Anime Hajime Review: Durarara x2 Ketsu (3 Year Anniversary Special Part 3 of 3)

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Durarara x2. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

It has been several months since the clash between the Dollars and the Yellow Scarves. Since then, the streets of Ikebukuro have stayed peaceful. Or at least, as peaceful as possible in a city filled with amazing people.

Even under the best circumstances, tension fills the air. At any moment something can throw this town into turmoil. There are those who seek such an outcome and there are those who fight against it. Then there are those caught up in the middle.

Every day, the news tells of unbelievable events. Cars and vending machines being hurled across the sky. A small internet community is growing to become the most influential entity in the area. And in the dead of night, residents may even hear the cry of the legendary headless rider.

In Ikebukuro, there really is no such thing as impossible.

Ketsu Cour Synopsis

For the past several months, Ikebukuro has been teetering on the brink of chaos. Forces are barreling towards a single point with no way to stop the impending collision. This city only needs a tap to set everything ablaze. What it is going to get instead is a mighty shove.

At the epicenter of this strife are three friends who want nothing more than to be together again.

The first is the leader of the powerhouse, the Dollars, Mikado Ryuugamine (voiced by Toshiyuki Toyonaga). The second is the boss of the once infamous Yellow Scarves gang, Masaomi Kida (voiced by Mamoru Miyano). The third is the soft-spoken wielder of the demon blade Saika, Anri Sonohara (voiced by Kana Hanazawa). This trio is preparing for the day they meet again. But waiting for the stars to align was a fool’s wish.

These teenagers live in a world beyond the ordinary. They must interact with people who have their own, more nefarious agendas. Fortunately, there are those who can help and who are equally extraordinary.

No matter what happens, it’s just another day in a city of remarkable individuals.

Ketsu Cour Positives

Three chapters later, we have arrived at the final stop of this 3rd Anniversary special. It’s time we look at the Ketsu cour. Not only that, we can, at last, take a full look at Durarara x2.

There is a lot to cover and this review is going to be unlike the last two. Actually, this will be unlike any review I have done over the past three years. It won’t be anything monumental, but things are about to get wordy.

This post will contain an overview of the positive and negative aspects of the Ketsu cour. I will also give an analysis of Durarara x2. Two for the price of one. If you have been following this review series and want to continue, please stick around.

If what you're interested in is the full season, feel free to jump to the Series Positives section below.

Should you be new to this site, this is not the usual format. Most shows and stories allow for more straightforward, more direct reviews. Too bad Durarara isn’t like most shows or stories. It’s its own special kind of beast. It needed its own unique strategy for us to cover the whole thing.

For those of you who may not know what I am talking about, here is a rundown of Durarara x2.

This second season broke itself into three chapters. Or as we have been referring to them, cours. The previous two were the Shou and Ten cours. The first half of this review will be focusing on the third in the trio, the Ketsu cour.

My thoughts on x2 have been favorable. Both Shou and Ten were fun and entertaining. Except, since they are part of a much larger package, I wouldn’t waste your time if you weren’t getting the full deal.

I went into enough detail about my thoughts on Shou and Ten in their respective reviews. Therefore, I won’t repeat what I have already said verbatim. If you want my in-depth notes on the first two installments of x2, might I suggest giving them a read before continuing?

Whether you do this or not, it doesn’t change the question we have in front of us. How did the Ketsu cour stack up? Where does it rank when compared with what came before it?

Let me put it like this.

Imagine x2 was a car taking us to an unknown destination. On this ride, with Shou as the driver, this story built up a tremendous amount of momentum. It not only wanted us to get to where we were going, it wanted to get our blood pumping too. As a result, the energy was high, the excitement was thick, and everything was looking up. This season was accelerating its way forward as it reached its first rest stop and driver change.

With Ten now at the wheel, our car took a detour. Instead of staying on the main highway, we were going to take the scenic route. This was not the worse way to go. The journey remained enjoyable. There were still a lot of cool things to see and do. Despite that, it was obvious this was not the most efficient way to get to our goal.

As Ten’s shift was winding down, the x2-mobile arrived at a fork in the road. We could go left to an open field. Or we could go right to a pristine, world famous, five-star beach resort. Though the right answer appeared clear as day, we turned left.

I was willing to trust this show’s judgment. Nothing had gone wrong so far. There was no major reason to think this series would leave us stranded in the middle of nowhere with a healthy dose of disappointment. The thought was there, but I’ve been proven wrong before.

