i'm going to be real with you guys for a moment. i don't think i'll continue following bsd much after this point

Thinking about the fact that Dazai found intrest in Chuuya because of his loyalty and not his ability. Thinking about the fact that the idea of Chuuya being Arahabki never crossed Dazai's mind. Thinking about the fact that Dazai truly disliked how the sheep took advantage of Chuuya. Thinking about the fact that Chuuya was Dazai's reason to live in the fifthteen light novel. Thinking about the fact that Chuuya was the first person Dazai shared an equal partnership with. Thinking about the fact that Chuuya was the first person Dazai ever started to harvest genuine care for. Thinking about the fact that Chuuya was Dazai's drive to keep living and fighting in Stormbringer. Thinking about the fact that Dazai carried Chuuya on his back and took him to the bar so he can say goodbye to his dying friends. Thinking about the fact that Dazai never doubted Chuuya's humanity. Thinking about the fact that after Dazai believed Veraline was defeated he didn't hesitate to look for Chuuya in the woods when he could've told anyone else to do it for him. Thinking about the fact that Dazai gave Chuuya Verlaine's hat because he knows it hold meaning to him. Thinking about the fact that Dazai is amazed by corruption but also uses it as a last resort for Chuuya's sake. Thinking about the fact that Dazai is always delicate when it comes to nullifying Chuuya's corruption. Thinking about the fact that Dazai started to softly laugh at Chuuya's shooked face when he found out that Adam actually cared for him. Thinking about the fact that Dazai let Chuuya rest on his lap and silently comforted him after the dragon head conflict. Thinking about the fact that Dazai covered up for Chuuya so that he wouldn't be incriminated back in the basement. Thinking about the fact that Chuuya's damsel impression was the one thing that made Dazai genuienly laugh. Thinking about the fact that Dazai proudly bragged to the enemy how strong Chuuya was in the lovecraft battle. Thinking about the fact that Dazai sewed an inside joke in Chuuya's coat. Thinking about the fact that Dazai still calls Chuuya "partner" and not "ex-partner". Thinking about the fact that Dazai probably feels the most comfortable with Chuuya. Thinking about the fact that Dazai put his life on Chuuya's hands without hesitation. Thinking about the fact that Dazai could've left Chuuya to die back in the fog but he let protected him and let him sleep in his lap.

.... But Dazai defiently uses Chuuya right? Dazai defiently does not regard Chuuya as a human being and would let him die for his own personal gain, right? Yeah.....

This isn't even me pointing out headcanons of these two or me romantizing them either. Its just me pointing canon facts from the light novels, anime and manga.

I won't bash you for not shipping them, I obviously won't shove this ship down your throat either. But you can't just simply ignore the canon trust and bond these two characters have for one another.

Right now, I only focused on Dazai's feelings for Chuuya because a lot of people always use the "Dazai doesn't care for Chuuya" as an argument when it comes to bashing this ship.

Of course I won't lie to you and say that this ship is pure sunshine and rainbows, of course not! But is any bsd ship truly sunshine and rainbows considering the toxic enviorments they all grew in?

If you truly believe that Dazai does not care for Chuuya I am seriously going to assume you only watched the anime, and even if you only watched the anime the care is still evident but I guess its more subtle.

I've seen so many people being too passionate about their hatred for this ship, and I totally get if you don't ship it but I think its pretty understandable why people ship it too.

I personally love this ship and the reason for it is because of how profound this dynamic is and how important it is to both characters.

Aaannnd im done with my rant, and if you don't ship this its totally fine! You can ship whatever you want unless its pedophilic or toxic, it just sort of annoys me when people try to bash this ship with the empty argument of "Dazai doesn't care for Chuuya" or vise versa.

Why Dazai is a complex character

We all know how hard it is to get in this man’s mind, right?

First, let’t take a look on what makes a character complex:

- Conflicted or contradictory motives - Change or grow as a result of the story’s actions - Decisions advance the story’s plot - Create conflict in the story’s plot or theme - Learn something about themselves

 It fits Dazai perfectly, right? Now let’s take them one by one.

