Action scenes in Bungo Stray Dogs are not as important as the investigations.
There are no real investigations with deep thoughts in the anime.
The focus of the story seems to have shifted away from the main character.
Bungo Stray Dogs is the debut work of Asagiri Kafka, which brought him great popularity. The detective story is full of literary references and claims to be highly intellectual. Although there are action scenes in Bungo Stray Dogs, they are not as important as the investigations and solving of mysteries. The author doesn't seem to care much about fights. He pays much more attention to intellectuals than physically developed characters. But can it be said that he succeeded in revealing this important aspect of the plot? Let's find out.
Don't use your strength, use your brains
Many may have noticed that Atsushi and Akutagawa have not received much attention in the last seasons of Bungo Stray Dogs. Even their fight with Fukuchi seems to have gone unnoticed. The twist involving their impressive unification and Akutagawa's shocking death felt like it should have taken longer, but Asagiri decided otherwise. The story seems to have shifted its focus away from the protagonist for some time now. The answer is simple: Asagiri doesn't like fighting, so physically capable characters are left out.
On the other hand, the plot revolves more around Dazai, Fyodor and Ranpo. Although the prison dialogue between Dazai and Fyodor is often of little value, they are given a relatively large amount of time in the fifth season. Ranpo even becomes a central character in the story, its main driver. A logical question arises: if this is the strongest aspect of the anime, which the author devotes the most time to, then why does it look so raw?
Impossible to believe
Intellectually capable characters are not new to anime. There are many good examples – L from Death Note, Johan Liebert from Monster, or Lelouch from Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch), etc. The most well-drawn characters among them are the ones with very real abilities, not incredible powers that give them intelligence.
Bungo Stray Dogs’ characters seem to be just like that – none of them have the magical ability "to be smart". Even Ranpo turns out not to be a genius detective with magic glasses, but simply an observant person. However, the realism in Bungo Stray Dogs doesn't work.
It's very hard to believe the characters and that's the main problem. They seem intelligent only because Asagiri said so. Their abilities stand out, but only because many physically capable characters are made to look silly. Real investigations with deep thoughts are missing in the anime. The mind games between Dazai and Fyodor always play out in a "I know what you were planning and I outwitted you" scenario. Many fans have commented that it's not only boring to watch, but annoying. Overall, it seems that the anime's greatest strength has become its weakness.
Geniuses, geniuses, geniuses.... why are you so weak?
Action scenes in Bungo Stray Dogs are not as important as the investigations.
There are no real investigations with deep thoughts in the anime.
The focus of the story seems to have shifted away from the main character.
Bungo Stray Dogs is the debut work of Asagiri Kafka, which brought him great popularity. The detective story is full of literary references and claims to be highly intellectual. Although there are action scenes in Bungo Stray Dogs, they are not as important as the investigations and solving of mysteries. The author doesn't seem to care much about fights. He pays much more attention to intellectuals than physically developed characters. But can it be said that he succeeded in revealing this important aspect of the plot? Let's find out.
Don't use your strength, use your brains
Many may have noticed that Atsushi and Akutagawa have not received much attention in the last seasons of Bungo Stray Dogs. Even their fight with Fukuchi seems to have gone unnoticed. The twist involving their impressive unification and Akutagawa's shocking death felt like it should have taken longer, but Asagiri decided otherwise. The story seems to have shifted its focus away from the protagonist for some time now. The answer is simple: Asagiri doesn't like fighting, so physically capable characters are left out.
On the other hand, the plot revolves more around Dazai, Fyodor and Ranpo. Although the prison dialogue between Dazai and Fyodor is often of little value, they are given a relatively large amount of time in the fifth season. Ranpo even becomes a central character in the story, its main driver. A logical question arises: if this is the strongest aspect of the anime, which the author devotes the most time to, then why does it look so raw?
Impossible to believe
Intellectually capable characters are not new to anime. There are many good examples – L from Death Note, Johan Liebert from Monster, or Lelouch from Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch), etc. The most well-drawn characters among them are the ones with very real abilities, not incredible powers that give them intelligence.
Bungo Stray Dogs’ characters seem to be just like that – none of them have the magical ability "to be smart". Even Ranpo turns out not to be a genius detective with magic glasses, but simply an observant person. However, the realism in Bungo Stray Dogs doesn't work.
It's very hard to believe the characters and that's the main problem. They seem intelligent only because Asagiri said so. Their abilities stand out, but only because many physically capable characters are made to look silly. Real investigations with deep thoughts are missing in the anime. The mind games between Dazai and Fyodor always play out in a "I know what you were planning and I outwitted you" scenario. Many fans have commented that it's not only boring to watch, but annoying. Overall, it seems that the anime's greatest strength has become its weakness.
