Manga Review: Durarara!! GN 4

Durarara!!: Volume 4
Author: Ryohgo Narita
Yen Press
176 pages

Dollars, rise up!! When Yagiri Pharmaceuticals crosses the line, the true leader of the Dollars steps forward to take command of the vast network of members at his disposal…Though this unobtrusive boy holds a disturbing degree of power in the palm of his hand, Celty is preoccupied by the powers that still control her head…At the end of the day, will her twenty-year search all be for naught? Or has she found something even more precious along the way? (Source: Yen Press)

Spoiler alert: Contains spoilers for the manga and the anime. Read on with caution!

So this is the end of the Durarara!! manga . . . well, until the Saika Arc, at least. Which is good, because I'm starting to prefer the manga over the anime in terms of focus and linear storytelling. Plus, it has much more Celty – and more Celty is always a plus in my book! Speaking of which, Durarara!!'s most recent plot arcs come to manageable and meaningful conclusions in volume four, creating a satisfactory end as well as a hook into the next story arc (the first volume of which is already available in English!).

Manga Review: Durarara!! GN 1 & 2

Durarara!!: Volumes 1 & 2
Author: Ryohgo Narita
Yen Press
176 pages (for both volumes)

Welcome to Ikebukuro, where Tokyo's wildest characters gather!! Meet an ordinary boy who daydreams about the extraordinary. A naive stalker girl. The strongest man in Ikebukuro. A shut-in doctor with questionable credentials. A hedonistic informant...and the "headless rider" astride a pitch-black motorcycle!? As their paths cross, this eccentric cast weaves a twisted, cracked love story... (Source: Goodreads)

Spoiler alert: Contains some spoilers for the manga and the anime. Read on with caution!

Gosh, this story is sure familiar. Are you sure I haven't read this before? Oh, yes. I watched Durarara!! back when it was on [as] and I remember clearly waiting each week to find out what the hell is going on. So it's rather fascinating to read the story again in another medium and know more than the cast about what's really happening, about who is who and what's really been going on behind the scenes in Ikebukuro.

It's a familiar read but that's not a negative; it's more like getting back together with a group of friends, some you really like and others you'd rather keep a distance from, but old friends all the same. Oh yes, and most of them end up being certifiably psychotic but that's okay, right?

Final Thoughts: Durarara!!

In Tokyo's downtown district of Ikebukuro, amidst many strange rumors and warnings of anonymous gangs and dangerous occupants, one urban legend stands out above the rest – the existence of a headless “Black Rider” who is said to be seen driving a jet-black motorcycle through the city streets.

Ryuugamine Mikado has always longed for the excitement of the city life, and an invitation from a childhood friend convinces him to move to Tokyo. Witnessing the Black Rider on his first day in the city, his wishes already seem to have been granted. But as supernatural events begin to occur, ordinary citizens like himself, along with Ikebukuro's most colorful inhabitants, are mixed up in the commotion breaking out in their city.

Spoiler warning: Spoilers for the entirety of Durarara!! are beyond this line. Read with caution!

So, I know, I'm two years behind everyone else in finishing this amazingly popular series. Hell, I'm even more behind everyone else since I was watching the dub on [as] and let the episodes pile up so that I ended up finishing the series a month or so after it finished its initial run on television. I did an Initial Thoughtspost on it in July, and talked about further episodes in two of my anime round-up posts (geez, remember those?), but it isn't until now that I've been able to bring together all my thoughts and feelings on the Durarara!! anime series at large.

Here's my kneejerk reaction to Durarara!! in four words: When is season two? No, really. When? I need it! And it isn't because the anime was unsatisfactory - although there are a ton of plot points that never get actual resolutions - but because I didn't want it to end when it did. I really want more Durarara!! which is why I'm hoping the light novels get licensed this year or the next, which might actually happen if the manga sells well over here in the North American market. I might even start up interest for a Kickstarter-esque project to get it licensed and published in English, that's how much I love this series. Ssh, don't be scared by how much anime fandom loves it; it deserves all of the hype.