1. Conflicted or contradictory motives

- to die/to find meaning/to save others/? What the audience is given to realize is that Dazai wants salvation through death. His desire to die comes with a shade of humor to hide how sad and tragic it really is. Other than that, one motive of his is the promise he made to his friend who died on his arms. You see it right? Dazai’s motives are contradictory because he saves people but can’t really save himself. Although Dazai is on the side of ‘good’ which is actually something that doesn’t really exist in BSD world because everything is more like in a gray area, his motives are more focused on others rather than himself. While on the mafia, his focus was on himself, his doom and suffering. That’s what made him so miserable. People aren’t sure whether Dazai has changed, and they question his conflicted motives. But in reality, it’s very simple. Dazai has no hidden motives other than the ones we already know. He’s not the type to aim for power and fortune. Dazai just wants a bit of happiness, he wants to answer questions that are impossible to answer. I’d like to quote a Dostoevsky saying:

“Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

2. Change or grow as a result of the story’s actions Dazai’s grow is something people fail to see. I’ve read thoughts on this matter and some claim that Dazai hasn’t changed at all. That is partly true.  Before Oda’s death, Dazai was not open to people (and still isn’t) but the difference stays on how he dealt with it. In the dark era, Dazai drowned himself in misery, seeing only darkness and claiming that this is how it always has been for him. Whilst in the time being, Dazai hides his misery behind a smile and happy facade. Bsck then, he made no attempt to change, nor did he tried to look things differently. Dazai was alone, completely. There were times he was surrounded by people he genuinely cared about, like Oda. Now, the thing is, without Oda, Dazai may have never gotten the development he got. Hardly would the things lead differently if Oda was still alive. With Oda, Dazai felt comfortable, not judges. He felt like he could open up with him because Oda would always listen to Dazai without joking around or judging him. That’s the reason why Odasaku was the only person that came close to understanding Dazai, because he was the only one Dazai opened up to. I believe that is becuase in reality, Dazai trusted Oda. We know how easily he can see through people. Perhaps, he saw in Oda that kindness and goodness that intrigued him. He saw such integrity and selflessness that made him lower his guard.  Their relationship was beautiful. They let aside the ranks and always had each other’s backs. Sometimes, between two people, it just clicks. It feels like you’ve known each other for a long time and you find yourself comfortable, you let yourself be. That’s how Dazai was. Maybe, the only thing that kept him happy, was his friendship with Odasaku and Ango. Because those were two people that accepted him the way he was, people who appreciated life and had dreams and goals, something that Dazai longs to have. When Odasaku died, Dazai’s hope died with him. Although extremely intelligent, Dazai is optimistic. He had hope that he’d find a solution to his problem, but Oda’s words shattered him.

Dazai did not cry. But you can tell that he’s ready to. Look at his face and tell me that that’s not the most devastating Dazai you have ever seen. His lip trembles and his eyes give away how hard it is for him, how hard it has always been. This is the moment that Dazai takes the decision to change, keeping the promise of his friend to become a good man and protect others.

3- Decisions advance the story’s plot Dazai is the one who comes up with brilliant strategies, but that’s not all of it. 

- He took Atsushi under his mentoring and hired him as an agent in the ADA.  Atsushi plays a very important role in almost every mission or situation that ADA is in.  If Atsushi wasn’t in the ADA, things might have gone completely different. - Dazai decided to join the good side. Yet again, if Dazai didn’t join the ADA, there would be no Atsushi, no shin-soukoku and probably the ADA would have already fallen due to the immense power the mafia would have with Dazai in it. More people would die, wars would destroy the city and things may have gotten to be worse. - The creation of shin-soukoku The plot goes around Atushi and Akutagawa as the new generation of the double black, a powerful duo brought together for the good of the city, to defeat the greater evil. Their mentor, who sees the potential in them better than everyone else, has forcefully made them work together, which had successful results. If Dazai didn’t make such decision, Atsushi and Akutagawa may had already killed each other. - Dazai decides almost any plan and strategy there is. He plays his cards well and the way he thinks and acts determine the aftermath.

