I ended up watching this anime in one sitting so intrigued by how it was going to play out. I had seen the character designs and opening sequence and it was nothing I was interested, not my thing at all looked like a high school love drama. It looked all sweet and innocent and it was a romance so of no interest at all, just a big no no in terms of everything I normally like in a drama. Turns out this is a great example of never judge a book by its cover. The basic plot follows Makoto Ito rides the train to and from school every day. However, at the beginning of his second term, he falls in love with a beautiful girl that also rides the train. Unfortunately, she barely knows of his existence. Her name is Kotonoha Katsura, and though they attend the same school, they are not in the same class. In an attempt to catch her eye, Makoto enlists the aid of a close female friend of his: Sekai Saionji. She helps him, despite the fact that she–unbeknownst to Makoto–is in love with him. Thus the three are bound in a love triangle of life changing proportions. Yep it sounds like a boring love school drama but don’t be fooled there’s something underneath this little school life story.

It starts out all innocent and sweet you find out Makoto has a crush on a girl, Katsura, and his friend (Sekai) helps him get his girl. You soon learn that Sekai has feelings for Makoto too and she tries not to act on them instead offering special training to Makoto on how to seduce his new girlfriend. This is never a good idea playing couple and getting carried away is never going to end well and as things heat up between Makoto and Sekai their training session become something more and Makoto starts having feeling for Sekai preferring her to Katsura who is too shy and reserved to do anything more than a kiss on the cheek. It could have stayed this way but the anime is very good at slowly making things get more complicated and before you know it things have got out of hand and you wonder where the sweet little love triangle has gone. You feel bad for Katsura but Sekai is a nice girl so you’re pleased when Makoto chooses her but instead of doing the right thing he still continues to string Katsura along. This not only confuses the other characters who don’t know who Makoto is really dating but you start getting the feeling that Makoto isn’t as innocent as you first thought. Turns out he’s a real pig but he does it so subtly it’s not until towards the end you realise that he’s actually not as nice as everyone thinks he is and he is in fact a pervert. Once he’s had a taste of sex he seems to just go with where ever he can get it, his feeling for Sekai are based on the fact that he could sleep with her and once he works out that other girls like him he can have sex with anyone he wants.
It doesn’t help that this school has some right bitchy and slutty girls in it and by the last 3 eps you can rest assured that no one is looking innocent and this isn’t a nice little love story. Makoto isn’t all lost and confused he’s just playing all these girls and using their feelings and insecurities to sleep with them with no remorse or consideration for anyone’s feelings. It no wonder things get out of hand by the end he’s juggling about 5 girls, got one pregnant and broken Katsura’s heart and turned her into a zombie wondering around talking to herself as if she’s still dating Makoto. I’m not entirely sure if this series is aimed at girls or boys, there’s a lot of fan service and panty shots galore but I would be a bit disturbed being a guy watching this as it makes a very good tale of caution to all men who cheat. Be careful of breaking girl’s hearts they may turn out to be far scarier than you initially thought. I couldn’t wait to see Makoto get what he deserved from being such a two timing letch and was hooked on every ep slowly watching this drama get more adult and that feeling of something sinister lurking beneath the surface. It came in the last 10 mins of the last episode. It’s only a 12 episode series so it doesn’t get slow and you do get sucked in and then you witness a rather disturbing last ep. I wasn’t entirely sure what was going to happen but not quite the ending I saw. I thought maybe suicide not the bloodshed and rather deranged behaviour of girls who have been used. It was a little shocking but defiantly worth the wait as it leaves a rather bad taste in your mouth at the end. It’s not the most disturbing thing I’ve seen in anime but compared to the rest of the series it defiantly counts are a rather horrific ending. So yes this anime is great well worth a look as it prove two rules:
1: Never judge a book (or in this case a series) by its cover.
2:Don’t cheat you have no idea how someone will react till it’s too late and there’s no going back!!

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Just finished watching this which I enjoyed immensely because it was a bit odd. The plot follows Mikado Ryūgamine is a young man who longs for the exciting life of the big city. At the invitation of his childhood friend Kida Masaomi, he transfers to a school in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Masaomi warns him about people he doesn’t want to cross in the city: a violent man dressed like a bartender, an information merchant, and a mysterious gang called “Dollars.” And to top it off, Mikado witnesses an urban legend on his first day in the city: the “Black Rider,” the supposedly headless driver of a black motorcycle. The narrative follows all of the characters equally, showing how their lives intersect, creating a greater plotline from what each character knows about a common incident.

At first it’s hard to tell what the plot is really I mean it’s made up of characters that seem to have nothing in common apart from they live in Ikebukuro and how in fact all their lives are inter-linked. Sounds normal enough if it wasn’t for the fact that no one in this series is normal. I mean this is a real genre hybrid at first I didn’t know if it was a high school drama, a supernatural show, a show about hidden powers, gang warfare, romance or mystery but in truth it’s a mix of all these. It’s rather confusing at first but once you sit back and accept all these things and that it’s just how it is you can enjoy it so much more. I had no idea where this series was going to go the first half seemed to be about the nature of the very supernatural character Celty, a Dulahan fairy (headless rider) from Ireland that travels to Japan to get back her stolen head. Needless to say she soon discovers there are more important things than getting her head like where and how she belongs in this modern society and her true feelings. The second half is where the real plot kicks in as it turns out that there is so much more to the three main protagonists as their secrets and alternate lives are revealed and how it affects their new life. I like the animation style of this series plus the character designs there a little more lined and sketchy which gives it an interesting edge. The scoring also helps with how surreal and odd this series is it really adds another layer as it matches the tones as well as the unfamiliar and strange aspects of the series.

There’s a great cast of characters who all get equal screen time and time to tell their stories and how they fit into the bigger picture. Although don’t expect to know everything about them some things are left unexplained which adds to the mystery of the setting. You don’t need to know everything about a person to know where they stand and how they feel. This series is really about humanity, what it means to be human, how we feel about others, what we do to protect and keep others safe. How our different ideals and thoughts affect those around us, if you hide something to protect someone you could end up hurting them more. What is it we really desire, what are our fears and why we react the way we do and what are we truly looking for in life, what’s our place where do we truly call home. The show is full of these questions it’s about finding ones place and feelings and discovering what truly matter whether your human or not in the case of Durarara. The show has a mix of supernatural mysteries and the misunderstandings of youth strongly combined to complement each other and really make you think. You get very invested in the lives of these characters and want their safety and happiness to be confirmed. The main characters all go on a journey of self-awareness and discovery with the help of older characters who have found their place and have come to understand themselves. It’s actually quite beautiful and sad at times watching the conflicting emotions and trials of these characters and you do want the best for them.

That’s not to say this series is all drama and emotional back story having a supernatural element also means the fair share of odd goings on and hidden dangers, ranging from a mysterious slasher, hacking their way through the local population to Celty herself who rides a black motor bike wielding a scythe cutting down foes and protecting allies. There’s a fair bit of action as Celty uses her powers freely against those that oppose her and yet she herself is quite a gently and caring person that doesn’t really want to hurt anyone unless they harm her friends. There’s also the amazing character of Shizuo Heiwajima who is my fav character and not just cause he’s hot, tall with blonde hair, it because while being calm and peaceful most of the time he has a very short fuse. He berates himself as someone who hates violence but unfortunately has the temper of a volcano and once he is angered he is a bit mental. Once in a rage and that’s very often he displays superhuman strength and is known as the strongest man in Ikebukuro. He has the ability to bring out unlimited strength and while his weapons of choice are normally vending machines and road signs he is also brilliant in a hand to hand brawl. One of the most amazing scenes in the series is when people are being transformed into slaves of a sword that wants to love humans but can only do so by cutting them. This sword decides it loves Shizou so sends all its victims to attack him and show him its love. What ensues is a brawl between Shizou and about a hundred possessed people which is a brilliant fight scene, he runs across heads, punches people across town, picks up the entire mod at one point and just gets stronger and stronger during the fight, it’s awesome!!!!

But yes this series has a bit of everything from high drama, to supernatural mysteries, romance, horror, fight scenes and gang warfare. The gang storyline is very important to the series as they way that our protagonists are tied to the different gangs but that’s something I won’t spoil you have to watch to find out how good if a bit weird this series is!!!!

