(Major spoilers are ahead... you have been warned)

Hello!! One and all... This anime is fantastic. Each storyline is deep and well thought out. The cast is amazing but... the dub is more amazing, Crispin Freeman (voice of Alucard) and Johnny Young Bosch (Black Power Ranger and Lelouch vi Britannia) as well as many others make this show awesome. Just pure awesome.

Durarara!! often shortened to DRRR!!, is a Japanese light novel series written by Ryohgo Narita, with illustrations by Suzuhito Yasuda, that has also been adapted into a Japanese anime series. Durarara!! tells the story of a dullahan working as an underworld courier in Ikebukuro, an internet-based anonymous gang called The Dollars, and the chaos that unfolds around the most dangerous people in Ikebukuro. The series ran for thirteen volumes, published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint. As of March 2014, a sequel series titled Durarara!! SH has been confirmed and will be set 2 years after the events of the original series...

Plot- Mikado Ryūgamine, a young boy who longs for the exciting life of the big city moves to Ikebukuro to attend Raira Academy with his childhood friend Masaomi Kida, who he has not seen since he was young. After the two meet at the train station, they set out at night to the streets of Ikebukuro. Masaomi warns Mikado about people he doesn't want to cross in the city, such as the violent and superhumanly strong man Shizuo Heiwajima, the information broker Izaya Orihara, and the mysterious gang known as "The Dollars." After running into some of the side characters, Mikado sees a local legend called the "Black Rider", who rides around Ikebukuro on a black bike that occasionally neighs like a horse, and who is rumored to have no head under her helmet. The "Black Rider" is Celty Sturluson, an Irish dullahan who is in Ikebukuro looking for her stolen head. The narrative follows all of the characters equally, showing how their lives intersect and creating a greater plot line from what each character knows about a common incident.

The story is told from the perspective of eleven or so of the main characters changing every episode in the anime. However the narrator is not always the episode's one and only character perspective given. One of the few constants given in every episode is that the narrator gives his own opinion on the current situation that they are in, as well as certain things that make them tick and keep them going in Ikebukuro, a city with a large underbelly that is the medium for the majority of both the plot's development and random violence throughout the series. This, paired with phenomenal character development and surprising plot twists, give it a brand new layer of depth. making it loved both in and out of Japan.

Characters -

Mikado Ryūgamine - Online Alias: Tarō Tanaka
A first year high school boy who moves to Ikebukuro thanks to encouragement from his best friend, Masaomi Kida. He moved in hopes of having a more exciting life than the one he lived in Saitama. Mikado tries hard to change his image, but has not had any real luck, although he does get up enough courage to become the Class Representative along with Anri Sonohara. Mikado has had moments where he speaks his mind, and Masaomi claims to admire this about him. He is the only remaining creator of the infamous Dollars gang. He seems to be infatuated with Anri, but has never found a chance to tell her. Whenever he is close to confessing, she leaves. Mikado often gets advice from Izaya Orihara, particularly in relation to the Dollars and his need to seek out a life that isn't ordinary. He is the leader of Dollars, and, in the continuing novels, also becomes the temporary leader for the Blue Squares, contracting with Aoba in the sixth novel. In that novel, Mikado reveals his "true self" or "true character," a darker side of who he is. When Kida returns in the eighth novel, Mikado warns him to keep away from his affairs.

Masaomi Kida - Online Alias: Bakyura
A resident of Ikebukuro and Mikado Ryūgamine's best friend from childhood. He was the one who encouraged Mikado to come to Ikebukuro. He is enthusiastic about picking-up girls, but he seems to fail at it. He was depressed and lonely before Mikado arrived because his girlfriend was kidnapped and injured during a gang war between the Blue Squares and Yellow Scarves, which he led at the time during his middle school years. After Anri is injured during the Slasher incidents and the rising presence of the Dollars, he is forced to become the leader of the Yellow Scarves once more. Because he had once been the 'shogun (leader)' of the Yellow Scarves, he possesses a talent in fighting- it has also been implied that he had taken down countless gangs single handedly during his 'shogun' years. He despises Orihara Izaya for manipulating him when he first formed the Yellow Scarves, but returns to him again for information about the leader of the Dollars and discovers it is Mikado. He leaves Ikebukuro with his ex-girlfriend, Saki Mikajima, during the conflict between the 3 main forces in Ikebukuro. Masaomi has commented on not letting Mikado "go to the dark side", claiming that he has already gone through it. He returns in Volume 7, but fails to face Mikado when he witnesses Mikado confessing to Chikage that he is actually the founder of Dollars - but Chikage doesn't believe this, of course.

