This week I tried to make Fukuzawa. I hope I can find a new character to make next week. I don’t think I can pull off Natsume. His look is very specific.
This season of Bungo Stray Dogs really started out with a bang! Last week’s season premiere was an especially strong episode on just about every level. I have been waiting for the follow-up with bated breath. And now I have just finished watching it and am writing this review late Wednesday night. This means I’m going to be tired tomorrow but I think it’s worth it!
Oh man, I feel like I’ve gotten to know both Fukuzawa and Ranpo so much better. And it’s not like the characters were underdeveloped so far. I knew them both pretty well. But this first act just explains so much about why the characters act the way they do and what their relationship is.
Ranpo was alone in a world of monsters. I never thought of it. Because Ranpo sees through people so easily he must have spent his entire life thinking people were either painfully stupid or lying to him. Moreover, he was able to tell when someone had bad intentions from the first conversation. But he was the only one. And generally, no one listened to him. That’s a huge burden to put on a kid. Cause he’s still a kid here.
As for Fukuzawa, he’s a much bigger softie than he likes to admit. He could easily have looked the other way. Patted the kid on the head and given him some sympathy. But no… he had to go and actually create a world in which Ranpo can comfortably exist. He essentially gave Dumbo his feather. And in the process, he bit off way more than he can chew. Sure Ranpo was a handful up until now, but the world’s greatest detective is on a whole other level.
The colours, the colours, the colours! That’s literally the note I wrote down. Never say I’m not a diligent reviewer!
I assumed the colours were simple cinematic shorthand to show that events were taking place in the past. And the little bits of colours here and there were just flare or something. But I was totally wrong. We were seeing the world through Ranpo’s eyes! OMG! Howe frekkin amazing.
That recontextualizes everything. It explains with light would have an effect on the hues. Ranpo did perceive light after all. It explains why certain characters seem to retain more colour. I assume it’s the characters that Ranpo was more interested in. But generally speaking, Ranpo was in a bit of a dark place. The world was boring and when it wasn’t, it was unpleasant. He was surrounded by dull people with horrid intentions. Everything was grey.
But now, the world isn’t creepy, it’s in technicolour, baby! It was so simple all this time. It’s not that people hated him, it’s simply that Ranpo is the world’s best detective on a mission to protect the world’s fools! And a grand mission like that is bound to keep you motivated, isn’t it! No wonder the guy is always full of so much bluster and is so carefree. Why wouldn’t he be?
That murder was one of the most visceral scenes I have seen in anime. Just the way the body was propelled forward and then fell with completly slack. The sound design was wonderful on that fall. That thud really sold the moment. My mouth actually fell pen just a little. Considering what’s to come, I can’t help but be a little impressed.
I didn’t get a screencap of him because it was a blink-and-you-miss-it moment. It seems that Natsume Soseki was in the audience. We know that Natsume is actually the one who told Fukuzawa to form the armed detective agency so it makes sense that he would show up. However, his presence also brings up a heck of a lot of questions.
I love how exasperated Fukuzawa looks in that last screencap up there. He better get ready for a lot more of that. He may have created a monster!
So it turns out that the actor was faking his death for pretentious actory reasons. That was some pretty exceptional acting. I don’t know why the audience wasn’t applauding. Well, he’s going to go to jail for a while. But that’s not what this whole thing was actually about, was it.
For a short time, we see that Natsume had been knocked out and tied up behind the curtain. And apparently, that was “part of the plan” but we don’t know why or how exactly. What’s more, Natsume is an experienced fighter and is rumored to be the strongest ability user. Who would be able to get the jump on him like that? Certainly not an ordinary theater hand. And why? And if Fukuzawa doesn’t already know him then when will the agency be formed?
Also, now we have a closed-room mystery on our hands with the theater hand in question having been summarily dispatched. Close-room murders are Ranpo’s specialty. They were also a favourite of the real Edogawa Ranpo. That’s probably why BSD work in so many for the character to solve.
Although we all agree it’s the suspicious cop that’s the culprit, right? I’m wracking my brain to think if we have seen him somewhere before but I don’t think so. I really want to know what’s going on now!
Reading your review was a total joy! I’m not current on Bungo Stray Dogs, I actually have quite a few episodes I’ll have to watch to get ready for the 4th season. But reading your very enthusiastic post has certainly gotten me excited for the episodes to come! It’s very clear in your writing that you really enjoyed this episode!
Yay. Best compliment you can give me!