles and Atsushi’s determination to prove himself to others. Akutagawa’s personality becomes darker as attempts to fulfill his own goals. Character designs revolving around The Guild also gives them the impression of authority and aristocracy such as Margaret and Francis. In addition, we get memorable battles that takes the characters’ abilities to their limits all thanks to Bones’ talented staff and cast. The voice acting has always been impressive from this show that defines characters’ personalities. It retains that level of credibility in season 2 and definitely not something to forget about. Oh and do I need to remind you of that stellar soundtrack? Don’t forget your headphones!

When it comes to sequels, fans are often expecting something that hopefully excels the first season. Bungou Stray Dogs’ first few episodes may feel more like a prologue rather than expansion but the way it crafts its story structure ultimately works well in the end. As a show with a lot of creativity, there’s a lot to take in at times. The storytelling and the characters all serves a meaningful purpose in one way or another. Now, do be aware that the manga is still ongoing as this is an incomplete adaptation. Yet somehow, it still manages to pull off a hard-boiled supernatural thriller with literature figures and a story that meets expectations.

Let me begin by saying I wish I could rate this show a 12/10 in all categories except Art that can stay at 10.

This show was the anime of the year for me, and that's coming from a huge dragonball fanboy and huge Food wars fan.

What this show did so well, particularly in the 2nd season, was taking the time to highlight and make full use out of its large cast of characters. Amazing story and great battle sequences aside, the show in its 2nd season did a much better job with explaining plot concepts and the characters all improved ... with the introduction of Dazai's story and the Guild. Some (myself included) would be reasonably annoyed with the beginning of this season as it decided to tell Dazai's past instead of keeping with the current events of the present story line (especially considering the suspense that 1st season left off with). This ended up being a small issue as, the backstory was awesome, and the main story that resumed was improved because of it. From the point the show resumed the present plotline it just got better with each episode, from 3-way conflict giving way to an unlikely partnership to a final fight worthy of the show's 2 season long buildup finishing with a peace tainted by the juicy plot-hook of yet another more menacing foe, this is how i like my anime, 12/10 would recommend to anyone.

(This is a spoiler-free review adapted for this site)

[Synopsis]: With the conflict between the Armed Detective Agency and the Port Mafia already raging on, the appearance of The Guild further endangers the balance of the city. The stage has been set for a three-way gifted war between the organizations and by the end, only one will be left standing. Atsushi (Uemura Yuto), Dazai (Miyano Mamoru), and the rest of the Armed Detective Agency confront their strongest foes yet as the city wavers on the brink of destruction.

[Characters]:

Perhaps the most marked difference between the first and second season of Bungou Stray Dogs is the second ... seasons’ first 4 episodes which feature a stand-alone, prequel arc centering around Dazai’s past and the founding of the Armed Detective Agency. It offers a far more serious tone than the season that proceeds it and the characters and subject matter are similarly adjusted to fit this alternative kind of story. Gone are the dopey gags and whimsical suicide jokes and in their place is a mystery thriller full of organized crime, action, and subterfuge. It’s a promising start to the new season and it does away with many of the aspects of the first installment that most significantly hampered its success.

Due to the shift in tone, the cast of the prequel arc behaves fundamentally different from that of the first season. The characters have actual depth to them. Dazai isn’t bogged down by his cripplingly stupid suicide gag – he’s menacing and intellectual. Oda Sakunosuke, a newcomer, is wonderfully compelling and offers a genuinely engaging personality, skill set, and moral awareness that really embodies what makes the first 4 episodes of the show so interesting. For the first time you get a sense of purpose from these characters that isn’t derived from asinine comedy or Atsushi being hung up on the same orphanage flashback for over a season. In this regard, Bungou Stray Dogs pulled off the impossible and actually made me enjoy watching its characters.

So what then when the story shifts back to its previous setting and cast of familiar characters. Does it relax into its old ways and forget its recent progress? Luckily this isn’t the case but its not a complete turn-around either. The tone lightens up a good deal after the prequel arc concludes however in its wake remains a sense of gravity and seriousness that continues to influence the show for the better. The tonally disrupting humor makes a return but appears far less frequently than before, almost disappearing entirely during the show’s later episodes.

The cast remains much the same as they were before. Atsushi is still Atsushi and the rest of the Armed Detective Agency and the Port Mafia go about their business just as they did before. The majority of the characters remain fairly one-dimensional and the things that motivate them are pretty underwhelming but there are a handful of interesting additions to this season. While the convention of slapping the names of renowned authors on to various characters and giving them superpowers had about as little depth as it did before, Lovecraft and his style of horror beyond comprehension was fairly well conceived. The cast features a small number of improvements in this regard but as a whole remains almost insultingly simplistic and leaves a lot to be desired.

[Art/Animation]:

In respect to Bungou Stray Dogs’ visuals, not much has changed and the second season maintains the fluid and consistent style of the first series. There are a number of new flashy abilities to look at and the fight sequences are well animated and generally entertaining to watch when they don’t boil down to play-by-play ability exposition. Bungou Stray Dogs is a good looking show and if it could stand by its solid animation, great environments, and vibrant colors alone, it would be a relatively strong show.

[Story]:

As highlighted earlier, the beginning of the new season begins with a flashback arc consisting of 4 episodes that immediately surpassed all of the proceeding content. The more serious tone and far more measured approach to the show’s poor sense of comedy does it a lot of favors. It doesn’t escape moments like Dazai screaming his head off about a mobile game while his men recover the bodies of 3 of his underlings but this initial arc presents a significant step forward for the show none the less. It plays out as more of an organized crime mystery than the superpower action show that makes up the rest of Bungou Stray Dogs. It’s got a good character story at its core centering around Dazai, Oda Sakunosuke, and Sakaguchi Ango and features some compelling plot developments and action scenes.

The rest of the show that follows is far more in the vein of the previous series though as I’ve said it thankfully takes a slightly more serious approach this time around. While the offbeat comedy doesn’t get in the story’s way in the same way it once did, there are still a handful of narrative issues afoot that keep the second season of Bungou Stray Dogs from creating anything as compelling as its introductory arc. The season as a whole revolves around the three-way conflict between the Armed Detective Agency, the Port Mafia, and The Guild however what they are actually fighting over and what drives their conflict is a bit obscure. To some degree, its the city itself but the Armed Detective Agency is mostly out to save people, the Port Mafia is out to… do bad stuff and The Guild wants to capture Atsushi the weretiger… or find a book… or some such thing.

Though their reasons for fighting each other are a little flaky, what’s perhaps even more disconcerting is the way their bouts actually pan out most of the time. Despite boasting truly powerful and terrifying abilities and spending most of their dialogue threatening opposing faction members, none of the characters seem to have much of an interest in killing anyone. Sometimes two opposing factions clash and they fight to the death but in other instances, they simply nod and see each other on their way. It’s supposed to speak to this high-minded elegance behind the scenes but when each faction-head claims they want to win and don’t seem to be taking the most straightforward steps to doing so, it somewhat compromises the seriousness of their conflict.

Though it presents these weaknesses, between the prequel arc, the shift in tone, and the more interesting subject matter, the second season of the show is markedly more entertaining than the first. It tends to repeat itself for the sake of oversimplification, the characters are pretty one-dimensional but its got good production standards, plenty of fight scenes, and somewhat inciting character interactions to keep things fresh.

[Sound]:

The soundtrack sees a return of the previous themes that made up the bulk of the show’s music with a few new additions. For whatever reason, the music stood out to me more this season than it did during the first and I can say it supported each scene reasonably well.

[Final Thoughts and Rating]:

This second season of Bungou Stray Dogs was more entertaining than I would have expected it to be going in after such a forgettable first season. The conclusion of the show was fairly tight but the mentalities of all of the characters involved left me kind of baffled as to why any of them would act the way they did. This season was a significant step in the right direction but not to the degree that it became anything ‘great’.

Rating: 5

I gave the second season of Bungou Stray Dogs a 5 because, while it still suffers from uninteresting characters and a handful of narrative complications, the more sincere tone allows for the show to take itself more seriously and thus adds at least some legitimacy to its conflict and cast. The prequel arc was engaging and the action scenes that crop up throughout the rest of the show were entertaining. Bungou Stray Dogs isn’t a show with a lot going on behind the eyes. Its predictability renders it rather uneventful on some occasions but its action scenes and animation at least provide something stimulating to tide things over.