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I have to admit that I’m not a romantic, I stay away from anything in the straight romance genre it just isn’t my thing so I’m not sure what brought me to this anime. As one that usually rejects the heterosexual monogamous couple, preferring her slash or straight out gay characters or dark romances between other worldly being or relatives and generally doesn’t like lead female characters as they never have anything in common with me and just never act as I would also being female this was a series out of my normal watching pool. And I have to say I am so glad I drifted from me stereotypical watching as I discovered a highly enjoyable little gem of a series. The stories centres around Kyoko a 16 year old girl who has quit school to travel with her prince charming as he lives out his life’s ambition of being a famous idol. While Sho Fuwa gets his big break and begins his climb up the fame ladder, Kyoko does everything in her power to support him, working multiple jobs to afford the apartment they share while making sure he is fed and supported. Kyoko being a simple and plain girl thinks nothing of the sacrifice she has made to her life if it will bring ease and comfort to Sho and she can spend time with the love of her life, her Prince Sho. We are told a fairly romantic tale at the start of the series about how all girls are beautiful and hide a goddess with them; girls just need a prince to unlock their hidden potential from a chest they have stored in their hearts. Well Sho has the key to Kyoko’s chest and unlocks the girl inside. Kyoko over hears Sho telling his manager how he only keeps Kyoko around to act as his maid and servant, that she is a plain and boring girl with no sex appeal that is only a stepping stone in his climb to stardom.Kyoko’s heart is broken and released is a spirit of such hatred and betrayal it transform our little duped Kyoko.

This is why after one episode I realised I was going to love this series. Kyoko’s inner girl is quite simply mental instead of falling into despair she becomes angry and decides to get revenge. She decides that the only way to get back at Sho is to follow him into fame and become such a shinning star she becomes more famous and is more loved than he is. Kyoko gets a new make over and sets out on journey. Kyoko has her issues from the start she seems quite bi-polar and a little scary at times. Kyoko is a hard working, honest and determined girl. She has guts and doesn’t back down but underneath this is a level of dignity and respect for her work and talent and the strength to put 100% into all she does takes her far but whenever she is reminded of Sho its like a switch is flipped and she turns into a angry monster with uncontrollable rage and a passion for destruction that scares all those around her. It’s the scary stalking crazy persona that gets her foot in the door of show bizz but it’s her hard working and determined personality that keeps her there and helps her grow. It soon turns out that under all that crazy and ambition for revenge is true talent. Kyoko does in fact have potential and while it’s unrefined she is a natural actor with true talent. What I also like about Kyoko is that her physical change isn’t too dramatic, by cutting her hair, dyeing it and getting some new clothes she doesn’t automatically become a beautiful woman. She is still a little simple and plain looking compared to the other stars around her but its when she performs and is truly made up that she becomes beautiful. Its an honest portrayal of idol beauty, clothes, make up and wigs can change a persons exterior but Kyoko’s talent and hard work can shine through this as well as her mental and angry turns which always add for great comic relief.

The other aspect of the series is the introduction of male actor and top of his game idol, Ren Tsuruga. He and Kyoko start of on the wrong foot and their relationship is plagued by misunderstandings. Ren initially takes a dislike to Kyoko because he hates the reason for her choice of career. He takes acting very seriously and is very passionate about his work. He loves acting and hates the idea of it being used for something such as revenge. But as he gets closer to Kyoko he begins to see her true potential though they have a rocky friendship he try’s to give her advice and nurture her talent. Ren also has his own interesting development as its Kyoko that unknowingly helps him plug a hole in his acting and makes him realise about his true emotions. Of course this is the beginning of a romance but as Kyoko is still on her own journey the series doesn’t focus too much on the romance which is why it makes me want these two to get together even more. Ren and Kyoko make a great pair and they are slowly, by building their relationship are also growing as individuals. Kyoko although firmly denouncing love does find something she loves and that’s acting, whether or not she and Ren will find the same doesn’t matter for the moment because Kyoko is doing something I admire, finding herself and how far her passion and ambition can take her. Not losing herself in relationships and the need for a boyfriend and romance she can truly grow as a person and see her strength and they way she inspires those around her, which is a beautiful and fun thing to watch.