But still, they're very different. Baccano! is mostly a mystical thriller, supplemented by “tarantinovshchina” and black humor (and not only black).
Durarara! - an example of what in literature is called “magical realism”. Everyday life here borders on mysticism, fiction, and even absurdity. Like Baccano!, this series is once again about crime. But this time it’s not American gangsters, but the nightlife of Tokyo’s most troubled neighborhood, Ikebukuro. There is a war of youth gangs, criminals and more serious – for example, kidnappers of people who sell their medical corporations for inhuman experiments. Here, a clever intriguer and master of manipulation – “informant” Izuya deployed his activities. But the life of Ikebukuro is not limited to one crime - the Rider Without a Head is on his motorcycle, the strongest and hot-tempered man in the world Haywojima Shizou is roaming along its streets; the maniac-Ripper lurks in the shadows. In a word, paradise, if you remember the definition of paradise by Agent Cooper from “Twin Peaks”.
Durarara! is an interweaving of several stories. Everyone will find something different here. I must confess that the fighting of the groups, especially in the second arch, left me indifferent. I do not understand all this fuss and game of bandits, ending with real terms and no less real injuries. I don't care much about the life of the Japanese Gopniks.
But the story of Celty and Shinro hit a nerve. For some reason, I really wanted them to be okay. I generally like women’s images like Celty – strange, different personalities that don’t fit into the world around them. And yet, it is the Headless Horsewoman who moves along the path of harmony with everyday reality.
(By the way, the interpretation of such a character as Dullahan in the anime is surprising.) While in the original Irish legend it is a man, in the Japanese it is almost always a girl. )
An amazingly colorful character is Shizow. Funny and in a way tragic. He hates violence, but he hates injustice and rudeness even more. His strength is his burden. Few people dare to be friends with him, but enemies are - many want to defeat a great fighter.
Perhaps only Simon, or rather Semyon Brezhnev, a black native of Russia, could compare with Shidzow, called a restaurant... "Russian sushi." (As you can see, the creators of the series have no problems with humor.) He looks simple, but in fact the good Sema can put anyone in his place by word and fist; and in his heart he is a true philosopher.
It is worth mentioning the Kadoto gang - a motley company, in which, in addition to the leader, a harsh guy with strict concepts of honor and justice, his driver friend and a couple of otakus are included: a girl and her unbalanced friend (pyromaniac, a lover of knives and a rare bore). During the development of the plot, they often fall into the thick of events and come to the aid of other heroes.
Saiki's story has caused controversy. It seems to be necessary for the plot, and at the same time it looks somewhat far-fetched.
But in general, Durarara! is a good and very unusual anime. There are many very bright characters, a famously twisted plot (in the course of events, the jaw of the viewer will fall off more than once), a diverse soundtrack perfectly illustrating the picture. In the first arc, the creators of the series raised a very important topic – how the Internet today is able to unite people. The second is that the communities created in this way do not depend on the leader, they are self-sufficient and capable of self-organization. This anime would have been released five years earlier, which could have been called a prophecy, but in 2010 it was a reality. The Internet began to influence public life, having ceased to be a “virtual ghetto” for geeks and nerds.
Result: What is Durarara? This is really crazy. It's an intricacy of intrigue, crime and magic, friendship and betrayal. It's the passionate night Ikebukuro. In which, however, everyone can find a cozy corner - in the Shinro living room, in the "Russian Sushi", or just on a bench in the park. To stop and understand that the chaos that surrounds us is real life. 8 out of 10
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