[Recommendations]:

If you already enjoyed the first series and are looking into checking out this sequel season, then I’m sure it will meet and surpass your expectations. If you enjoyed it for its comedy, it’s still present. If you liked its action scenes or supernatural abilities – there are more of them than ever. If, like me, you didn’t care for the first season, I’d give the first 4 episodes a shot and see if it catches your interest any.

The will of each and every human always seems to beg and scream for different things despite all of us being a part of the same species. Our walks of life, our experiences, and our day to day lives mold the very fabric of our being, eventually leading us to divergent paths that give us different drives towards the common goal of giving us self-validation and a reason to continue onward. And so, we continue the stories of the people in Yokohama, where a war between three factions, three ways of life, and three times the number of personal stories and journeys are ... written.

Story: Bungou Stray dogs 2 continues the story that we were left with in the first season with a slight plot twist in the beginning by giving us a backstory about one of the more predominant characters in the series, Dazai. It does this for roughly half of the series before going back to the main plot in the present day with the brewing three-way war between the three factions presented in the series: The Armed Detective Agency, the Port Mafia, and The Guild.

While the plot's two halves put the audience in a difficult spot due to the very sudden shift in tone at the beginning due to it not being a direct continuity from the first season, then doing the same dramatic shift to get back to the main plot of the series, there is very little to actually complain about the overall content of what we get. Aside from maybe a few pacing issues, the series does a very good job at guiding the audience through its plotline and ensures that what we're presented with ultimately comes together in the end.

More importantly, the plot of Stray Dogs gives us the story of its characters alongside the main plot of trying to win the three faction war. Many new characters that we're presented with as members of the Guild and in the initial backstory are given a healthy amount of screentime, importance, and motives that give them the illusion of being more fleshed out than thinking back, they actually were.

So with the culmination of an overarching story as well as a heaping amount of character growth, what does that actually say for the series's quality? In truth, I really can't find many faults with the way that the series played out. Sure a couple of the characters were a bit shallow simply because they were only important for maybe one half of an episode (looking at you, Poe), the Guild's goal was haphazardly placed because it was just a tiny line shoved into the end of the second to last episode to make sure the third faction's reason for fighting was known to the audience, and maybe Dazai is a bit of a Deus-Ex-Machina since everything he says and does goes and does is done a bit too perfectly, but when compared to how well the series built up its characters, summing it all up into a clash of ideals almost to the level of some of anime's greatest one on one fights, all of those flaws are pretty much inconsequential.

Overview:
+ Wonderful character building
+ Well-made mix of plot with characters
- Some jarring shifts in pacing (with some rushing near the end)

Characters: If there's anything that Bungou Stray Dogs does extremely well, it's characters. Due to the series focusing on the three faction war, a lot of the "non-important" characters have been shoved off to the side, or have very minimalistic roles to make room for new ones and/or characters that are more important to this arc.

From the Armed Detective Agency, the most prominent members in this arc are Atsushi (obviously), Dazai (again, obviously), and Kyouka. Dazai of course, gets the most attention in this series due to the fact that he's not only a part of the first half of this season with his very own flashback, but because he fulfills his pivotal role in the series as being the end all be all character that virtually every important character from the ADA and Port Mafia is influenced by. Atsushi and Kyouka get their time in the spotlight in the latter half as the largest players from the ADA. Aside from just being main characters, the series gives a lot of attention to their characters and never wastes a second they're given to gradually move them closer to their end goals as people. They have wants and needs, regrets and worries, and really speak the ideal of wanting to make something of yourself.

The Port Mafia group has probably the least amount of characters actually important to the overall plotline despite their immense involvement in the three part war. Their cast comes predominantly with the involvment of Akutagawa and Oda, a friend of Dazai, as the main contributors to the series with a few others here and there (like Kouyou, voiced by the lovely Ami Koshimizu) and the Port Mafia's leader, Mori. As far as roles go, Oda provides the majority of the story for the first half and gives us insight as to what was happening in the Port Mafia before the time of the series while Akutagawa provides us with the antithesis to Atsushi, supporting the series with his presence to the climax that we see near the end of the series. While small in number, the Port Mafia characters provide a very strong presence to the series and helps provide a well thought out version of the "Different path, same goal" -style antagonist group.

And finally, we have the Guild, arguably the least important important group (despite being the new threat) with the most amount of characters introduced. Due to the fact that the Guild is something new to the series, all of the Guild's character, subordinates, leader, and all, are given time in the spotlight and take up a large majority of the character moments in the first part of the second half as almost each member tells their story and why they ended up as a member of a Gifted organization, thus giving the illusion of fleshed out characters due to how many one-off stories that we're introduced with. The only problem is the fact that these characters are pretty much one and done, as this entire arc is pretty much their only turn to shine. As mentioned before, the Guild's ultimate goal isn't revealed until the end of the series, so combined with the somewhat sloppy writing for their members, those involved with the Guild aren't really as memorable as the other characters mentioned above. Which is a shame, because all of their gifted powers are based off of American novels, and some of them are arguably pretty cool and imaginative as far as powers go.

So, what of the other characters that didn't get their time in the spotlight? Well, they're still there. The rest of the ADA still have their moment to shine, other members of the Port Mafia still have a role, but due to the show's shift towards focusing solely on specific characters and the new threat, there just isn't enough room to squeeze everyone in. Bit of a shame, but they only had twelve episodes.

Overview:
+ Great character development for those in the Port Mafia and ADA
+ Some interesting new additions (Kouyou was great. Shut up, I have a favorite Seiyuu, ok?)
+/- Miscellaneous characters are still there, but not as important
- Guild characters suffered from being only seemingly important

Art: Bones comes back in full force with the same slightly muted color palette and crisp artstyle that they used in the original Bungou Stray Dogs. Honestly, there really isn't much to say about the art because it's the same quality as the studio produced when they were doing the first season. The action's fluid, the effects are well made, and they still make the characters look choppy or nonchalant whenever something funny's happening (which I still find quite amusing.)

The one thing though that I personally wasn't happy with was the fact that there were never faces on the people who were facing the camera from a distance. Anyone who was standing far away was always faceless, and personally, I found that very strange and wondered why they couldn't just draw eyes or animate something resembling a face on those individuals. I don't remember if they did it in the first season or not, but it was just something that irked me personally.

Overview:
+ Consistent, well-made quality
+ Fluid action
- The lack of faces in distance shots irked me

Sound: As far as the OST goes, the overall soundtrack for the second season leans towards electronic rock with heavy emphasis on drums, keyboard, electric guitar. Both its opening "Reason Living" and ending "Kaze ga Fuku Machi" represent this style of music and are all equally enjoyable tracks, even if the multiple endings do sound somewhat similar. (I honestly can't remember what the other ending songs sound like.)

Personal Enjoyment: I like Bungou Stray Dogs. Despite its flaws in its usage with the Guild and a couple pacing issues, Stray Dogs is an excellent example of everything that I like in an anime. It's got comedy, it's got an overarching plot with character development melded into its plotline, good enough pacing, and Ami Koshimizu. (Yes, I love her work that much.) But I think what really stuck to me most was with the note that the series ended on, and just what the characters that we've been following for roughly twenty two episodes have culminated into in the series's climax. It was a brawl that I loved watching and is the kind of emotional and physical fight that when done right, is exhilarating and memorable.

Did I like this series?

Yes.

What didn't I like about this series?

As far as personal gripes go, I'm honestly a bit irritated by how much of a Deus-Ex-Machina character that Dazai is. True he has slipped up in the past, but a lot of his actions have gone so perfectly that I'm a bit "eh" on the way things go cause everything that he comes up with goes along well enough that there's little reason to worry about how things will go, no matter how drastic it may be. (Plus, his ability's pretty OP. Nullification too stronk.)

Would I recommend this series?

If you watched Bungou 1 and liked it, well, you should've already watched this. If you already watched season 1 and were still left wanting more, then what're you doing sitting around? Watch it! As for the Stray Dogs series as a whole, anyone who wants a good shonen story without many of the pitfalls that Shonen anime fall into, then I would suggest giving the Stray Dogs series a shot. It's got a lot of merit to it, as no one side in the series is completely free from fault, and it shows us that everyone has their own reason to continue forward and live.

First of all i been a fan of Bungo stray dogs since the first season and as such i was looking forward to this season when it was announced.

Lets get started

The story of Bungo stray dogs revolves around people with special abilities that are referred to as gifted within the story. The story itself takes place in a fictional representation of the city of Yokohama. As with the first season of the anime the gifted within the city are divided into different factions with this season introducing the American gifted organisation the Guild in addition to the Armed Detective agency and the Port ... Mafia that was introduced in the first season.

