Bungo Stray Dogs: Investigation of the Unnatural
Bungo Stray Dogs was published in April of 2016, it was spearheaded by Studi Bones. Adapted from its manga counterpart created by Kafka Asagiri. The series follows the story of Atsushi Nakajima, an orphan with no place to call home. We see as he is revealed to have a peculiar power and is picked up by the Armed Detective Agency. An agency of similarly powered individuals all working together to keep the secret of powered individuals while protecting their ward from the Port Mafia group.
I have had Bungo Stray Dogs on my list for a very long time. Over a year now in fact. And I had the absolute privilege of watching this show for the first time and I must say I’m thoroughly surprised. I thought I would get bored very quickly from this show and yet I found the characters, and their exceedingly quirky behavior, endearing and rub off on you. While I will admit that some interactions are far too over the top between some characters, there are moments with some really heartfelt bits. These small bits really make the world feel lived in.
The humor in this show is downright awful, your typical shock factor mixed in with an unnatural amount of dark humor. And like, it’s not even good humor. While I enjoy the story and character personalities I must admit the writers, either for the show or the manga, need some extra courses on conversation. There will be times I’m trying to gather the current beats through the conversation only for someone to burst in with a random comment. They then get slapped around and we’re back to square one of trying to remember what happened in the conversation.
When shows do this it subtracts greatly from the story being told and doesn’t really serve that much purpose. This is where I would turn your attention to something like Hellsing Ultimate Abridged on YouTube created by Team Four Star. Hellsing Abridged is one of the biggest abridged series in all of pop culture. The reason is its ability to weave hilarity in its abridged storytelling while still telling the story. Alucard in the series is very happy-go-lucky. He is often in places he shouldn’t be and yet it moves the story along. Because the writers understand how to mix in the funny with the story.
But Bungo Stray Dogs does something I can actively appreciate. In the first three episodes, I know who our heroes are, and I know their goals. Then I know the Villains, while I may not know their goals, I see the means they take to achieve them. That is cinema writing at its finest. Your opening act, the first quarter of your story. Do you know how infuriating it is when I watch an anime and within the first five minutes I’m told: Who the Heroes are. Who the Villains are. And why the villains seek to destroy the world/take over/etc. It honestly bugs me. Let me see the villains fight and show their motives piece by piece!
Bungo Stray Dogs does this wonderfully. At its heart, it’s a detective show. So why don’t we do some detecting and actually investigate what the villains want? That is what this show is leading up to. Investigation to understanding. And it does it at a reasonable pace as well. We see our main protagonist be given a game to play. Figure out what everyone’s previous occupation is.
Usually, writers will make the character super dumb in this moment or a detective genius. Instead, he guesses one right and fails at another. And it is backed by evidence. He is able to guess one of the characters was still in school because of their age and the fact they were wearing a uniform.
It shows a starting point. The kid has some detective skills, but it needs to be honed. Finally! Gone are the days of overpowered anime protagonists with the ability to beat every fight they come across. This show has something special. Granted the special is buried under the stupid humor and over-the-top character interactions but it still works well. If you would like to watch this show I highly recommend it! It’s one that has so many seasons to it and who knows whether they’re all gems. That’s for you to find out.