#narita ryohgo and his universes

[soultiio]

WE ARE SOOO BACK (la cara de perro confundido q tiene shizuo perdón amor)

[linkspooky]

what are your favorite shounen protagonists?

Ironically, despite my love of Shonen and running an entire blog analyzing Shonen Manga, there aren't a lot of protagonists I like. Not because the stereotypical shonen lead is a type of character I dislike, but rather because the stories themselves are sometimes too centered around the protagonists and don't really challenge those characters or explore their flaws.

So, to give two examples of Two Shonen Protagonists I think are written well.

THE HOMETOWN HERO - ICHIGO FROM BLEACH

Do you know who the best superhero is? Not in my opinion, the objective best my opinion is right and yours is wrong superhero is Spiderman. Peter Parker is not the strongest superhero, he doesn’t save the world, and he at most protects  a few city blocks in New York. 

He’s just some teenager who suddenly had an enormous power thrust upon him. He suddenly becomes strong, but the power he gets doesn’t magically make him a good person. He is at times irresponsible, selfish and shuns heroism. What makes Peter Parker an interesting hero is that while promoting the idea that anyone could be Spiderman, anyone could be a hero, he at the same time continually struggles and is weak, rather than being a strong and conquering hero. He’s a small time person, in a big world trying to get by protecting a few people rather than saving the world. 

I think this is what shines most about Ichigo’s character, especially in the earth days of Bleach. I know that eventually we learn Ichigo is a unique Soul Reaper / Quincy Hybrid but that’s Shonen power scaling for you. For 3/4ths of Bleach Ichigo is just a dude randomly empowered as a soul reaper who is trying to protect his closer circle of friends. While Ichigo will fight to protect someone right in front of him, he’s not a Shonen all loving hero who is trying to save everyone and protect everyone. He’s someone with a small circle of friends who will go to great lengths for them, but also always returns to his normal life at the end of the story. He’s not the strongest Shinigami, he’s the substitute Shinigami. He also doesn’t magically make friends with everyone, the relationships he has with the main five, plus Rukia and Renji later on are forged in the first part of the story, and then desmonstrated in the length he will go for those friends when they are lost to him, Rukia in the Soul Society arc, Orihime in the Hueco Mundo, and finally Ishida in the Quincy Arc. 

Ichigo’s characterization is especially strong in the first few arcs, where he’s a bit of a selfish and angry punk. He’s kind of frustrated by the fact he has to leave school constantly to fight hollows, he argues with Rukia all the time, even in the soul society arc he’s not really connected to the plots of greater soul society he literally is just there to save Rukia and leave. When a story is too centered around its protagonist, it weakens it because the protagonist isn’t as challenged, whereas Ichigo while being the hero of the story is also just one piece of a greater whole. What’s interesting about Bleach is one of the best Stories told in that universe is Can’t Fear Your Own World, written by Ryohgo Narita and Ichigo isn’t even in it, yet the story isn’t lacking without his presence. I argue this makes Ichigo a good protagonist because Ichigo can exist as one character as many in a bigger esnemble cast without devouring the story or needing everything around himself and Ichigo’s smalltime stakes and conflcits are still compelling because they matter to him. 

JUST SOME LOSER - TAKEMICHI FROM TOKYO REVENGERS

A lot of protagonists are everyman, but very few protagonists represent the fact that a lot of people are weak, and flawed and not heroes. Ichigo and Takemichi are both characters who are essentially ordinary people who are randomly given a magical power, but while Ichigo represents the idea that anyone can become a hero, Takemichi is a much more pathetic character and his flaws are flaws he can have in common with a lot of people. He’s in a dead end job, he’s cowardly rather than brave, he’s not really talented in anything and he’s directionless in his life. 

What’s interesting about him is that these Takemichi never gets stronger, he’s continually weak throughout the whole story. He’s not the strongest like Mikey, he’s not an extremely loyal and protective Lieutenant and friend like Daken. Takemichi is whiny to the point where it’s annoying, he’s ineffectual, and he fails more times than he succeeds. What’s so interesting about Tokyo Revengers is that despite the fact that Takemichi’s goal is to go back in time and save people, there are just as many people that he fails to save as he does save, people die around him all the time and he lives with those deaths and keeps going. 

The key word is struggle. Struggle, struggle, struggle. Takemichi struggles with flaws that never truly go away. Even in the best future timeline, he’s still working at a video rental store. There are future timelines where his future self becomes the villain and corrupted. 

