I don't even know where to begin with this anime. It's incredibly off beat and certainly doing its own thing, and to be frank, there's really nothing like it on Crunchy Roll. The visual style, production values and overall timing of the show are nothing short of spectacular. I really don't need to make this review very long because if you're tired of seeing high school stories and want something more mature but not heavy handed, this anime is for you, and it's bound to be a classic amongst the likes of Cowboy Bebop. No joke, this could be the next big mature anime series, so get in on the ground floor for this. If the first 5 minutes turn you off, DON'T STOP WATCHING. You'll be thrown for a loop in a hurry.
Join a misfit band of superpowered detectives solving cases against other supers who dress like it's the 19th century using abilities that are unique and interesting. Sure, the mature lead has an ability most of us are familiar with, but don't think for a second that this series is even remotely like Charlotte. This is its own thing, set in a Victorian-but-modern city dripping with awesome style, goregous animation and quick wit. The only thing that I'm afraid of in this series is that it'll be short lived LIKE Charlotte because of how expensive it must be to produce... but if the end credit sequence is anything to go by, I think we could be in for a good 24 episodes in this season at least.
That's it. Just watch it, and be hopeful they don't go back on their promise for a second--or maybe third--season.

HERE'S A VIDEO VERSION IN CASE YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THIS WHOLE REVIEW! https://youtu.be/3ZsmcmewhGY

