Durarara

This show has the potential to be a classic. But...

It took them three loosely connected episodes to get to the point of the series, and this is a Winter series, so it's likely to only be 12 or 13 episodes long. So as fascinating as the storyline might be so far, my worry is whether they'll have enough episodes to tell all (or even most) of the story threads they've started. This could easily be a disappointing series ending in a tangled web of loose ends.

EDIT (March 19 2010): They pulled it off. This is by far the best series of the Winter 2010 season.

The storyline looks like it'll be full of surprises even if they don't manage to wrap them up properly. The opener starts off like it's for a motorcycle anime, but that's a complete red-herring. In just three episodes, it has evolved from a school-life story about a small-town boy who comes to the big city to change his life to a story of a strange super-powered fighter for justice to an urban fantasy where the conflicts of humans and spirit beings interact.

Through-out this seemingly chaotic jumble, the common thread is Ryugamine Mikado, the small-town boy who moves to the Ikebukuro section of Tokyo to live on his own and enroll in high school there. His point of view and those of his classmates are the glue that holds the series (so far) together. To be honest, the high schoolers are showing as fairly stereotypical characters: the shy, loser transfer student, the shy girl class-rep, the dumb-ass sidekick. But the characters aren't pure stereotypes. The one-line description doesn't do justice to the interactions the characters have with each other, which are as quirky as the storyline. Plus, there are are some exceptions to the rule, or does the girl who wanted to commit suicide but changed her mind count as a stereotype nowadays?

But the stereotypical high-schoolers are the viewers' oasis of familiarity in Ikebukuro. Humans aren't the only creatures who come to the big city to change their lives, and Ikebukuro seems to be a gathering place as well as an S-class battleground for spirit beings with their own agendas and rivalries. This is on top of the criminal gangs and other complexities of urban life facing teenagers as they grow up. The interweaving of the setting, the human and non-human characters is the high point of the series so far.

I love the animation style on this show too. It's a bit more impressionistic and stylized than the most realistically drawn anime, but the style isn't distracting. It also serves to accentuate the setting, with just enough skewed lines and other jarring elements to remind us that we are in a big, chaotic city full of life. The music also helps the series setting along more than usual too, with the same eclectic variety you can hear in a big city. After the rockin' opening theme, the incidental music can range from piano (first day of school) to accordion (a Russian encounter), to more typical synthesizer tones. This isn't just music to ignore, but it doesn't intrude, either.

All in all, this looks like the smartest new series in the Winter 2010 lineup. Whether it ends up as being the best will depend on where the story ends up.

(Edit 10 April 2010) - Well, it turns out this isn't a short-season anime, so I can't call it a "best ever" short season anime. But the good news is that means there are even more episodes to enjoy. Apart from that, this is still a classy, witty series. The multiple story lines interweave in complex patterns, the characters are multi-dimensional, and the stereotypes are not what they seem at first, and the sound and video craftsmanship are superb. The more I watch this series, the more I appreciate its combination of subtlety, action and mystery.

I actually like the overarching storyline of Durarara!! with how Izaya is trying to stir up trouble and mess around with Selty’s head. The season focused on this main story and the unique characters in Ikebukuro at first, and the subtle mystery made for a peppy and suspenseful story. Unfortunately, the final third tried to come to a logical pause by wrapping up the gang battle between Mikado, Anri, and Masaomi’s forces, and the story fell flat on its face. The three youngsters are simply not very interesting, and their “conflict” just boils down to a handful of old gang members beating up random people. Besides, Masaomi and Mikado don’t even have any control over their groups, so the whole misunderstanding between the three is ridiculous. When combined with the inevitable info dumps, the final third of the series left a terrible taste in my mouth.

DRRR!! Is one of my top five anime series. The story line is easy to follow, all of the characters are likable. Plus, the story can actually relate to reality, such as realistic hair colors, the setting being an actual place, and the characters being mixed cultures. You don't see anime every day that can actually pull that off.