Then, at last, we could see where Durarara’s second season was leading us. It was none other than a rocket ship ready to launch into space. And we weren’t going to be spectators. We were going to be passengers. The Ketsu cour was this ride up to the heavens. It put the first legs of this journey to shame.

The Ketsu cour was outstanding. It was brilliant. This was well worth the wait. It makes anyone who had any doubts look a little foolish, I say pointing to myself. My God, this was great. This final chapter brought with it everything that made the Shou and Ten cours fantastic. Not only that, it made up for many of their faults.

Character Development

I can already hear the accusations of shenanigans rising from the depths. This is something I gave the Ten cour a lot of flak for. The previous chapter spent way too much time exploring who the characters were. All the while ignoring the story’s progression. This resulted in a final episode that failed to live up to the standard set by the finale of the Shou cour.

Granted, Ten focusing on character development delivered a cast filled with personality. The benefits of which Ketsu was more than happy to take advantage of. Regardless, this must be a double standard on my part.

There was one critical thing Ketsu did that prevented it from falling into the same trap as Ten. Rather than separating getting to know the characters and moving the story forward, it did them at the same time. As we learned more about who everyone was, the narrative wasn’t in a slow crawl or, at worst, a dead stop.

To give credit where its due, it was because of Ten this was possible. Most of these characters were at the furthest they could go in the current story. The only way for them to grow and reach their conclusions was if something changed. Had the previous chapter not done what it did, Ketsu would have needed to take on much more of this burden. Doing that would have prevented this finale from being as awesome as it was.

That said, I’m not going to let Ten off the hook. It still could have done a much more balanced job. Had it done so, this would have only benefited Ketsu. And because of that, this would have then benefited the entire season. The cours were not competing. They were working together to give us x2. A chink in the armor may cause the most damage to a specific area, but the whole body suffers.

The Ketsu cour’s success in this area was widespread. There weren't only improvements for characters in the best position to receive them. This chapter pulled from every asset of the Durarara franchise. There were four specific characters who illustrated this. There were plenty more than four, but I’m trying to keep the pool small. Know the things I’m about to say apply to most of this cast.

The first character was someone who saw their last big run back in season one. They made the briefest of appearances in Ten, except their true return to this series came in Ketsu. This was Haruna Niekawa (voiced by Mai Nakahara).

I don’t recall everything she did in Durarara 1. But upon seeing Haruna again, I remembered enough of her story. In her possession was a replica of Anri’s katana, Saika. This gave her the same ability to enslave anyone she cut with the blade. Before being defeated by Anri, she posed as a copycat of Ikebukuro’s infamous Slasher killer. After that, nothing much came of her until she appeared again in Ketsu.

Back in the Ten cour, I brought up the Stalker story arc. The villain of that plotline was a deranged lunatic. Yet if he wanted to, and sometimes he had to, he could blend in with a crowd. If he didn’t have his “I’m going to murder you” face, he didn’t leave much of an impression. This guy could turn this on and off. Haruna couldn’t. That or she chose never to do so.

With a pair of dead, soulless eyes that never blinked, Haruna was something else. That and her constant “I can kill you now, but I don’t mind waiting until you’re asleep” smile made her super creepy. If that wasn’t frightening enough, her skill with the fake Saika went beyond hypnosis. She knew how to use bladed objects.

In the Ketsu cour, Haruna was a wild card. She didn’t have an allegiance. She could be on someone’s side one minute and then be chasing them down the next. If it meant getting closer to her main goal, she didn’t care who she was after. This made the conclusion to her story super satisfying.

The second character was returning from their earlier introduction in this season. It was a bummer not to see them in Ten, but it was for the best. There wasn’t anything for them to do. Plus, it made it even more special to see Chikage Rokujo (voiced by Yuki Ono) once again.

Chikage was one of the best things to come out of the Shou cour. He’s a guy that’s hard to hate. This remained true even when he was on the opposing side of our protagonists. Yet it was circumstances that put him in that position. He was not in the wrong. This made it easy for him to become a reliable ally when bigger problems arose.

Chikage was a major player in several of Ketsu’s stellar action scenes. The ones he was a part of, he was the reason why they were so awesome. He was among Durarara’s strongest, most capable fighters. Considering the kind of people who are on that list, this is no small accomplishment. In x2, there were only two fights he lost. And he lost them for good reasons.

