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(Dazai, Chya, Jgo-Sai)
“Dazai, Chuuya, Fifteen Years Old”
Alright. So that wasnt the first episode Id hoped for. It isnt the first time Bungou Stray Dogs blasts us into the past at the very beginning of a season. We had a similar premiere during season twos four episode prequel which laid out the events leading up to Dazai leaving Port Mafia to then join the Armed Detective Agency.
However, this season were thrust even further back into Dazais (Miyano Mamoru) past. Hes Port Mafias fifteen-year-old subordinate and is the sole witness to Ougai Mori‘s (Miyamoto Mitsuru) assassination of the previous Port Mafia leader. Mori then uses Dazai to claim the title as his own but remains cautious about the information being leaked to members of the organization.
Im guessing this episode is the first of a two or three episode prequel arc. So far, its been entertaining. Watching Chuuya (Taniyama Kishou) – dubbed The King of the Sheep in this episode – and Dazai interact as teenagers is cute, but what really got to me was how Dazais demeanour is entirely different from the person he is in the present timeline. He broods and his mood is darker than what were accustomed to. There are hints to his light-hearted traits but so far hes reminded me of the emo teen I was over fifteen years ago. And it seems like well be looking further into Chuuyas past and his relationship with Dazai as well as Port Mafia. Im not sure if Mori-sans blackmail is what really keeps him from leaving Port Mafia but that move reveals that Chuuyas initiation into the organization was not by choice. With his fellow Sheep taken hostage, hes strong armed into helping Dazai and Mori discover who or what Arahabaki is and why theyve brought back the old leader from the dead.
Im a little disappointed that we didnt get a follow-through episode and still have to continue living for the next few weeks without knowing what happened after the end of the previous season. I guess, I’ll have to wait just a few more weeks. In the meantime though, we have a prequel that I still need to pick at.
Ive never been too fond of information dumping so when the dialogue between each action-packed sequence is filled with an array of information, I tend to zone out. Maybe I have a short attention span or I have difficulty following along, but its not the first time Ive had to rewatch a scene or two throughout BSD in order to get the full picture.
Another little snippet that really got to me was Hirotsu (Ono Atsushi). So, his body is basically taken over by some entity and then he disappears? When and how does he come back into the picture? What exactly happened to him? I understand that he survives and continues to become commander of the ‘Black Lizard’ faction of Port Mafia but what happened here exactly? Some clarification is needed. How did they then capture Chuuya? Ive often found myself asking similar questions in previous episodes, one of the very many downfalls of BSD. Things tend to pile up and not tie in together until a feature film, lets say, comes out and fills in the gaps.
But as always, BSD is very entertaining. Take that airplane scene for one. Chuuyas gravity defying ability is superb when in full action. BONES sure knows how to animate violence in such a way that I always seem to let out a ‘kakkoii’ under my breath. It was a great opening scene. In my opinion, for it’s emotional and reactive value, it was on par with Kimetsu no Yaibas opening shot. Both entirely different yet eye-catching.
It seems as though the core of this prequel arc will be Dazai and Chuuyas partnership, their evolution from teenagers into adults, and perhaps a deeper development into Mori-sans role as leader of Port Mafia. I’m looking forward to seeing that unfold but even more, I cant wait to see the characters from the Armed Detective Agency again. Its been a long time coming.
This arc is based on a canon LN spinoff written by Bungou’s author.https://bungostraydogs.fandom.com/wiki/Dazai,_Ch%C5%ABya,_Fifteen_Years_OldThe novel was originally released alongside the Dead Apple movie spinoff.Apparently Dazai and Chuya are very popular with Japan’s Bungou fandom, so from a marketing sense showcasing the pasts of its most popular characters would be a surefire way to draw in the fans.
THANKS for the INFO….cuz with this series, as a non Die-hard i never know WTF is going on!
Not just the Japanese fandom, I’d say. Do you know how many Soukoku shipping fics there are on Archive of our own? >> (Not that I’m complaining, I’m a HUGE Dazai fangirl…)
I’m glad that this show is back.
The 4-episode prequel RIGHT in the middle of the second season was what prompted me to give up on the entire thing. It went in a totally different direction I did not like.
Which is kinda crazy because those 4 episodes where the only thing I liked about the whole thing.
UNPOPULAR OPINION: Im all here for these flashback episodes!I honestly think those 4 flashback episodes from S2 and these current episodes are shaping up to be the best episodes of this series. The Manaka should probably just focus on writing light novels than drawing manga.
they gotta sell the blu-rays and animating Fifteen (which this flashback is taken from) will definitely help with sales. I think Bungo Stray Dogs follows the same rules as Free! which is that you really have to watch everything in order, including the OVAs and all the side stories in order for the seasons to make sense. It’s not great for a casual viewer, but it makes sense for the studio/serialization standpoint. BSD/FREE are too niche to have two-cours at once, but the depth and size of fandom makes it a great churning machine. So this is what it is.