What Aniplex needs

The recent news concerning the demise of Bandai in the United States should sadden anime fans living in Region 1 but it was hardly unexpected news. Instead, the reason why Bandai is shutting down now is the surprising part. The Japanese puppet masters behind the American subsidiary decided that if the American consumer would not adhere to a similar model as the Japanese consumer then they would just close the American subsidiary down and try to entice the American hard-core anime fans into importing Japanese media at Japanese market prices because the alternative – anime at a reasonable price that could be reverse imported – would threaten the stability of the Japanese market.

While perusing the articles about Bandai I had a light bulb moment concerning the impending English adaptation of Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Those reading can probably guess where this is heading but before I get to discussing the recently released English trailer I have to establish something first.

I am not an elitist anime fan who only watches anime subtitled since it’s the “purer”, innately “better” way to do it – I mainly watch anime subtitled because, in general, the quality of vocal acting is higher from the Japanese.  That’s not say there are no good English dubs; for example: FLCL, Ghost in the Shell:SAC, all Studio Ghibli movies, Baccano, Yu Yu Hakusho all come quickly to mind. To hear what a good dub sounds like here’s a few videos.

This one’s a bit old-school

This one’s a bit NSFW

This one’s a bit violent

This one’s a bit awesome

The plan that Aniplex is using for the Region 1 (aka Canada and the United States aka R1) release of Puella Magi Madoka Magica (PM3) is three volumes of 4 episodes each in 3 different options – bare-bones DVD, bare-bones Blu-Ray, special edition DVD/Blu-Ray combo. Assuming an actual price of $25/volume, $35/volume, and $65/volume, respectively, for the three options that works out to $75, $105, $195 to purchase PM3.

From a personal standpoint it doesn’t bother me much that Aniplex is using an outdated and pricier sales plan for PM3 in view of the fact that I’ve already seen PM3 and know if there is one show that is theoretically worth paying that much more for, it’s this one. The problem comes from the personal desire to see PM3 do well over here and realizing that it probably won’t.

Oh sure, PM3 will sell well for a “niche” title (fans who watched it already through non-official means will see to that) but it’s the type of anime that could take the entire R1 anime fandom by storm and be talked about and watched in the future like Cowboy Bebop or Evangelion or FLCL are now. Which is what I mean when I say PM3 will fail in America; it will never remotely approach the impact in R1 it could have and the anime industry will have missed yet another the chance to reinvigorate and grow the market here.

The first step in this failure is the higher price point. To pretend that offering a series at a much higher cost won’t present a significant hurdle in selling PM3 to the large base of casual anime fans is to live in a fantasy world. How many people unfamiliar with PM3 will jump at the chance to pay a minimum of $75 dollars for a 12 episode series when for $8 they could buy AIR, $18 to purchase Bamboo Blade, and $35 to get both seasons of Birdy the Mighty Decode in one box set?  This is just a first step; it’s still possible to overcome this pricing structure and convince the multitudes to watch and buy PM3 if Aniplex is sufficiently savvy. However, judging from the English trailer this does not seem to be the case; I count three big problems of this trailer whose job is to convince people unfamiliar with Puella Magi Madoka Magica into buying it.

Trailer needed some of this in it.

The first problem is that the English dub is atrocious and will actively turn off potential viewers. How will someone who has grown up surrounded by books, magazines, television shows, movies, and music that – no matter how vapid or deep – are all well-produced react to a trailer that contains so many cringe-worthy moments? Here’s a hint, it’s not going to be rushing out to purchase PM3. I’d be surprised if these potential buyers even get to the point when they see how much it’s going to cost to buy the series and compare it what could be bought for the same price.  There was one comment I saw at Anime News Network that I loved. The person wrote saying that after listening to the trailer for a third time he thought the dub sounded good. Think about that. Here’s someone who actively wants to like the dub and it still took three tries for him/her/it to succeed in drinking the kool-aid. This was an easy task to complete for this viewer and the trailer almost failed at it. Imagine a normal consumer; this dub won’t get do-overs and mulligans to convince that person into buying Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

(As an aside, the argument that the dub is good in the actual show is not a valid counter argument. If the trailer fails to convince a potential buyer into purchasing PM3 then there’s nothing to watch and discover that the “dub wasn’t that bad after-all”. )

Before moving on, I wanted to post a clip that does a much better job with it’s English dub so one could do a bit of comparing and contrasting. The clip in question is for the excellent series Bamboo Blade, another anime full of teenage girls (which normally seem like the English dubbers kryptonite).

