This is an older anime, available on Netflix at the time I watched it just this last month, but being removed by the end of this month. Sadly, I do not know where else this show may be available for viewing, so hopefully you can find it if you want to check it out. One of the things I liked about this show was the art style, which is a flavor all its own. All the characters are unique and the show has its own pacing. The direction is confusing at first, but it becomes clear eventually why it is done in this particular way. All the characters introduced are significant in some way to one another and the show doesn't really have a main character, being more about Ikebukuro than any one particular character.
Favorite characters: Simon, a Russian immigrant who sells sushi at a place called Russian Sushi, he starts out mainly as comic relief, but over the course of the show you realize his character is much more than he appears. Celty: without spoiling too much, I can tell you that Celty is one of the few non-human characters in the story. She is a dullahan (Irish fairy who calls on people who are about to die, basically a grim reaper type) Dullahans carry their heads with them but somehow Celty has allowed hers to be stolen and she has traveled to Japan to recover it, and along with it, her memory. The headless horse she rode through Ireland is too conspicuous to take along on the boat, so it shapeshifted into a motorcycle, which she rides through the city. Celty is the subject of many urban myths which float around Ikebukuro, mainly because her motorcycle does not need headlights to function and that some people say she doesn't have a head (she covers this fact with a motorcycle helmet, but it does get knocked off from time to time). She communicates with others via typing out texts on her phone, and she has one of the most developed personalities in the show. Walker and Erika: a pair of otaku who ride around in a van, this duo and the van's driver used to be members of a dangerous gang but that doesn't stop them from being the most quirky and fun duo on the show. Kida: The show starts with a kid from the country coming to Ikebukuro to attend school with his best friend. If the show were to have a protagonist, this country bumpkin would be it and Kida is his best friend. Kida has a past with the darker side of the city, something he hopes his bff (Mikado) and the girl he has taken a shine to (Anri) never find out, but they both have secrets of their own.
The plot is a little reminiscent of Crash in that it connects every single character who is introduced in some way or another, sometimes in more significant ways and sometimes in more subtle ways. It is interesting and pulls you in. The direction is very well done and the music is beautiful. I watched the subtitled version (I rarely watch a dub, usually only if I am showing the anime to one of my kids because they don't like reading subtitles all the time) but I can't really imagine how this show would be translated into dub since a lot of the misunderstandings have to do with certain characters having a poor grasp of spoken Japanese (or at least speaking very badly), even Simon the character I mentioned first, his main thing is that his Japanese is mediocre at best but at one point in the show one of the characters says "You know, sometimes I think you're only pretending you don't really understand Japanese" and then there's the few times it shows Simon speaking in Russian (his native tongue) I don't know how those would translate into a dubbed version of the show, if they'd just leave it in the Russian and with English subtitles, I don't imagine they could dub it, since the fact it's in Russian is significant.
Villian/person you love to hate: Izaya. Basically a sociopath, this guy just loves to manipulate people into do all kinds of things and he basically is somehow connected to every shady thing you can find in the city. His character takes sadistic pleasure in the misfortunes of others even though he claims to love people, he just treats them like pieces on a board for him to manipulate. He has this hate/hate relationship with the most loveable violent character on the show, Shizuo. Apparently, the two have been trying to kill each other (unsuccessfully) since they were in middle school together. It is debatable whether or not these two have some sort of attraction to one another, possibly because of their opposite personalities. Of course, being this worthy of hate also makes for a pretty complex and interesting character.
Both arcs are good in their own ways. If I have to choose between them, I'd pick the first. Kida's character isn't really flushed out until about halfway into the second arc, though, and it isn't until the second arc that Simon really begins to shine in his own right. Another thing I should mention is the chat room. The chat room is almost a character into itself, although it does nothing without the input of the actual characters, it is important in moving the story along and each of the characters hides behind a false name so you don't know, until it's revealed, who everyone is.
Favorite moment in the show: When it is revealed who the leader of the dollars really is. Again, if you want to know what I mean, watch the show. I bet you like it. I know I did.
Have a nice day, and thank you for checking out my blog.
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