Forget the Armed Detective Agency. The Port Mafia is where it’s at.
What They Say:
Kicked out of his orphanage and on the verge of starving to death, Nakajima Atsushi meets some strange men. One of them, Dazai Osamu, is a suicidal man attempting to drown himself in broad daylight. The other, bespectacled Kunikida Doppo, nervously stands by flipping through a notepad. Both are members of the “Armed Detective Agency” said to solve incidents that even the military and police won’t touch. Atsushi ends up accompanying them on a mission to eliminate a man-eating tiger that’s been terrorizing the population…
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
As soon as the second season of Bungou Stray Dogs begins, the atmosphere is entirely unlike anything seen in the first season. We see Dazai in his old days at the Port Mafia, talking with colleagues in a bar, set to a backdrop of tonally appropriate music, and even mentioning the “stray dogs” in the title. Everything instantly feels more serious and interesting than the tale of Atsushi and the Armed Detective Agency, even with Dazai’s eccentricities no less pronounced than in the present day. This isn’t terribly surprising considering Dazai was always the best character and his history as a high-ranking member of the Port Mafia was still begging for deeper exploration, even after the revelations we had gotten in the climactic episodes of the first season.
The part that might not have necessarily been as easy to assume is that there is nothing outside of this flashback, or any hint of when we’ll get back to the present. With the opening omitted to allow for a more dramatic start to the season with the credits on the screen and the series title displayed alone after sufficient buildup and the ending consisting of what will be the opening theme for the rest of the series playing over a basic credit roll with no visuals, there isn’t a frame of the season thus far that acknowledges the time frame we’ve been following so far or any of the protagonists other than Dazai. Throughout the first season I made many comments about Dazai essentially being the real main character, especially when Atsushi wasn’t even close to fulfilling his role, but now that is literally the case, even though Atsushi did take some actions that warrant his status as the lead to some extent. I’m perfectly okay with all of this; in fact, I wish all of Bungou Stray Dogs could be like this. I have no idea how long it will continue for, but it’s a hell of a way to change things up for a new season, especially for the development of Dazai’s character.
One of the most interesting reveals of the first season finale was the leader of the Port Mafia, and now that the Port Mafia is the focus, we get to see him in his element more fully. Like Dazai, the respect he commands is counteracted by his comical quirks, which his subordinates have to accept without reacting. In this appearance he unfortunately looks significantly less like the protagonist of Steins;Gate, but he is still referred to by the same given name. The special mission he gives to one of Dazai’s drinking buddies regarding the other one of them sets the stage for a new character to assume a leading role and for Dazai to show everyone around him that he was destined for a detective agency even at this point. It seems likely that this story could reveal what turned Dazai against the Port Mafia and brought him to his current home, a fascinating prospect.
In Summary:
The second season begins, and suddenly we’re in the past, looking at Dazai’s life in the Port Mafia. This is one of the most interesting pieces still awaiting a full explanation, so it’s a welcome shift, and throughout the episode, the mood and characterizations are far more compelling than what we’ve gotten from the present day. And thankfully, Iwasaki’s music is in absolutely top form.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Roku 3, Sceptre X425BV-FHD 42″ Class LCD HDTV.