The second problem is the reliance on the assumption that anime fandom in R1 is on a similar page as Japanese fandom. This a bad assumption to make and yet another nail in the coffin for PM3.  Even in this age of streaming anime, the R1 anime fan that sticks to official sources to watch anime is still only getting a skewed, partial picture of what “anime” encompasses. In Japan PM3 proves it’s possible to successfully sell a series just by saying that Shaft will be animating, Akiyuki Shinbou will be directing, Ume Aoki will design the characters, and Gen Urobuchi will be writing the script. These names mean something over there but that’s not really the case over here (exceptions include well-informed fans and fans that pick stuff up from fansub-watching friends). For these names to mean something, numerous anime in various genres over the past decade would have needed to get licensed and dubbed first to build up the needed groups of fans to mirror their Japanese counterparts.

By relying on the star power of the staff to sell PM3 and hiding the true nature of the series, the second problem of the trailer gives rise to the third problem; namely, it does not explain, excite, and entice prospective buyers. On a fundamental level people expect a trailer to be representative of the show and the trailer of PM3 is for a completely different show then what PM3 actually is. This bait-n-switch was very similar to the Japanese trailer but does anyone at Aniplex realize that there’s a difference between tricking people who are watching a TV program and tricking people paying a not insignificant amount of money for a DVD or Blu-Ray? There are going to be people who won’t get turned off by the high prices or the bad acting and actually found the trailer convincing enough to buy Puella Magi Madoka Magica who will then feel betrayed when what looked like a cute magic-girl anime turns out to be everything but cute. Will this turn these people into bigger anime fans or will this turn them into more cautious fans? Perhaps, the types of fans that won’t mind going through not-official channels to ensure they never get duped out of their money again?

And don’t think this won’t happen. Who else is going to buy PM3 – remember, we’re not talking about those fans that have already seen it but the large number of more casual anime fans – when those who’d enjoy where the story goes have no clue that PM3 has higher aspirations? I’m not saying the trailer should spoil the series but there were several scenes early in the show that made Kyubey’s offer seem a bit suspicious and signaled to the viewers that something more was going on. These scenes would draw potential buyers in because they’d want to unravel the mystery of Kyubey and to find out what happens when you “make a contract” with Kyubey. Of course, decent acting would help; for starters, Kyubey’s English voice has none of that slightly creepy edge his Japanese voice had.

To see a trailer that successfully explains, excites, and entices check out this trailer for Jellyfish Princess.

This trailer does the near-Herculean task of getting my hyped for an anime I’ve already seen twice and has an ending I find less-then satisfying. I’m definitely buying this anime when it comes out.

Here’s another example:

I realize I’ve written near 1600 words when I could have just said the trailer “sucks” and used the hours I spent over the last week writing this to instead cover the new Winter season anime (which pretty much rocks in comparison to the Fall season) but Puella Magi Madoka Magica deserves better and the anime fans in Region 1 deserve better as well. Which leads me back to why Bandai’s demise reminded me of Aniplex’s R1 plan Puella Magi Madoka Magica – it truly does take a R1 company to understand how to sell anime to those fans living in Region 1.

Almost forget here’s a the trailer in question:

I just heard this song on the radio and I thought the title was appropriate for what just happened.  This episode felt like a game of roulette where the main protagonists found out some details about their major roles in the conflict.  Of course, no one knows everything, and none of them realize Izaya has done a fair amount of work manipulating from the background.  The key here is how they find out about each other or their affiliated groups.

Could you turn the creepiness down a notch or two?

I will tell you, if you hurt someone, the best thing you can possibly do is to go up to them and tell them directly.  Yes, the truth hurts, but when you reach out by yourself, you have a unique opportunity to explain your actions and perform damage control.  You may never have the same kind of friendship or relationship you once shared, but at least you took responsibility for your actions, and many people will respect you for it.