Despite being so inherently flawed a person, Takemichi is also someone who is appreciated by the people around him, because he goes out of his way to forge those connections. One of my favorite quotes of Takemichi is that “Everyone sucks, but that’s why we need other people.” 

Takemichi is flawed in which ways everyone are flawed, we are all cowards sometimes, we are all weak in the face of challenges, but Takemichi shows us our flaws can be the reason we sympathize with each other and form friendships rather than fighting each other. Takemichi is a loser in life, but he’s also a good friend to have, because even though he’s not the strongest or the bravest, he learns from his many mistakes and because he has made so many he sympathizes with others who make similiar mistakes instead of judging them.

One reason reason that Shonen Power of Friendship protaognists often fall flat is because the story doesn’t go out of their way to demonstrate why everyone likes the protagonist because everyone just instantly loves them without it feeling earned. Whereas, we know why Takemichi forms strong bonds with the people around him, he is someone who will be there for you in a pinch, and he won’t judge you because he’s been there before and had similiar struggles. While reading the story, I never question why someone like Mikey would hang out with a loser like Takemichi, because the story goes to show how much Takemichi cares for Mikey and tries to be there for him.  I know why this loser is the protagonist of the story too, because as beaten and bruised as he can get he has a strong heart. 

[maounosekai]

Completed all three volumes of BLEACH: Can't Fear Your Own World just in time for Shuuhei's birthday, and it was a bad idea to read them right when I have a commission (and work) because dayum, it's so hard to put down! I almost spent the day in the workplace reading, haha! If it weren't for work and a commission, I could have prolly finished all three in a day :))

Absolutely love how Ryohgo Narita was able to handle and juggle multiple characters and perspectives, how he laid out the events, especially in the third volume where the climax is at, the twists, revelations, and mindblowing surprises that made me go "WTF?!" and look back on previous chapters of the manga, the various character interactions, how the fight scenes were written, and how CFYOW managed to tie loose ends and connect the events to the last chapter of the manga. Narita also did well in doing the recaps and reviews of past events and some terminologies in the BLEACH universe for those who have forgotten about those, and in putting humour and light moments at the right times (because Shuuhei is such a dork yeah, haha!)

And Kubo, you sly fox! You had me at that goddamned "bankai" in the manga, hahaha!

I also like how CFYOW confirmed more material in the Zanpakutou arc that are canon (the materialized form of Katen Kyokotsu has already been made canon in the manga)

I'm glad that Shuuhei got the limelight in not just one, but three volumes of BLEACH light novel! Though the ending isn't as grand as it had been (for Shuuhei) but it's still great, nonetheless! It gave me that same feeling of satisfaction with Fullmetal Alchemist's ending.

I'm just so happy for Shuuhei! And Shinji! *claps*

-----------------

There are a lot of awesome stuff in the light novel, but the best ones for me would have to be:

Shinji's and Shuuhei's bankai reveals

Squad 9 moments (ofc): Shuuhei's bankai training with Kensei and Mashiro, Kensei being concerned when Shuuhei faced off Hikone on a one-on-one fight, and what Kensei thinks of Tosen and Shuuhei as a pupil of Tosen. I've been wanting more interaction between all three of them, or Kensei and Shuuhei at least and bruh it did not disappoint! Tho I want more but alskdjfhksdf

Shuuhei getting his "bankai" in the manga, or what I assumed that he already got in the manga hahaha! (I really had to look back on a certain panel to confirm whether Kensei mentioned the word bankai and... surprise! He didn't mention a goddamned bankai! Well-played, Kubo!)

Shinji saving Shuuhei from falling into Kyoka Suigetsu's Complete Hypnosis, and everyone thought that he did fall for it but he didn't aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

The closure between Ukitake and Ginjo hhhhhhhh

Tosen and Aizen's past and what really went on with Aizen killing Tosen

How Shuuhei deals with his fear, and his character development

Arrancar, Quincies, Fullbringers, and Shinigami teaming up again

Man, I'm glad CFYOW got an English publication, and I'm also glad that one of our local bookstores here sells copies of the three volumes (which I called dibs already because there were less than 5 copies left of each)

[agallimaufryofoddments]

I just had a sequence of revelations:

I suddenly remembered Bunnicula was a thing

You know, that children’s book series about a vampire rabbit whose sustenance was the juice of vegetables

The lore of Ryohgo Narita’s Vamp! light novel series allows for all manner of species to become vampires, including: a chihuahua vampire (his name is Wol); an arachnid vampire (Fannie Lou); a motherloving vampire T-Rex (she’s one of a kind...or is she?); and a black hole vampire (named Hawking “The-Nothing-But-Present-Void)

Yes, these are real, canon examples.