One of Chikage’s defeats came at the hands of Kyohei Kadota (voiced by Yuichi Nakamura). I hate that I haven’t found a proper chance to talk about this character. Kyohei is one of this series’ most reliable. Why Chikage lost here was due to the multitude of injuries he had sustain beforehand. A well-rested Chikage, if I had to guess, would have fought Kyohei to a draw. Yet even in his weakened state, he held his own.

The other of Chikage’s defeats was also his first. This also explained why he was so banged up when he faced Kyohei. Not being from Ikebukuro, there was no way he could have known he had entered a fight he had no chance of winning. He made the mistake of challenging Durarara’s human tank, Shizuo Heiwajima (voiced by Daisuke Ono). Although he was taking on an impossibility, Chikage did way better than most. He was able to get back to his feet after absorbing several blows from Shizuo. Most other people would be out of commission after a gentle flick from the short-fused titan.

The Ketsu cour also helped dampen the biggest concern I had with Chikage. I suspect he would not be willing to fight a genuine opponent if that person was female. This is a pet peeve of mine I discussed back in the Shou review. This chapter didn’t alleviate this concern, but it did set up a buffer. It would now take a lot more for me to stop liking him.

The third character is proof that the Ten cour dropped the ball. Back in the last review, I talked about the introduction of a new antagonist. To make a long story short, Ten did not do this well. I didn’t want to give away who this character was since the story did treat this as a reveal.

However, if Ketsu made something of this character, I would have to bring them up. Wouldn’t you know it, that was exactly what happened.

I assure you, this reveal-moment was not special. Learning this was the person behind the curtain changed nothing. Ten failed to establish there was ever a curtain for someone to hide behind. What changed everything was Ketsu showing why this person would be a problem if they weren't on your side.

She may have had her introduction in the last chapter, but it was Ketsu that gave us Kasane Kujiragi (voiced by Houko Kuwashima). She was the best thing to come out of Durarara x2.

Kasane was a combination of this series’ top players. She had supernatural abilities like Celty Sturluson (voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro). She had strength and intimidation like Shizuo. She had intelligence and cunning like Izaya Orihara (voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya). And she had a calm, collected demeanor like Shinra Kishitani (voiced by Jun Fukuyama).

Kasane was not a cheap rehash of these people. She was her own character. Since she was on par with this series’ cream of the crop, there was not a single scene, in Ketsu, with her that was boring.

To pick out Kasane’s best, that’s easy. It would have to be when she encountered Anri and Haruna.

To set the stage, the two teenagers have proven themselves to be formidable. I said as such about Haruna only a moment ago. As for Anri, I have brought this side of her up throughout the previous entries of this review series. These girls were no strangers to the weirdness of this city. They themselves being among the most dangerous of them all. Then when they met Kasane, they realized something.

They were nowhere near her league.

You know that terrifying smile I said Haruna always had. That was about 99.9% true. In this scene, even if it was only for a split second, she had a very different kind of expression on her face. It was one of pure fear. It was Kasane Kujiragi who put it there.

How did the Ten cour fail to make this person a bad ass immediately? Why would it even bother trying with the smoke and mirrors angle when the winning ticket was right there? This was someone who could outplay the sleazy Izaya.

The fourth character was the result of the long haul. We followed their story from Durarara 1 episode one to the finale of x2. There were several candidates I could have chosen to highlight. It would have been no trouble to discuss Shizuo or Izaya. I almost went with Celty. In fact, there’s a high chance she would have been the more correct choice.

But there’s no way I’m going to ruin her story arc. With the Dullahan no longer on the table, that left a single choice.

After everything I’ve said over the course of these x2 reviews, this was a bit of a surprise. Except this was one of the characters to embody the true strength of the Ketsu cour. This was none other than Mikado Ryuugamine.

It was during this chapter when Mikado fulfilled the potential he showed at the end of the Shou cour. I’m not going to pretend he became the greatest protagonist there has ever been. He still wouldn’t even make my top ten Durarara characters list. But that is not what I’m trying to get at.

The Mikado that was in Ketsu was not the same person we saw at the beginning of the season. He had undergone a major personality shift. Passiveness hid a much darker character. He was now someone who thought ahead. He had a game plan for every situation he found himself in. He had become more brash and stoic. There was no longer anything that could intimidate him. Except I wouldn’t say this was due to a growth in confidence.

Mikado had fallen into a much deeper, much more self-destructing rabbit hole. His sense of right and wrong was no longer with him. He had lost faith in what he set out to do. That is assuming he remembered what his goal even was. He no longer shied away from the brutal reality of the city. Not because he had grown braver. He no longer cared. He had surpassed the point where people could control him. There was not much left to control anymore.

