Durarara comes to a close with the final 12 episodes in the x2 series (デュラララ!!×2 結). This is the continuation of the long running light novel series of the same name by Narita Ryogo and Yasuda Suzuhito. The final part of the series aired originally in the winter of 2016.
Picking up where Durarara x2 The Second Arc left off we find things coming to a boiling point in Ikebukuro. The Dollars are collapsing around Mikado as he shifts his morals even further to attain his goals. The best allies from the dying gang have huddled together to figure out what is going on and how to get out with their skins. The darker and more powerful personalities that have been lurking in the shadows for all of x2 are beginning to operate in the public. What began as a way to cure boredom on Mikado's part has unleashed forces way beyond his comprehension and control. As everything comes to a close who will make it out with their lives and will their be any chance of returning to normalcy?
I have enjoyed Durarara the entire time, but this final part of the series was a much welcomed end to the franchise. It maintained a good grip on its ensemble cast but some of their motivations and actions became more opaque. The final arc of x2 continues with a more solid detachment of semi-realism the show has maintained. Even with it's super natural elements there has been a good level of control in the antics of the characters. Now though, everything is out of the window as stress pushes the neighborhood strongest beings into action, whether they want to or not. In reality the series as a whole boils down to 3 things. Orihara meddling with everyone to entertain himself, filling himself with a misplaced sense of loneliness. Mikado thinking he's more clever than he really is. And everyone fighting for control of Celty's head. So, it goes with out saying that Durarara can't call it quits until these three things are addressed. The Third Arc closes the story on all three issues, but does leave a small window open to revisit this twisted landscape.
Over all Durarara is enjoyable. The artwork has always be rough, particularly the character designs. Some of the characters themselves were less than believable but what draws you in is the diversity of the cast. The levels of intrigue. In the end though, the plot strained a little too hard to make everything connect and some aspects didn't fit very well, to the point where they had to keep introducing more characters in order to make those strained connections. So much was going on in the end and the way the story telling differed so much from the original series that I began to loose focus on who was doing what for which reason part way through. It seemed the writers may have picked up on this and decided they would need to walk the viewer through the more obscure details in plain fashion.
The climax of the entire series encompasses most of the Third Arc and delivers a satisfying, if only slightly disappointing ending. Over all Durarara has been a fantastically entertaining series, but the minor flaws in the end seemed to have diminished its hold on me and I don't regret saying good bye to these characters. Though, I may pick up the light novels at some point down the road. Either way, still a good series over all, if it started to get a little out of hand in the end.
The series was simulcast on Crunchyroll and the simuldub is half a season behind. The video release should be coming soon after as well.
Picking up where Durarara x2 The Second Arc left off we find things coming to a boiling point in Ikebukuro. The Dollars are collapsing around Mikado as he shifts his morals even further to attain his goals. The best allies from the dying gang have huddled together to figure out what is going on and how to get out with their skins. The darker and more powerful personalities that have been lurking in the shadows for all of x2 are beginning to operate in the public. What began as a way to cure boredom on Mikado's part has unleashed forces way beyond his comprehension and control. As everything comes to a close who will make it out with their lives and will their be any chance of returning to normalcy?
I have enjoyed Durarara the entire time, but this final part of the series was a much welcomed end to the franchise. It maintained a good grip on its ensemble cast but some of their motivations and actions became more opaque. The final arc of x2 continues with a more solid detachment of semi-realism the show has maintained. Even with it's super natural elements there has been a good level of control in the antics of the characters. Now though, everything is out of the window as stress pushes the neighborhood strongest beings into action, whether they want to or not. In reality the series as a whole boils down to 3 things. Orihara meddling with everyone to entertain himself, filling himself with a misplaced sense of loneliness. Mikado thinking he's more clever than he really is. And everyone fighting for control of Celty's head. So, it goes with out saying that Durarara can't call it quits until these three things are addressed. The Third Arc closes the story on all three issues, but does leave a small window open to revisit this twisted landscape.
Over all Durarara is enjoyable. The artwork has always be rough, particularly the character designs. Some of the characters themselves were less than believable but what draws you in is the diversity of the cast. The levels of intrigue. In the end though, the plot strained a little too hard to make everything connect and some aspects didn't fit very well, to the point where they had to keep introducing more characters in order to make those strained connections. So much was going on in the end and the way the story telling differed so much from the original series that I began to loose focus on who was doing what for which reason part way through. It seemed the writers may have picked up on this and decided they would need to walk the viewer through the more obscure details in plain fashion.
The climax of the entire series encompasses most of the Third Arc and delivers a satisfying, if only slightly disappointing ending. Over all Durarara has been a fantastically entertaining series, but the minor flaws in the end seemed to have diminished its hold on me and I don't regret saying good bye to these characters. Though, I may pick up the light novels at some point down the road. Either way, still a good series over all, if it started to get a little out of hand in the end.
The series was simulcast on Crunchyroll and the simuldub is half a season behind. The video release should be coming soon after as well.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment