- So finally after years of trying, I have finally found the time in my schedule to be able to re-watch all of Durarara (English Dubbed) to finally complete a story that I left unfinished for years, and that I started almost a decade ago, and honestly guys, I loved every minute of it. Durarara is one of those shows that you cannot just pick up halfway into the series after not watching it for years, because most likely you will be completely lost within the ocean of details this story drowns you in. This entire story is almost dependent on you understanding what the 50+ characters are doing concurrently in the story, which is needed for you to be able to fully understand what is going on.

This is why I feel Durarara is one of the few anime that actually benefits from being watched dubbed in English, because there is so much detail in this show, down to what character is talking (while text from two or more different characters are shown on screen) will be an element that foreshadows a story beat within the many different story arcs that all happen at the same time. Making the voices of the characters themselves an important characteristic that you as the viewer need to memorize to understand what is happened, and English voices (for me) are easier to distinguish between. This leads into the biggest double-edged sword of this series, the characters.

- Characters: The Characters in this series (to me) are the biggest asset this series has to really immerse viewers within the story it is telling, while at the same time, being the biggest barrier to entry for many new people who are interested in watching the series. Because the vast network of characters this serious develops over its 60+ episodes is honestly extremely daunting even too an experienced anime watcher like myself. It really is amazing to me how interconnected not only the different groups that are at play constantly throughout this story are, but also the interpersonal relations within each of these groups that drive’s the story forward throughout the series.

Unlike many other anime, there is no singular or even small group of 2 or 3 protagonists within this show, almost every character you meet in this series has their own backstory, personality, character motivation’s, and goal that they try to further during this series. Making the real main character of this series the city this story takes place, Ikebukuro, really feels like an actual city because of how this story is told. While yes, there are some characters that feel more prevalent early on in the story than others, there are entire 10 to 12-episode arcs where these same characters aren’t even mentioned in the story, while the rest of the city comes to life around them. Just so you can have an idea of how many groups are at play in this series, at some points, there are as many as 13 to 15 different independent groups in this series who are fighting amongst themselves, not to mention while this is going on, there is also interpersonal relations within each of these groups that are affecting how they act within the story. This complicated web of connections is what makes this city feel alive like an actual city.

- Conclusion: In the end, that is really all I wanted to talk about when it comes to this series, because while yes the setting, animation, and music were all great as well, what really sets this series apart from other anime is the vast network of characters that independently interact throughout the series, that really brings this story to life and set’s it apart from other anime, to me.

Not to mention, the fact that there really is not a main character in this series, with each episode commonly being told from a different perspective than the last, showcasing how vast this city really is. And as this story continues to grow larger (expanding the web) it is honestly amazing to me that I could even keep all the different stories straight within the context of the wider narrative being told in this series. Leading me to quite a predicament, because I honestly don’t know what I should rate this series, because while yes there are some parts that I did not enjoy as much as others. I really did enjoy the unique way of telling a story that only Durarara was able to effectively showcase throughout my anime watching “career” as of right now. But since I have to rate it, I'll give the whole series a 90/100, I recommend you check it out because this is one of the most diverse cast I have ever seen in an anime brought to life, and with this, I am just going to leave it at that😊