After watching the first three seasons and movie recently, along with this fourth season, I can tell why the Bungou Stray Dogs franchise is so big in Japan, albeit a bit less popular overseas due to it being more of a seinen series. The cast is quite unique, there is a solid balance between humour and serious moments, and the presentation is very well done. Without a doubt, Season 4 of Bungou Stray Dogs has been the best installment in the series thus far, as it was definitely the most thrilling and consistent of all the seasons.

Since Season 2, each season kicked off with a flashback that focused on certain characters of the show, and the flashbacks usually ended up being the best part of the season itself. However, this time around, I was thoroughly impressed by the fact that the events flashback sequence related to the events in the present quite a lot, and built upon them effectively, which was what was lacking in Season 3. I felt the present arcs were even better executed than the flashback, which was great.

The fundamental reason why this season worked better than the previous three in my opinion is that the stakes felt higher than they’ve ever been, and I genuinely felt worried for some of the characters, fearing they would meet their demise. Each episode was filled with twists and turns, which made it all the more thrilling, and the episodes just flew by every week. The sense of mystery felt stronger than it ever has been. You thought you knew what was coming, and then another twist happens. What’s more, the twists for the most part, didn’t feel forced at all, and were executed very nicely.

The cast of characters felt even more fleshed out this season, with Ranpo and Yosano really taking centre stage for a few of the episodes, and I’m glad they focused on characters other than Dazai and Atsushi, and gave more balanced development to each character of the Detective Agency. Some mature themes were present in their backstories, and I grew to appreciate their characters much more with the events that transpired in the past and future surrounding them. It felt like much needed information on their character was delivered, and it was delivered well.

The animation and designs continued to be consistent throughout, meaning that the production was probably healthy, and the staff finished the episodes ahead of schedule. Good job by Studio Bones here as usual. The soundtrack was good as always, capturing the mysterious and darker tones of the series. OP and ED were great as well.

Here's an example of some great direction from this season:

I have virtually nothing but praise for this season of Bungou Stray Dogs, and aside from a few powers that felt a bit over the top, it wasn’t much of a problem for me personally. Overall, just a very solid, thrilling season that was a pleasure to watch every week, and the best season of the series to date. With Season 5 coming in summer of this year, you bet I’m excited for what’s to come.