©Kafka ASAGIRI, Sango HARUKAWA/KADOKAWA/Bungo Stray Dogs Partners
Sometimes, you just need to stop and jump. Or at least you would if you were Dazai on a prison break. He may not be my favorite character in Bungo Stray Dogs, but he always gets his best moments, maybe because he’s never taken anything seriously. Deep down, he may do so, but the face he shows the world is that of an aKarenble jerk, and that was true this week: when asked to choose a weapon to help him hide exited Meursault, he chose Sigma instead. Then, midway through the aforementioned escape, he stopped to do a waltz. Poor Sigma, who always feels like a normal person, is perplexed by this, but if there’s one thing we should all learn right now, it’s that Dazai never does anything. what for no reason.
That is true for most people.
characters in this show, although Dazai and Rampo are probably the two most likely to keep their motives private. Since most of the other planners were taken down by Bra-chan’s curse, the field has eliminated strategists considerably, despite the sheer number of thoughtless vampires that can threatens to overwhelm thinkers. Or at least, that’s what you suppose: Kenji, in a rare moment of glory, proved that brutal power can help nasty bloodsuckers. He also gives us some rare insight into his mind. Kenji is even less used than Yosano, mostly just hanging around in the context of the story. But now we know that he considers himself a sheepdog, the first line of defense against wolves that specialize in hunting the innocent.
It’s a bit odd to think of Bra-chan as an “innocent person”, but if we look back at how he’s acted since his introduction, he can be understood that way. He was also a victim of Fukuchi and someone who was used as a weapon against his will. When Fukuchi kept Bra-chan’s sword stuck, he was able to force him into action, and that was both what started this whole mess and how Fukuchi controlled it. Aya saved the vampire, and now Kenji will save Aya, because she is the best bet in the world to end the vampire scourge. Her only gain in this game is that she wants to do the right thing and that probably makes her the most powerful person since she doesn’t get caught up in any power nonsense. others are participating.
And it can be said that Bra-chan likes both her and Kenji. He acts like that, even when he doesn’t say it. Here goodwill is in short supply and the ones most taken advantage of—Bra-chan, Sigma, and Tachihara—are the ones most likely to stand. Apparently, Dazai saw something more in Sigma, otherwise he wouldn’t have picked him over the radio. And Tachihara, though sadly no longer with us (at least not as himself), has given the Agency a tool to reach Teruko. It may not work, but again, it can. Those small opportunities are the ones we have to bet on now.
Dazai confronting the vampire version of his former partner could be an even bigger gamble than anyone realizes. Can his Gift break the vampire curse? Or at least delay Chuuya until Yosano can try using his Gift on it? Poor Chuuya may be subject to some outrage, but at least the possibility of Fukuchi being eliminated is open.
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Bungo Stray Dogs is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are members of the Kadokawa Corporation.