4- Create conflict in the story’s plot or theme - Dazai’s a problematic character for a lot of reasons. He’s lazy, distracted, unbothered, mysterious and secretive. Sometimes, unwillingly he creates conflicts that sometimes as viewed lightly by the audience. Like the shin-soukoku conflict. A part why Aku hates Atsushi is because he is Dazai’s junior  and that he gets almost everything that he himself once desired. He gets praise and acknowledgment from Dazai. The latter, has not acknowledged Aku that way he wants to, but surely he has acknowledged him on his own way. Dazai made him part of the new double black and puts his trust in him and Atsushi. Dazai too believes in the quote that ‘only a diamond can polish a diamond’. Furthermore, we have the conflict between the mafia and the ADA. You may think that it’s not directly tied to Dazai, but he plays a major role. Having Dazai in the opposite team, makes it harder for the mafia to create successful operations. Not only Dazai’s intelligent and cunning, but he’s an ex-member himself which makes him even more of a threat to the mafia. His suicidal tendencies is the reason why he met Atsushi in the first place. So in a way, Dazai drives the plot of the story.

5- Learn something about themselves I believe that this is the point we are all looking forward to. Although we have already caught a glimpse of Dazai considering his worth as a human being in the Dead apple movie, but also in the manga countless times.

Just look at his expression. How his eyes close so peacefully when Atsushi claims that he does things that let him know that Daza’s a good guy (visiting graves and also in the end of the movie...)

Dazai sees himself rather harshly. He judges himself for his past and puts himself in constant misery. Maybe he doesn’t accept the fact that he’s a ‘good guy’, but he’s desperately trying to be.

Take a look to the following panel (chapter 50)

You can tell how much Dazai wants to help and this warms my heart so much.

“Yosano could heal me and I could help in the search”

 He clenches the sheet because of the frustration of not being able to help; that his ability is holding him back. 

HE’S BLAMING HIMSELF.

Like one would say that he’s injured, or that he was shot, but no. Dazai puts the blame on himself like he always does.

I’d like people to acknowledge Dazai’s growth because our boy is trying so hard. Dazai literally went from hell to salvation. He has already found his salvation but he hasn’t recognized that yet.

In conclusion, Dazai is the complex character we so much love. In the future, maybe we’ll be able to see him a bit more happy. Genuinely happy.

(sorry this was very sloppy but I hope you get the point)

THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT ABT THE BSD MANGA ILY THANK YOU I FEEL LIKE MY OPINION IS FINALLY VALIDATED WHICH IS: BSD has turned meh. I have become indifferent towards the plot due to the fact there are no real stakes - I feel like the OP characters like Dazai will always have a solution with a deus ex machina feel to it, making it impossible for me to care. With the recent chaos happening in the manga (I too gave up on the manga a year or so ago!), I was baffled to find out I could no longer enjoy it. My memory is poor, and I can't really pinpoint it at the moment, but BSD just... doesn't engage me as it used to. Keep in mind I was an obsessive fan of it and analyzed it to the tiniest details, but all of my great love for the series has long died, sadly. But! I am glad to hear you feel similarly about it because, yes, the potential was there, but it got terribly wasted.

Bruh don't I feel it, me and @autumn-foxfire have like monthly bitch sessions about the state of bsd at this point. I was also super invested in it in initial arcs (Up until the guild arc ended) and then slowly started petering off only to drop it the first time around the hunting dogs introduction. Then after some time i was like okay ill go give it a second shot, came to the vampire arc went 'wow this is really fuckin stupid' and dropped it again. Idk will I pick it up again, maybe I'll just stick to being an anime only, even tho I also have problems with some adaptation things but that's BESIDES THE POINT.

Please click under for The Point

The thing about Kafka is: He's really good at coming up with interesting concepts and ideas and REALLY BAD at executing them in any sort of satisfying way. Like, when I say I only like bsd until the end of the guild arc, I don't mean it was perfect. It could have handled it's female cast better, it would have been fun to see more mafia and agency team ups besides soukoku and shin soukoku, I still don't get why shin soukoku is supposed to be a replacement in training since Dazai and Chuuya still work together perfectly and even if they hate each other they hate each other less than Akutagawa and Atsushi AND have way more experience fighting together but that once again is besides the point. The point being those arcs of bsd were SATISFYING. We got introduced to two organizations, seen them butt heads and then have them forced to work together against a common enemy. It's very simple but it's effective and it's satisfying.

And then the rats struck.

While up until then bsd wasn't perfect it was fun and had lovable characters and an interesting plot and engaging dynamics. Rats arc wasn't horrible per say, the idea of the cannibalization was really fun (Though I think Kafka should have used it to get rid of Mori, nobody fuckin likes Mori) but this is where we slowly get introduced to what I think are two main failings of Kafka's writing: That he's unable to handle characters properly and that he likes writing smart things but doesn't know how to write smart things.

