You know what a show about superpowered people who sometimes turn into kitty people but mostly not, underground organizations, widespread political plots, and modern reimaginings of classic literature figures, was missing? Exactly! Vampires obviously! Man, I love this show!
There is something about Bram Stoker illustrated as the iconic Count Dracula being called Barm-kun that just fills me with glee. “Kun” is such a beautifully subtle dig, I love it. Also, no matter how you look at it, Bram has to be the older one, right? That just makes being called kun even more insulting. Great stuff!
Some people may think that Bungo Stray Dogs are jumping the shark with an all-out vampire invasion that is called a contagion and looks very zombie-like at times. But I say if you didn’t think season 1 was over the top, you shouldn’t be complaining now! Well, that was forceful! Complain all you want but you’ll be missing out on some incredible campy fun!
This changes things yet again, doesn’t it? I have to wonder why Fukuchi waited this long to bring out his secret weapon. I’m sure there’s a reason. BSD doesn’t just spring things like this for no reason. But for now, I can’t really imagine what it is. And I sued the expression secret weapon very much on purpose there…
So is half the Port Mafia vampires now? More? We usually only see the same handful of gifted characters when it comes to the mafia so sometimes I forget that the organisation is actually enormous. Like thousands if not tens of thousands of disposable foot soldiers. Mori himself has always had a bit of a vampire vibe to him. Definitely a goth kid at heart. I have a feeling that if he manages to figure out how to control his troops, he won’t mind a vampire army. Then again, he doesn’t take likely to people messing with what is his.
From what I can tell, the Hunting Dogs are not affiliated with the Decay of the Angle. I don’t think any of them actually know about it. Sure it was always obvious that Tachibana was in the dark but that could have been due to his long years undercover. Maybe the rest were up on the news. But they actually seem to be sincere in their motives or goals.
That’s a good thing. I have a feeling the world is going to need all the help it can get to avoid getting destroyed by decay!
Ahh Mori! He didn’t get to where he is by accident. I mean he might claim it was natural causes but we all know better, don’t we!?! Fukuchi is overpowered. In an explainable way. Like we know how he manages to be so powerful and a lot of it comes down to a very long and painful lifetime spent almost entirely on the battlefield. I said it before and I’ll say it again, there is no substitute for experience. And no one in this story has the type of frontline experience Fukuchi has. In fact, very few people in the world do.
It can feel unsurmountable. Like, there is simply no way to beat a monster like that. As Atsushi aptly put it: a god of war incarnate. But is that really so. Fact is, Mori’s plan did work. Atsushi and Akutagawa did defeat him and that was most likely what Dazai was planning. Fukuchi had to go back in time, several times and even die to get out of it. And that’s just what they have been able to manage on their own. Now imagine it all coming together.
The Port Mafia, The Detective Agency, Fitzgerald and his Eyes, Ango and the might of the ministry, even the stray hunting dogs once they figure it out. Ranpo arguing with Mori over the steps of a strategy, Sakaguchi negotiating how much power he can lend and Fitzegerald negotiating how much he can charge all while Fukuzawa is quietly bringing them all together. For some reason, I really want to see Chuuya and Kenji have a conversation. I bet they hit it off. Tell me that’s not something you want to see. Cause I desperately want to see it and I think that’s where we’re going.
By the way, we’re almost at the end of what I have read so it’s going into new territory for me and I’m so excited!
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
- Bungo Stray Dogs 5 ep. 51 – The Strongest Man
- Bungo Stray Dogs 5 ep. 52 – Clear Sailing
- Bungo Stray Dogs 5 ep. 53 – Playtime is Over
I fully expected a turn of some kind; I certainly didn’t expect a sudden Bram Stoker. So now that a Irish are here, how about a sudden James Joyce who pulls a Finnigan’s Wake so nobody knows what people are talking about anymore…
Seriously, I have no idea how to combat the situation anymore. I half expect Dazai to want to commit mass suicide with everyone and Dostoyevsky saving the day… Anything’s possible.
It does feel like anything could happen and they could even make it work somehow. I love this arc