[Review] An in-depth look at “DURARARA!!!” DVD Vol. 1

A pitch-black headless motorcylcist who roams the city!?
High-tension suspense and action are taking over Tokyo’s Ikebukuro District!
Warped romances and friendships and plenty of hidden secrets lie behind these big city walls! A hilariously unusual juvenile urban fantasy from the mighty creative staff behind Baccano!

“Durarara!!” is the animated TV series based on the eponymous hit novel by RYOHGO NARITA, who also penned the award-winning novel series-turned anime series, “Baccano!”.  With an “off-the-wall” style of storytelling and pacing, Mr. Narita represents a new breed of unconventional authors on the rise by drawing accolades from teen readers and critics alike within Japan’s highly competitive light-novel industry. The Durarara!!! series has shocked readers with its unique, quirky, and wildly unpredictable characters, and intriguingly interwoven plots that form an out-of-this-world story.

Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Mikado Ryugamine is a young man who yearns for the city like no other. At the invitation of his childhood friend, Masaomi Kida, he leaves his hometown and enters Raira Academy in Ikebukuro. Masaomi warns Mikado about some dangerous people in Ikebukuro to watch out for, and there are two in particular: the brawling champion Shizuo Heiwajima and hobbyist information broker Izaya Orihara; also the mysterious organization of unknown origin known as the “Dollars.” On his first day out in the city, Mikado sees a jet-black motorcycle being driven by the fabled “Headless Rider.” From then on, a series of random attacks and events begin to occur on the streets of Ikebukuro, and a group known as the Yellow Scarves arises as Ikebukuro begins to crumble!

< Review >

If you’re a fan of stories that keep you guessing and in suspense for the duration, then you’ll probably enjoy “DURARARA!!” immensely.  I’d actually never heard of the series before this, but it is an intriguing anime.  The urban street drama where the characters have their own stories intertwined with the backdrop of a single town is a highly interesting and unique setting, and the mixture of fantasy, comedy, occult, and mystery was solid.

The main character, Ryugamine Mikado, moves to Ikebukuro and meets up with his childhood friend, Kida Masaomi.  Once he arrives there, he meets a series of sub-characters, who later become relevant as the story unfolds.  Particularly noteworthy was the use of internet chat and third person narration to set the tone.

I’ll be the first to admit that I was a bit lost by the second episode, but it quickly pulled me back in by the third, so while “DURARARA!!!” is indeed an interesting story, you may have to give it two episodes or so due to the nature of the plot and setting.

Volume 1 will contain the first nine episodes, and it will serve as an introduction to the series and characters if you had never previously read the manga.

< Video & Audio >

The DVD will be presented with the option of Japanese or English language and is in Dolby Digital 2.0. While I’m not one for dubbed animation, the English dub is clear, and the voices seemed to flow well with the characters and was not out of place.  It comes in handy when the characters chat online and the viewer does not have to read anything on screen. Language wise, it was pretty slangy for an anime in terms of the non-standard Japanese used, especially when compared to its English counterparts. Animation wise, the drawings and backgrounds are easy to look at, and on an HDTV, the lines were pretty crisp, and no pixels were sensed unless you looked really closely.

< SPECS >

Official Title: Durarara!! DVD Part 1
Rating: 13+
Language: Japanese & English
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0
Release Date: January 25, 2011
Format: DVD (2 Disc Set)
Price: SRP $49.99
SKU#: AOA-0701
UPC: 850527-003004

Soory the information is not complate because i forgot where i saw this