In the fourth Bunnicula book, Chester the cat shares an origin story (the truth of which is left to reader interpretation) in which Bunnicula’s parents were rabbits whom a lonely vampiric scientist “artificially transformed” into vampires

The idea of “artificially inducing a [vampiric] transformation is also seen in Vamp!, as seen when a vampire scientist experiments on a watermelon and turns it into a watermelon vampire (Vamp! Volume 2: Chapter 2) 

Vamp! and Bunnicula take place in the same universe and in this crossover fanfiction I will

[freudenstein]

Tagged by @irageontheinside, thank you sweetie ;w;

Rules: answer 30 questions and tag 20 blogs you'd like to know better.

Nicknames: My name isn't very nickname-compatible, but my baby sister calls me "Yaya." It caught on a bit in the familly. I am so honored.

Gender: Female

Zodiac: Gemini

Height: 1.64m

Age: 18

Time: 18:17

Favorite bands/solo artists: Muse, Keane, Florence + The Machine, Coldplay, Marina & The Diamonds, Sia, Saint Motel, Mars Argo, Tame Impala, Arctic Monkeys, The Neighbourhood, Lana Del Rey, Calogero, Stromae, Julien Doré, oh and I keep saying I dislike Calvin Harris but I listen to an annoying amount of his songs mindlessly, as as I do to many random artists as comfort music i guess

Song Stuck In My Head:

Clint Mansell - Welcome to Lunar Industries

Last movie I saw: I really don't watch movies. I can't remember at all LOL maybe an anime movie, Kizumonogatari Tekketsu-Hen. Not sure lol

Last Show I saw, it's House M.D which I appreciate

Last thing I googled: it's been too long to remember

Other blogs: homestuck astrology days and shame

Do I Get Asks?: No ;-;

Why I chose my username: in a fit of disdain for my previous one. I thought hard about something with k and y in it so it's consistent with my other usernames on the internet and the word Kyosque appeared in the blank depths of my brain.

Followers: :'( I can't bring myself to look at the count yet

Following: around 115

Average amount of sleep: If I don't have something to read on my phone, around 6 hours. That is on school days. On free days it ranges from 8 to 10 hours.

If I have my phone, maximum 3 hours but I might not sleep at all.

Lucky number: I always pick 7 for some reason.

Instruments I play: my heart

What I'm wearing: Is this a sexy question?

Dream Job: why must you hurt me like this

Dream Trip: the only nerdy convention in this country or the nearest dorm with lesbians. Japan. France.

Favorite food: I think I really love cheese. And tuna

Nationality: a curse

Favorite songs: some of the all-time ones, list incomplete: The Rolling Stones - Miss You ;; Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc. ;; Outkast - Hey Ya ;; Mac de Marco - My Kind of Woman ;; The Cinematic Orchestra - La Ritournelle ;; David Guetta feat. Sia - She Wolf ;; HIGH VOLTAGE - UNDERGROUND ;; Calogero - Pomme C ;; MUSE - Undisclosed Desires ;; Keane - Everybody's changing ;; XXXTentacion - Tightrope

Last book I read: does fanfiction count? What if it's really good and novel-length? Durarara!! Vol 1, by Ryohgo Narita

Top 3 fictional universes: uh

Tagging: @blueravencordyr (te rappelles-tu de moi?) @athacchi @glitter-nemesis (unless you already done it ahaha) @spoontasti @freak-of-perfection

[shazzeaslightnovels]

Seishun Buta Yarou wa Siscon Idol no Yume wo Minai

Author: Hajime Kamoshida

Illustrator: Kenji Mizoguchi

Label: Dengeki Bunko

Release Date: 9 May 2015

English Release: This series has been licensed in English by Yen-Press. This volume will likely be titled Rascal Does not Dream of Sicon Idol.

