Bungo Stray Dogs 5 ep. 55 – Mastermind

Irina

3 years ago

We are getting close to the point in the story where I stopped reading the manga. I stopped because the season started and I wanted to discover it in the anime. And also because the next volume is coming out in November. I mean in English. It’s obviously already come out in Japanese or else this would be a very short season…

There was an episode of Star Trek the Next Generation where Data (for those who don’t know he was a super smart android) got beaten at chess and it just broke his well not exactly brain. He moped around for the whole show while saying he had no feelings so he could mope and then he figured it out. If you can’t beat an opponent at chess, stop trying to win at chess. Basically either change the win conditions or change the game.

Fukuchi is essentially unbeatable at war. The battlefield is his home and there is no way non-combat-tested warriors can stand against him no matter how powerful their gift. But he’s also tired of war. The point is clear now, isn’t it? Unite the whole world against a common enemy and be left with only one big army at the end. With no other side, there is no more use for war. Simple!

But I think Fukuchi is fooling himself a little. Don’t get me wrong, the man has severe PTSD and it is definitely what has driven him to this point. But world domination is also a real nice perk. There’s a reason his plan leaves him in charge. It could have been anyone… But who else can you trust? No choice really.

Did you guys remember Aya, like before the flashback? I remembered her. I thought that OVA was funny. Aya has spunk, I’m glad she’s back. And we immediately see the limits of the page. With her past experience, there is just no chance of her believing Doppo is a terrorist so there’s no effect at all.

The other thing we did see in this sequence, is that Fukuchi didn’t get where he is just through his battle skills. Regardless of what came first, the man has a lot of charisma. It’s easy to see why world leaders would be eager to trust him. Especially when they desperately need a hero. The same can’t be said for the rest of the hunting dogs though. I’m thinking Tachihara is probably the second most charismatic and that’s saying something.

Ok so first, the plan with the note was extremely risky. What if there was no one suitable on the way? I will admit that the haphazard nature of this plan is probably what made it almost impossible to predict or guard against. I mean who would think of something like this?

In the manga, they go on a bit more about the sound of happiness and gratitude and how much Jouno likes it. And how grateful he is to Fukuchi for having given him a chance to enjoy that type of life. It was sweet. But don’t get me wrong, in general, I prefer the anime hands down!

And boy, Juono is incredibly strong! He is going to be one heck of an obstacle… Now I have to imagine that there’s some sort of cure for vampirism. Or like a workaround where they can take a pill a month and essentially function as normal people or something like that. Or maybe it’s the final arc of Bungo Stray Dogs. Sure, so far the Agency (and the Guild) seem to be vampire-free. Great! But like 2 of the hunting dogs have been turned and from what we know like half of the Port Mafia if not more! A lot of well-known characters have gone down and it would be gutsy to just write them off and go on with the story. A pretty big departure from a show that tends to be bloodless, at least when it comes to named characters. They mow down extras, no problem.

But I don’t know. A tonal shift could be fun… oh and Akutagawa looks super weird as a vampire. Does vampirism change your bone structure or something?