I know that I usually come up with my own post title instead of using the episode titles but I just think this one is perfect as it is. There’s no way I could have come up with something better!
And so it’s back! It’s back you guys!!! Of course, I was going to watch Bungo Stray Dogs as it airs and of course, I was going to write about it. Even just as an excuse to take a million screencaps (which I did!) Although a tiny part of me is disappointed that they didn’t start by adapting a light novel or side story like they usually do at the beginning of seasons, we did leave off on a million cliffhangers so I’m glad we got right into it!
Sidenote, I can’t believe I’ve already watched 51 episodes of this show. You can really feel the difference between binge-watching and seasonal watching when it’s long-running shows like this. I can’t tell which I like best though.
So about this episode. Even though it’s a bit of a cop-out, I’m not going to lie, I was just happy Kuunikida is ok. I really like his character and also, I don’t necessarily want BSD to be some dark, gritty, realistic show with heavy stakes. I have always enjoyed the ultimately light-hearted and goofy nature of the show. Even though there are definitely some poignant and merciless moments that don’t pull any punches. I still think Yosano’s background story is one of the most heartbreaking ones out there. BSD usually manages to come out optimistic and go back to just plain fun.
Basically, I’m saying I don’t want any of the main cast to die. Even most of the supporting cast to be honest. Including the antagonists. And although I have been reading the manga, I don’t know how this arc ends. I hope I didn’t just jinx anything…
I admit that it was a bit of a stretch but I love the explanation of how Nikolai saved Sigma. I can just picture it in my head. We didn’t get any ED this week as the episode just kept on going until the last second but I hope that next week, the ED is just Nikolai spinning Sigma through portals in the air for like 3 minutes while the music plays. Nothing else, just that for a ridiculously long time. Not gonna lie, I will be a little disappointed if it’s anything else. In all likelihood, I’m going to be disappointed…
So Nikolai is nuts. And I do like this type of crazy. You can tell that he is, in fact working, off some internal logic but that logic is just coucou banana pants to everyone else. That’s exactly the type of guy that could get to Fyodor. If the other guy is playing 6D chess, just switch to Snakes and Ladders, you know?
Like I said, I don’t actually know where this is going but I’m willing to bet that Nikolai is going to be a thorn in Fydor’s side maybe even instrumental in bringing him down!
OK, if Nikolai’s little pandimensional loop de loops were a bit of a stretch you have to cast disbelief aside to accept Ranpo’s plan. Or at least accept that it worked. But you know what, it’s a walk I’m willing to take. First, of course, Ranpo was the strongest man. Of Course! I’m not even sure why they bothered with the pretense, it’s not like it could have been anyone else… I still cheered when he threw off that cloak. And not like a faint interior cheer – a big joyful whoop and all! And sure he yadda yadda all the important parts. Like why did the sniper take out the lock and how did he replace the engine but darn it seeing him just drive off with an armored van while the guards are right outside is satisfying in a goofy ridiculous type of way.
What I’m saying is I don’t care that this part was Swiss cheese. It was delicious melty Swiss cheese! yum!
More important for me though was the last scene. The press conference. We are starting to rub off against the limits of the page. I’ve said before that the gifs in BSD (which e for all intents and purposes a magic system) have always been a bit inconsistent and ill-defined. Thy sort of do whatever the story needs them to do. At episode 51, I’m not about to whine in that regard. And to be honest, it has never bothered me. That’s not where the charm of the series is.
But the page is special. It’s a huge narrative device this season (and last) so it needs to make some sort of sense to the audience. The problem is that if you make it too powerful then it’s either completely stakes destroying or just unsurmountable. We already know that it has one limitation in that whatever is written in the book, whether the page is attached to it or not, has to be consistent with everything that came before it. That’s a fun rule! But there seems to be a second limitation, at least that’s what Ranpo seems to think. It imposes a vision of reality but doesn’t completely destroy the previous one. So if it isn’t consistent with a person’s lived experience, it could not work. Hmmm, so it’s full-on psychological warfare! Well unless you count that explosion at the beginning, that was more the classic type of warfare…
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
- Bungo Stray Dogs 4 ep. 49 – A Mediocre Man
- Bungo Stray Dogs 4 ep. 50 – The Best Laid Plans
Oh man, it’s good to have this show back, isn’t it?
I did love the way Ranpo used the page against itself: “I sent evidence to all the stations. Oh by the way, the page says you won’t question our guilt, so look in the garbage.” The montage of the police guy looking for the envelope happening before that part of the speech was perfect, too. Heh. It’s a meta-consistency loop.
To be honest, I don’t think too deeply about the show, but it’s just so fun. Like the number guessing game between Dazai and Dostoyevsky – utterly implausible, but so on point. Love it.