Kafka has a very, very bad habit of INTRODUCING TOO MANY FUCKING CHARCTERS. Every arc is a new massive group with like a bunch of members, one of who may actually end up being fleshed out before they are inventiblely replaced by another large group or maybe two why the fuck not. The mafia and the guild left lasting impressions on me and I can still name all the main members but fuck me if i know a single rat aside from Fyodor (AND ILL GET TO FYODOR). Kafka feels like someone who's idea of rising conflict is 'introduce a bigger enemy each time' and it's just so annoying. Chapters and arcs end up centering around these groups of new characters while old characters, who we loved the manga for, just fall into obscurity. He almost had me in the hunting dogs arc by giving Yosano a backstory. I was so excited! I was like!!! finally development for the agency!!! But that barely went anywhere did it. I've talked about this with Foxy but it really feels like Kafka is just BORED of the og characters and is trying to silently sideline them for his new shiny characters. When's the last time we saw Chuuya again, you know, the ex partner of one of the series protagonists? The next predicted mafia head? Is he important? Foxy tells me Dazai's been sidelined too, fUCKIN DAZAI, for a good while I was sure Kafka liked Dazai a lot better than Atsuhi for protagonist and now he's getting sidelined. I know bsd is still really popular in japan but at this point i think it would have been more merciful for Kafka to just end bsd and start a new manga with new characters instead of doing whatever weird metamorphosis this is turning out to be.

Introducing new characters isn't a bad thing of course, but bsd has become mcdonalds of new characters. They are cheap and disposable. I can't feel anything for them because I know nine times out of ten they'll barely make any impact and they'll disappear as soon as the new group slides in. When adding new characters you should do so while knowing what role those characters will play in your plot, what will they bring. If a character is just there to waffle around until they get shoved away they should probably be cut because they are wasting time and space. AND YOU SHOULDN'T SIDE LINE YOUR CORE CAST FOR UR SHINY NEW CHARACTERS YOU'LL GET BORED OF IN COUPLE OF ARCS ANYWAY, ARE YOU A TODDLER???

I still think that bsd could have been SO much better if instead of focusing on the next big evil group they just focused on shifting tension between the agency and the mafia. I mean they've had to team up for the guild and then they immediately got thrown into the cannibalization. It would have been interesting to see them pull against and pull towards those ties made during the guild arc when they are forcefully pitted against each other again (and decide that killing mori would be in everyone's best interest). Instead we got, idk I already forgot what the rats arc ended up being about, atsushi and aku team up again yadda yadda yadda, Chuuya gets done dirty and never recovers, Fyodor ruins Dazai

SO ABOUT FYODOR. As I said, Kafka strikes me as someone who REALLY likes to write geniuses and who wants people to think he's super smart but also has no idea how to show his work. At first this was okay. We had Dazai and Ranpo who were very good at pushing the plot along and sometimes you'd get explained how they got to that conclusion and sometimes you didn't but it usually wasn't a big deal. But then the writing became more and more and more of 'well he's smart so he figured it out so just trust me' without actually explaining anything and as you said, it ended up feeling boring, unengaging and very deus ex machina. You know what Kafka's writing reminds me off? That video about how Sherlock is so happy to stroke itself to how smart they look while never showing their work, you know the one. Kafka likes writing smart characters but doesn't actually know how to write smart characters so instead of giving us reasons and clues and explanations to how they come to some conclusion, how they predicted or planned or whatever, he just goes 'oh well they are super smart so they figured it out'. I don't think I need to explained why this is bad, annoying and unengaging writing. This is why i say Fyodor ruined Dazai for me, Dazai was fine as a genius but then they had to pit him against Fyodor who's another genius and things just got ridiculous. You know how in that sherlock video the guy points out the one scene that encapsulates every irritating thing about sherlocks writing. This had been it for me and BSD (thank you Foxy for helping me find the panels)