The absolute worst thing you can do is allow the person you hurt find out about your actions from a friend of a friend, or similar circumstance.  You’ve already added degrees of separation between yourself and your damaged friend.  Not only that, but he or she will form their own opinions of what happened and why, and in almost every case they will come to a very negative conclusion.  When the two of you inevitably collide, I wish you good luck in making any headway with the conversation.  Maybe you’ll somehow pull a positive resolution out of your ass, but you’ll probably end up hating each other.  Bottom line?  Honesty is the best policy.

I... I... I can't believe it's not butter!

Durarara pretty well covers the start of the worst-case scenario.  Mikado, Anri, and Kida were all friends before this night.  However, Anri learns Kida runs the Yellow Scarves from a few of her Slasher buddies.  She doesn’t believe it, so she goes to find out for herself.  Sure enough, he’s sitting on the throne.  Finding out one of your best friends is actually your enemy isn’t a terribly original plot point, but Anri isn’t the typical protagonist.  The experience shatters her, and she has to fight off the soothing voice of Saika in her head while she waits for rescue.

Unfortunately, the rescue just makes everything worse.  The Scarves suspected Celty worked for the Dollars.  Anri then reveals herself as the Slasher.  Guess who they think the Slasher works for now.  On the other hand, this brings Kida to a startling realization: he doesn’t have as much control over his gang as he thought.  He doesn’t want to jump to any conclusions, but the gang has already decided the guilty party and wants to fight.  Similarly, Mikado finally realizes he has no control over his group and fragments of the “enemy” groups work for the Dollars.  Anri could very well lose her grip as well.  If the three want to avert the crisis, they will have to work away from their organizations and in tandem.  However, the massive violation of trust might prevent it.

I have no clever quote. This is just awesome.

Of course, other parties can play a role in this.  Kida goes to Dotachin and his crew for advice, and it looks like he will receive a healthy dose in the next episode.  Then, we once again have the enigmatic Simon.  It looks like he’s absolutely everywhere, and he even manages to interfere in an attack by the Scarves.  I could be mistaken, but I think he narrates this episode.  I’ve said it before and I know I’ll keep saying it, but he knows too much.  I’m just waiting for the big reveal at this point.

Give me this pipe or I'll shove it through your ears.

Rakuen is off to Anime Central, so I’m taking over once again.

As expected, this one was all about Kida. We learn a bit more about his history with the Yellow Scarves. His past relationships with Saki and with Izaya shed light on why Kida is back with the Yellow Scarves and why his current motivation is revenge. And finally, Anri finds out that Kida is the leader of the Yellow Scarves, and it’s possible that Kida will find out that Anri knows in the next episode.

Masaomi Kida (I like to use characters’ first names when referring to them, but I’ve ingrained “Kida” as the character’s name in my mind, so I’ll use that) is the narrator of this episode, and he tells us the story of leading the Yellow Scarves to the top and his downfall a year ago, 6 months before Mikado arrived in the city.

The back story actually starts at the end, with Kida at the hospital looking at an unconscious Saki who has a cast on each leg. Izaya finds him, and really cruelly plays around with him. He perfectly reads Kida’s emotions, that he feels guilty for what’s happened to Saki, and he tells him that the feeling will haunt him forever. The rest of the episode shows how things lead up to this point.

Flash even further back, when Kida and the Yellow Scarves were just starting out. They were still weak back then, looking for respect, when Saki approached Kida. And along with her came Izaya, whom she idolizes. Long story short, Kida starts going out with Saki, and with Izaya’s help, he leads the Yellow Scarves over the Blue Squares, their primary rival in the city.

It’s really impossible to understate how much Saki believes in Izaya. She calls upon him whenever Kida is in the slightest bit of trouble, she even tells Kida that she might die if Izaya told her to, and in present day, she still believes she’s the one for Kida only because Izaya told her so. I’m curious to know more about the relationship between Saki and Izaya. Did something happen in the past that caused her to idolize him so much? Her love for him, though not romantic, parallels the insanity seen in Mika’s love for Seiji. Heck, even the character designs are somewhat similar.

