Bungo Stray Dogs

Episode 11

There's definitely a shift of storyline in the wind for Bungo Stray Dogs. This week's episode divides itself in two more literally than usual by having two separate stories before and after the commercial break, which suggests that things are gearing up to delve into a more cohesive plotline in the show's second cour. The fact that next week's episode looks like it will be set in the past, presumably when Dazai was part of the Port Mafia, seems to support this theory. Last week made it clear that F. Scott Fitzgerald knew who Dazai and Akutagawa were, so if we pair that with the fact that we have now officially met everyone – and with Kenji taking Atsushi under his wing this week we've seen everyone in action and gotten to know them, at least on the Armed Detective side – the story seems primed to kick it into high gear.

But first, this week. The first half of the episode follows Akutagawa's subordinate Higuchi in the aftermath of the explosion. Akutagawa is in hard shape, burned, bruised, and broken on virtually every part of his body. Higuchi is technically now in charge of his group of Mafiosi, but The Man in the Shadows and his creepy blonde girl don't think she's up to the task. This leads to an introspective few minutes wherein Higuchi realizes that she's really not suited for life in the Port Mafia, but with the kidnapping of Akutagawa by outside forces, she also knows that she's too attached to him to ever leave, no matter what the cost of staying. It's a more subtle comparison of the Dazai/Akutagawa relationship, where the one has the other's unconditional worship until he “betrays” him. Just as Akutagawa is obsessed with Dazai's approval and acknowledgement, Higuchi craves Akutagawa's attention and approbation. There's clearly at least a trace of a crush factored in for her too, which will likely be what spells her downfall in the future. More interesting than the political machinations of the Mafia, however, is how Akutagawa treats Higuchi towards the end of their half of the episode – this is a very different person than the one obsessed by Dazai. Does he care for Higuchi? Or is this just a moment of weakness? Whatever the cause, it makes the character infinitely less annoying, so I hope the relationship gets developed further.

On the much goofier side is the second half (and a bit of the first at the Agency), wherein Kunikida sends Atsushi out on a case with an established detective. This turns out to be Kenji Miyazawa, and he really makes the episode. He's basically a slightly dippy Pollyanna, smiling his way through life and always seeing the positive outcome even when he gets clonked on the head with a metal bat. It doesn't matter that the case itself isn't all that interesting or difficult to solve because watching Kenji skip all over town smiling his sunny smile and charming the heck out of everyone he meets while Atsushi cowers and gapes in the background is kind of amazing. Everything, Kenji believes, can be handled just fine with a straightforward attitude and acceptance that everyone is as good as he is. And the crazy thing? He's sort of right. It's much more his gift than his actual super-strength. The fact that he compares everyone to his family's cattle in terms of how to treat them and their behavior is also great. He's really a breath of fresh air, silly in a way that works with the show rather than against it. This is some of the most successful comedy in Bungo Stray Dogs thus far, possibly because it doesn't try to mix it with the more serious sections – this is just all funny, all the time.

Despite the fun of this half and the interest of the first, this is still very clearly a transition episode. It is our first real glimpse of the little blonde girl and her terror art (someone get that kid some therapy), but all we know is that she's Mafia-affiliated, which we could basically get from the opening theme. Apart from the opening scenes with Kyouka there isn't a whole lot of plot carry-over from last week, which is a definite disappointment. But presumably the show has a plan, and one that quite possibly is going to get much more serious than we've seen, so it may be that in a couple of weeks we'll look back at this lighter episode and wish we were watching Kenji throw trucks around again.

Who am I kidding? I'd watch the Kenji Miyazawa Show any day.

Rating: B

Bungo Stray Dogs is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.