This volume focuses on Nodoka, Mai’s sister who is a popular idol, and the phenemenon this time around is “body switching”. I do think that this volume is a bit better if you think of it as “Mai’s volume” and not “Nodoka’s volume” because we’ve never met Nodoka before this volume. I think she was mentioned by Mai a couple of times but there’s no real reason to care about her, unlike Tomoe and Rio who were introduced prior to their volumes. Due to this, I think this is the weakest volume so far. There are still some great parts and I think that the author manages to capture that sibling of loving but resenting your successful older sibling and comparing yourself to them well but it just didn’t read as well as the other ones have.

The strongest and weakest parts of the series remain but I noticed another part of the series that I don’t care for while I was watching the anime to compare: I really don’t like that the series goes out of it’s way to explain every action and line that a chacter takes or speaks. It leaves very little room for the reader to interpret the characters for themselves and, if you’re someone like me who enjoys looking at characters and doing a bit of analysis on them, the series is not as fun as a result and it’s also annoying because it makes me feel the author doesn’t trust me to figure the characters out for myself. I notice this is an issue with a lot of light novel writers, even writers that I love like Ryohgo Narita have a bad habit of doing it, and it’s definitely not just light novel writers that do it but I do notice it more in light novels. A few years back I started to take a writing course at university and one the first things they taught us was to not over-explain things and, while I do know that some readers do prefer to know everything clearly, I still think that it’s solid advice for any writer.

I haven’t mentioned this before in my posts about this series but every volume so far has a scene where Sakuta and the heroine observe a lovey-dovey couple. I’m not sure what the author is trying to do with this which is why I haven’t mentioned it but this volume does have a variation on that scene where Sakuta does see the couple but he’s with his dad and not with Nodoka or Mai so I thought that was interesting though I’m still not sure what these scenes are trying to do.

Adaptation Notes:

This volume is adapted in episodes 9, 10 and a bit of 11 of the anime and it’s consistent with how the other volumes are adapted: there are some scenes that cut or moved but they make a big difference to the tone of the story and definitely improve it. The light novels always feel like they’re too long and the anime improves the pacing so much and makes the story much better as a result.

Earlier, I talked about the light novel has a bad habit of over-explaining things and how the anime avoids this. The scene where Sakuta, Mai and Nodoka are talking about their lack of school friends is a great example of what I mean by this. The anime keeps in Sakuta’s line where he says that he has 3 friends and the viewer may notice that the count has gone up since the start of the series. The anime leaves it up to interpretation on who the third person is while the light novel has Sakuta clarify that he’s talking about Tomoe. In the anime, you can interpret Sakuta’s line in a few different ways but the light novel leaves no room for the reader to do that and that’s a shame. It’s also an issue because the light novel tells you that Sakuta considers Tomoe his 3rd friend but it doesn’t show you. It would have been better to have Sakuta say this line but not mention Tomoe and then later have a scene where the two of them feel like friends. This is far from being the only example in the series of the author telling the reader something instead of showing it but it is a good example of what I mean.

Next is Kaede’s volume and I know that I’m going to have a lot to say about it, if the anime is any indication.

[hermanwatts]

Light Novels: The Arrows of Time

Up to this point, this light novel survey has been focused on stories set in the writers’ present. The recent history of the medium can be organized into three great periods: the secondary fantasy worlds of  the 1980s and 1990s, the primary fantasy adventures of the 1990s and 2000s, and the isekai portal fantasies of the 2000s and 2010s. More than twenty years of popular fiction has used the present as its staging ground, as primary and isekai fantasies are concerned with the affairs of the present–or, at least the present at the time of writing. But fascinations with the past and with the future are universal, and light novel writers have explored history and visions of the future in addition to the preoccupation with the present.

With that said, the arrow of time normally points forward in light novels. History tends to fuel the settings of the secondary fantasy worlds, as in the quasi-medieval Germany of Spice & Wolf, with classical China, Heian and Warring States Japan, and Continental Middle Ages Europe providing the common milieus. Historical figures do tend to be re-imagined into primary fantasies as well, such as in the complete re-imagining of the characters of Twenty Years After of the d’Artagnan romances into the isekai magical academy of The Familiar of Zero. As a result, those looking for historical adventures similar to the Sharpe series or the Three Musketeers might be better served by manga as Cesare, Vinland Saga, or Ruroni Kenshin. However, a handful of history themed light novels have made their way into English publication, including the previously mentioned Full Metal Panic, by Shouji Gatou, a military mecha adventure fueled by an alternate history of the Cold War, and Ryohgo Narita’s Baccano, a Great Depression mobster fantasy that combines the farce of Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels with European alchemical magic.