Of course, Kida’s deal with Izaya turns out to be a Faustian bargain, and just like in that story, the woman ends up paying the price. The leader of the Blue Squares, who goes by the name of Izumi, kidnaps Saki and threatens to kill her in order to draw Kida out. Kida immediately turns to Izaya for help, but he refuses to answer his call. Knowing Izaya, he absolutely knew what was going down. And we didn’t really see or hear much of Izumi, but he was absolutely wicked on the phone when talking with Kida. That conversation – almost a monologue – was simply amazing to listen to.

"This will turn into a 2D world!" It doesn't work that way, Walker.

But equally amazing was Dotachin’s crew. All 4 of them were apparently part of the Blue Squares at this time. But when Dotachin learns of the kidnapping, he and his crew rebel and save Saki, when Kida was paralyzed, unable to do anything. I really loved the entire scene of Walker saving Saki, talking about how by doing something as heroic as this, he was turning this into a 2D world where he’ll get to have all the women, etc. The contrast of the light hearted tone of his words and the extremely violent and downright vicious act he was doing to those men was absolutely delightful. It also showed that Dotachin and his crew are not just comedic relief, but rather major players who are crucial to this show.

Initially, Kida can’t bring himself to see Saki at the hospital. Izaya’s words have been drilled into him, and he can’t shake off the guilt. When he runs into Dotachin and his crew, he gets a nice little lecture from Dotachin about not running away from now on if he feels guilty about “running away” and causing Saki to suffer. As Walker and Erika immediately pointed out, Dotachin was extremely cool in this scene. My respect for him  grew ten-fold from just this episode.

Unfortunately, Kida couldn’t take his advice to heart. It’s not revealed when he finally managed to visit Saki, but he admits that he couldn’t, initially. And even today, he has come back as the leader of the Yellow Scarves to exact revenge on those that harmed Saki. It’s then that one of the Yellow Scarves discovers that a girl is snooping around, starting a chase. We soon discover that this girl is Anri, and she’s befuddled by  the fact that Kida is the leader of the Yellow Scarves.

Well, this was a single character focused episode, like we saw at the beginning of this show. I feel like it presented us with a nice bit of down time after the climax of the slasher story in the last episode. Now, we still don’t know how he started the Yellow Scarves, but we still got to learn a lot about him. I feel that his past explains his current behavior towards Anri and towards women in general. He is constantly haunted by the guilt that Izaya had laid upon him, so he’s looking to run away to someone else, to something less serious. But his love for Saki remains true, and so all he can do is present a happy facade to hide away his pain.

And that’s why he turned to the Yellow Scarves again. He believes that by getting revenge for Saki, he is facing his demons and cleaning up his past. What he doesn’t see is how he is actually giving power to the past by lingering on his failure instead of forgiving himself and moving forward. It’s something that’s ultimately harmful to him. And exactly what Izaya wanted.

Izaya "smites" the players of his screwed up game.

Looking at the bigger picture of the story, Izaya seemed more god-like than ever in this episode. Of course, Saki worships him like one, and Izaya isn’t shy about considering himself to be one. But the way he played Kida from start to finish was just awe-inspiring, both in its cleverness and in its cruelty. Think of how he played with the girl in episode 2, but on a longer time scale. If we consider that Izaya likely brainwashed Saki just for this purpose, we can see how powerful and downright evil a character he is.

I’m very curious as to how things will play out. Izaya is playing the 3 “gangs,” the Dollars, the Slashers, and the Yellow Scarves, against each other, hoping to achieve… something. He doesn’t believe in the Valhalla fable he was telling a while ago, but he’s trying to set up something parallel to that. I just don’t know for what purpose. With Anri discovering Kida’s true nature, things could get very interesting. I’m hoping that some sort of unity forms between the 3 gangs – their leaders are friends, after all – and they take down Izaya. But the cynic in me thinks – and hopes – that Izaya ends up accomplishing his goal, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake, including that of at least one of the big 3. I feel that Kida is the most vulnerable, but it would be quite something if Mikado ended up dead when all this is over.

This scene just takes on a completely different meaning, knowing what we know now.