The main character of the series is Atsuchi who until discovery of his powers back in the first season was a rather unlucky person that was treated harshly by nearly everyone that he had met. An orphan that was abandoned by his parents for his perceived curse he was taken in by an orphanage that was just as harsh.

Until he was found by the armed detective agency Atsuchi was rather weak and cowardly and had rather low self esteem. However this changed after joining the agency and he become more confident and determined and found something that he had been lacking all along which was friendship and a place that he can belong to.

In season 2 Atsushi has matured somewhat from his season 1 self and has become a far more confident person and has far more control of his abilities than before. He has developed a sort of mentor relationship between himself and the character of Kyouka. One trait of his that manifested in this season that i admire about the most was his selflessness in that he will do his utmost to protect people even for people that he had just met. Perhaps his most prominent trait that i also find amazing is his determination as he will try his hardest to achieve a task no matter the odds that are stacked against him.

As with all gifted's on the anime Atsushi also has a power of his own with his being able to turn into a white tiger or morph one of his limbs into the tiger equivalent. In this Atsuchi's strength is increased substantially and he also gains the ability to regenerate his limbs.

Kyouka voiced by veteran seiyuu Sumire Morohoshi is a character that was introduced in the first season as a member of the Port Mafia as a assassin of sorts. After an encounter with Atsushi who managed to convince her not to throw her life away Kyouka decided to leave the port Mafia and was taken in by the agency with Atsuchi mentoring her. Despite leaving the Port Mafia Kyouka still has doubts whether she can an effective member of the agency as her ability Demon snow which summons a sword wielding phantom can only be used to kill people and only listens to orders from a mobile phone that she has and not her own will. Indeed the first reaction that Kyouka does when feeling a threat is to kill which makes it hard for Atsushi and the others to help her. Kyouka's struggles form one of the story arcs for the anime and was an interesting one as i found it allowed her to develop her own personality and discover the direction that her life should be going on her own rather than being dictated by her gifts and her bosses. The relationship between Kyouka and Atsuchi was also pretty cute and both had very similar upbringings and backstories which is why they get along so well.

Dazai is a member of the Armed detective agency and was the one that discovered Atsushi and recruited him into it. Although Dazai may appear to be carefree and only interested in flirting and suicide this is but a facade as behind this is a keen and calculating mind that is often able to see several steps ahead. Most often than not the strategies that the agency uses was formulated by him.

Season 2 didn't wrought as much changes to Dazai as it did to Atsuchi but did expand on Dazai's backstory that proved to be a really interesting story arc of its own. Unlike the first season Dazai in the second season is more of a support character but never less does provide guidance and support for Atsushi and co when they need it. Dazai's power is called No longer Human and is the ability to cancel out another gifted's ability. Because of this it acts as a sort of trump card within the story but thankfully its never overused. Despite being relegated to a support role Dazai is still as dependable and reliable as ever and his advice and strategies are always on point.

Akutagawa is a member of the Port Mafia and serves as one of their main enforcers. When Dazai was still in the Port Mafia Akutagawa served as one of his subordinates and he respected Dazai a great deal. Despite that Dazai never once acknowledged his strength and as a result he has a rather interesting relationship with Dazai. Within the story Akutagawa serves as a sort of nemesis for Atsushi although in season 2 he has a much smaller role due to the guild being the main enemies. Despite that Akutagawa serves as the polar opposite to Atsushi not just in terms of ability but also in terms of reasons to fight. Despite that watching these two fight again and again really lets you see that they are in fact quite similar and that if they are able to put aside their differences to fight for a common cause they will be able to beat just about anyone.

Chuya is a member of the Port Mafia and was Dazai's former partner. Despite being an executive of the Port Mafia Chuya still resents Dazai for leaving both him and the organisation that they both serve and joining the armed detective agency. This resentment takes the forms of many things usually with Chuya being angry with Dazai to which i find most humorous. Dazai usually takes these in stride by by commenting on Chuya's height and appearance which he dislikes immensely which causes no small amount of hilarity. Chuya's gift is called the For the tainted Sorrow which allows him to manipulate a gravity vector and the strength of objects within it.
One thing about Chuya's ability is that when he goes all out he loses control of himself and can only be stopped by others. This can lead to a rather embarrassing situation if that person just leaves lol.

Mori is the leader of the Port Mafia and while only given a guest role in the first season was given a much larger role in this season. Despite looking like a doctor to which he was one Mori is every bit the strategist that the agencies leader is and perhaps even more so. Mori is very adapt at using guile and trickery as well as his intelligence to make events go his way. Mori despite being the leader of an organisation like the Port Mafia treats everyone whether allies or not with respect and does not look like a crime lord at all. Despite this Mori understands that sometimes alliances are necessary and that debts must be repaid once owed.

Sakunosuke Oda known as Odasaku to his friends was a member of the Port Mafia and one of Dazai's oldest friends. When Dazai was still in the port Mafia Odasaku was one of his best friends. Despite being of different ranks within the port mafia this made no difference to them and they still shared drinks with each other. Despite being a member of the Port Mafia Odasaku wasn't a horrible person and in fact took care of a number of orphans that he had found over the years. His prominent trait was that despite being armed he until the tragic events near of his arc did not even use it once as part of his duties.

Odasaku's storyline was one of the story arcs that was featured in this season and arguably it was one of the saddest stories i have ever seen. His fight with the villain of that arc who had the same ability of his which was predicting the future several seconds ahead was extremely well done and executed and his voice actor Junichi Suwabe of Gate and Fate stay night fame really did a great job portraying him.

Francis Scott key Fitzgerald that i call Francis is the leader of the American gifted organisation the Guild otherwise known as the fellowship of the guild. Intelligent, quick thinking, charismatic and confident Francis serves as the main villain of the second season. Despite appearing arrogant Francis does not let hubris get in the way of his goals and pursues his objectives tenaciously with the help of his large number of subordinates. Additionally he is also a rather quick thinker able to adapt and pre empt his opponents moves quite easily while at the same time allowing them to fall into his traps. Francis's power is called the Great Gatsby which allows him to increase his strength in proportion to the amount of money that he uses. Nothing like using up 100,000 dollars to gain the equivalent in terms of strength increase lol.

Francis i felt was a great villain as he was both calculating and smart while at the same time powerful in combat meaning that to beat him the main cast had to outsmart him which is not easy and at the same time outfight him which is ditto. This difficulty was what ultimately caused one of the most unlikeliest alliances to be formed.


Lucy voiced by veteran seiyuu singer Kana Hanazawa and my 3rd favorite seiyuu is a member of the guild and was actually first introduced back in the first season where she was one of the first guild members to reveal themselves when she attacked Atsuchi and Mori. Due to being defeated by Atsushi Lucy was demoted in status and in season 2 was more of a maid than anything. Lucy's gift is called Anne of Abyssal Red which allows her to create a alternate reality called Anne's room in which resides a giant doll called Anne the monster that imprisons people it manages to catch.

Lucy was very similar to Atsuchi in that both were orphan's that were abused by the people that took them in and both suffered trauma from that. The difference here is that while Atsushi recovered from it somewhat Lucy never did and rather developed a rather psychotic personality. Like Atsuchi she developed a dependence on the organisation that took her in and accepted her for what she was and thus giving her some pride and status in her eyes.

As as result you can see that Lucy and Atsushi has a rather interesting relationship that is more like a love hate kind of thing. Despite that its this kind of shared trauma that allowed one of the most intense escapes on the show to take place. Lucy i felt i was a great character and seeing her change when confronted by Atsushi was interesting. Kana Hanazawa as always gave a flawless performance here portraying her.

John Steinback that i call Grapeman due to his gift is a operative of the guild and is Lovecrafts partner. Unlike most characters on the show John joined the guild to provide money for his family which seems to be a large one. A farm boy from a farming family John is usually carefree and relaxed outside of battle but once in battle he can be cruel and merciless to the point of being a psycho. Johns gift is called Grapes of wrath that allow him to sprout grape vines that can be used to graft to other plants and allow him to take control of them using them as eyes for him to extend his range.

Lovecraft is a member of the guild and arguably one of the most bizarre characters i ever came across in any anime. A rather deadpan person Lovecraft tends to get distracted by the simple of things which can be really funny if he's looking for the main characters. His gift though or rather ability is to morph into a large tentacle monster that he calls the great old one that can only be destroyed from the inside. Despite this Lovecraft is a very capable combatant and is able to fight even Dazai on a even footing and strangely enough even Dazai is unable to cancel out Lovecraft's ability with his own.

