Ryōgo Narita

One of those mishmash manga that tries to stuff in everything but the kitchen sink. We have an I-see-dead-people magic user from a fantasy world transported to modern-day non-magical Tokyo where he is trapped in a teenage boy's body and immediately falls in with a group of oh-so-quirky characters including a large-breasted assassin in a school-girl uniform working for a secret crime organization run by a large-breasted woman who wears a monocle and employs a drone-obsessed non-breasted tech show more guy. Super-cool rogue police officers pursue them all. The protagonist hunts magic power while introducing supernatural creatures like zombies and monsters and revealing already existing, previously overlooked supernatural elements like ghosts.

And there is fan service. Breast-focused fan service. Up-skirt fan service. Scissoring lesbian fan service.

It's been labeled "mature," but this is pure male adolescent wish fulfillment fantasy. Too quirky, too creepy. show less

I have not loved a book as much as this one in a long time. There is a reason why my library went out of its way (or at least deviated from its normal book purchasing habits) to get the first book in this series. Durarara!!, Vol. 1 by Ryohgo Narita is a book that has something for everyone. It's got fantasy, mystery, and thriller aspects. Twists and turns abound, the buildup perfect, fantasy elements blended perfectly in as we traverse the streets of Ikebukuro.

The story follows Mikado show more Yuugamine, a teenage boy who has just moved to the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo after being accepted to the same high school as his childhood best friend, Masaomi Kida, who he hasn’t seen in person for years. Mikado wants something interested to happen, which, in Ikebukuro, isn’t very difficult. The place is full of fascinating people. A high school student with an infatuation unhealthier than most. An information broker Mikado is warned against getting involved with. An unlicensed doctor who only works with the most desperate of patients. And many, many more.

The majority of this book takes place in just a few locations. The first is a street corner near(ish) to Mikado’s tiny one room apartment. The second is at his school. Yes, other places are shown – Mikado’s apartment, the home Shinra and Celty share, etc. This limited view of the city really helps the storytelling. With this vast a cast of characters, using only a few locations was a very smart move on behalf of the author, and helped to ground the reader, providing something familiar and safe-feeling amidst the chaos. All of these characters have something to do with the area. All of them come into contact here – sometimes accidentally, sometimes on purpose – their stories starting to converge.

It was fascinating watching all of these character’s lives come together in the end. All of these people, and all of their plots, are tied and twisted together. One’s actions have consequences that aren’t immediately seen or felt, but have lasting impact nonetheless.

Now, there are a lot of characters in this book and if you are ever confused as to names, there is a list of characters at the very end of the book loosely grouped together who is largely involved with who. Within the opening pages we are introduced to several characters in rapid succession. I like the method used to familiarize, if not really introduce, us to a lot of these characters. Kida shows Mikado around the area at the latter’s request, showing him nearby places like the book store and the comic store, and pointing out various individuals who live and work nearby, and, most importantly, who to stay away from. Mikado is a bit fascinated by this, especially in the people who he’s told to have nothing to do with, all of whom seem to be constantly milling right around the corner from his new home.

Each character is a bundle of contradicting emotions and opinions, each one memorable in their own, usually twisted, ways. I instantly liked two characters for their obsession over manga and books, only to be horrified at their later actions. I felt the same about Orihara, a very shrewd character who has some interesting philosophy, but is also pretty damned terrifying in action. Ironically, the most human out of all the supporting characters is arguably Celty, who is not human at all but a dullahan.

This book does a hell of a lot of things right. The characters are complex and nuanced. The city feels enormous and evolving. Everyone knows one another, or at least knows of one another, while, at the same time, having almost nothing to do with each other on a day to day basis. The most normal, most trustable looking individuals have complex pasts, rather abnormal habits or behaviors, and are completely fascinating to read about.

I was also impressed with the author’s ability to weave these stories together. Tiny, seemingly insignificant things become very important later on in the story. Every detail is important in some way. This isn’t really a book that can be skimmed. Important plot elements will be missed that way, leading to events which would otherwise make perfect sense, or at least be aha! moments, to feel very out of left field. So be warned. Still, it is a very impressive feat.

There’s something I found in this book which I don’t believe I’ve seen before and really found I loved. The way in which the author uses language is rather unique. One passage in particular comes to mind. This is quite early on in the novel, at a point where someone is being pursued. As the individual gets more afraid, the way the author uses languages changes. Words are mashed together. Punctuation is wrongly used, or not used at all. This really made the passage stand out. The character’s fear was incredibly palpable, more so than I usual find is the case in chase or fight scenes, and the character's emotions and thought processes brought out in ways I haven’t seen before.

Now, a note for fans of the anime. It’s been an awfully long time since I’ve watched the anime version Durarara!! and even then, I only watched the first season. While the light novel and the anime are very similar, some things were adapted for the change in format (or possibly added in from later books? I haven’t quite gotten that far). The plot of Vol. 1 covers much, much more than the typical three or so episodes a light novel is usually adapted into for an anime. I don’t think this is a bad thing, nor do I feel that story was rushed at all in the light novel. However, it is something to keep in mind while reading.