This week we got to see Shizuo do what he does best, with a side order of kick-ass.  We also got Anri’s backstory, and afterwards she received a power upgrade.  Finally, in case you’ve been unconscious up to this point, it drove home Kida’s true allegiance.  However, Izaya’s manipulation of events, starting back in season one, is perhaps the most important aspect.  They have always painted him as The Chessmaster, but his Xanatos Gambit solidifies his position.  Can anyone hope to stop him?

Can't you let me play chess in peace?

First on the list, we have Mikado.  On the positive side, he probably has the largest of the three major powers in the city, and it has the most diverse set of people.  With all the manpower available, he could potentially counter Izaya’s plans.  Unfortunately, Mikado set up his organization all wrong.  With a completely decentralized structure, he has very little control over his people.  They don’t even know who he really is!  Additionally, Izaya has proven he can manipulate him, especially because Mikado lacks in the backbone department.  If he has any deciding role to play in this conflict, he will likely have to act on his own initiative, or with assistance from Celty.

Well, at least he tries to look dramatic and important.

Second, we have Anri.  She finally grew a backbone and no longer suffers from broken-bird syndrome, at least not as much.  She also received a field promotion to lead all the Saika children manufactured to this point.  The hive mind architecture can work wonders in some situations, but I feel she has a distinct disadvantage.  First, Anri is not used to wielding authority like this, so in all likelihood her efforts won’t have maximum impact.  Additionally, we have seen how well the children fight, or rather, fail at fighting.  The Borg worked so well because of an exceptional degree of efficiency and standardization.  Anri has to work with human limitations.  She has a better chance at breaking through than Mikado, but she has to surpass her handicap in the next few episodes.

Anri? Smiling? Isn't that a sign of the Apocalypse?

Kida marks the final stop on our major powers list.  It never struck me until this episode, but we actually know very little about him.  I imagine next episode will fill in the gaps.  However, we do know he managed to organize the Yellow Scarves while still in middle school.  Even Izaya points that out as evidence to watch him.  I imagine the girl he visits in the hospital is his primary weakness, but more significantly, he shares a major weakness of the other two.  They never talk to each other!  Each one leads an organization who wants to fight off the other two.  If they would actually reveal it to each other, the manipulation probably wouldn’t work as effectively.  As long as they stick to each other’s throats by proxy, they will all fail.

You guys are disturbing my big afternoon brood.

In addition to those three, a few more minor forces reside in Ikebukuro.  Shizuo is perhaps the most obvious.  He hates Izaya, but obviously Izaya can use this aspect of his personality against him.  However, he has finally exhibited some degree of control over his superhuman strength.  It might sound counterintuitive, but he gained the control by actually letting go.  To illustrate, if you fear losing a game, you will lose because you lack any focus on winning.  Similarly, since Shizuo’s fears consumed his thoughts, he could never muster any focus on actual control.  All this said, even if he can do nothing to thwart Izaya, it’ll be entertaining to watch him.

GIGA! SHIZUO! BREAKER!

Next, we have Simon.  We know even less about him than we do about Kida.  For all we know, he actually works for the Americans and will order a tactical nuke to hit Ikebukuro in episode 24.  In seriousness though, he knows too many people and too much information not to play some role in the resolution.  We could establish a similar assumption for Shingen.

Be less of an enigma, darn you!

Is anyone left?  No one?  Are you sure?  Actually, one final wild card deserves consideration.  Dotachin and his small group of otherwise insignificant characters might determine Izaya’s failure or success.  If you need proof, just consider the number of plots that have failed due to unaccounted stupidity.  Their continuous appearance in the series and Dotachin’s resolve to learn the truth also play in their favor.   They are the definite long shot bet, but maybe they are so far out that even Izaya will not plan for it.

It was a brilliant plan, and it would have worked too, if it weren't for those meddling kids!

Okay everyone, all together now.  What. The. HELL!?  Even if you suspected the ultimate outcome of this episode, there’s enough of a twisting plot to leave your head spinning.  As far as we know, Izaya didn’t cause a problem, but he shows up anyway because Shizuo has to have his jollies for the day.  Anyway, let’s jump right into the meat of this show.

This was my face for most of the episode.