THATS NOT HOW CODES WORK, THATS NOT HOW ANYTHING WORKS, THEY WOULD JUST BE COMING UP WITH TWO DIFFERENT SETS OF CODES HERE. Even if they were both smart enough to remember every conversation in detail, how on earth are they supposed to 'guess out' what the other means. How are they supposed to confirm or deny that's what a certain word means in a way that can be understood, how can they even guess what the word the other guessed is IF THEY ARE BOTH TALKING IN CODE. KAFKA'S ANSWER: THEY'RE MONSTERS, THEY ARE JUST THAT SMART, NO NEED TO EXPLAIN IT BECAUSE THEY ARE JUST THAT SMART AND THAT'S YOUR SOLUTION AND THAT'S BULLSHIT. This scene broke bsd in half for me and honestly made me dislike Dazai for a long time (I got better), but it honestly shows so well how Kafka wanted to make his characters so smart he actually made his manga really fuckin stupid, ruining very good and interesting concept he had started with.

In the end, Kafka writes how I wrote when I was 15. With no idea where the plot is headed, adding new characters and situations whenever it strikes his fancy whether they work for the story or not, ending up just flopping around plot holes and fizzled out character arcs and boring ass writing. And that's fine for a 15yr old writing fanfiction. It's not fine for a presumably grown ass published author of a relatively popular manga.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

Hi, aspoonofsugar. If you don't mind me asking, what are your top 10 favorite anime? And why? I'm sorry if you've answered this question before.

Hello!

I think I had answered a similar question before, but it was ages ago and I can’t find it, so do not worry :D

Moreover, it is always fun to talk about favourite series!

Ok, I am focusing on series I have specifically enjoyed in their anime format. This means that many of my favourite series (see HxH, Monster, BSD, for example) will not appear because I mostly enjoy them in their manga medium, even if I have watched some parts of their animes and I like them.

In no particular order:

1) Puella Magi Madoka Magica

I think it is very original in its premise, its world-building and its structure. However, what truly makes the series shine for me is its themes. I think Madoka is a great example of how you can explore complex themes in a poignant way without making the story too long.

All in all, the series is all about wishes. Selfless wishes, selfish wishes, misguided wishes and repressed wishes. It explores what it means to wish for something and if it is right to feel so strongly over something that it is right to bet your life on it. And the final answer is that it is worth it.

2) Psycho Pass (first season)

It is from the same author of Madoka and it shows, I think. Despite the two series having different premises, I think similarities can be seen in their structures and in some tropes that appear in both series.

Anyway, just like Madoka, Psycho Pass is a series which finds its strength in deconstructing a genre (the dystopian one), in its worldbuilding and in its themes. I especially love the characters. Akane in particular is one of my favourite characters ever and I find her arc very original and powerful.

3) Requiem for the Phantom

It is a perfect tragedy </3

It explores the story of three phantoms, three people whose identity was stolen from them and it shows them reacting in different ways. It also explores the concept of identity and self. It is full od symbolism and artistic shots as well.

Elen and Cal are two great characters and Elen’s arc in particular is just very well done.

4) Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

It is a story I have knowns for a while, but never felt motivated enough to read the manga. So, I have watched the anime and I am glad I did! It is funny and light-hearted, but it has a very powerful plot and very strong characters.

I think that its climax and resolution are a perfect example of how to deal with an ensembled cast. Every major character has their moment both in terms of internal focus and of them being important for the plot. They all contribute in different ways to the resolution of the conflict.

5) Saiki K

I love this funny anime! It just plays with stereotypes in such a cheeky way!

Saiki is absolutely an icon :’’’) and I love Teruhashi! She is a refreshing joke of both the yamato nadeshiko and of the alpha bitch trope! She is just the best and tbh I think her character is crafted in a way that has a lot of potential even for a more serious story-line.

6) Baccano!

I love the characters and the atmosphere in this! I think the authors made a great adaptation and the idea of rearranging different plot-lines, so that you see them developing at the same time fits with the main themes and the overall philosophy of the series.

Also, I actually love stories set on trains, so I am very fond of the Flying Pussyfort plot-line (and I love the Vino twist).

7) Banana Fish

This anime devastated me, despite me knowing how it would have ended since the beginning :’’’) Anyway, it is this adaptation with its care for colors and details, that made me fall in love with the series. I really like the music, the character designs and the atmosphere conveyed by the anime.

I am afraid it is more or less it for my list. I like other animes of course (Anohana and Made in Abyss, for example). Still, I would not call them favourite ones!