Science fiction is far more popular, but not quite in the same form as American audiences may understand the genre. Japan has a storied history in the genre, with weightier Campbellian and Wellsian speculative social fiction finding a home in more traditional novels, while Continental-style (1) futurist fantasies fill the pages of light novels. As a result, light novel science fiction embraces the genre-blending of “science fantasy”, incorporating any plausible or implausible element as long as it can be dressed up in polished metal and shining composite plastic–especially in the use of magic, whether it be in the sufficiently advanced technologies of telepathy, telekinesis, and other forms of Esper mentalism, or the application of computers to Sandersonian hard magic.

Perhaps no genre better illustrates the blended futurist fantasy quite so much as the Battle Academy. These near-future settings combine the magical academies of places like Hogwarts with computers and other forms of technologically-assisted magic. Students at these academies strive to climb the rankings in their class, often through the familiar trope of fighting tournaments. Meanwhile, dark conspiracies play out at the academy, using the students as pawns. As combat and intrigue rage around the often troubled and ostracized hero, he earns respect and a place in the school’s social scene through his prowess. The Irregular at Magic High School, by Tsutomu Sato, follows this outline best, with The Asterisk War, by Yuu Miyazaki, a more light-hearted take on the formula. Kazuma Kamachi’s A Certain Magical Index adds a layer of complexity–and the occasional whiplash from tone changes–by forcing the hero to navigate delinquents, predatory professors, and a silent war between scientific Espers and magic-wielding churchmen.

However, those looking for more familiar genres of science fiction will not be disappointed. Space opera looms large, with the True Tenchi Muyo novels expanding on the worldbuilding of the original anime’s OAV continuity, and the classic Crest of the Stars (reviewed here). Haruka Takachiho’s classic The Dirty Pair follows the Lovely Angels, a pair of intergalactic crime fighters who tend to forge an unmistakable–and unintentional–path of destruction. Asato Asato’s 86 taps into the strong dystopian vein of Japanese science fiction as it investigates the forsaken soldiers forced to fight in their government’s “bloodless war”. And while video game isekai brushes up against many of the same themes as cyberpunk, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex further explores the setting and themes of the classic cyberpunk manga.

The arrow of time flies onward, and readers find themselves at the end of the isekai age, as the popularity of the genre and the web novels that fueled it are waning in Japan. What might replace it, no one knows. It could be a return to the detailed secondary fantasy worlds, the low fantasies of the current day, or even the grand space operas of the 1970s and 1980s. Meanwhile, English publishers such as Yen Press, J-Novel Club, and Vertical are bringing the vast backlog of this medium to a growing and enthusiastic English-speaking audience.

(1) “Ah, well, you’re now taking the German view that any romance about the future is science fiction.” C.S. Lewis, “Unreal Estates”. Of Other Worlds: Essays and Stories.

Light Novels: The Arrows of Time published first on https://sixchexus.weebly.com/

[recentanimenews]

Durarara!!, Vol. 12

By Ryohgo Narita and Suzuhito Yasuda. Released in Japan by ASCII Mediaworks. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Stephen Paul.

Around about the time that Shizuo is seen to punch a forklift out of the way, it struck me that he is one of the most beloved characters in DRRR!! solely because it is set in “reality”. Now, it’s an urban fantasy, but you know what I mean. If Shizuo were a NEET who died and was transported into the world of DRRR!!, it would be appalling. He’d be the most overpowered male power fantasy imaginable. Heck, he even got a love triangle (of a sort) devoted to him a few volumes ago. All we lack are monsters… oh wait. This whole volume explores one of the series’ main themes, which is what makes a monster and what makes a human. Celty spends almost the entire book in a state of pure emotional rage, not even remotely resembling a human being. Anri is still (always) thinking that she doesn’t think or feel the way “humans” do. And then there’s Izaya, who finds the idea of Shizuo offensive, but let’s face it, is the most monstrous of them all.

Getting back to Anri, the scenes with her and Saki are some of my favorites in the series, if only as the whole thing is so anticlimactic. Saki arrives trying to gauge if Anri is a threat. Why wouldn’t she? Masaomi talks about her constantly, she’s cute, and is literally defined in the DRRR!! universe by her large breasts. But of course Anri is a sweetie-pie with no self-esteem, and once Saki gets that everything gets more relaxing. Anri also takes a large step forward by being the first of the trio of friends to actually break their “agreement” – she asks Saki to tell her about Masaomi’s past. Given that said agreement has only hurt everyone involved, I have to approve. Of course, Anri is still hiding some things (Saika is not brought up in front of Saki), but it’s still a step forward, and might lead to her making a big emotional leap forward.