The entire episode revolves around the idea of love.  Saika has grown some level of sentience and has found itself loving not just a person, but all of humanity.  It reminds me of Izaya in a way, except we’re talking about a crazy sword instead of a person who has a large interest in people.  Of course, when two people love each other very much, they might think they could use a little addition to the household.  So, Saika decides it wants to reproduce with humanity.  A sword is somewhat… lacking… in the proper parts to reproduce in the traditional sense, so what does it do?  It decides to possess everyone who comes within five feet of it.  In a very obtuse sense, Saika’s strategy is brilliant.  As it gains control of more people, its sphere of influence can expand at a quickening pace until it becomes one with the entire planet.  On the other hand, it sounds like far more trouble than its worth.  I can’t help but wonder why it didn’t just buy a dog.  Or ten.  Thousand.

All we want to do is eat your brains. We’re not unreasonable; I mean, no one’s gonna eat your eyes

For the sword’s plan to succeed, it needs the most powerful vessels it can find to subject lesser people.  Logically, they turn toward Shizuo, since he is not only the most powerful person in Ikebukuro, but also a bit of a social outcast.  They just straight up offer to let him join, and I suppose the offer might appeal in the same way as the Borg.  Sure, you lose all sense of individuality, but in exchange, you have a collective “family” you can rely upon, at least as long as you have a use.  Shizuo appreciates how much they like him, but he doesn’t buy their garbage.  He’d have much more fun beating them all up.  For now, Saika’s plan to make one happy, demonic, backstabbing family has grinded to a halt.  Yet, we still have a loose end in the plan.  Remember, the people believe Shizuo has the greatest strength in the city, but they also believe Simon has the best fist-fighting skills.  Where is he right now?  Has Saika split its attention to him as well, or perhaps sent people off when Shizuo rejected them?  Despite Simon’s apparent pacifism, I am interested in the outcome if the two fought.

Spinzaku Shizuo KICK!

Finally, we have Anri.  Oh boy, we have Anri.  She has the original Saika, just as a lot of us have predicted.  Her theme has always been using others to her advantage.  Due to losing her parents as a child, she feels like she lost the capacity to love.  Thus, she uses the sword as a tool to experience love vicariously.  I suppose this makes sense in a way, but the way the sword has gone about its business reinforces an overarching theme of the series.  The left hand never knows what the right is doing.  It looks like Anri can wield the sword without suffering especially ill effects, but it seems she also lacks a great deal of control over its desires.  If she had control, she could just dismiss the possessed girl who stands before her.  I suppose you could argue Anri wants the union, but if so, why confront one of her agents and prevent her from spreading the curse?  It looks like we will find out more about her motivations next week.  However, I do know one thing.  I much prefer badass Anri to broken-bird Anri.

Doesn't she just look awesome while pulling out the sword?

Rakuen is off to Anime St. Louis, so I’ll be doing this week’s Durarara post. Hopefully he’ll have as much fun as I did at Anime Boston.

Well, the plot certainly thickens. With the return of Niekawa Shuuji the reporter (along with a flashback of him getting beat by Shizuo in episode 7), I was wondering if this would be a narrative episode like some of the early episodes. The 2nd half obviously proved me wrong as, in fact, Niekawa himself proved to play an important role in this story. He was the “fool,” so to speak.

I believe that the operating theory that the slasher is Anri’s complimentary personality has been debunked with the appearance of the real slasher in this episode. Her dream and her remembrance of her past also indicates that she doesn’t have a particular reason to be angry at her mother. Still, the fact remains that Anri was the one who was spared 2 episodes back, and her vision during the attack was identical to that of Niekawa when he was trying to kill her. Also, Niekawa was specifically targeting Anri in that last scene. So there’s definitely some connection between her and the slasher. Just not as strong as previously thought.

I can't be the only person who thought of sperm when he saw this...

And with Niekawa being turned into a slasher after his injury, we now learn that the slasher isn’t necessarily 1 person, but rather some concept that can possess people who get injured by the slasher. The Saika posting in the Dollars chat room had an obsession with Shizuo and “the strongest one” this time, so the Slasher also seems to gain the memories or experiences of whom it possesses. Saika’s obsession with “mother” and the fact that Niekawa was attacked when he was presumably trying to visit his daughter’s residence makes me wonder if the slasher is actually Haruna. Or, at least, a possessed Haruna.