The remaining members of the Armed detective agency who served as the main characters in the first season was largely given the backseat role this season due to the focus being on the guild and Atsuchi however they still get some memorable fights in this season with examples being Dappo and Junichiro's fight with Lovecraft and John and Ranpo and Akiko's little excursion into a alternate book world. The same can be said of the Port Mafia as well.

Kouyou Ozaki voiced by veteran seiyuu Ami Koshimizu is a port member executive and one of Mori's closest advisers and seem to have a rather close relationship with him. Kouyou served as Kyouka's master during her time in the Port Mafia and actually does care about her well being. Her gift is called Golden demon which summons a spirit wielding a sword that is controlled by her will alone similar but different to Kyouka. Kouyou isn't a true villain as she does care about Kyouka and only wants her to stay in the Port Mafia to watch over her and guide her even though it doesn't give Kyouka any choice.

One member of the Port Mafia that deserves mention is Kyusaku Yumeno known as Q who while still a teenager has a rather powerful gift which he calls Dogra Magra that allows him to control someone by injuring someone with his doll. Despite being carefree and relaxed Q has quite a psychotic personality and as such was imprisoned by the Port Mafia.

Music
The music for Bungo stray dogs i felt was really good as the scene music was appropriate for the scenes that featured them and both the opening and ending themes were excellent and really gets you psyched up for the episode.


Animation

Animation for Bungo stray dogs was pretty well done and especially the fight scenes which was well designed and animated. Animation was also pretty clear and clean as was the colors.

Voice acting

Voice acting as ever was excellent with Yuto Uemura who voiced Atsushi and Sumire Morohoshi who voiced Kyouka deserving particular praise. Junichi Suwabe and Kana Hanazawa who voiced Odasaku and Lucy respectively as mentioned were two of my favorite characters on the show and these two seiyuu's did a fantastic job portraying their characters.

Overall

Season 2 of Bungo stray dogs i felt was a massive step up from the first season that it had a much better overall story, a larger cast of characters and some really impressive fight scenes that was animated beautifully. The stakes of the story also felt much higher than before due to the guild's tactics.

Overall this was a great season that improved upon everything that season 1 created and built upon it.

And so...the story continues.....

Actually not quite since the first half of the second season of Bungou Stray Dogs is a prequel involving Dazai in his time in the Port Mafia. But nonetheless even the first half is quite intriguing as we didn't know much about Dazai's Port Mafia days. The second half?...is the "conclusion" to the war against the Agency and the Port Mafia but it quickly changes as another powerful organization called the Guild comes and wrecks havoc to both organizations, thus more literary superhumans!!!.

Ok, let's start quite obviously with the first half, Dazai's Port Mafia days, really in brings into focus at to ... WHY Dazai left Port Mafia in the first place by going into an overly detailed backstory with some of Dazai's friends among the Port Mafia, the ones being Sakunosuke Oda voiced by Junichi Sawabe and Ango Sakaguchi voiced by Jun Fukuyama. Really, the basis of even having a PREQUEL in your second season at the start would at first is ok, again getting to know Dazai's mysterious past in Port Mafia, but where this prequel felt like it had a bit of a fault would go to how long this backstory for Dazai is, ohhh LA gets why this backstory is somewhat essential to Dazai's relationship to the Port Mafia as well as giving crucial character development to Dazai's insists to dodge this backstory and still lingers even after he left and becomes a somewhat plotline in the second half, but it just felt like it went one episode too long, but it's LA nitpicking at best for this.

The second half really reigns in all the organizations (Agency, Guild and Port Mafia) embroiled into a civil war where Kyouka, Ryuunosuke Akutagawa, Atsushi and the newer character in the forefront Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald voiced by Takahiro Sakurai all mixed into this. Atsushi does goes through some forced regression/confused morals in character development about him wanting to be "useful" which is compounded by Kyouka's involvement to the Guild making it all the more straining to Atsushi. Akutagawa more or less still has his goal from the first season and again at it out for Atsushi and the newest villain Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald are a catalyst to all this happening. The second half does dedicate episodes to the previous members of the Agency and the Port Mafia (like Ranpo and his newest rival Edgar Allan Poe, Chuuya Nakahara though he's an outlier by having character development in both "arcs" due to him being a former friend of Dazai in the Port Mafia in which they take on John Steinbeck and Lovecraft (no seriously)).

Really if anything goes by with character development we wanted more from both "arcs", we get a plethora of them from all sides (Agency and the Port Mafia mainly, The Guild at best Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald gets the major focus of it, the rest are "powers = personality" due to the vast amount of characters the Guild even has, it made sense to focus on the major villain of this season).

In terms of animation, where once again done by Studio Bones, well it's essentially the same aesthetics it had from the shounen-esque character designs but having those chibi animation during comedic moments, again LA think LA covered this in LA's first season review, Bungou Stray Dogs 2 has same flavour it had in the first season, just ramp up the amount of CRAZY battles especially during the final 2 episodes. Really not much to say about the second season's animation, it's as consistent as it's first season.

As for voice acting, well due to the second season having to get Atsushi along with Sakunosuke Oda goes through some vocal range in this second season, LA could be spouting LOTS of voice actors to did great in their literary superhuman roles but LA will say at least three at got LA's attention, bringing in a favourite from these three are hard enough so, *ahem*, Yuto Uemura as Atsushi, Sumire Morohoshi as Kyouka and going wild card here but Shunsuke Takeuchi as the creepy Lovecraft.

The ending did a slight bait switch during the climax of the anime and the "final battle" although was brilliantly animated and pumped full of adrenaline, the bait and switch it pulled, it kinda went to "happy ending" for the majority of the cast it went to and let's not forgot the "NEW VILLAIN" it added in goading to have another season on this, which seemed it also "ruined" the happy ending as it just another day at the office for the Agency. The ending really did kinda puzzled LA. Did they "want a happy ending" or "ruin it by shoving in a new villain and obviously hinting at a third season, thus WON'T be a happy ending anyways"...having a third season wouldn't be bad, but again "puzzled" is all LA can say about the finale of the second season. Ohhh and the ending also added in the "according to plan" remarks that lead it down to the ending it went to that although clever, could have been a bit more subtle about it.

Bungou Stray Dogs second season as both a prequel and a continuation of the first season has it's strengths in it's vast vast VAST amount of characters as well as bringing in the focus to it's main characters of Atsushi, Dazai and Akutagawa, but also it's weaknesses in bringing in a new organization filled with even more characters to that. By all means LA felt that the second season did better than it's previous season in terms of character and plot focus reigning in character involvement to a greater and bigger picture, but it also almost discards first season characters along with some of it's newer characters, sure some episodes were dedicated to the supporting and newer villains but with it's focus squarely on the bigger picture especially during the second half (The first half is rather an exception as it develops Dazai as a character as well as Sakunosuke and Ango and is has a cohesive narrative concerning these characters, the second half just has SOO many characters under differing factions and betrayals and indecisiveness, it's hard to keep up) and if the final scenes of that the ending is to go by, it's hinting at a third season, LA felt like the second season should have kept it's "happy ending" and end it on a high, instead of goading this anime for more. Nonetheless, if you wanted more from Bungou Stray Dogs, after Bungou Stray Dogs' first season just started to get good, then quite easily watch it, especially if you want to know more about Dazai, as for the second half, well besides developing Atsushi and Akutagawa...it'll vary on how you look at it. For LA, it's second season has it's strengths and weaknesses from it's characters in general, but LA will say merely because of Dazai's backstory, it did better than it's first season at the very best.

It's been a long time since S1 aired back in 2016 and for one reason or another, I never felt compelled to pick up S2 until recently. I enjoyed S1 initially but it was still a fairly mediocre anime in my eyes. For context, let me lay down some of the problems I had with season 1 from what I can remember. I've only seen S1 once and that was watching it weekly while it was airing so forgive me if I miss anything.

- Characters are introduced well but are given little screen time after that even if they seem important
- Villains are given little ... to no development
- Animation is decent at best, boring at worst, final fight of S1 being an exception
- Comedy straight up ruins most scenes and is unfunny
- Tone nosedives frequently from dark to funny
- Characters are one note (not necessarily a negative, expected for a show's S1)

So with these criticisms in mind I hoped that S2 would fix these issues. The reception to this season was extremely positive so I was excited to see what was going to happen. So, I dived in and watched the first four episodes which were an immediate step-up. The dark mafia tone was handled extremely well. The characters new characters were enjoyable to watch. The comedy was placed in fitting scenes and actually funny most of the time. It was shaping up to be a really good season. I was pumped to get back into the present to see the Guild in action and to witness a potential three-way-war.

