Is Bungo Stray Dogs Worth Watching? Here Is Our Review
There are a lot of different anime series out there, but not a lot of them tend to be quite unique in terms of their storyline. One of the most unique anime series that you can watch today is Bungo Stray Dogs, which has its own following within the anime community due to how entertaining it is throughout what has been four successful seasons for the anime. And what makes it successful is how unique it is.
Set against the backdrop of modern-day Yokohama, Tokyo, Japan, Bungo Stray Dogs has a lot of different colorful characters that were beautifully crafted and given stories that are just as unique as their powers and abilities. Basically, it is a supernatural series that is character-driven instead of narrative-driven. So, with that said, let’s look at whether or not Bungo Stray Dogs is worth watching so that you would know whether or not it is right up your alley.
What Is Bungo Stray Dogs About?
The story of Bungo Stray Dogs focuses on Atsushi Nakajima, a young orphaned boy who was kicked out of his orphanage due to the fact that a white tiger is often seen attacking the orphanage due to his presence. However, just when he thought that his life was over, he got recruited by Osamu Dazai, who is a known detective in Yokohama. Together, they were able to solve the mystery behind the white tiger, as this was actually Atsushi the entire time.
Like Dazai, Atsushi possesses supernatural powers that are unique to him, as there are other people like him all over Yokohama. Dazai is a detective that is part of an organization called the Armed Detective Agency, which is composed of different characters that have their own unique supernatural powers.
Dazai recruited Atsushi to join the Armed Detective Agency, which is known to work together with the local police and with different citizens of Yokohama to try to solve mysterious cases. Oftentimes, they use their unique abilities to come up with answers to the cases that they are trying to solve. And most of the cases also involve supernatural events and phenomena or even the rival group called the Port Mafia.
Atsushi’s life was turned upside-down when he joined the Armed Detective Agency and lent his abilities to them. Of course, most of the problems that they encountered stemmed from their skirmishes with the Port Mafia, which is an armed criminal organization with members that also have powerful supernatural abilities as well. But while the Port Mafia may be a criminal organization, it was also a necessary presence in Yokohama as it kept the city checked during the night.
Of course, as Atsushi’s life with the Armed Detective Agency progresses, he learns more about the lives of the people around him and the allies that he started working together. Chief among them was Dazai, who was often seen as the most important member of the Armed Detective Agency because of his analytical and strategic way of thinking and due to the fact that he was the only person with the ability to neutralize the special abilities of other people.
The members of the Port Mafia themselves are also interesting people, considering that they have stories that are worth telling as well. One of them is Ryunosuke Akutagawa, who is one of the strongest members of the Port Mafia and is often seen as the rival and counterpart of Atsushi.
In a way, the story of Bungo Stray Dogs revolves around the rivalry between different organizations all over Yokohama and the importance of these organizations to the entire city, all while Atsushi gets himself involved in the entire mess.
Is Bungo Stray Dogs Worth Watching?
Story-wise, Bungo Stray Dogs is seemingly grounded in realism due to how it is set in modern-day Yokohama and includes powerful organizations that have their own goals and ideals for the city. In a way, it paints a picture of how underground and official organizations are able to control the things that go on in a city without necessarily being in the governance picture itself. Of course, while there is a level of realism in the storyline, let’s not forget that this is still an action anime series with characters that have special supernatural abilities.
In a way, the plot is quite straightforward and doesn’t offer a lot of twists and turns that may even be cliché. But the characters are the ones that draw fans into Bungo Stray Dogs because they all have interesting personalities and stories to tell. Atsushi may be the main character, with Dazai coming in as a close second. But the thing is that all of the different characters of this series have their own unique personalities, goals, and abilities.
It is worth mentioning that the characters of Bungo Stray Dogs were named after literary figures in Japan and the rest of the world. The members of the Armed Detective Agency and the Port Mafia are named after famous Japanese writers, authors, novelists, and poets. Of course, the international community is also well-represented by the Guild, as its members are named after famous names in western literature.
Other than the story and the characters, the anime was able to blend a beautiful combination of music. Just listening to the background music alone would be enough of an experience when it comes to Bungo Stray Dogs because music such as jazz and J-pop are often used throughout the series.
We also can’t get enough of the beautiful art style used to deliver the characters and the environment. Brighter colors were used to express the surroundings of Bungo Stray Dogs, as the characters themselves have interesting appearances, costumes, and hair. Their facial expressions are also quite memorable.
Then there are the action scenes that are quite prominent throughout the series. The animators spared no expense in delivering gorgeous action scenes that are fluid and powerful in their own way. Of course, the wonderful art style used in Bungo Stray Dogs makes things more fluid as it delivers gorgeous fast-paced action that involves the different special abilities of the characters.
Unlike other shonen and action anime that involve characters with powers, there is little to no power scaling in Bungo Stray Dogs. That means that certain characters are capable of defeating other characters, depending on how well they use their special abilities. Some abilities are naturally more combat-oriented and stronger than others but that doesn’t mean that they are unbeatable or invincible. That is where the beauty of the battles in Bungo Stray Dogs lies, as the action involves not only incredibly fluid and powerful moves but also includes the strategic way that the characters use their abilities to defeat their opponents.
Despite the fact that Bungo Stray Dogs doesn’t come with the international fanfare that other anime series come with, this series is more than worth your time if you fancy a unique story that doesn’t seem to be a clone of another anime. Bungo Stray Dogs certainly isn’t for everyone, but it has its charms and is one of the best anime series for those who love the supernatural action genre.