Oh man, oh man, oh man!!!! There’s only one episode left to this season of Bungo Stray Dogs but obviously way more than one episode’s worth of story. Right!?! And if they wait as long as they usually do between seasons, it’s going to be infuriating, isn’t it? Because things are just getting good! And they get better! In a way worse sort of way!
I’m starting to realize that I might not be the most helpful reviewer out there!
The opening sequence really felt like a movie. I had to stop for a second and make sure I hadn’t started Dead Apples by mistake!
The Hunting Dogs are an interesting bunch, right? They have been presented as this terrifying and unrelenting force. These cruel brutes thoughtlessly carrying out orders. But of course, that’s not the full picture. In many ways, they are quite similar to the Armed Detective Agency… and the Port Mafia for that matter of fact. In the way that matters the most to me, they are also a bunch of huge dorks!
But as we will find out a little later in this episode. They might not be quite as thoughtless as they appear. Just as eccentric though!
One of the things I enjoy about this particular arc of BSD is just how many moving parts there are and how nicely they fit together. Not perfectly, there are some sharp edges that seem to have been forced into place here in there. But for the most part, everything makes sense and is consistent with both characters and the story. And considering the scale of this adventure, I find that very impressive.
Lucy’s personal loyalty to Atsushi pays off in a big way here. And of course, she would help. What’s more, she has no other real associations at this time. She’s a free agent or a wild card. This gives her a huge advantage in a game of cat and mouse like this one. Having her use Anne’s room not only as a safe house but as a way of smuggling people in and out of places is perfect in its simplicity!
And you remember from the opening arc of the season right!?! Yukichi and Fukuchi are old friends! Good ones at that. This is why I was so filled with glee when we first saw Fukuchi during the Detective Agency origin arc. Somehow, having him play a small role in the creation of the agency is cruelly poetic when you realize he’s one of the more likely agents of destruction for that same agency. It’s rare that a character can really stand up to Fukuzawa. Mori can but Mori is a force to be reckoned with and that’s about it. Fukichi is doing a pretty good job as well, wouldn’t you say?
And once again we go back to the Hunting Dogs. They aren’t a monolith. They have different values and ways of going about things. Hack, Suehiro seems like he might genuinely be a nice guy. A sincere sort of fellow who cares about justice and second chances and is actually acting toward what he believes will be the greater good. I’m not so sure I can say the same about Jouno. I really don’t want to spoil anything but I will say, I like Jouno a lot. It’s tough to comment on the character without letting my bias come through.
I feel really bad for that coffee shop owner. How many times have they suffered injury and property damage because of the Detective Agency? I hope they are on the Agency’s insurance plan because it’s the least they should do!
This is a pretty huge bit f development, isn’t it? Not only do we get to discover this huge luxurious casino in the sky we’ve never heard of before but we also get to meet the third member of the Decay of the Angel!
Moby Dick was a huge flying citadel so there is precedence in Bungo Stray Dogs for these types of structures. Technology is really fluid in this show. But still, I remember being taken a little aback when I first saw the casino. Not that I didn’t think it fit in or anything but it did seem like a huge set piece to pull out of nowhere like that. Then again, this happens in stories all the time. It’s easy to justify that as an exclusive destination for the idle rich, there was no reason for any of the members of the Agency to ever visit or even mention it up until now.
It’s great, isn’t it? Maybe you guys won’t be as impressed by this plot as I was. I just love this terrorist plan. Sure it’s a bit convoluted. Bungo Stray Dogs is a story that enjoys complicating things. But it’s not that convoluted. Moreover, it makes so much sense. Fill “real” coins/money with explosives, have normal people become unknowing distributors through a legal casino, and then explode a whole bunch of banks and probably some civilians all at once. Terror is guaranteed.
I particularly like how Ango explained that the explosions and damage itself were just a bonus but the real payoff was the chaos that ensues. And more specifically, the loss of confidence in well everything. In several governments for failing to protect their citizens from attacks, in international ventures, such as the casino, for being agents of chaos, in banks, and even the concept of currency itself.
Of course, in our world, most people use digital money and have not seen a coin in years. They actually addressed that in the manga if I remember. Once again stressing that it doesn’t matter if only a single person gets killed through a coin explosion. As long as a million people hear about it, the damage will be done. What the Decay of the Angel is doing here is not attacking people or even a government, they are trying to bring down symbols. They want to weaken if not completely destroy the ineffable bounds that are holding most societies together. And this silly little plan, I dunno, I just liked it. It felt like it could work int he context of the show. And it’s so easy while still being a little clever. I’ve said this a few times this season. It’s a pattern.
But Ango knows about it. He probably touched one of those fake coins at some point and got the plan from there. Ango is too powerful. But right now, his hands are tied. So how about this for a plan, use the remaining Stray dogs to lure the Hunting dogs and hurl them at the real Decay of the Angel. It’s risky and exactly the sort of thing that Dazai would try.
But here’s the thing. This plan only works if you take one very important thing for granted. In this plan, the Hunting Dogs have to be the good guys. They have to be actual heroes. Because they have to care about this terrorist plot. They have to abandon their current mission of hunting down the agency members in order to concentrate on stopping the terrorists instead. And they would only do that if their morals overwrite their orders. Not only did they choose that path, but the Agency knew they would.
Of course, if Dazai knew that then Fiyodor would know that he knows…that he knows… Once again, it seems we are going to have desperate people play out the whims of geniuses. Let’s see how it turns out!
Oh yeah, and they didn’t foreshadow the casino because there was nothing to foreshadow. It just didn’t exist! I love that reveal. Some might call it a little cheap but I thought it was just tons of fun.
Previous episodes
- Bungo Stray Dogs 4 ep. 38 – In the Begining
- Bungo Stray Dogs 4 ep. 39 – Fools
- Bungo Stray Dogs 4 ep. 40 – Curry Rice
- Bungo Stray Dogs 4 ep. 41 – The Great Detective
- Bungo Stray Dogs 4 ep. 42 – The Rise of the Angels
- Bungo Stray Dogs 4 ep. 43 – The Fall
- Bungo Stray Dogs 4 ep. 44 – Releasing the Hounds
- Bungo Stray Dogs 4 ep. 45 – Masterminds
- Bungo Stray Dogs 4 ep. 46 – War
- Bungo Stray Dogs 4 ep. 47 – A Good Day
- Bungo Stray Dogs 4 ep. 48 – A Closed Room