The thing each of these characters did was demonstrate how much had changed. While things appeared to slow down, there was a bit more maneuvering going on below the surface. It wasn’t the smoothest operation to get all x2’s guns pointing in the same direction. Once they were though, they unleashed a devastating barrage.

It was a sight to behold.

Face-Offs

If the Ten cour helped to bring back Durarara’s creep factor, Ketsu had its own calling card. This was a celebration of why this series is so freaking epic.

With a surplus of fantastic characters, these larger than life personalities often clashed. No one in this cast would have lasted long if they didn’t learn to stand their ground. Everyone was playing the ultimate game of chicken and no one could afford to lose.

As a result, this series, and especially the Ketsu cour, had numerous faceoffs. Not all were full on fist fights. Some were a test of wills. It didn’t matter what kind of battle it was, the result was the same. It made for one hell of a fun watch.

Ketsu had a ton of outstanding versus matches. Some of the more notable ones included a brawl between Chikage and Masaomi. As well as a conviction battle between Anri and Haruna. There was also a neat scuffle between the Russian assassin, and one of this season’s better characters, Varona (voiced by Mao Ichimichi) and one of Izaya’s core allies, Mikage Sharaku (voiced by Hiromi Igarashi).

Each of these fights understood the opponents participating in them. The story allowed the characters the chance to demonstrate what they were capable of. These moments brought to light many of the qualities that made them amazing to follow. There were three encounters that rose high above the rest.

The first was a match-up between Celty and Kasane. Besides involving two of this series' best, this fight was special for another reason. This was the only time in x2 and perhaps the entire franchise of a supernatural battle.

While I said this was a fight, it was closer to a high-speed chase. Kasane had succeeded in getting Celty into a state she had never been in during this series; pissed. Predicting the Dullahan would freak out, Kasane knew once she made her move she needed to get out of there. This scene went big and it went big fast. This was the perfect opportunity to show what these two women were capable of and Ketsu took it.

The second was a scene this season had been building up since the Shou cour. There was going to be a point in Ketsu were Mikado and Masaomi would need to face each other.

This moment did lead to blows. Except that wasn’t what made it good. The weight of this encounter did that. This was the greatest showing for both characters. It was one of the most intense segments of the entire chapter.

In terms of importance to the story, this meeting between Mikado and Masaomi would be at the top. This was the pinnacle of x2 and Durarara’s narrative. Everything was leading to here. But for the fight that was the most entertaining and most exciting, it’s not even a contest. That crown goes to the final showdown between Shizuo and Izaya.

There was one thing about this fight that separated it from every other in this season. For each character, their aim was to win. To do that, they only had to defeat their opponent. A knockout blow would have done the job. Not for these two.

This was not a battle for pride. They weren’t vying for dominance. One didn’t want to stop at besting their rival. Shizuo and Izaya were trying to kill each other. This was a fight to the death. And it sure as hell looked like one.

These two’s years of hatred exploded into a full-blown war. There was something awe-inspiring about what took place. There was no joking. There were no clever comebacks. It was destruction.

What a way to cap off this season.

Ketsu Cour Negatives

Given how much praise I have given the Ketsu cour, was there anything I didn’t like about it? If there was, then wouldn't that somehow be the fault of the previous two chapters?

It is true that Ketsu was the best of the trio. With solid writing and characterization, it avoided many of the issues Shou and Ten had. There were also examples where this cour corrected and undid a few of this season’s most glaring fumbles. But I want you to note how I worded that last sentence. I wrote “this season” because the positives of this cour didn’t make it its own entity.

To list one more plus for Ketsu, it succeeded in doing the same thing the last chapter did. Whether it was the solid showing of the Shou cour, this remained true. Whether it was the stumble heavy, yet still enjoyable Ten cour, this remained true. And whether it was this amazing finale cour, this remained true. This was Durarara x2. Across this season, everything had the same look, feel, and atmosphere.

Whatever Ketsu got right, it was thanks to the set up its companion cours laid out. As for the things this chapter got wrong, some of the blame does lie with what came before. Yet there were a handful of elements that were Ketsu's own doing. When what’s going on around you is proceeding so well, an error becomes that much more noticeable.

Depending on how much everything else can distract you, it is possible to not pay any mind to what you have noticed. The more severe the issue is though, the more challenging it is to get it out of the corner of your eye.

That said, there were two major issues that popped up in the Ketsu cour.