If you haven’t read Durarara!! yet, go out and find yourself a copy. I cannot recommend this book enough. It was so good I immediately went online and ordered books two to six in the series, something I haven’t done in some time. If you enjoy thriller-esque stories or were a fan of the anime, definitely pick up a copy of this book. If you don’t like stories with a large cast of characters this book may not be the one for you. show less

What Baccano really does better than any other series I've read is sketch out larger than life heroes/villains/monsters, throw them into a mass of conflict, and whirl them out the other side still fighting with an effervescent joy.

I would have placed reasonable sums of money that you couldn't get me to sympathize with a mafia torturer. Nope, you apparently can. And Tick and Maria are adorable together.

The year is 1931, and the Flying Pussyfoot, a limited express train bound for New York, has just acquired several groups worth of dangerous passengers, nearly all of whom think they'll easily be able to take over the train for their own ends. There's crybaby bootlegger boss Jacuzzi Splot (best name ever) and his misfit band of delinquents, who plan to steal some secret cargo. There's the Lemures group, a bunch of terrorists determined to take some hostages in order to free their leader, the show more immortal Huey Laforet. There's murder-loving Ladd Russo, the nephew of the head of the Russo mafia family, his bride-to-be Lua, and his group of fellow killers. There's the mysterious monster known as the Rail Tracer. And then there are a few less dangerous passengers, like the thieves Isaac and Miria.

All of these passengers have their own goals and motivations. Only some of them will make it to New York alive.

First, a disclaimer: I have seen (and enjoyed) the anime, which adapted several books in this series, including this one. I suspect it helped my ability to follow along with the characters and story. Normally, I'd suggest watching the anime prior to attempting these light novels, but the anime has gone out of print and, as far as I know, isn't legally streaming anywhere (to anyone who wonders why I still buy so much anime when streaming is an option, this is why).

As far as reading order goes: Although Narita wrote in his afterword that he planned to keep each volume as self-contained as possible, that doesn't mean the books can be read in any order - definitely read Volume 1 before starting this one, even though only a few characters from the first book make appearances in this one. Also, if you make it past Volume 1 and plan on reading Volume 2, you might as well buy Volume 3 as well, because Volume 2 isn't self-contained. It doesn't end in what I'd call a cliffhanger, but it does leave a good chunk of the story untold. Multiple characters show up, only to disappear again, the details of their fates saved for Volume 3.

In my review of the first volume of this series, I wrote that the writing/translation was bad but that this somehow didn't interfere with my enjoyment. That was sadly not the case with Volume 2. I don't know whether it was actually worse than Volume 1 or whether I was just less in the mood, but there were times when the writing literally ground my reading experience to a halt as I tried to figure out what Narita meant. One example:

"Nice objected to that idea. Since she was talking to Nick, even under the circumstances, she meticulously parsed out casual speech and polite speech to the appropriate listener; Nick received the latter." (147)

It would have been simpler to say that, even though she objected to Nick's idea, she still did so politely. Not only is the phrasing incredibly awkward, I'm not sure that "parsed" is the right word here. "Parceled out" might have been more appropriate.

Here's an example that just made me shake my head:

"Without giving an audible answer to that question, Lua nodded silently." (48)

Can we say "redundant"?

As in Volume 1, the writing was almost completely devoid of descriptions. Nearly all of the book's historical and setting details were limited to pages 61 to 62 - otherwise, it was all character introductions, dialogue, and action, pretty much in that order.

It's a sign of how excellent Ladd Russo's English-language voice actor was that I kept hearing him every time I read Ladd's dialogue. Of all of this book's many characters, Ladd and Jacuzzi probably stood out the most. Jacuzzi was a relatively fun and interesting character, a young man who tended to cry and panic about everything but who nonetheless inspired intense loyalty within his group. Ladd, unfortunately, just came across as an excuse for occasional mindless bone-crunching violence.

Isaac and Miria were a disappointment this time around. They continued their role as the series' comic relief, but instead of being oblivious to the violence around them, they were presented as being well aware of what was going on, but so used to it that they were unfazed. Honestly, it made them seem more creepy and disturbing than, say, a more in-your-face monster like Ladd.

I don't expect the series' writing to improve, but I'm hopeful that I'll like Volume 3 more than this one, because all of the fantasy elements that Narita only hinted at in this volume will actually be on-page in that volume. Also, my favorite character from the anime, Claire, will finally get more than just a few vague mentions.

I'll wrap this up with a couple things that made me go WTF. Was the fingernail thing in the anime? I can't remember, but in the book it made me wince. Fingernails don't work like that - I don't care how you shape or cut them, you're not going to be able to saw through multiple ropes with them, and certainly not quickly enough to do any good. Also, if you did arrange to have one of your nails shaped like a tiny saw, you would constantly regret it as you accidentally cut yourself or other people or even just got the nail caught on cloth or whatever. And then there was the thing under Nice's eye patch, which I know was definitely in the anime, although I'd completely forgotten about it. So much wincing. Just a bad, bad idea.

Extras:

Several color illustrations at the front of the book (with text that will likely only confuse readers who haven't yet read the volume and haven't seen the anime), several black-and-white illustrations throughout, and an afterword by the author.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less