This series is made by the same people who brought us the excellent Baccano! and it shows; like the earlier series it features a large cast of characters whose relationship to each other is not immediately obvious and there is also a supernatural element to the story. There are major differences too; this is set in modern day Japan and follows a far more linear structure, the level of violence is lower too making this suitable for a less squeamish audience.
Mikado Ryugamine has moved from the countryside to a suburb of Tokyo where he is reunited with his childhood friend Masaomi Kida. Here he is introduced to the various characters and told which of the areas inhabitants he should stay away from; not surprisingly these are the very people the two protagonists get involved with. As the story progresses they come across a headless motorcyclist who is searching for her head, a black Russian sushi seller, a man with unnatural strength and an information broker who likes manipulating people. Into this mix there three gangs and a mysterious slasher can be added. As the various plots are worked out the two male protagonists along with Anri Sonohara, a girl from their class, get in a variety of scrapes and reveal many secrets that I won't spoil here.
I really enjoyed this series; it was packed full of interesting characters and even though I had a little difficulty remembering all the names they were animated in a way that made it easy to know who was who. Talking of the animation; I thought it looked really good, the main characters were distinctive and interestingly all the background people were grey so in crowd scenes the viewer knows who to watch. I found the stories to be interesting enough for me to want to watch the next episode as soon as I could. As well of containing plenty of thrills there were also quite a few laughs to be had. Fans of Baccano! will be pleased to spot a few references to it along with an amusing cameo from Isaac and Miria! These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.
Mikado Ryugamine has moved from the countryside to a suburb of Tokyo where he is reunited with his childhood friend Masaomi Kida. Here he is introduced to the various characters and told which of the areas inhabitants he should stay away from; not surprisingly these are the very people the two protagonists get involved with. As the story progresses they come across a headless motorcyclist who is searching for her head, a black Russian sushi seller, a man with unnatural strength and an information broker who likes manipulating people. Into this mix there three gangs and a mysterious slasher can be added. As the various plots are worked out the two male protagonists along with Anri Sonohara, a girl from their class, get in a variety of scrapes and reveal many secrets that I won't spoil here.
I really enjoyed this series; it was packed full of interesting characters and even though I had a little difficulty remembering all the names they were animated in a way that made it easy to know who was who. Talking of the animation; I thought it looked really good, the main characters were distinctive and interestingly all the background people were grey so in crowd scenes the viewer knows who to watch. I found the stories to be interesting enough for me to want to watch the next episode as soon as I could. As well of containing plenty of thrills there were also quite a few laughs to be had. Fans of Baccano! will be pleased to spot a few references to it along with an amusing cameo from Isaac and Miria! These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.