Other than anime, I also enjoy other animated series, such as ATLA, The Dragon Prince, Rwby and Tales of Arcadia. They are all faves of mine! I have also enjoyed She-Ra a lot!

Thank you for the ask!

Hey! I want you to know that I adore your BSD meta analysis! Do you have any ships in this fandom? Which ones are your favourites?

Thank you for enjoying my meta! If you have any more Bungo Stray Dogs questions feel free to send them, it’s a manage I could talk about forever. I have a number of favorite ships (Soukoku, Shin Soukoku, RanPoe, FyoGol). If you want me to talk about any of those feel free to send follow up asks and I’ll devote their own answer to each of them. However, since you asked me about my favorite I’m going to use this to talk about my favorite rare pair, Atsushi and Lucy. 

Atsushi and Lucy have been one of my favorite ships for the series since the two of them showed their scars to one another. One of my favorite things about the two of them is that they’re so similiar they kind of rub against each other and irritate each other the same way Shin Soukoku do. Shin Soukoku agitate each other’s self loathing, whereas for AtsuLucy it’s like they both challenge each other’s complete lack of emotional intellligence. 

Atsushi and Lucy are both well meaning kids (well not at first for Lucy, but she gets there). They’re both orphans who are starved for love. However the problem is because they’ve never been shown any healthy idea of love, or even how to get along with other people they both tend to be super self absorbed. They are more or less raging victim complexes. 

It’s just that when they met each other, Atsushi assumed he was justified in always playing hero because he was a victim, and Lucy thought she was justified in only caring about her own survival first before anything else even harming others because she was a victim. They both completely shut out other people’s feelings and kind of always act on what they want, because they’ve been told their entire lives that their own feelings and wants don’t matter. Atsushi and Lucy kind of cut off other people’s feelings and focus on their own as a means of survival. 

Which is why they’re so challenging to be around each other. They both kind of challenge the roles that the other plays, Atsushi knows that Lucy’s not a bad girl and denies her her chance to play villain. Lucy also kind of denies him his chance to play hero, because in the end even though she told him to save her, Atsushi was so busy trying to save everyone else he couldn’t prioritize her. Lucy actually gets angry at him for that. And that’s the thing about Atsushi, he’s so focused on getting everybody to love him he really can’t enjoy love from an individual person. He’s so insecure that he can’t believe in any relationship he’s made because he’s too busy trying to prove himself as worthy of love over and over again. 

Atsushi is geuinely well intentioned, and wants to save other people, but when it comes to taking care of their feelings he has the emotional intelligence of wet cardboard. Lucy is at least understanding enough of people who are similiar to her, (Atsushi, Kyouka) she’s able to spot that flaw in Atsushi and confront him about it. 

It’s like ever since Atsushi and Lucy met they were destined to show each other their scars. It’s my favorite scene in the whole manga, because from that point forward it became impossible for Lucy to deny Atsushi’s feelings. Lucy couldn’t see herself as the only person suffering alone anymore. 

It’s a confronation that’s genuinely emotional. And in a lot of manga, characters fight about their feelings rather than directly confronting them and talking about them without the use of violence. It’s a moment where both of them were fragile and vulnerable and because of that it brought about a genuine change in Lucy. 

I kind of like how when Atsushi is still so dead set on saving absolutely everybody with no regards to himself, it’s Lucy who sees how self destructive that behavior is and tries to save Atsushi from himself. Considering it was Lucy who ultimately made the decision to change herself, who escaped from the airship on her own and saved herself, I really think Lucy is a person who could be equals in a relationship with Atsushi and challenge him to relate to other people as people instead of always having to play hero. She could be the first person to communicate him that people want him around because they like him, not because he’s useful. 

They just interact with each other like real people and not like anime characters? Like, Lucy gets mad at him when he’s oblivious, and doesn’t think about other people’s feelings. They’re bad at communicating, and Lucy doesn’t like it when Atsushi avoids her instead of directly confronting someone. They have little mundane squabbles that kind of bring out the life in both characters. I feel like these are the problems an actual relationship would need to work through, especially between two traumatized kids who have no real idea how to be in a relationship in the first place. 

Lucy wants Atsushi to be a person around her, not a hero boy, and I just think that’s neat. 