Then I watched the rest of the show. Somehow, Bungo Stray Dogs S2 not only manages to be worse than season 1, but it's problems are even more egregious than before.

First of all, the way this show handles it's characters is honestly idiotic. I want to chock this down to a poor adaptation, but I'm not familiar with the source material so I don't know. The members of the Guild are visually really well designed and they were hyped up to be some awesome antagonists. They are a lot more interesting than Port Mafia and their powers were a lot cooler as well. So, the war begins and we see two new Guild members surface. One of them being Margaret Mitchell, a character I was really excited to see. She's the most distinct character on the poster and her dub performance is done with a southern accent so it's different from most anime villains. She's also hot, not gonna lie. So, for the first fight we see against the Guild, the two members get destroyed by Aktugatwa, just because he's angry. What a stupid way to introduce a new villain group. It's writing 101. If you want villains to be threatening, don't have them be beaten so easily right when they're introduced. It's idiotic. Especially since it's by one of the show's most annoying characters. So, for the rest of the season, the Guild never once feels like a threat and Port Mafia takes the role of dominant villain because we're supposed to think they're cool. Because a generic modern day mafia is somehow cooler than a group of people dressed in 1800s costumes that are named after famous authors that you'll actually recognize who have superpowers named after some of their books. The main villain suffers immensely because of this. He has such an interesting and unique power, and they make little use of it in this show. The final battle fails because of this. It happens out of nowhere, it's way too short and it doesn't feel like a climax in the slightest.

This character problem extends into the protagonists as well. Despite this being a 'war' the only Agency characters that do anything of note are Dazai and Atsushi. Everyone else either does barely anything or gets treated like Ranpo and gets half an episode dedicated to a mystery that was way better than anything that came before it this season. Why is every character handled so incompetently? It's not that hard to write a compelling and entertaining battle story. This was definitely a rushed adaptation, it's the only way this amount of mistakes actually makes sense. This show has so much potential to be amazing but it was squandered. It's got three seasons for god sake, it doesn't really have an excuse.

So, Bungo Stray Dogs S2. A show that somehow most people love despite being one of the most obviously flawed things ever made. It's unfortunate that a cool idea like this show got wasted with one of the most underwhelming anime adaptations ever made. I haven't even read the source material and I'm still made. This is a show I really wanted to like but everything it does from the characters, the fights and especially the poorly handled comedy just ruin the experience for me. If S3 is better than feel free to let me know, because I really want this show to be good.

Just so I end on a positive I'll quickly list some of the stuff I liked:

- Character designs are fantastic, definitely the best part of the show
- Powers are fun and creative
- Episodes 1-4 are really great
- Soundtrack
- Fights are better animated this season
- Margaret Mitchell ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Story 8/10
Just wow, Jumping into season 2 I was feeling bit unexcited only because i found some of season 1 very boring and lackluster but season 2 really picked things up and made me happy that I did not drop it.

The story jumps into a prequel era about Dazai and the port mafia with a new protagonist known as Odasaku, an old good friend of Dazai.

Odasaku's story is emotional and intense and the anime does well to express every action.

However, what stops this from being an 9 or 10, is that it returns back to the original timeline, and I was really sick of ... seeing Atsushi and the gang only because they are the most generic boring characters in the show. The plot became much more generic and mainstream that it didn't reflect well on that amazing prequel arc i just watched. Finishing the season i was Disappointed and would've loved if they continued with the dark and gritty stuff with the port mafia.

Art 10/10
I love the art, it's one of the best things in the anime.

Sound 10/10
It's good

Characters 8/10
The characters oh my gosh, I love everyone in the prequel arc.
The current timeline guys are pretty boring and are the anchor of this show.

Enjoyment 8/10
I'm half and half on it but the prequel arc really saved it for me.

Overall 8/10
Overall I really enjoyed this season and was a great improvement over season 1, but the story for Atsushi needs to be much better.

So far this is the 1st anime to end for this winter season of 2016 (I think) and now a new season begins on 2017. What we have here isn't much of a new season but a combination of a prequel, referring to Dazai's past , up to a continuation of the fist season, where a 3rd party comes in, called the "Guild." So in all aspects , this is how I rated it:

Storywise, is was very good when we were introduce to Dazai's past as to how he came to be, it was even better when a new party comes crashing in between the ... Agency and the Port Mafia. You could say that the genre did played the way it was suppose to be so kudos to anime writer Yōji Enokido, so , it's a very good 8, here.

Artwise: pretty decent, don't expect any zettai ryoki around here, nor any panty flash from Akiko Yosano, Kyōka Izumi, Kirako Haruno, Naomi Tanizaki, Kouyou Ozaki, Louisa May Alcott and Margaret Mitchell, But fashionwise, the cooler ones are Dazai, Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, Chūya Nakahara and Doppo Kunikida. The dorky ones were, Ranpo Edogawa who kinda looks like a awful mix of Sherlock and a Scottsman, Akiko Yosano, could have been the sexy femme fatal , but wasn't exploited, too bad she could have been the eye candy here, the same goes with Kouyou Ozaki and Margaret Mitchell , they, also, if illustrated as sexy risque eye candy would have added some spice to this anime's art. Aktugawa's fashion on the other hand, has that poor combination of goth and Dracula outlook, and I really don't get the long thing behind Nakajima's pant's , I mean , is that a very long belt or some string that needs snipping? So it's a decent 4 for this category.

Sound, though, I have no comment as who did the character's voice, I simply attribute a very good 8 for the opening theme, "REASON LIVING" by Screen. It definitely matches the anime itself.

Character, it was as mediocre as number 4, since they're the same character from the 1st season, also, the characters themselves, were the usual people with special abilities who were either trying to be heroes or just running amuck, Also, I kinda hate it that creator Kafka Asagiri, has to named them after famous literally authors, where it kinda desecrate them in big way, since they don't look like people who would resort to such violence in real life.....I think.

Enjoyment, it was a god 7 but.....not very good , since it left us with another villain in the name of Fyodor Dostoyevsky, so in this anime it may be a clean open ending, it really wasn't, that clean, since only two Guild member who met his demise, and the rest were just allowed to go free as it nothing happens, so in this anime's overall it was fair enough to be a 6 and that' as far as it gets.

Happy Holidays to everyone.

Boy oh boy, it's that time of the year where anime seasons end left and right and it's time to write up some reviews.

Bungou Stray Dogs 2 picks up right where season 1 left us after a weird final episode that was half filler and half plot. I was actually really hyped for this season, having read the manga and knowing what was to come. Did it live up to my hype?

Yes. No. Kinda. Hear me out on this.

Warning: Slight spoilers for season 1 but I am assuming you finished it if you think about watching this season anyway.

Story:

With the way the season is structured ... I would like to say that despite the description of the season, Bungou Stray Dogs 2 is not completely a sequel to Bungou Stray Dogs season 1. It is part a prequel and a sequel, with the first four episodes being about Dazai and his friend Osadaku four years prior to the series while everything after that takes place after season 1.

I make that distinction because story wise those two parts are very different beasts.

Being based on the second light novel, the first four episodes show Dazai when he was still in the mafia. He and Odasaku try to find their mutual friend Ango who went missing. It’s part mystery, part thriller, part action and it’s every bit intriguing.

The story of that short arc is told really well, with every episode filled with twist that felt so tight that I had to take a nap each time I finished one. I learnt later that the Odasaku arc is a fan favourite and it shows with how beautifully it’s translated into animation.

The downside of that arc is though that since it takes up four episodes, the rest of the series has to suffer for it. Right after the mini-arc ends the story picks up where season 1 left off: the Guild is right at the Agency’s doorstep and a three way war on it’s way.

It’s a fantastic setting worthy of cool fights and character development but it falls short. A lot of things happen in this arc, from characters being introduced to dynamics of some of the established characters changing but with the little time they had it felt very rushed which not only made the plot and characters feel a lot less substantial but also created a few plot holes that the viewer had to guess to fill out.

It doesn’t help that it sometimes feels the director threw pacing out of the window in favour of pretty stylistic shots. I will go into it later but they leave a lot of blank space where the characters don’t really do anything. It messed up the pacing a lot, making you pause instead feeling natural to the progression of the story.

All in all, the mini arc in the beginning is great but is sadly pulled down by the actual plot of the season. Which isn’t terrible by any means just… not that great. 7/10

Art:

Okay, the for what the story lacks it makes up in artistry and I really mean that. The character models are fantastic, the shots of Yokohama gorgerous and the animation as top notch as season 1. Colours and style are used to emphasize characters and their actions to beautiful effect. It’s an overall solid looking anime which is a feast to the eye.