Bridging the Stories Together

As I’ve been saying across this review series, x2 had a lot going on. There were many characters doing different things. Separate things. Their own things. On occasion, plotlines would intersect and travel together. Although overall, all these different story arcs existed in their own little world. Each one could have provided enough material to fill out its own show. While that idea is enticing, that was not what was happening.

There were points in this season where I forgot that everything was going to have to come together. Everything was so disconnected, the idea of joining up seemed ludicrous and unlikely. But whenever characters crossed paths, it was a reminder of the larger picture.

Sooner or later, these individual parts would need to sync up.

I wasn’t sure how the Ketsu cour would try to pull this off. Looking back on it now, I’m still not sure how it did this. I’m not convinced that it did. Or at least, it didn’t do it in a way that made sense.

For many of these paths, Ketsu was doing a pretty good job of bringing them together. Even if there were instances where it had to rush things along.

For example, Kasane’s backstory exposition-ed itself into existence. There was a lot of talk about her at last gaining freedom and breaking through the shackles that bound her. I’m not capable of explaining what Ketsu was trying to say with this.

It is possible the control and dominance Kasane had was a front she put up. Except, knowing what she could do, I’m having trouble rationalizing what was holding her back.

This was an instance where Ketsu could have taken a page out of Ten’s playbook. The characters the previous cour focused on were much more defined. There was a much more complete understanding of who they were and what it was that was pushing them along.

Couldn't Ten have had the same attention to detail for Kasane as it did with Varona? Yes, and it should have. As Ketsu went ham to make Kasane a phenomenal character, it called attention to what we didn’t know about her. To an extent, this helped add to her allure. Yet basic things such as her role in Ikebukuro having a giant question mark across them was troubling. There are parts of her personality that are missing.

Kasane more than made up for this when she did attain her “freedom”.

Even though the blank spots in Kasane’s story were a problem, this issue only arose in the Ketsu cour. This season needed to find a way to connect its biggest plotline with the rest of the story. This was reuniting the three friends, Mikado, Masaomi, and Anri.

Ketsu did have success in connecting different aspects in this area. Anri was never too far removed from anything so it was simple for her to be in the critical position when she needed to be. Mikado and Masaomi were more linked to each other than anyone else. Their meet up was secured back in the Ten cour.

Nevertheless, how Mikado and Masaomi arrived at their showdown required some suspension of disbelief. This was because it was Chikage’s actions that allowed this to happen. It required him to know details he had no real business knowing despite his claims to the contrary.

But even this wasn’t that bad when compared to how this season did connect everything together.

Through a series of events, all the characters had a reason to end up in the same location. A major part of that reason had to do with Ketsu’s most damaging point against it.

The Villain

I have tried to use the word antagonist rather than villain when describing a character. There haven’t been many instances when someone was doing something to cause harm to a person. Or at least, none of the major players were doing this.

Even when it was Izaya, the only man he wanted to destroy was Shizuo. Everyone else he wanted to see their reactions. While this led to many harmful outcomes, this had a lot more to do with how characters responded to Izaya’s meddling.

The closest thing this season got to having a main villain was back during the Ten cour’s Stalker Arc. Yet that madman’s target was only ever one person. Anyone else who got hurt happened to be in his way. His motivations, while vile, made sense. You could see why he was a threat.

Ketsu’s main villain was different. From everything this cour was indicating, this was meant to be the main villain of the entire season. If this is true, it did not work. This person left zero impact. Also, it took way too long for me to realize who they were and why they would want to do what they did.

I say this because this person was Takeshi Nasujima (voiced by Yuji Ueda). The last time he was in this series was back in season one. Except, unlike Haruna who I recognized the instant I saw her, Takeshi appeared to be a random nobody. Plus, it didn’t help that he was using a fake beard to disguise himself. Any distinct feature he may have he covered up.

As a strategy, I get why a person would do this. Too bad in a story that has a ton of memorable faces and personas, don’t make the one character who left nothing behind mysterious.

Getting past his identity, everything about Takeshi was dull. He appeared out of nowhere. He had abilities that I have no clue how he got. And these were abilities other characters used to great effect. But he was never a threat. If anything, he was a massive pushover. He was the bridge that connected everything.

This story used Takeshi’s actions to bring everything together. Too bad it’s a shame I have no idea who this guy was. He is someone I’m not going to remember. In a series like Durarara, that is a unique distinction that no other character can claim. For good reason too.

Series Positives

Time to change gears and mindsets. With the Shou, Ten, and Ketsu cours now over, what did they leave in their wake? What was the story they created? Let’s ignore the three-month gaps between the chapters. What would we get by looking at the series from start to finish?

