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Genre: Action/Romance/Supernatural
Studio/Creator: Brains Base/Ryohgo Narita (writer) Suzuhito Yasuda (illustrator)
Distributor: Aniplex USA, streams on Crunchy Roll and Crackle
No of Episodes: 24 +2 specials
Suggested Age: 13+
My Rating: 8/10
Summary: When Mikado moves to the Ikeburo District, he is reunited with his childhood friend, Kido Masaomi. He also learnes that the district is home to headless motorcyclists, street gangs, superstrong bartenders, and Russian sushi chefs.
Review: This was actually better than expected. I liked how realistic the setting looked. Even for a gritty urban setting, the city was well-drawn. I thought it was great that Celty, the headless motorcyclist, wasn’t even as evil as you’d expect–in fact, most of the time it seems like she’s the true hero of the story.
The closest thing the show has to a villain is Izaya Orihara, a “knowledge broker” who lives to manipulate others. He not only plays chess, but he also plays shoji, go, and Othello along with it–all at once. And sometimes, he even lights the board on fire! Yeah, he’s a little nuts.
My main problem with the show stems from its pacing. The show’s plot goes by way too fast and the big surprises come out of nowhere. I won’t spoil them for you, but I will say there’s practically little, if any, buildup to them. I watched it twice, and saw no clues. I believe surprises work better if there’s buildup, so I was slightly annoyed by that. Other than that, this was an enjoyable series.
Sub/Dub: I watched the dub on Adult Swim and thought it was pretty good. Crispin Freeman played Shizuo very well. The biggest surprise for me was learning that Johnny Yong Bosch, who plays Izaya, actually knows Russian. And since Izaya also knows Russian, this adds some authenticity to his portrayal–more than his Japanese VA, who doesn’t even sound convincing.
Music/Score: I didn’t much care fro the show’s background music, but I did like the first opening and the two closing songs.
Violence (5/10): Because the show involves street gangs, there is inevitable gang violence. We also learn that one character is a victim of child abuse. And there’s a serial killer.
Language: (6/10) Considering Cartoon Network had to bleep out some of the language in the dub, I’d say watch out for this.
Sexuality: (3/10) There’s a character named Anri who has somewhat big breasts. Kida often makes sexist jokes about them, often with her right there to hear them. Izaya has twin teen sisters who french kiss each other in one of the special episodes.
Nudity: (0/10)
Religion: (1/10) Celty is a modern-day version of the headless rider from the infamous Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Her motorcycle even whinnies like a horse when it does wheelies. Also, the serial killer in this story has a possessed sword and SPOILER: can control her victims.
Related Media: This is based on a series of graphic novels. The writer and illustrator also wrote the novels that inspired Baccano!, which is also connected to this series. However, you don’t really need to have watched Baccano! first.
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Note on sexuality/romance: Almost every romance in this show is messed up in some way. Some are obsessed with their romantic interest, some are legitimately stalkers. A teacher has an infatuation with a student. Shinra frequently makes suggestive comments to Celty. Most disturbingly, perhaps, one character is in love with her brother.
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Violence: The plot centers around gang warfare, so expect quite a bit of that, though it isn't portrayed positively, and it is handled quite well, in my opinion. There is also a serial killer. Knife wounds and hits to the head cause bleeding. At one point a character is shot. Slapstick violence also occurs.
Sex and Nudity: Celty is shown in the shower, though only her legs and back are visible. The shots are brief. Shinra tries to peek at her, but that doesn't go over well. A male character is shown in the shower, though the scene is nearly identical to the scene featuring Celty. Shinra sometimes makes suggestive comments toward Celty. She usually doesn't stand for it, though. Anri has a large chest and this is commented upon, though the comments don't become frequent until the end of the series. Namie is a bit too fond of her brother, and Izaya suggests that she feels romantically towards him. A teacher is shown to be attracted to some of his students. Neither of those relationships are endorsed. The first isn't really focused on and comes up briefly twice. The second is clearly portrayed as negative.
Theological Themes: The black rider doesn't have a head and is supposedly of mythological orgin. There is a demonic blade that possesses people, though it can be suppressed. One character talks about how he doesn't believe in God and his views on the afterlife (though he has an antagonistic role in the story and can hardly be described as a good person.
Problematic Themes: There is a lot of swearing. The d-word, s-word, h-word, and both versions of the b-word are used. Shizuo in particular loves the s-word. He also is rarely seen without a cigarette, though the cigarette is mainly used as a prop.
Overall: I did not expect to love this show so much. I thought I'd probably like it, but it wouldn't be a favorite or anything. And yet, here we are. The plot is really creative, as mystery and plot twists abound. I think it's a pretty cool look at gang warfare with a bit of supernatural elements and evil plots added to the mix. I look forward to seeing how the second season ties things up.
The characters are amazing, with many standouts. Shizuo, Izaya, Celty, as well as Kyohei and his gang were all standouts for me, though the entire cast was terrific. Shizuo is weirdly likeable and endearing for someone so violent. He's just very, very awesome. Izaya on the other hand is a horrible person who doesn't deserve much, but he's interesting and drives the plot, so he can stay for now. Celty is the nicest supposed monster ever. Honestly, she is one of the most morally good characters in the show. The van gang is just plain cool. I'd be friends with them in real life. The teenage characters were interesting, just less compelling to me.There are so many characters, yet they are all interesting and distinct in their own right. They were definitely my favorite part of the show.
I also really loved the character designs and the backgrounds. They add a lot to the aesthetic and overall appeal of the show. I adore all the openings and endings, though "Trust Me", the first ending, was my overall favorite. It fit my musical taste so well, and the graphics they used made me happy.
I really recommend this show. I'm kinda obsessed now. I could re-watch this over and over and never tire of it.
I recommend this to older teens and up, given the subject matter, as well as the general consensus on the show's rating.
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