Many female anime fans dislike characters with big breasts and that attract a lot of attention, just who we are. But Anri actually balances her flaws, abilities, personality, and background; Giving her miles before she's ever considered a Mary Sue .

In my opinion, DRRR!! is one of the best anime I have ever seen.

- CPT. Z

I loved this right from the beginning (: As you watch everything happening in the background of the main characters slowly ties in with them. It has a great story line and I absolutely loved the characters (: This is DEFINITELY worth watching (:

DRRR!! is one of the most unique animes that i've ever seen; the music, characters, storyline, even the animation is something that I find of rare quality. After finishing the series, I went back and watched it a second time, because it was so good that I didn't want in to end. Most manga to anime adaptations are wonderful, but this one really holds up in greatness. The characters are absolutely wonderful in that no two are exactly alike, yet most seem to get along really well. The art and animation are stunning, and that there makes this anime top notch. I can't name one flaw and I only wish that it was longer.

At first it seems quite boring but atfer a few episodes its totally epic! I just love the characters ( like simon the sushi guy )and the rivalry between shizou and izaya! The things you will see in this anime are: gangs, hot guys , headless rider and much more

-- It all started with a bored teenager looking for an exciting life.
He looked in the right place.

Durarara!! begins in the entertainment district of Ikebukuro & the story revolves around each of the colorful characters inhabiting it & their histories intermingling with one another.

Mikado Ryugamine, arrives from the countryside, tired of his typical life, to follow his best friend, Masaomi Kida, who has a dirty past of his own. Mikado soon gets introduced to the rest of the interesting characters of the district. Celty Sturluson, known as the urban legend The Headless Rider, Anri Sonohara, a quiet, reserved young girl with a secret, Shizuo Heiwajima, who is considered to be the most dangerous man in Ikebukuro, his arch-rival, Orihara Izaya, an information broker with an intense passion for humans, & Shinra Kishitani, a mysterious doctor with an obsession for Celty. Unknowingly, everyone has been communicating with each other through an online chat room, for an infamous color gang, called The DOLLARS. In there, there are no rules, no regulations. Fellow members discuss daily happenings in Ikebukuro, such as a mass-killer called The Slasher & some may try to assist the situation, while others can conspire. It is the only 'colorless' gang. No one knows who each other is in the group. & Even in real life, you can be friends with someone & not know who they really are.

All of them are looking for something, & will have to go through each other to get it.
Isn't that exciting enough?

All I can say is that the animation effects were wonderful and the voice actors in Japanese did a great job as well, but off course that's not what makes Durarara captivating. In this anime I believe each character has a soul, everyone is unique and full of life, the anime represents a clash between culture and social structure, in this world of Durarara it shows how small our world can be, through the social media experience and how lonely the city can be when you are not among friends. SPOILER: My favorite theme of this anime was the Dollas a gang that was created through the internet, you would not be able to tell who they would be, because they have no color and they are invisible because of that rule they could be anyone they could be your classmate, your neighbor, your best friend, your mother and you wouldn't know it. I though this idea was pretty cool. I would like to see something like that in real life It would be interesting, but it made me think, if someone were to do that in NY could they get away with it or would they eventually be discovered?

On the side note, this anime is a show to watch and please do so, I don't want to spoil anything else, but if my spoiler didn't intrigue you in any way I'm sorry to hear that.

This is such an amazing show!! I love all of the drama and action that is involved in this anime!
I wish they made more episodes, this is one of my dear favorites!
I'm a huge fan! Durarara is amazing!

Original plot - check
Interesting characters - check
Heart pumping, mind blowing, holding on to the edge of your seat action throughout the whole series - check

This is everything you always wanted in an anime.

At the beginning, the plot evolves a little... slow. It gets quite boring, even. I was about to give up watching, but the characters are what really caught my attention. Not going to spoil anything in this review, because I strongly recommend you watch the whole series yourself. I assure you, you will be impressed. Durarara is really one of a kind.