He just wanted to get his wife and daughter back

I really enjoyed how the Kyohei’s gang, Celty and Shizuo, and Anri with the slasher came together at the end. Celty’s entrance in particular was dramatic, though at first glance, she appeared to have come from the same direction she blew away Niekawa. In any case, it was nice to see some of the actors come together and have things blow up, after all the building up that has been happening during this 2nd half of the show. Also, Shizuo looks hilarious with a motorcycle helmet on. Ironically, he wasn’t wearing it during the high speed bike ride.

But thanks to the slasher, it's not to be...

It was interesting that even throughout his attack on Anri, Niekawa’s internal monologue seemed perfectly sane, perhaps even oblivious to what he was doing. Those hopeless thoughts about how everything will be fine again once he writes about Shizuo made me feel very sorry for the character. He was created just to become a tragic victim. But I guess characters like that are needed to really strengthen the hatred or disgust that we feel towards the antagonist, whomever it may be.

I’m greatly anticipating the next episode. The preview shows the slasher, or at least, the girl who always represented the slasher, clearly coming out. And Anri will get some attention as well, so maybe we’ll find out more about her connection to that girl. The title of the next episode, “Mutual Love,” has me wondering if the connection has to do with the teacher, Takashi Nasujima, who had gotten Haruna transferred out and is now hitting on Anri.

Who could this mysterious long-haired girl be?

P.S. I actually watched this episode on Crunchyroll. They had a free 3 month trial for PayPal users, so I decided to give it a shot. Like most such deals, it auto-renews after the free period, but I’ve set up a reminder in my calendar to cancel before then. I’ll probably make a post on what I think of the service once the 3 months are up.

The various powers in the city continue to draw battle lines without knowing one person has orchestrated it all on his stage.  Of course, things only become more complicated when you throw in a demonic sword with an unlikely wielder.  The sword also played a major role in the past, which ensured we would reach this point.  All this and more takes place in episode 14.

But first, let's play a round of "Make Celty Feel Awkward!"

I didn’t know Durarara was a comedy.  I guess this show only does everything.  I like Shingen as a character already.  He might be a bit of a creep, almost certainly a bad influence, and will probably die by the end of the series.  Despite everything, he’s entertaining to watch.  Regardless of the situation, he doesn’t seem too worried about his own welfare.  He cracks jokes and provokes pretty much everyone he contacts.  His exchanges tell us two other aspects of his character.  First, even though he has probably ingrained his actions into his personality, Shingen definitely obfuscates stupidity and does it beautifully.  You probably wouldn’t think much of him on the surface but we know he has had his hand in a lot of business directly affecting the plot of this series.  Second, he is quite sure of himself and his own survival.  The only way a person can act with such aplomb, especially with such a dangerous crowd, is if he believes he can outmaneuver everyone.  He did it to Celty twice now, but I wonder if he can take on Izaya himself.

Seriously dude, what's behind the mask?

On that note, we learn a little about the Slasher from Izaya and Shinra.  It has origins in a demonic sword known as Saika.  Yes, the same name as the “vandal” who continues to infiltrate the Dollars chat room.  It possesses the person who owns it.  Shinra also says his father owned the sword for a while, before pawning it to a secondhand merchant.  He used the sword to cut the soul tether between Celty and her head.  Any demonic sword is usually dangerous, but with its possessive and soul rending capabilities the Saika screams danger.  Everything points to Anri owning the sword; even Celty’s narration implies it.  Does she really know what she has though?  It occurs to me a person who is  bullied all the time would probably try to invest in some protection.  I don’t imagine a pawn shop would keep records of demonic instruments, or even believe in them.  The working theory that Anri has a complimentary personality continues to receive support.

You might try turning around occasionally. Just a thought.

