Bungo Stray Dogs Episode 16 Review:
This episode is all about triggering Dazai’s transformation from Mafia to Armed Detective and so the inevitable has now occurred. This whole episode felt like a season finale and will undoubtably be the most intense episode for this week because most other shows aren’t writing a climax into episode 4 of their run time.
Anyway, Oda is probably going to remain my favourite character Bungo Stray Dogs has introduced me to and I’m probably going to rewatch these four episodes by themselves at some stage because that was a good story. Admittedly, it only really works if you are waiting for the event that forces Dazai’s decision and that only works if you’ve watched the first season of Bungo and know that Dazai isn’t still in the Port Mafia and doesn’t really rein in his crazy anymore.
From the very beginning this episode begins with Oda arming himself and saying farewell to the orphans (who I was kind of hoping had somehow survived but apparently these four episodes really wanted to go for a darker tone than the rest of the show had managed). You know where things are going. Dazai tells Odasaku what will happen and Odasaku agrees but goes anyway.
He randomly runs into Ranpo who does his best detective act and puts on his glasses and then tells Oda that if he goes where he is going, he’s going to die. Once again, Oda agrees. This is definitely a case where it is the journey that is worth watching even knowing the destination very clearly.
I’ve said earlier that I don’t much like prequels because you know where things are going. Bungo has managed to make that knowledge a strength and as a result this prequel hits harder than it would have as a stand alone story. Oh well, totally blown my 100 words but given the end of the episode makes it clear we’re jumping back to where we left off at the end of season 1, I’ll probably not be so thrilled with next week’s episode.
Bungo Stray Dogs is available on Crunchyroll.
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Karandi James
Absolutely agree that it used the conventions of the prequel and what the audience already had to work with to make for a seriously strong entry into the second series.
Now that we’re well into the bulk of this series now, I do mourn for these first few episodes.
The writing and tone were just consistently so much better in those four episodes. While season 2 as a whole has been better than season 1, a lot of that is thanks to that prequel.
Agreed. I’m just enjoying spotting all the famous writers at this point and giggling at their ludicrous powers.
the show has successfully baited me back in with this opener…time to see what they do with it. i was honestly not expecting more than two episodes devoted to dazai’s past…this has been quite the ride
Definitely agree. I really expected to start the second season and then decide I was over this but these first four episodes have been excellent fun.