Fujoshi O'Clock: The Last of 2011 Edition

What time is it? It's . . . Fujoshi O'Clock, the new weekly feature at Nagareboshi Review, when I bring to you the latest fujoshi-related news and reviews and various shiny BL-flavored things. Why? Because rotten girls need love too!


This week on Fujoshi O'Clock:

• ふう子 at Hazukashii Kedo announces the winner for the DameBL contest.
• SuBLime is certainly busy this week. They've launched their site as well as announced a new title, Yebisu Celebrities by Iwamoto Kaoru and Fuwa Shinri.
• Digital Manga also has two new manga licenses: Private Teacher volume 3 and Secretary's Job.
• Via Crunchyroll: Kotabukiya is bringing Durarara!! "Dream Pillows" to Comiket, and they are certainly for BL fans of the Shizuo/Izaya variety.

Reviews:

• Melinda and Michelle review Climb On To My Shoulders, Pet on Duty, and The Rule of Standing on Tiptoe in the last BL Bookrack of the year.
• Connie at Slightly Biased Manga reviews the fifth volume of the Viewfinder series by Ayano Yamane and the second volume of Kazuma Kodaka's Bad Teacher's Equation (omnibus edition).

Am I missing your blog? Got some awesome fujoshi-related news and reviews you think deserve a shout-out? Poke me with a link and a bit of description over at my Twitter: @theseventhl. I'm always on the look out for more BL love!

Fujoshi O'Clock (12/22/11)

What time is it? It's . . . Fujoshi O'Clock, the new weekly feature at Nagareboshi Review, when I bring to you the latest fujoshi-related news and reviews and various shiny BL-flavored things. Why? Because rotten girls need love too!


This week on Fujoshi O'Clock:

• ふう子 at Hazukashii Kedo is holding a DameBL Christmas contest to win some sweet BL manga; all you have to do is send her your favorite DameBL fantasy, whether it be positively vanilla or wildly kinky.
• Ogiue Maniax continues its Fujoshi Files with File #32: Karisawa Erika of the series Durarara!!, who truly has no problem shipping the men in her life - usually right in front of them.
• Connie at Slightly Biased Manga posts her list of the year's best manga, which includes several nods at boys' love series.
• Not the newest post, but an awesome one nonetheless: over at Okazu, Erica Friedman shows how to make a great LGBT comic as well as a contest for those who are fans of LGBT comics in general.

Reviews:

• Boys' Luv.com reviews the first volume of Ahiru Haruno's Mr. Tiger and Mr. Wolf and finds it a sweet piece of anthropomorphic boys' love.
• ふう子 at Hazukashii Kedo puts the spotlight on manga-ka Kumonosuke and her lovely BL works of art.

Am I missing your blog? Got some awesome fujoshi-related news and reviews you think deserve a shout-out? Poke me with a link and a bit of description over at my Twitter: @theseventhl. I'm always on the look out for more BL love!

Weekly Anime Round-Up: Better Late Than Never

Every weekend, Nagareboshi Reviews will post micro reviews of the anime it's been watching over the past seven days, usually shows that are ongoing or don't warrant a separate post for 'initial thoughts'. Feel free to comment with the shows you've been watching this week as well!

Also, it's been a while since I've done one of these, non? Mainly because until recently I haven't been watching enough anime on a weekly basis to warrant one of these posts. But that changes tonight! I promise to keep up with watching anime and post these on at least a bi-weekly basis. Otaku's honor, of course.

Warning: Contains spoilers for the following series: Blue Exorcist; Demon King Daimo; Durarara!!; Gundam Unicorn; Nyanpire The Animation

Weekly Anime Round-Up: The Hodge-Podge Edition

Weekly Anime Round-Up

Every weekend, Nagareboshi Reviews will post micro reviews of the anime it's been watching over the past seven days, usually shows that are ongoing or don't warrant a separate post for 'initial thoughts'. Feel free to comment with the shows you've been watching this week as well!