What was Durarara x2?

To understate the truth, it was good. This is a franchise that is a lot of things. It is an action series. It is a comedy. It is a romance, horror, and so many others. It combined crime drama with ghost stories. There were elements of the slice-of-life and mystery genres.

Whatever type of show you enjoy, odds are this season tried it. And if it did, there’s a high chance this series knocked it out of the park as well.

Of all the things Durarara x2 was, there was one thing it wasn’t. It was never boring.

Ever since I began writing the Shou cour review, there has been something I have been dying to say. I don’t think I could have held it in much longer. Throughout these three chapters, there was something I was saving for this moment. It is something that was at the forefront from the opening minutes of the first episode. Then from there, it only got better and more impressive.

x2 looked amazing. The animation of this season was top notch. This artwork was great. Everything was visually fascinating. Motions were swift and smooth. Colors were loud and vibrant. Faces were expressive and full of life. Impacts were, well, impactful. Even when this story hit one of its “slow” moments, there was something to keep your attention. Although “slow” is a relative term. There was nothing slow about this series.

Another element of x2 that needs mentioning is the music. Durarara’s soundtrack has always been awesome. Over these past three years, I have looked at some of the top anime opening and ending theme songs. As of this review, the most recent of each list are Anime Openings 3rd Edition and Anime Endings 1st Edition. Durarara season one is the only series to have an entry on both.

x2 didn’t quite reach the same level of its predecessor. Yet its own music was nothing to scoff at. If I were to see its soundtrack in a store, there is no way I would pass on it.

It feels liberating to get that off my chest. I figured it wouldn’t be right, or even possible, to give any specific cour this distinct credit. The animation and music were two incredible highlights of this season.

It took me almost three years to return to the Durarara franchise. I can give whatever excuse I want to explain why it took so long. None of them would matter in the end though. I should have gotten to x2 much sooner than I did. For what it’s worth, I'm glad I finally did. I’m even happier there was something this epic to get excited about.

From here on to the end, I don’t intend to reexamine details I have already gone over in length in the cour overviews. What I want to do now is focus on the big picture items. What did I get right and wrong when critiquing Shou, Ten, and Ketsu? What were the things that made this entire season what it was?

Everything from this point is my official stance on x2. There was a reason why I have been referring to negatives in the cour reviews as “concerns”. I didn’t want to judge anything too hard until this story was at its end.

With the end here, what were the things Durarara x2 got right?

The Characters

There is no question about this. The best thing about this season and franchise are its characters. This is one of the most memorable casts in anime. Period. I have discussed this element of this series over the entirety of these three reviews. What I want to try next is sum up all those thoughts into a single sentence.

Pick anyone from Durarara x2 and you have enough material to base another full series on them.

That is how much personality was in this season. This is also the reason why I wouldn’t be surprised if such a thing came to fruition. This current storyline may have ended, but there is still plenty more this series can do.

Thus, here are my top five Durarara characters. And in case you were wondering, yes, it was difficult to narrow down this list to five.

5. Kasane Kujiragi

I already talked about why I like Kasane in the Ketsu portion of this review. She was smart, calm, strong, and hid a terrifying side to her. She could cause some of the series’ most frightening to back off. Whenever she spoke she was in command of the conversation. If there was anything that might be able to phase her, she didn’t run into it here.

Moreover, something must be said about how Kasane negated her underwhelming false start. I can’t get over how much the Ten cour botched her initial integration into this series. It was nowhere near adequate to convey the character she was. For her to rise above that and become the best thing to come out of x2, how can I not consider her amongst this show's top?

4. Shinra Kishitani

For a member of my top five, I should have spent more effort focusing on Shinra. Yet it was in the Ten cour review where I said my precise thoughts on him. He was Durarara’s secret weapon.

Shinra was the epitome of this series’ “go with the flow” nature. No matter what was happening, he was usually able to stay above it. His connections to Ikebukuro’s underworld allowed him access to everything. It was never weird when even the most random of people would turn to him for help.

Shinra was at the top of his game whenever he was focusing on the one thing he cared about. That was his love for Celty. When she was the person on the line, there was nothing preventing Shinra from protecting her. If that meant someone would need to die, that didn’t bother him in the slightest.

3. Izaya Orihara

Even though Kasane proved herself to be one of this series' most nefarious, no one can ever beat Izaya. With Kasane, she could rely on her supernatural abilities should the need arise. Izaya didn’t have that advantage. Nor would he have taken it if presented to him.