Except for those artistic shots I mentioned. Don’t get me wrong, they are gorgerous and pretty to look at but their placement just feels… off. You can see it best in the opening and ending where right after strong and beautiful shots the animation just… stops and turns slow. Where there could be movement or progression like the music implies we instead have static images with subtle movement. It’s not exciting or engaging it’s just there to be pretty and be there.

And that’s a problem that occurs a lot outside of the Odasaku arc. It makes the animation, while pretty, lack impact and feel anti-climatic. I can’t say if it’s due to the directing or art design but it’s not good and definitely a minus. 8/10

Sound:

Try as I might, I can’t find any flaws with the soundtrack. It’s great music used to great effect in the series. The opening and ending especially are gorgerous and I listen to them all the time.

Again, that is only for the Odasaku arc though. The rest of the season, while still great, misses a lot of the beats, pun not intended, that the mini arc had. The blend in of the ending at the end of episodes stands out especially, feeling a bit off at times, as if it set in just a bit too early. The set in of the opening also feels a bit off sometimes as well as if the producers didn’t quite know where to place it themselves.

It’s not a game breaker and the usage of the rest of the soundtrack is still good but it does earn a bit of a minues. 8/10

Characters:

Oh boy, again I have to draw a clear line between the Odasaku arc and the rest of the series.

Because of it’s focus on two characters, four if you count Ango and the villain, each character is given enough attention to know who they are, what their motivation and what their role in the story is. Each of their actions has an impact and all of them get their ending, whether we like how their ending is or not.

We might not know a lot of those characters besides Dazai and hell we don’t even know that much about Dazai either now that I think about it, but we know enough. Enough to care about them and worry about their dreams and aspirations.

The main series on the other hand gets the short end of the stick. A lot of characters are introduced and each of them have interesting abilities and personalities on their own but the anime just doesn’t have the time to introduce them properly. Yes, they do get introductions but they are very rushed and don’t quite have the impact they deserve.

Even the established characters don’t get away because even they get shafted to the side to instead rush the story along. Things that should have huge impacts on the motivations and relationships of characters leave a lot of things out or clumsily execute them to the point that it feels like none of it matters. It’s a real shame because even in the moments when it’s supposed to be their time to shine, the characters need to take a backseat to the pacing which means that less time is spent on them as characters and more on their fighting which is over in minutes.

It really hurts me to do this because I love these characters but I can’t really overlook the rushed nature of it all. 5/10

Enjoyment:

It might not sound that way with the way I gripe on this series, but I do truly enjoy it. I enjoy watching characters based on authors duke it out out with their superpowers. I enjoy watching the characters struggle against their morals and adversaries. I really enjoy all these various characters with various powers coming together and see what would happen.

Despite all the pacing and character development issues it has, I truly enjoy this series because I enjoy the characters. 7/10

Overall:

7/10
I really love Bungou Stray Dogs. It’s a fascinating concept and this series does well to build on what season 1 created. It has flaws, many, many flaws, but it’s still really good. The Odasaku arc almost makes up for the pacing issues in the rest of the series but only almost. If you can stomach bad pacing but great characters that sadly don’t get the attention they deserve but with great animation and visuals, then this is definitely worth a watch.

Self pity, the anime.

A show where every single cast member seems to have a tragic history that lead them down the spiral of extreme self pity until they ran into some mentor figure and learned to pity themselves in secret.


Animation / Art / General Visuals - 8/10
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I would say it's a small upgrade over Season 1. All in all very enjoyable.

...
Sound / Music / Voice Acting - 8/10
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Quality remains high from Season 1. No complaints.


Story - 8/10
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Season 2 of this anime took a very different turn for the first few episodes, where we were graced with one of the better flash-back mini-arcs in recent history. Dark, gloomy, tragic. I would say it was the high point of the season.

Rest of the episodes fell into a more standard Shounen rhythm featuring a 3-way battle between the major ability user organizations.

All in all, the season was an upgrade over the first. Less world building and slice of life, and more involved action. Though the story as a whole is still not particularly noteworthy.


Characters - 7/10
---------------------

The cast remains fairly high quality, though at this point I'm starting to get somewhat ticked off by the extreme number of people who all have confidence issues and can't stop pitying themselves.

I'm convinced the author must have had a tragic childhood and only recovered thanks to a mentor figure and after reading a hundred self-help e-books. Because there's no other way to explain the excessive number of characters who follow the same trope.

Terrible childhood, no purpose in life, think they're useless as shit, some mentor figure shows up, gives them life altering advice, leading them down some kind of a path of purpose. And that purpose apparently only exists temporarily, because none of them actually internalize any of it, and are simply hanging on those mentor's words for dear life as the only thing that sustains them.

It's a terribly tiresome trope. If I see the MC break down and cry a river while imagining all the people in his past telling him how useless he is, one more time, I'm gonna snap. And it's not just the MC, the villains are the same, the supporting cast are the same. It's very weird.

For people with superpowers that are a 100% possible to fully control with effort, they sure as hell whine about them a lot while putting in zero effort to actually deal with it.

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Total - 8/10

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Season 2 is an improvement overall, and the show remains an enjoyable shounen. But I do hope they drop confidence struggles. It's getting ridiculous.

"Extremely Beautiful, Shockingly Versatile and Diverse!"


Warning: This review contains typographical and grammatical errors waiting to be criticized. Do not proceed if bothered. Anyways, this is purely my opinion about the show. I let my review speak for itself.

Bungou Stray Dogs centers a story about a poor, unemployed, orphan named Nakajima Atsushi who was recklessly kicked out of the orphanage. Mid the series of unfortunate events, he met an eccentric man named Dazai Osamu who is a suicidal maniac and is a current partner of a hot-tempered, organized, idealist, Kunikida Doppo. One second, Atsushi was very thankful of how thoughtful the two are for saving him ... on a brink of death and starvation but after learning that they are from the Armed Detective Agency, an elite known for solving impossible cases beyond military police can handle and helping citizens of Yokohama from danger, and are in the works to find a man-eating tiger, his expression drastically changed. Caught by his suspiscious act, he is forced to help Dazai and Kunikida capture the creature who's wrecking havoc in the city. From then on, several occasions changed his life forever involving him and the tiger.

•Tone/Mood:
And now that we are done with the synopsis, let us break down its tone and mood. Bungou Stray Dogs is one of a kind series that does not settle down to a numbered genres. If you already watched it, you might have noticed that it switches from different tones and variations. I do admit I admire it's shapeshifting. It may be shocking but I really found it <on point> and helpful. From a humurous communication styles to a serious, fatal & lethal negotiations, to even the characters' decisions based on the given situations and cases, the series takes you to a roller coaster ride without feeling nauseous but rather exciting, thrilling and unquestionably fascinating. Many animes may have had attempted to input several genres in a series but only a few succeeded in maintaining its spot and uniqueness. Surprisingly, Bungou Stray Dogs survived this dilemma. It can be confusing from another's point of view but it just simply wants to create a huge quality leaving the viewers hanging and wanting for more. It seeks alliance from various shades of flavor to generate a beautiful, decent, yet simple style. The tones are well balanced and if you pay attention to the series or manga, it isn't selfish for explanations. It is certainly its beauty that allows it to mix sorts of elements. If it weren't for it's limitless boundary, it would only be your typical clichéd mystery-tragedy anime that's forgettable in many aspect and worst case scenario, leaves you a boring impression. Its strategic goal of being diverse and versatile eventually became its assets to make it to the top shelf.

•Some tones in the series/manga:
『Entertaining, Mysterious, Serious, Humurous, Sympathetic, Secretive, Ambivalent, Scared, Hopeful, Excited, Sad, Pessimistic, Optimistic, Determined, Sentimental, Egotistical, Philosophical, Thoughtful, Informative, Comical, Nostalgic, Chaos, Impassioned』

•Script/Plot/Arc
Indeed when it comes to exchange of words and arrangement of dialogues, the script is very well-written. Inheriting quotes and works of art characterized by the real-life authors are a very smart move of the mangaka. It isn't really distinctive using counterparts from the real world but it is a very artistic way pulling a series made up of literary motivated acts. For instance, the battle between Armed Detective Agency and Port Mafia involves heavily, dramatic, bloodbath, action, scene stirred by delicate, powerful, confrontational, self-reinforcing and logical lines of the characters. The humurous tag involved in the series isn't that hilarious but gives you a good laugh and rather a relief sigh that the characters can be dangerous but at the same time embarrassingly awkward. It balances well with the other elements considering its main genres.