Compare and Contrast: K Project vs. Bungou Stray Dogs - Part 2

Read Part 1

Story

In general, K Project does a lot better job of maintaining a consistent and focused story, especially in Seasons 1 and 2 than BSD, with almost no filler content.  There aren’t nearly as many open plot threads or divergences from the main story, and everyone introduced has a very cohesive purpose to the plot. This may largely be due to the fact that K was originally envisioned as a complete story, with the movie Return of Kings and season 2’s Missing Kings and other added materials being, somewhat, after thoughts consequently ordered due to the popularity of the show. Season 2 does offer a very decisive end to the tale, with the destruction of the Dresden Slate, mysterious source of all supernatural power. On the other hand, BSD is an ongoing serialized manga with no set beginning or ending that we, as the audience, are aware.  BSD’s author, Asagiri Kafka, isn’t telling a self-contained story with a determined beginning, middle, and end, so often times characters and plot devices are introduced which may not have bearing on the current arc of the story, they hint at things to come. This might be frustrating for viewers that aren’t interested in long-term serialized works, which does have the tendency to fall victim to filler episodes in attempt to make a certain quota or make up for any lulls in the story.

That being said, BSD, thus far, does a lot better with world.

In K, the concepts of Clans and Kings, the Dresden Slate, and the Swords of Damocles are never fully fleshed out satisfactorily, to the point that aspects of it feel completely illogical, convoluted, and conveniently there merely to move the plot forward. Fantasy stories are generally under no obligation to provide explanations for where magic abilities come from, K makes an attempt with the Dresden Slate, but overreaches with an established protocol of Kings and Clans in regards to these powers with no explanation for where or why these rules manifested or why anyone feels obligated to follow them. For example, the Red King Mikoto is not shown to care too much for being a King, or even wanting obligations to his Clan, yet he maintains it and his Clansmen show loyalty to it, and there’s no explanation beyond “well that’s just the way the Dresden Slate works”.  That would be fine, if this wasn’t established as the expectation of anyone who is “awoken” as a King. In that same vein, a lot isn’t really clarified in terms of what really happens to Clansmen when their King dies (Clansmen are shown to still maintain powers granted from their former King but that’s just speculation from viewers, and doesn’t make sense if there powers stem from their Kings) and what is meant to happen when a new King takes their place (though we do see Clansmen turn on the new Blue King, in regards to Munakata taking over Jin Hibari’s role, or choosing to continue following the new Red King, as we see in HOMRA with Anne taking Mikoto’s place). Worse, these rules are just universally known in a world that isn’t supposed to know about these Clans and Kings, leaving no one to explain these rules to newly awakened Kings although these rules are shown to be universally known and accepted by them. More questions than answers are raised.

In BSD, people being born with or manifesting abilities is shown to just be a facet of this world. It’s just one of the physical laws, much like how the sky is blue, grass is green, some people can conjure demons that kill you. This is just the world they live in, and in that sense, the people in this world are the ones that determine the rules that govern these abilities without expectation. This treats us to various different ideas and philosophies for how ability users should apply their abilities or how the users themselves should be managed. The government attempts to regulate ability users, through licensure for organizations that wish to operate as ability user specific. This provided a cool storyline where we see Port Mafia obtain its license to operate as an ability user organization during the Dark Era, through nefarious plotting on leader, Mori’s part, which also highlighted that the Port Mafia is a criminal organization because prior to obtaining this license they were operating without one. We also see the Armed Detective Agency undergo a plot to take their license away, and since they are the morally upright group, in their minds, losing their license means they will cease to exist. This places explanation firmly on the goals of their given society, something that is relatable and understandable for readers, and shifts it away from the realm of unexplainable and increasingly convoluted magic.

On the flipside of that, however, K does a much better job of balancing powers. Which brings me Nakahara Chuuya.

I’ll throw this disclaimer in here, Chuuya is my favorite character. I fell in love at first sight. Unfortunately, he gets little to no screen time, I could count on one hand his number of appearances throughout the first two seasons. He gets three episodes at the start of Season 3 that explores his history with Dazai, and I feel I’m in no way biased (**cough, cough** 100% biased) saying these are the best three episodes of the season. Then we see him maybe in two more episodes until he gets trapped in a book for the rest of the season, leaving me screaming furiously at the screen. Manga chapters that go beyond where the anime left off are not filling me with much hope for more Chuuya in Season 4. Seriously, I don’t recommend loving this character, you’ll only get your heart broken.