When it came to the Fall 2016 anime season, this was really the only show I kept up with. I don’t know if you can’t tell, but I don’t usually talk about trending topics and that’s usually because I’m not on top of the 10’s of shows coming out each season. I was kind of looking forward to this season because I wanted some closure from the cliffhanger that was the first season, but what I got was… unexpected to say the least.
Just to recap my season 1 review, which you can watch right here if you click on the card icon on the top right corner of the video, I basically said that there were quite a bit of problems when it came to the pacing, storytelling, tone, and the fact that the show felt way too black and white. Some of the plot lines ended poorly and the detective episodes were quite poor.
Well, some of these problems continue through to season 2, but season 2 also improves on a lot of these issues quite a bit. It also adds a couple more problems that I may have not picked up on, but it was an overall improvement. There’s a lot to get into so let’s get into it.
*transition slide into story*
I really have to split all of the parts of this review into 2 parts: The first 4 episodes of season 2 and the rest of the season. That’s because the first 4 episodes of season 2 are completely disjointed from the main conflict of season 2 because it’s a backstory to how the Agency was created and Dazai’s time in the Port Mafia.
Let’s give this a bit of analysis before we jump into the main story.
*transition slide into First 4 Episodes*
The story follows a character named Oda who’s a low level member of the Port Mafia. Though, there are a couple things that are special about Oda. He’s the friend of one of the top members of the Port Mafia, Dazai Osamu and another random guy, Ango. He’s also gifted with an ability that lets him see a few seconds into the future, which is why he’s one of the best members of the agency even though he isn’t on the top.
The set up for these 4 episodes is basically a detective story, but actually done right for the first time in this show’s history. That’s because the show has more time to set up the events of the mystery, have time to get sidetracked and explore some subplots, and give a good amount of characterization that makes me really like the main character.
Even the side characters got some exploration and motivation as to why they do what they do. Some of these ideas connect to the main story, but the majority of the events don’t. These 4 episodes had more of an emotional impact because they added so much to the characters without overstepping the bounds of the story.
The pacing in these 4 episodes is divine. They kept each event on screen long enough for the audience to understand what’s going on, but nothing overstayed its welcome. It managed to do in 4 episodes what the whole first season couldn’t do in its run time.
The tone of these 4 episodes was always more serious and more focused on the plot. The show never broke into a different art style for the comedic scenes and even the scenes where Dazai was making suicide jokes were pretty toned down. It really felt like the show I wanted this whole show to be.
The ending also left me quite satisfied as it closed up all of the subplots and created a direct link between Dazai in the Port Mafia and Dazai in the agency. Though there are a couple issues with these 4 episodes.
I may not have noticed this in the first season, but this show really over explains every detail at points. Characters go on endless internal monologues that seem quite unnecessary because they show the same information on screen. It feels like a failsafe in case people didn’t catch onto the details on their own. This problem also exists in the rest of the series as well.
Another issue is that the main motivation for what occurred in the final episode of this arc was quite weak. It was based around characters the audience barely ever saw and it was only implied that there was a close relationship between these characters. You’ll know what I mean if you watch the 3rd episode of season 2. It’s similar to Kyoka’s near death scene in season 1, but done slightly better. There’s just more room for improvement with the execution of this plot point.
So, the characters and story are better overall compared to season 1, but what about the music? Well, the music is superb. Every track fits the tone quite well and there are many memorable songs that add to the mood. The opening scene of the show displays this perfectly and really lets the audience know what they’re getting into.
The creativity with lighting and the use of credits in the OP of the show adds a couple bonus points in my books too since it shows that they weren’t being lazy with the execution of this backstory. It’s a shame that the OP’s got less creative as they continued since there are 3 OP animations that all go to the same song.
The overall animation is nice and the director’s choices add an oomph that I didn’t expect. This can specifically be seen in the flashback scenes and in the final fight scene for the anime. The aesthetic for summoning abilities in this show changed from Japanese characters to English letters. It adds some more variety to the visuals as the words are moving to create a sense of explosiveness when summoning abilities.
The themes explored in these 4 episodes laid some of the groundwork for later in the series. One of these themes had to do with grey morality and how it’s really tough to see who’s in the right most of the time.
All of this combined compels me to give these 4 episodes a 7.5/10. Too bad the rest of the series brings this score down a little. We should get back to the rest of the series for the rest of this review.
*Rest of the review card*
Many of the points I’d make for the rest of this show has already been stated in my season 1 review. The tone switches too much in this show, though it was better in this season by a bit. The comedy gets in the way, but less often. The show is paced at a super speed so it feels like you’re getting 2 episodes in one.
There’s a huge problem with over explaining details the show shows on screen and the detective episode is quite weak. Unlike season 1, less characters are explored and less characters are given characterization. This makes it hard to care about the conflict when the villains seem 1 dimensional and stale.
Actually, the conflict in this season is a plus compared to last season. The show turned from a 1-dimensional conflict that was barely explored to a 3-way war that has stakes and loss. There are alliances, traps, and more. This also adds to the grey morality I mentioned earlier, but as I said, it isn’t as good as it could be because of the weak characterization of the American and European writers.
There are also random shonen power-ups that ruin the tension because every time there’s a conflict, there’s a random power-up that makes everything an equal playing field. It makes the show feel like a wannabe dragonball Z, especially when the power-ups look like a budgeted version of a character going super saiyan.
The character dynamics are quite improved and there’s a decent bit of character development. Two specific instances of note are between Dazai and his old partner in the Port Mafia as well as Aktagawa and Atsushi. The first dynamic has so much chemistry within itself since these characters knew each other for so long and it shows in how they fight.
The second instance shows a lot of room for growth since these characters never fought together before a certain point in the show. It’s just too bad that the show left off on a cliffhanger for an even bigger plot line that seems to have been foreshadowed for quite a while. The worst part is that there’s not a confirmed season 3 so it really hinders this show.
The flashbacks of Atsushi and the repetitive dialogue of how Kyouka killed 35 people also make the show drop in value as it’s unnecessary because the audience already knows about these events. I mean, we don’t need to see Atsushi’s backstory more than twice as a maximum because it never adds anything new to his character.
I already talked about the music and animation in the “first 4 episodes” part and all of that stays true here except for the fact that the visuals for the OP in these episodes lacks creativity. The title card is placed poorly and what started as a gritty world turned into a generic shonen. It really doesn’t hold up to its seinen tag that is has for some reason.
Overall, this show has tons of problems and some problems that bother me now more than they did when I reviewed season 1. The cliffhanger is bothersome and the weak characters make the conflict less compelling. The character dynamics are better and have more room to be explored while the themes are explored poorly.
The pacing is a bit too fast, but it makes the show feel like it’s always progressing. The arc of this season ends decently, but ends with one of the biggest deus exmachina’s I’ve seen in a while and the explanations of simple ideas make this show harder to watch. Even with all of that, I give this show an 8/10… in terms of my enjoyment.
It was one of the few shows I kept up with this season and it kept me hooked. On a critical level, the whole series is now a 5.5/10 because, as I said, some of the things I noticed as a problem in season 1 became bigger issues, like telling instead of showing. There are a few stand-out moments in this show that get overshadowed by the mediocrity.
Season 2 alone is a midrange 6 out of 10 since it has the 4 episodes that are just great.

I have never read the manga this is based on, but so far after two episodes, this anime really holds up strong.

EDIT: I just want to address some points that I've seen come up now.

"There's too much comedy": We got a taste of this in episode 3, but the series gets really dark and brutal. Having recently gone ahead and read the manga in my spare time I can say that for a fact. If you're put off by the comedy in the first 2 episodes don't be.

