Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Durarara!! ×2 The Second Arc
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ThatGuyWhoLikesThings
Posts: 1034 |
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I've heard that the Orihara twins don't exactly get a lot of focus in the novels unfortunately. Which sucks because, like a lot of characters in the series, they're a bunch of fun.
Anyway, glad to see that Durarara is back to, not quite peak form, but it's definitely recovered from the disaster that was last season. Mika and Akabayashi, two characters that weren't even on my radar, just earned about 100 likability points in my book in the span of two episodes, which is really impressive. Crossing fingers that this season can keep up the strong pace. 
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bobob101
 Posts: 201 |
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Since Durarara is such a plot/character heavy show where something is always happening, I don't mind its general low production values. When I replay it in my head, I don't see Durarara in motion, I see bullet points. The only time this defense was breached was the Varona flashback with its super janky animation.
So far this season has been pretty wack in all the right ways. Eye-gouging confessions, super spy wanna be cannibalism, Varona works as a waitress, lord knows what Mikado and Izaya are plotting, I am interested to see what this show has in store. |
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RaylenCypher
 Posts: 138 |
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The schocking twist that Mika wanted to eat the head, oddly, didn't really get a scare or chill down my spine. I knew she was kinda coo-coo in the head so this was just another, "oh okay then," moment that moved along. But then she spouted off every single secret and major revelation that could alter the lives of many people, okay NOW you have my undivided attention for doing that.
As for the one character story of Akabayashi, he's pretty cool to me now. It's tragic how things turned out for his unrequited love and the fate that became of her daughter, Anri. |
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Sahmbahdeh
Posts: 713 |
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So, I think I know what my (minor) problem with the show is now: after so long since I saw the first season, I'm not sure what revelations I'm supposed to be surprised by. I keep thinking "Did I know that? I think I was supposed to know that. Maybe not, though", and it's kind of taking me out of it. It turns out I was right about all the stuff I thought I was supposed to know, but it's a bit annoying in the moment.
As for the episodes and the review, agreement all around. Durarara is mostly back, and I for one am glad to see it. |
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JennLegacy
Posts: 109 |
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While I did end up enjoying the first part of season 2 (from fangirl blindness, I'm sure), I could definitely tell there was something off and wonky about the direction right at the second episode. I'm glad to see the show seems to have pulled itself together.
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Hameyadea
 Posts: 3679 |
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The dialog of Episode #2 sure went to some places
  (eating the head to fuse with it).
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Nakurawari
 Posts: 265 Location: Ireland |
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That's my thoughts exactly. In season one, it was written so well that towards the end of each arc, everything started coming together from all the previous events until 'bam!' you get an epiphany when you truly find out what's going on. In x2 however, I was able to tell when those moments in the end of the last arc were, but I was still confused as to what was actually going on. I realised after more viewings, but I think that's a problem caused by the pacing of x2. It leaves no time for you to get a grasp on certain situations or character relations. And that's what separates x2 from season 1. |
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Lostlorn Forest
 Posts: 544 Location: USA |
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It seems to be universal in the fanbase now that the first arc wasn't the strongest. I personally still enjoyed it but it did seem to lack creativity and I did not see a point to it. I was disappointed too of the distance between Mikado, Masaomi and Anri.
Hopefully soon we'll see dots connecting. |
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DangerMouse
Posts: 3994 |
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It was still creepy though heh. But yeah, her having been paying so much attention and knowing all the secrets was, wow. |
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Caramichael
Posts: 114 |
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What shocked me was how at the start of the episode both Mika and Namie acted, if not like normal persons, at least like more reasonnable persons, and then Mika wants to eat the head and Namie wants to acid her face... NOPE.
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Theozilla
 Posts: 144 Location: Oakland, California |
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IIRC Book 7 was called the Daily Life arc, which is why the character focus episodes are back. They all really exemplify the "twisted love" theme of the series.
Also, I am not if this was a continuity error on the writers part or if it was meant to show that Mika doesn't know every single thing correctly, but Mika was incorrect in her guess/statement that Mikado, Anri, and Masaomi are unaware of each others secrets/status. As the third arc (the Yellow Scarves arc) from Season 1 was all about each of them slowly finding out about one another's secret lives. I mean, while they haven't had an in-depth confrontation/conversation all together about their secrets I am pretty sure they all are in the know of each others private lives. |
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JacobC
ANN Contributor
 Posts: 3728 Location: SoCal |
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Actually, somehow, against all odds, Mika is right! Those three don't know each other's true natures, even now. Masaomi's former leadership of the Yellow Scarves is known to the others of course, but none of them know that Anri is Saika, or that Mikado is the leader of the Dollars. (They have their suspicions, naturally. I'm sure Masaomi wouldn't be surprised, but he also has no idea just how far down the crazy-hole Mikado has gone recently.) And even though the other two know about Masaomi being a Yellow Scarf, they don't know about his connection to Izaya and just how much danger that has put them in throughout the past and will continue to put them in throughout the future. |
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justsomeaccount
 Posts: 471 |
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^ Actually it's not very clear. Basically if each one has two secrets:
-Anri being the slasher, and being possesed by Saika: The latter one neither of them know it, but the former (being the slasher) Masaomi knows, Mikado I don't know. Honestly he should know as Mikado had to protect Anri from the Yellow Scarfs, and recently they advertised Anri's pictures as the slasher, but because they still act the same when they are together, it's hard to tell... -Masaomi being the leader of the yellow scarf, and being currently Izaya's office boy outside: Both clearly know the former, but they shouldn't know the latter. But Anri at least knows Masaomi has a relation with Izaya because she went to threaten him for all he did to complicate things. -Mikado being the leader of Dollars, and now conspirating with another band to reform the Dollars: Masaomi knows the former, Anri I don't know but again, she should know after all those events and knowing Izaya was related. Neither of them know the latter. So, except Anri, Mika reffered only to the former part of their secrets, and again, Anri/Saika aside they should know those secrets, so Mika's dialogue is confusing, since the reason they don't talk each other is based on those. I'll just guess it's "her assumption" since they don't even bother to talk about it.
Who knows, because Izaya also hates Shizuo as he states tooons of times and he wants him dead, and Shizuo clearly hates him. Either could just be his human side that can hate as much as anybody for X reasons, or because they aren't totally under his control and manipulable or predictable like the other characters, and many times even threatening or punching him when he doesn't want it (Izaya's sisters invade his chatroom, and Shizuo goes for him... well, whenever he cans; and when Simon punched him he said Simon and Shizuo are annoying because they're unpredictable and an annoyance for his plans). |
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Lovely
 Posts: 116 Location: Florida |
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Izaya doesn't actually "hate" his sisters. He just doesn't know how to deal with them and their specific brand of weirdness. So he just doesn't like getting involved with them much.
Also--- minor book spoilers . I think... book 9? spoiler[ His sisters being weird are pretty much the only thing in his life that he feels a little guilty about. Since it was kinda due to his unintentional influence. ] Personally I think Izaya avoids them because he actually DOES have some familiar feelings, and just don't want them getting involved in the crazy shit he constantly goads people into. Not that he would actually admit that. Anyways. I haven't actually started watching this arc of Durarara yet, but I'm glad it's being enjoyed so far . And I'm also glad to hear that the Mika scene came off just as creepy as it did in the books!
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Zhou-BR
Posts: 1461 |
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I thought the first two episodes had some decent animation, at least by Shuka's standards, but episode three was another unfortunate dip in quality. And looking at the credits, it's easy to see why: it had three different animation directors, only one of which (Miyako Yatsu) had any previous experience with the franchise, although the previous episode she worked on didn't look particularly good either.
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