The arcs are undeniably challenging and offer incentives such as "the one who stays at the end will find the story very intriguing and enthralling". Another example is The Guild Arc and Dazai's past (Both from Season 2), now we are alt+tab in a more serious environment. We see the comical mood fades into view as we are now more exposed of the darker side of the story. More and more villains are introduced and we see ourselves having trust issues. But still the series never really loses its foundation—Diversity/Versatility. The emotions surrounding the different arcs are forsooth saturated and we are given a clear detail of the characters' principles and what and who they are or want to be.

While some argues that it has no actual plot, but the constant fighting for justice and saving people lead us to crave for more (and it is still ongoing for both anime and manga). Moreover, the characters are believable and realistic when socializing, narrating and battling. I wouldn't mind telling you that the manga is doing better and better so I hope for more of Armed Detective Agency, Port Mafia and other known and unknown organizations in the future.

On the other hand, the series by far did not disappoint when it comes to visualizing the characters' past and little backgrounds gathering the conclusion that its script opens opportunities for both the characters and the story plot to improve and grow better than its current state. Kudos for a very good written script!

•Sounds & Cinematography:
Before moving onto the characters, let's first take a look at its cinematography. Some series are totally saved by the animations or cameraworks. And Bungou Stray Dogs is not an exemption. Its cinematography is quite the philisophy of art. It uses various colors that implement different definitions. For example, brown and white are dominant when the mood is pretty stable and used in a normal conversation featuring Armed Detective Agency members. Red and black refers to Port Mafia's activities, positions, and abilities while Yellow and Green represents the power and theme of The Guild organization.

The OP from Seasons 1 and 2 have an excellent remarks to display. Every angle has different transitions that suits the mood of the video. The color matches the characters and the setting. It has accurate speed for actions, enough spoiler, good exposure time for the involved characters that make the viewers drop their jaws. It uses faded, darker filters and heavy amount of vignette expressing its action-mystery genre. The lightings and backgrounds prove its instagrammable status and shout aesthetics. The use of color neon green wallpapered the actions intelligently and highlights the important details that need attention. The sound is used esthetically organized by drums and electric guitars & such, (and of course Chuuya's voice yas!), Granrodeo and SCREEN Mode fearlessly gave it a wonderful performance. Trash Candy and Reason Living are your energetic and pretty catchy soundtracks you wouldn't miss whilst watching Bungou Stray Dogs.

However the ending songs, compared to the opening songs, sit down to one filter for a feed. If you observe them, it focuses on blue and white colors maintaining the balance between peace and acceptance combined with dramatic lyrics of Luck Life's "Namae wo Yobuyo" and "Kaze ga Fuku Machi". The message brought by the songs are heavily filled with emotions and drives, and thus, obviously, can put you to tears. (IT IS SO TOUCHING THAT I PERSONALLY PUT IT IN MY PLAYLIST and play it everyday when I come to school). In other words, the ending songs are really, really heartwarming as the singers and the band delivered it beautifully.

To sum up its sounds and cinematography, Bungou Stray Dogs states a perfect presentation, status, and position.

Characters:
Out of all the areas I'm assessing, Bungou Stray Dogs' characters are its triumph card. From being <Gifted> and having an incredible ability to bringing life to the famous authors and their works, Asagiri has executed his characters very well. Their visuals and arts are highly clean and decent from the costumes they wear and the weapons they use. Despite introducing numerous characters from different arcs, I personally believe that everyone of them had made enough screen time and allowed the viewers and readers to adore and determine who they are. Though some of them has longer amount of exposure, it borrows us distance to recall the newest and recent characters. For example, taking the time of your life indulging the Anne of Abyssal Red ability, Rashomon, Beast Beneath the Moonlight, No Longer Human, Thou Shalt Not Die, Undefeated by the Rain, or Ultra Deduction, you'll find yourself being enchanted by other amazing abilities such as Perfect Crime, Dangai, The Great Old Ones, or Crime and Punishment.

•Protagonist:
The MC is kind, sentimental and genuinely cares for others because of his traumatic past that promotes us the benefit-of-the-doubt to hold on to his story longer as he proves himself he isn't just "good-for-nothing" to the readers and viewers. His repeated torture scenes and deja vus from his past is forgivable considering teenagers are frequently fragile. Believe it or not, it's kind of impressing because Atsushi represents millenials' moodswings and treacherous decisions. I really, really like the way Asagiri describes Atsushi. He deserves to be a protagonist despite the fact that Dazai had one of the best screen time and story. I believe this is because of his relatable past and personality.

•Supporting Characters and Antagonist/s:
From my perspective, the villains as well as the side characters acted their roles the way the story wants them to and I did not feel any annoying overpowered (which is sometimes exhausting) aura among them. Each has their own SWOT Analysis— Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, which is really marvelous and wonderful. In the case of Dazai's ability, it is proven in both manga and anime that he is the most powerful among ability users but is weak in comes of physical combat and other aspect. On account of that he only temporarily nullifies ability when he touches the target. (Still, I love Dazai!)

I hereby announce that Bungou Stray Dogs is proven... GUILTY for being ambitious and versatile, collaborating such concepts that are admirable and therefore successfully creating a well-desired product that will secure its sustained competitive advantage.

SO STAN LEGENDS, STAN BUNGOU STRAY DOGS!

Well, why I liked Bungou Stray Dogs Second Season so much? Because they adapted few of my favourite writers in a way that left me speechless.
I'm an hardcore reader (especially books) and when it comes to literature... well, everything is just fine for me. But! There is always a but. ,
Let's start from the bottom. The story: we are left where the first season ended and that's quite normal for an ordinary season like Bungou Stray Dogs (BSD from now on). All the characters return on screen and they are not changed. If you are reading this review and you have not seen the ... first season, well, why are you reading it, then?
Returning to the point: the story goes just fine. The ending is a bit wow! But not too much. In fact, i'll say that the story of BSD is the only "weak spot" that the anime has.
But, even in its weak spot, BSD can surprise us: the beginning of the season is a little diamond. I loved it. (Especially because i found some references to my real life, as a reader.)
But it's, however, an ordinary story in the anime world.
Climbing the ladder, there is the art: quite enjoyable. I liked it. Smooth, sometimes darker, sometimes lighter.
Sound: songs, background themes, sounds, voices were just fine. Nice job in adapting the manga. Nice job, really.
Here we come at the juicy part: Characters! All the characters in BSD are based on real writers of the XIX and XX century. Japanese and non, the characters are imaginary created on the real authors that at their time founded literary movements and new thinking stream (such as HP Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Fitzgerald, Dazai, Izumi Kyouka etc...). The author created, also, powers for each, based on their work (No Longer Human - Dazai, for example is a classic Japanese). That's, for me, a paradise, a valhalla. I managed to discover so many authors, poet and writers that I...
Back to the ground, folks. I loved the characters because they are not the classic "oh another normal character". They are created with a reason in mind: entertain. Even secondary ones.
But for the non-hardcore readers like me, BSD can be, in my opinion, a bit boring. As the story reveals its secret, one can easily predict the future of the season. For me it's a plain 10, for personal reason, but for another would be a modest rating.
Enjoyment: well, i think that I explained myself enough in the previous point. I say only that i enjoyed watching BSD.

Overall: BSD II is not just the ordinary sequel for another ordinary work. If you could search a bit deeper, you could find that BSD hide something bigger: a memory. Memory of those who created the modern literature. And if you don't want to search (because you have the right to say "no, I want to watch BSD and not giving a brick about anything") you would, however, enjoy a nicely done work.

While watching the first few episodes its a whole lot of background information which seems slightly boring at first but once you get to the end of it you understand more about the Dazai's past and a closer understanding of how he got there and the people who helped him be who he is and truly admire his character. The rest of the season continues where they left off from season 1 the was exceptionally thrilling the action and the battles you get a rush of adrenaline. The plot line was a emotional mess cause it sad, happy, exciting, nerve-wrecking and hilarious throughout the season ... and you can't stop watching it. My personal highlight was the character development, the characters through their faults and weaknesses they grow strong. Be the good guys or the bad guys they keep fighting for something they love which is admirable. Overall every aspect of the story was fantastic.