"The ability names are stupid": For this one you need to understand that the characters are based on literary greats (I mean, Bungou does pretty much mean "literary"). The ability of a user is a reference to the user's works in some way. "No Longer Human", for example, is the name of one of the real life Dazai's most beloved works. As nonsensical as the names are however, they're not as disconnected from what they do as some people seem to think: The name of Dazai's ability would be transliterated as "extinguish that which makes you human". The move "extinguishes" a user's ability. It's vague but it does tie. Doppo Poet, too, involves writing things down and "bringing them to life", which can be seen as a play on the more metaphorical way in which poetry does as such in real life. The list goes on too. All the powers names make sense in a vague way, while paying homage to the respective character's real life inspiration. I, personally, find it very clever.

Anyway, now I've gotten that out of the way, the main point of this edit: Having seen the manga this is based on up to the 30 chapter mark, I can see that I'm in love with this series even more. Anyway, back to the actual review below which I wrote as a newbie to the series (I would have put this at the end of the review, but I wanted to address these points most of all) -

_______________________________________________

The animation is beautiful, and the characters movements all vibrantly pop to life. The premise is extremely interesting, and the characters are all quirky with their own lovable flavors. It's incredibly off the wall, as others have pointed out, but that adds to it's charm. I also went into this no realizing that the characters were based on literary greats, but now I do know as such, this anime has gotten me interested in researching the characters backgrounds, and their works, so that's a big added bonus.

The writing is superb, balancing black comedy with a depth of character, and a serious underlying attitude - It's the sort of show that manages to balance it's humor at just the right place, allowing for some genuine depth and emotion to resonate from within the characters. When a show is able to make even suicide funny you know that it's going to be a good one. And this does it's black comedy superbly, never feeling in bad taste, yet never ceasing to push the boundaries either. And they somehow manage to make it feel respectful, despite itself.

So far my biggest complaint is that the pacing has been a slight bit wonky at points, but that's a really big nitpick. So far this looks like a really great hidden gem. If this quality of animation & writing keeps up throughout the rest of the series, this is going to be one heck of a ride.

This has become one of my favorite anime ever. This anime has it's own style. It is easily the best anime of 2016 for me (along with Re: Zero). It has a motif of literature (like he names people after authors). There is a diverse group of characters. You will even like some villains. This anime doesn't leave you going "ugh that's all I get?" or the feeling of being left hanging. The endings are often suspenseful, but it leaves you craving for more, in the best way possible. Action, comedy, suspense, you name it BSD has it. The battle between the heroes and villains is a game of chess meets UFC with superpowers. The animation is beautiful. I personally find it best on CR on PS4 for some reason. Watch it. Love it. Demand Season 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10..

Seriously is a life changing type of anime. The characters they use, are depictions of real life authors/artists. It makes you go research the authors, then re-watch it to find little easter eggs... it's a totally re-newed experience.

The storyline is a little comedic in season 1, but as soon as you hit season 2... it gets so awesome. I loved the beginning of season 2.

Please watch and support this anime! I want more seasons.

This show has kept me hooked from the start of season 1 all the way through to where it's at.
The character development and backstories are incredibly thought through and explained amazingly. You'll love one character and immediately fall in love with the next.
The show has done an amazing job keeping the mystery aspect I love to see in shows with not just the story but with some of the characters. Even after learning a backstory of a character you still feel that mystery aspect towards them and I absolutely love that about the show.
Each episode keeps you hooked, ready to click the next wondering what happens and in my opinion, that's one of the best things an anime can bring. No episode felt unimportant and I always kept going until I didn't have any more to watch.
I can't wait to see where this show goes int he future!

Seriously, no other show has captured my attention like this one. There's something for everyone here; it's funny, it's dark, it's mysterious, it's dramatic, it's over-the-top, it's something much deeper than what it seems.
The premise of the show is one of the most creative I've ever seen. Most of the characters contain a supernatural special ability, unique to each one of them, and those abilities are some of the most interesting and creative powers I've seen from a supernatural show in a long time. Even further, each character is named after a famous historical author, with all the Japanese characters holding the names of Japanese authors, American characters holding the names of American authors, et cetera; and the powers that each character has are based on one of the works of their namesake, as well as many other things about their stories and personalities. It's honestly one of the most enthralling parts of this show to me.
Beyond the superficial parts such as that, the meat of the show itself doesn't fail to keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. With complex, well-written characters, many of whom tread the line between "good guy" and "bad guy" so perfectly, an amazing plot that never fails to surprise you and reward you for watching further, and beautiful animation and soundtrack, there's very little I can say about this show that isn't the highest praise I've ever had for an anime.
Seriously, watch this. You won't regret it. No matter what genre of anime you're into, no matter what you've watched in the past, you will love Bungou Stray Dogs.