Narita confessed in the afterword that this was meant to be the final volume and it got too long, which is not a surprise – there’s no more setup in this book, and though there are strings of long conversations as always, they’re not there to drop hints for the future. Haruna’s teacher is trying his hardest to become the Big Bad of the series, using Saika to possess half of Ikebukuro and create a “zombie attack”, but I suspect his chances of making us respect him are nonexistent. We’re far more interested in the final fight between Izaya and Shizuo, triggered by Izaya’s attempt to kill Shizuo accidentally injuring Vorona. The fact that Izaya is finally going to try to kill Shizuo is mentioned several times in the book by various groups and people, and they all have the same reaction: Izaya is going to commit suicide. Given that the two rarely confront each other in the novels, I expect the fight to be epic.

Oh yes, and Mikado’s got a gun, so things ain’t never gonna be the same. I didn’t talk about Mikado at all this book, but given that I suspect the 13th and final volume will revolve around him, it’s best to save something for later. Till then, enjoy a very good DRRR!!, though I’d sort of like it if Anri’s breasts weren’t a separate character of their own (complete with the usual “lol, molestation is funny!” interior art).

By: Sean Gaffney

[recentanimenews]

Durarara!!, Vol. 11

By Ryohgo Narita and Suzuhito Yasuda. Released in Japan by ASCII Mediaworks. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Stephen Paul.

If you enjoy scenes where one character tears down the motivations of another character, you’ll love this volume of DRRR!!, because that’s almost all it is. Yes, by the end of the book the plot guns are finally going off (or in some cases blowing up – nice cameo, Vorona), but most of this book is still buildup and dialogue. Izaya confronts Anri about her own nature, how she “uses” Saika, and her aggressive passiveness (yes, Anri can be very aggressive about not doing anything), to the point where she almost has a nervous breakdown. Izaya also confronts Mikado about what he’s trying to do with the Dollars – turns out Mikado is not ready for life entirely on the dark side either, and in order to maintain the excitement he craves, he needs to remain balanced on the edge between safety and danger. And Masaomi is forced, once again, to confront his past and the past of his gang, which looks to resolve itself in a series of beatings.

The cover implies hot Saika-on-Saika-on-Saika action, and to be fair, that is what we get, though the action is somewhat limited. Having been released from her “guard Celty’s head” duty, Haruna is free to try to find her true love, the creepy high school teacher, and also confront Anri, who dared to be loved and rejected by him. Midway through this battle, Kujiragi shows up, seemingly to try to get Anri to “sell” her Saika to her, but in reality we know why she’s really there – she’s angry they scared off the cats. Kujiragi’s stoic love of cat stuff (and later, as we discover, cosplay) is a charm point, but like so many, many others in Narita’s universes, she’s a villain who knows it and is content to be villainous even as she tries to escape. Anri, to be honest, spends most of this confrontation staring in confusion – she’s already mentally exhausted from Izaya tearing her apart, and how she has Kujiragi saying she’s far too nice to be wielding someone like Saika – which is true, but just taking Saika and leaving Anri normal won’t solve her issues. Anri doesn’t even get to go home and have a nice sleep, as Masaomi’s girlfriend is lying in wait outside her apartment.

Anri is the “main character” of this volume, but there’s other things going on, not least of which is Celty’s head being used to set everything in motion. Izaya is delighted and somewhat appalled by this turn of events. Meanwhile, Shizuo is out of prison, but after seeing Vorona stealing the head, he thinks she’s working for Izaya, and finally seems to be snapping. Unlike the anime, Shizuo and Izaya have rarely personally confronted each other in the novels – they just want to never see each other. I suspect, though, that the climax of these books will finally feature what fans want to see. No, not that. What non-BL fans want to see – Izaya getting the shit beaten out of him. As for Celty, she, like Anri, is having trouble coping with everything around her at the moment, and the cliffhanger ending (there’s about four cliffhangers at the end of the book) shows her about to snap as well. Is everyone going to get angry and snap at the start of the next book? And will Erika get Kujiragi to cosplay for her?

Fans may be familiar with these events from the anime, but I still urge them to get the books as well, as the examination of everyone’s psyches works better in prose format than spoken aloud.

By: Sean Gaffney