How is this season scored higher than season 1?? This is my first time writing a review for a anime that finished more than a week ago and its because I'm so confused. I think season 1 was a solid 8/10. Season 2 however, spends little time on the only likable characters in the series, and introduces a whole host of forgettable ones!
The mini arc in the beginning (episodes 1-4) were all a good 8/10. Episodes 5-12 however were 5/10 each at best (probably more just 4/10.)
The plot of season 2 made absolutely no sense, as the motive of the villain was totally ... cliche. The best way to save his daughter is to blow up a city?? Makes sense.
Every thing in this season was so predictable and lazy, only the animation/ art was praiseworthy at the end of the day.
The Atsushi x Akutagawa push was so painful to witness, there was virtually no development there. Give us more Dazai and Ranpo!!!
The first 4 episodes were good enough that I'll spare this pisspoor season a score of 6/10, defined as "fine."
I hope season 3 is better than this rubbish.

1. Since this is season two, I'm assuming that anyone who reads this has already seen season one.

2. The second season of Bungou Stray Dogs is better than the first season. Are they both good? Definitely...but I'll explain just what made season two better.

Ok, so, the first 4 episodes are set in the past and we get to learn more about Dazai's, well, past. This includes his relationships and why he's the person he is. I absolutely love this. But it's also this which creates the shift to a darker storyline. After that, it's back to the present. There's tons of action and interesting scenarios ... and situations in this season as well. While the story of season one was kinda episodic, the story of season two seems more developed and doesn't include elements that were mainly a "one episode only" thing such as the cases that they solved in season 1. After they found out who committed the crime, they didn't really go back to those cases. In season two, everything is more connected. Also, Atsushi's backstory is used in a better way this time. From what I remember, each time it was shown, there was something different which takes away the repetitiveness from season 1.

The characters are better this time around since they were either developed or were made more realistic because they had motivations or at least something that made them interesting. I didn't have a problem with any of the characters in the first place though since they had a little something to them.

The art's amazing as always. The abilities still look cool as heck but, this time, I think the detail that went into making it is more apparent. The animation is great as well. There's no awkwardness or anything that's stiff or weird looking.

The soundtrack got much better. It was good before but the music this time around just sounded better and seems more memorable. The opening song is just as good as the first and the same goes for the ending song. I really like how they brought back the first ending song for the last episode. All of the music really fits the mood and everything that's going on.

Story: 10
Art: 10
Sound: 10
Character: 10
Enjoyment: 10

Overall, it's really easy to just fall in love with this anime. There are so many things that it does a great job at. It's entertaining, contains psychological elements, has great fight scenes, the humor doesn't feel forced, and there are mystery elements. Bungou Stray Dogs Season 2 gets a 10! I'm sure it was obvious that I was going to give that score...

I personally enjoyed Bungou Stray Dogs a lot....It may not be the greatest anime out there but it definitely is a great one!
It’s not your typical anime as you’ll hardly find cliched moments and it’s the uniqueness which makes it a must watch if you’re into these type of genres. One thing which stood out for me is how all the characters are named after prolific writers and their abilities are named after the works of those writers. For example, Nathanial Hawthorne’s (character) ability is the scarlet letter, Osamu Dazai’s is No longer human and so on.
I just loved how they portrayed these books ... as abilities
And it was really interesting learning about all these Japanese and English authors and their works in a fun way.
Plus they quote lines from the books here and there which i really liked. I’d definitely check out the books too!
I got to learn a lot of things from the characters. They say really deep things which had me in awe. So it definitely is a deep anime. You need to read between the lines as well as there’s too much being said indirectly.
The art and animation are really good and the action scenes are very well done too.


One shortcoming that I’d point out is that it may seem fast paced at first but I was personally ok with it
As you’ve already seen the first season is just character introduction, each episode is about a character but things get heated up in season 2
The first 4 episodes of season 2 show Dazai’s past story. Dazai is my favourite character and I wouldn’t have minded seeing more of his episodes but I was a bit hesitant because I was wondering if the whole season would deal with Dazai’s back story...But thankfully the main story line continued after ep 16. Also I think adding Dazai’s back story at the start of season 2 was a good step. It explained a lot about him and his attitude and we get to see the references in later episodes.
Also I wish the whole guild arc was a bit longer because it felt a bit rushed towards the end but even though it was rushed it was done nicely and not abruptly

So the question, should you watch it?!
I’d say absolutely! And if you haven’t seen season 1 then definitely watch it
The characters are great and even the villain characters are great. I didn’t dislike any of them.
The osts are nice too especially the endings
So If you’re looking for something new and unique then definitely give it a try

And it’s my first time writing a review so I would be happy if this can be of any help :)

This one is short review I copy from my blog. ( Visit here for more detailed version but contains spoiler » http://rui-anime.weebly.com/ruis-anime-blog/bungou-stray-dogs-s2-review-spoiler )


The ending of Season 1 was hanging with the emergence from Port Mafia boss & The Guild member. Back then, I was thinking that Bungou Stray Dogs [文豪ストレイドッグス] Season 1 would be 24 episodes rather than 12 episodes to continue the story. The fate rang another option. Season 2 announced when the hype of the 1st season was still in the air. My expectation for Season 2 definitely, as Mori-san said in the last episode of the 1st, “challenging wartime situation​,” with newcomers ... enter the battle field of the Gifted.

PLOT: 9
In brief the 2nd season of Bungou Stray Dogs is divided into two parts. The first part elucidates Dazai’s past experience. It is not just a quick glance in an episode, it takes more than two episodes for past life events only. Gladly we’re offered by Dazai’s past that contains several information (which has relation now) and insight to characters as the members of Port Mafia. This past experience of his life has a strong relation with what happens now in the background after 4 years of it. The second part, of course, is all about war XD whoopsie not really but yesh I guess. The second part of it has several issues: where does Kyouka belong?; the fight over Atsushi; the fight among three Gifted organizations; and some of characters intimacy (reunion).

The flash-forward or flashback chronological order is like a peek-a-boo, I felt mocked when I was waiting for the explanation of what The Guild ulterior motive really is as they appeared in the last episode of Season 1. But, it’s just awhile I felt like that. I absorbed by the storyline of this kind of flashback and sat quietly to watch each episode. The flashback succeed to make correlation in the past and present of current characterizations and events. The masterpiece parts of this series happen after that. All of the fight, troublesome issues, brilliant strategies, advices, characters development, and of course for action-supranatural anime, the visualization aspect. The story if I can say in a phrase, is, splendid like games of mind.

ART & CHAR DEV: 9 & 10
The past experience of Dazai appeared to be sullen with dark and shades, not much details in the surrounding I could find there. I think the focus is only for the story itself. Jump up to the current situation with fucking tension everywhere, the comedy scenes are less than the previous season. There aren’t many silly scenes (which is appropriate for such complicated situation, but I miss the comedy parts like the 1st season). The visualization is much more appealing than the first season. I don’t know which is the most suitable reason for it, but I guess it’s because the anime is also embedded feelings in it. So many feelings (but not an emotional one). Sometimes I even got motivated by it, or sometimes touched. Even if the series has so many characters, even more than the first season, I gave it two-thumbs up for being able to cover their roles in right parts. Every major characters development can be seen clearly, particularly their self. The main supporting roles assist the major characters development as well as the sequence of issues. The minor supporting roles are still there, with momentary scenes but fill up well. I never expected about the very reasoning of a few characters act or say for the things they do, they have firm mindset and value about things. The character development is intently mesmerizing, one after another. Since we are being served with also the past life of the organizations here we can grab more the information about the relationship between them (their potential connection). even their mindset all pouring in 12 eps of second season. Such a large amount of chars but presented in a fucking right portion unexpectedly. The visualization is supported by characters development is in line with the problematic troubles that must be beared, The pressure is real. The visualization is magnificent. I still recall many scenes there.
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SOUND: 10
OP Theme Song is sung by SCREEN mode, “Reason Living”. I love it in an instant, the lyrics are great as it should be. Check it out MV SCREEN mode - Reason Living. The ED song is sung by Luck Life. Luck Life also sang the theme song for Bungou Stray Dogs 1st season. Meanwhile, “Namae wo Yobu yo” in the 1st season is more relaxing, the ED theme song for the 2nd season, “Kaze ga Fuku Machi (風が吹く街)” is an upbeat one. Luck Life is not disappointing me even with the upbeat song, MV Kaze ga Fuku Machi. If you’re looking for the lyric, the song portrays the inner-self of characters in Bungou Stray Dogs precisely.


It’s definitely common to find such a promising series got supported for Season 3. I wish this one is going to be that way too. 9++! All hail Bungou Stray Dogs series, I’m considering to join fandom now /slapped/.
Pros:
- Those freaking animation. better than the well-made 1st season
- More competitive story and supporting by balanced char dev. It’s a mind game. the series drives me crazy (hyped up when watch it)
- Nice theme songs