People could outmaneuver Izaya. But no one could ever flat out beat him. His plans often never had a condition that allowed him to lose. His actions based themselves on seeing people’s reactions. All reactions. He enjoyed putting a person in a situation and observing how they handled themselves. No matter what they did, he already won.

There couldn’t be a better type of antagonist for Durarara.

2. Shizuo Heiwajima

What is there not to like about Shizuo? He is proof that a series can keep an overpowered character from growing stale.

Shizuo only ever tapped into his unparalleled strength when he had to. Every fight he was in he did not cause. Others sought him out. Most who did were egotistical jerks who got what was coming to them.

I will admit, Shizuo was at his most entertaining when he was destroying someone. But we shouldn’t overlook how good of a friend he was to people. There were several characters he would rush to protect. He wasn’t someone who would stand there when someone was in trouble.

1. Celty Sturluson

When I said it was tough to pick characters for this list, that was true for entries two through five. Celty has been in the top spot since the first season of Durarara.

She is one of the most expressive in this series. You always know what she is thinking. Impressive since some shows can’t do this with characters who have their heads. Sometimes, I would forget Celty didn’t have hers.

What makes her stand out the most is her insistence to help as many people as possible. It may have been smarter of her to keep a low profile.

Except Celty wasn’t the kind of person who knew how to sit still.

Since we are on the topic of characters, there is one more thing we must talk about. The voice cast of Durarara has some of the best talent working in anime today. These actors have brought to life some of the most memorable characters in recent years.

Don’t believe me?

Toshiyuki Toyonaga, the voice of Mikado, since being x2, he went on to play Yuuri Katsuki in Yuri on Ice.

Mamoru Miyano, Masaomi, is also Ling Yao from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Yet you might know him better as Kira himself, Light Yagami from Death Note.

Kana Hanazawa, Anri, is one of my favorite voice actresses. She has tended to show up in several prominent roles in other outstanding series. These include Monogatari, Angel Beats, Fractale, Haganai, Deadman Wonderland, Black Rock Shooter, and Gabriel DropOut. I could keep going, but I’ll stop there.

Miyuki Sawashiro, Celty, is Suruga Kanbaru from Monogatari and Bishamon from Noragami. Heads up, there is quite a bit of overlap between these actors.

Daisuke Ono, Shizuo, also played Seishuu Handa in Barakamon.

And then there’s Hiroshi Kamiya, Izaya, and his filmography is impressive. Koyomi Araragi, Monogatari. Yato, Noragami. Levi, Attack on Titan.

I say all this because each of them gave stellar performances here in Durarara x2. Thanks to them, they brought life to these characters. They hold a lot of credit for making this cast one of the best there is.

Crowd Control

At any given moment in x2, there was a lot going on. Characters were everywhere. Things were happening all over the place. There were many details to keep track of.

Adding to that, a reoccurring location in the story was an online chat room. This was fun to tackle since everyone used aliases and some people had multiple accounts. Then sometimes those multiple accounts would be having conversations with each other. And there were no pictures. And the voices would change on occasion. Plus, this place was super important because a ton of details flowed through here.

This was the makings of a huge mess. Yet it never became one.

Despite everything that ever happened, happened in this show, this story never got overwhelming. To x2’s credit, it was actually quite straightforward. This season’s ability to control all these moving parts was masterful.

Not only that, this narrative had to contend with this being a second season. A second season that came five years after the first. Never once was this a hindrance.

Speaking from my own personal view, I have watched over three hundred anime in these past three years. Even with shows I enjoy, I’m going to forget things. Sometimes when I reread old reviews, I have no idea what I am talking about. There is always a hesitation on my part when starting up a continuation.

Especially when there’s a considerable gap between my viewings.

At the time of this review, Durarara had the longest period between me watching two seasons. It was nerve-wracking thinking how lost I was going to be. That never once happened.

It required no effort in the slightest to pick this story back up. Even with everything it was doing, x2 never became overly complex. Durarara is a fantastic alternative to something like Monogatari.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Monogatari is a better series. Put that into perspective why don’t you. Not for a second, though, would I blame anyone for being a little intimidated by it. One Monogatari’s trademarks are fast-talking, heavy conversations. There are moments of action, but dialogue is what the show is known for.

Durarara x2 found a nice balance. It did have in-depth exchanges between characters. But never did it reach the philosophical levels of Monogatari. That, plus many high-octane action scenes, made for a show that was exciting and well written.

