Episode 09 – “The Day is Short, The Work is Long”

As Durarara!!‘s story becomes more and more involved, I find that it’s growing more and more impossible to coherently discuss the happenings in Ikebukuro each week. From the gangs chasing down Shizuo’s whereabouts, Izaya’s usual behind-the-scenes schemes, and Vorona’s vendetta against Celty there’s simply too much for my feeble brain to wrap my mind around at once. And I love that. I love that each fragment of the tale, by itself, is interesting and that intrigue is magnified when interspersed with other fragments of the same story.

I caught myself breaking out in smiles several times this episode, a relatively strange occurrence since there isn’t anything particularly comedic that happens. Instead, I think these sudden smiles were the result of the excitement I was feeling, as I was being sucked into the story of Mikado, Celty, Anri, Shizuo, and everyone else. Very rarely does an anime series do that to me, and it’s a most welcome sensation to have once in a while. Durarara!! doesn’t ever have to rely on melodrama or high-stakes life/death situations to generate excitement or touch my emotions. We often say that narratives unravel and unfold, but I feel that this series does the exact opposite. The trepidation comes from watching a puzzle piece itself together and paths intersecting.

As expected, things come to a head in the abandoned warehouse where Mikado and Aoba were having their stand-off. I really enjoy zugzwang moments like this, though I suppose you can argue that this is less of a stalemate situation and more of a check, with Mikado playing the King of the Dollars. An fairly appropriate analogy, given Mikado’s significance as the founder of the group as well as his ultimate powerlessness.

Luckily for him, those tiger thugs show up looking to beat up the Dollars leader, and Mikado is safely whisked away by Celty but of course ends up in trouble anyway when they meet up with Anri and Akane. Such is the life of an Ikebukuro resident. Next time, we can look forward to Akane’s family story and Namie possibly acting friendly.

“Wherever I go, it’s disturbing. More than before, more than ever, as usual…” ~ Mizuki Akabayashi

B.W.