Warning: Contains spoilers for the following series: Blue Exorcist; Durarara!!; Morita-san wa Mukuchi; Nyanpire; Prism Magical: Prism Generations!

It's kind of a long one this week. Read the post after the jump!

Initial Thoughts: Durarara!!

Initial Thoughts: Durarara!!

Spoiler warning: Discusses the events of the first five episodes. Do not post comments about anything past episode five, please!

In Tokyo's downtown district of Ikebukuro, amidst many strange rumors and warnings of anonymous gangs and dangerous occupants, one urban legend stands out above the rest – the existence of a headless “Black Rider” who is said to be seen driving a jet-black motorcycle through the city streets. Ryuugamine Mikado has always longed for the excitement of the city life, and an invitation from a childhood friend convinces him to move to Tokyo. Witnessing the Black Rider on his first day in the city, his wishes already seem to have been granted. But as supernatural events begin to occur, ordinary citizens like himself, along with Ikebukuro's most colorful inhabitants, are mixed up in the commotion breaking out in their city. (Hat tip to the good folks at MAL Rewrite for the series synopsis.)

The dazzling lights and sounds of Ikebukuro district – the strange people who inhabit it and come out at night – the Dollars gang that has no color of its own which dominates the streets – the Black Rider that patrols the city on its motorcycle faster than the wind – so what is the secret of this bustling commercial district that holds so many different nooks and crannies hiding the oddities of society? That, my friends, is the story behind Durarara!! – a colorful medley of other people’s stories meant to be seen as a massive narrative for the district of Ikebukuro itself. The identity of Ikebukuro comes through the identity of its citizens, and it is discovering who inhabits this space that we discover the true face of Ikebukuro in both the day and the night.

Read the rest of the post after the jump!

Weekly Anime Round-Up: The Short Edition

Every weekend, Nagareboshi Reviews will post micro reviews of the anime it's been watching over the past seven days, usually shows that are ongoing or don't warrant a separate post for 'initial thoughts'. Feel free to comment with the shows you've been watching this week as well!

Warning: Contains spoilers for the following series: Durarara!! (okay, not really!), Nyanpire, Morita-san wa Mukuchi

Durarara!!: episodes 1-5

I'm a little late to the DRRR!! but I have so many thoughts on what has been broadcast via Adult Swim that you can expect a full Initial Thoughts for the first five episodes tomorrow. Excited, are you? Get excited!

Morita-san wa Mukuchi: episode 2

In this episode – titled “Miki Is A Chatterbox” – we see the very antithesis of the ever silent Morita Mayu, I the form of said-chatterbox Miki. Every time she appears on screen, she literally can’t stop talking and her endless chatter usually turns into a stream-of-consciousness rant that would make Amy Pond proud. 

Funny enough, Miki and Morita make a pretty good team – even if Morita sometimes misreads Miki’s intentions and gets too close to her skirt. And thus a thousand and one yuri fics were born! If this show even has a fandom yet (of course it does, every show does!).

Nyanpire The Animation: episode 2

Welp, it's official - I have nyan-induced diabetes, that's how overwhelming cute this show is. It is also probably the least odious vampire-related anime I have ever seen. Does it have a plot beyond strange cats having adventures? Nope. Does it seem to have any asperations to evolve past its nyan-nyan funtime roots? Not even a little. But it is so fun to watch in such a short amount of time, I don't care. Especially when the latest cat to enter Nyanpire's world is one dressed like Masamune Date, down to the helmet and eyepatch - and suddenly a great amount of Sengoku Basara fans are interested in Nyanpire, aren't they? As they should be! Can't wait to see what the next odd cat looks like.

Sorry, short post is short. Still, share what you've been watching this week in the comments!