We also see quite a bit of posturing in this episode, as the various players start to draw the battle lines.  Public opinion has continued to turn against the Dollars due to the Slasher incidents, and the Yellow Scarves have made themselves more visible.  This puts Mikado in a difficult position as leader of the Dollars.  He has to fend off attacks from two directions and deal with the Slasher before it causes any more damage.  Fortunately, Celty stand with him, and she brings allies of her own.  Shizuo is fiercely protective of her and immediately offers his services when he learns the Slasher attacked her.  Naturally, Shinra provides some support as well.  At least this time he didn’t keep his secret for 13 episodes.  Izaya and Namie’s duo has become a triumvirate of power with Shingen’s addition.  Our heroes will find it difficult to work around a puppetmaster with the vast array of resources these three provide.

This hand of mine glows with an awesome power...

Of course, other players exist in this drama.  Simon didn’t appear in this episode, but this guy must have something to contribute.  In addition, Kida hasn’t shown his true allegiance.  He rejected the Yellow Scarves already and seems content to watch Mikado try to work out his relationship with Anri.  He’s a potentially dangerous unknown with all the connections he has.  Anri has her Slasher problems.  If left unchecked, it won’t take long for the Slasher to attack one of the Scarves.  We also have a dark horse in our midst.  Remember the reporter Shizuo beat down in his episode?  It sounds like he narrates the next episode.  Izaya could probably run circles around him, but you should never underestimate anyone who makes a living on gathering information.

See! This guy knows he needs to watch his back!

Six months have passed in the world of Durarara!!  In some ways, life has returned to normal, but any sense of normalcy will soon change.  Even things people consider “normal” aren’t really normal at all.  This week’s episode focuses on the way the city has changed in the aftermath of the Dollars’ meet-up.

Fortunately, some things never change.

In any situation, perspective can make all the difference.  To a bystander, Celty probably looks like a demonic creature whom someone should lock in a cage and throw away the key.  She doesn’t see herself in that light, which makes all the difference when the police confront her.  Celty views them as the monster for trying to confine her.

Kinnosuke’s tactics only reinforce that image.  For the longest time, she has traveled through Ikebukuro without challenge.  Celty doesn’t try to kill people, and she even avoids hurting the goons that corner Shinra’s dad, electing to simply scare them.  Now not only does this officer pursue her, he focuses on backing her into corners and forcing her into a conflict.  She never had to deal with such a defensive situation, so you can understand why the experience shakes her.  She is a truly fearsome foe when provoked to violence, as we saw in the finale for the first half.  I don’t want to imagine what could happen if she fought “seriously.”

You probably shouldn't bother the supernatural scythe wielder

Concurrent with the special police’s appearance, we also see the Yellow Scarves trying to grasp power.  While Mikado organized the Dollars as a peaceful group for change, the individuals will prove a problem.  While many members are passive, others, like the goons in this episode and previous ones, use the name to mark territory.  A potential gang war could loom on the horizon, and Izaya warns Mikado to act with caution.  With such a diminutive appearance and personality, the Yellow Scarves could easily capture or kill him if they compromised his identity.

The episode confirms that Kida used to work with the gang, but he has no interest in returning to them.  It’s still a bit concerning though, because he says he won’t join “this power.”  Whether he means the Dollars or a potential fourth power, we don’t know.  However, the police and gang emergence forms the three-sided war I imagined a few weeks ago.  Izaya must have played some part in orchestrating it.

Screw you guys, I'm going home!

Poor Anri really is a confused and forsaken girl.  The narration tells us she never had a friend and still can’t tell the difference between friendship and true love.  Those ganguro girls start to harass her again, and I imagine she really has no idea know how to tell them to stop and leave her alone.  Cue the Slasher’s appearance to save her from persecution.  There’s been speculation that Anri is the Slasher, but here you can see they are two autonomous entities.

However, the observation doesn’t mean she has no control over it.  It’s far too convenient for the Slasher to appear at her moment of deepest despair, and through the shadows you can see they resemble each other.  As for how long this has gone on, the closing lines focus on how she views the occurence as normal.  To establish some level of normalcy for such an event, the Slasher must have existed for quite some time, probably before Mika’s surgery.  Losing her friend, her rock and her defense, probably caused it to emerge with increasing frequency, resulting in all those new reports.  The Slasher seems to insist on pulling the Dollars into this conflict as well, by constantly infiltrating their chat room.  Next episode, Turmoil Reigns.

The horror... the horror...