The problem with Chuuya that becomes rampant throughout BSD in other characters, is that he’s a side character for a rival organization and he is super OP. Since the creator seems adamantly against making him a more main character (either as antagonist or protagonist…hell, majority of his appearances have been to literally save the day for the heroes), not to mention the lack of anyone in our heroes’ corner that could reasonably take him on (even Dazai is outmatched despite his nullifying ability, because Chuuya also happens to be Port Mafia’s best martial artist) the only recourse is to leave him conveniently absent from majority of the story. Which, okay, this can mostly be explained away that he’s an Executive in Port Mafia and probably has a lot to deal with in terms of making sure their operations continue to move smoothly, but it leads to ludicrous scenarios such as the end of the Guild Arc when a whale sized airship is being dropped on Yokohama by the Guild. We’re told this ship will wipe out a large portion of the city. At this point, the Detective Agency and Port Mafia are on semi-good terms in order to stand against their common enemy, the Guild. You would think, large object being dropped on the city, Port Mafia has a powerful gravity manipulator on staff...one phone call to Dr. Mori, “Hey...do you mind sending Chuuya to take care of that whale bomb....or are you just cool with the city being flattened?” All Chuuya needs to do is parachute down, once he touches the ship, he could tear the whole thing apart and fling its pieces to every side of the ocean. They call it a day in thirty seconds, tops, back home for dinner. Yet, for some odd reason, the course of action that the Armed Detective Agency decides on is to send rookie agent tiger boy to infiltrate the ship and fight his way to a possible transponder they can use to reverse the ship’s course, despite having little experience, and no specialized abilities for the task, let’s not get started on the ridiculousness of that transponder anyways. This decision is based largely on the fact he once was held prisoner on the ship and so…should know his way around? I get that they supposedly don’t want to owe Port Mafia, but this kind of seemed like an odd time to play loose and fast with the city’s safety. The point is, Chuuya is powerful, which makes his lack of presence during crucial moments pretty heavy handed.

That being said, however, this OP situation, is a problem throughout with other characters as well. There’s no balance of powers, and characters are shown to do things that don’t fall within the realm of their abilities, may never have previously been display or given proper explanation prior to introduction, and sometimes comes across as just thrown in last minute as a plot device. A few examples, able to transform into a tiger also, somehow allows Atsushi to heal at a rapid level and regrow limbs. Forget about the implications that he’s got some “special” light attached to his ability, as well. In a recent chapter of the manga, we see a newly introduced character, one of the Hunting Dogs, slap a bullet out of the air and stop a large projectile with her bare hands. Her ability, however, is age manipulation so there’s no given reason why she should’ve been able to do those things. While it is mentioned that the Hunting Dogs are also genetically engineered, she did this to save another Hunting Dog who is duly is surprised by her actions and expresses that he could not have done the same. I’m baffled. This is to say nothing of the multiple time characters without regenerative or durable abilities are stabbed, blown up, and impaled, only to walk it off like it’s nothing. The Agency healer, Yosano, has an ability called Thou Shalt Not Die, she can heal someone but only when they’re on the brink of death, so her ability is essentially that trope in action films where the bomb is always disarmed with one second to spare. Let’s not even talk about the new revelation that Dazai can control his heart beats to the point he can use it for passing secret code. It becomes plot armor so thick that it entirely erases the stakes for our characters. They’re all treated as practically immortal, able to overcome anything thrown at them, I’m not even worried anymore when a character takes a lance through the heart, I know he’s walking it off in the next scene.

K is a lot more balanced with its abilities. None of the characters, outside of the Kings, feel so overpowered that they are impossible to stop and they’re not shown to be capable of things outside of their given abilities or established, and might I say reasonable, skillsets.  Even the Kings have their peers in the other Kings. Sure, Clansmen can dodge bullets, but if they’re hit by one it hurts and, notably in the case of Totsuka, it can kill. No one is getting impaled multiple times then walking it off. Mikoto is run through with a blade once, and as it should be, he dies. Not only does this maintain the stakes for our characters – they are at the end of the day mortal, and they can get hurt, they can be beaten, they can die – it also gives us a more complicated, and darker story with characters that we can relate to on an emotional level.

Read Part 3