Many of the concerns I had over the course of this review series never came to be. This season surprised me in many ways. It made a habit of exceeding my expectations. I love it when these are the things I’m wrong about. They go a long way into lessening the hits from the things I was right about.

Series Negatives

Most of x2’s issues arose in the Ten cour. Shou also had its fair share of problems. Ketsu was in a bad spot because it had to rectify what its predecessors had messed up. But let’s not forget that it was the Ketsu cour that had the weakest villain of the season.

There’s plenty of places where you can point fingers.

In case you haven’t noticed, this review is getting long. The negative sections of the Shou, Ten, and Ketsu overviews are an accurate depiction of the low points of this season.

I could copy and paste what I said before, but that would be gratuitous on my part. This section is going to be much, much shorter compared to everything else in this review. There is a lot I could say, but I’ve already said them.

That said, there were two major things x2 struggled with.

Pacing and Character Under Usage

This was a concern I ended up being right about.

This season was not strong in the pacing department. But it wasn’t strong for a much different reason then what I have said in the past. x2’s pacing was not dull. Instead, it was misguided.

The Ten cour did this the worst, yet this was an issue in each of the three chapters to some degree. Even with thirty-six episodes to work with, that wasn’t enough to give everything the proper amount of focus. This is not a unique problem. It happens all the time.

Visual mediums, such as anime, have certain constraints written works don’t have to worry about. I understand many authors are under pressure to meet deadlines. A storyteller from one field is not less stressed than a storyteller from another.

Yet when it comes to adaptations that go from page to screen there’s a limit to how much you can do.

Most series I’ve seen try to balance giving us a narrative and exploring the characters. x2 decided to shift that scale into the characters’ favor. We’ve discussed enough how big that paid off. Doing this though came with a price. A price you can see in Ketsu.

The final chapter of this season what the most exposition heavy of the three. There were a lot of doors that needed closing. To do that properly, twelve episodes weren’t going to cut it. Try as it might, this story was going to fail somewhere. Where that somewhere was I find very annoying.

Back in the Shou post, I said this chapter gave us two of the best character introductions I’ve ever seen. I also said either Ten or Ketsu, not both, needed to have some focus on these characters.

Otherwise, what would be the point of going that big and never capitalizing on that? Too bad this is where we are now. For those following along, did you notice something? We are at the end of the final Durarara x2 review and I have not mentioned Mairu and Kururi Orihara (voiced by Eri Kitamura and Hisako Kanemoto) once.

What a monstrous waste of potential. The twins never got used. In fact, their roles diminished the further in this story we got. I’m trying to remember if these two even had spoken dialogue in the Ketsu cour. I know they were around through their online avatars.

But that was nowhere near good enough.

I’m this upset about this because it was meeting Mairu and Kururi that sold me on this season. They were the first bit of excitement that was x2’s own doing. This happened in episode two. The first episode's main goal was to refamiliarize ourselves with the Durarara series. When this pair appeared, this was the signal that said this continuation was starting.

Fortunately, x2 outdid this moment many times over. Yet was it too much to expect the two characters that got me on board would be around a lot more?

I haven’t used this term to describe anything in this season. Of all the concerns I had about this story, this is the only one that became a true mistake.

Final Thoughts

Do I need to say it? I feel like I’ve said plenty. But for the one person who hasn't figured it out yet, let me make this as clear as possible.

Durarara x2 was f@#$ing outstanding.

This was a solid continuation. It did so many things right. Great action, hilarious humor, adorable romance, edge-of-your-seat thrills, nail-biting horror, this was a complete package. This season could have gone on three times as long as it did, and you would hear me cheering for more.

This story, pacing issues and all, was grand in scale, yet smart in its execution. The narrative gave itself so much support. It was able to take on so much. And at no point did it start to crumble in on itself. I have seen plenty of series with only a fraction of the amount of weight this season held up, buckle under the load.

And we can’t forget the incredible artwork. That, coupled with an amazing soundtrack, made for one hell of a ride.

If none of this sounds appealing to you, know this. This franchise boasts one of the best character lists out there. This season did the unthinkable and added to that.

I don’t know about you, I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate three years of Anime Reviews.

Durarara x2 is well worth a look. I don’t think I could recommend this any stronger.

But these are just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this show? How would you advise Durarara x2? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.

And if you liked what you read, be sure to follow me on my social media sites so that you never miss a post or update. Also, please share this review across the internet to help add to the discussion.

I’m LofZOdyssey, and I’ll see you next time.