Anri Sonohara - Online Alias: Saika
A spectacled girl who attends the same school as Mikado and Masaomi. She is the class representative along with Mikado. She is rather quiet and timid and seems very close to Kida and Mikado, but she tends to keep to herself. Though she knows Kida and Mikado's feelings for her, she considers herself unable to feel "love" towards either of them. She is somewhat popular, even though she feels uneasy about it. She feels as if she needs to rely on somebody to move on, and thus considers herself a parasite. As a child, Anri was forced to witness her foster mother murder her abusive father with a katana called Saika, later revealed to be a copy of the original. Her inability to love negates Saika's "love" for humans and thus makes Anri able to control the blade. She seems to be a skilled swordswoman, being able to handle Saika with great skill. After defeating Haruna, she gains control over the "Saika-children" that Hora created. After a talk with Celty, she decides to use this ability for the best of the city. Anri also becomes aware of Kida's identity of the leader of the Yellow Scarves, but does not understand why he has taken the position.

Celty Sturluson- Online Alias: Setton
The heroine of the series and member of the Dollars. Also known as "The Black Biker" or "The Headless Rider", she is a Dullahan from Ireland who came to Japan looking for her stolen head. Her motorcycle is actually a disguised headless horse called a Cóiste-Bodhar. She has no heart and perceives via unknown sensors that are not located on the head. The physical strength she possesses is above human, though not quite on par with Shizuo Heiwajima. She is also capable of manipulating a shadow-like, durable substance to form objects ranging from gloves to chariots at her will. Celty lives with Shinra Kishitani, and the two are romantically involved. She works as an underground courier. She wears a helmet when she goes out and communicates via a PDA. She enjoys online chatting, television and DVDs. She is one of the minority who knows the creator of the Dollars and that Anri is in control of Saika. Over the course of the series, her relationship with Shinra intensifies; eventually, she says that she is in love with Shinra. She has a habit of punching Shinra in the stomach whenever he talks about his love for her. She tends to get mad when Shinra says she does not need her head. Despite being a supernatural creature, she is afraid of extraterrestrials and has developed a fear of traffic officers as they started pursuing her frequently. Her biggest fear, however, is that if her head is destroyed, the same may happen to her. Unbeknownst to Celty, Izaya Orihara has possession of her head before Kasane stole it and gives it back to its rightful owner. But upon being restored, Celty became amnesic with Shinra deciding to help her regain her memories or make new ones as she attempts to readjust to life in Ikebukuro again. Her name is a reference to Snorri Sturluson, who wrote the Prose Edda, where Valkyries appear.

Shizuo Heiwajima
A blonde young man who is always seen wearing designer sunglasses and a bartender's suit. Although quiet and non-descript for the most part, he easily becomes angered, launching in uncontrollable rages and fighting with incredible strength which leads to broken bones and property damage. Despite this, Shizuo hates violence and wishes for a quiet and peaceful life. Despite his simple and unrefined fighting skills (namely his use of road signs, trash cans, and vending machines as weapons), he is considered to be the strongest fighter in the series. In the novels, Shinra describes Shizuo's ability as the naturally unlimited form of human strength, which he dubs "adrenaline power", that can give people superhuman strength in times of emergency. Because of this, Shizuo was often hospitalised due to the enormous strain on his body. In addition, Shizuo is capable of often superhuman parkour moves, a skill he obtained naturally from years of hunting down Izaya Orihara. He is also a member of Dollars, although he left the group in Volume 6 after some members of the Dollars resorted to kidnapping (after being given the idea by Izaya) to settle a dispute with a rival gang. Shizuo works as a bodyguard in Ikebukuro for Tom, a debt collector and his senpai, being offered the job after he was fired as a bartender. Tom is one of the few people Shizuo doesn't get angry with, as well as the person who convinced Shizuo to bleach his hair (in order to scare away people who might try to fight him). He close to and incredibly protective of his younger brother, Kasuka, who is a top idol under the show business name Yuuhei Hanejima and will become incredibly angry when strangers mention his name. Shizuo is also the only person who is able to read Kasuka's facial expressions and emotions. He is also a long-time friend of Celty, often having long conversations with her and even working with her on occasion. Shizuo hates Izaya with a burning passion, becoming enraged at the mere sight of him, though he has stated that he wouldn't mind letting Izaya live as long as he stayed away from Ikebukuro. Before Izaya moved to Shinjuku, it's said that the pair would fight outside Sunshine 60 on a daily basis, only stopping when Izaya escaped or when Simon broke them up and forced them into his restaurant. Although he and Izaya Orihara are on bad terms, Shizuo is actually quite friendly with Izaya's younger sisters, Mairu and Kururi, who aren't afraid of him and may even prefer him to their brother. His first and last name translates literally, and ironically, into "serene man" and "peaceful island" respectively...

Izaya Orihara - Online Alias: Kanra and Nakura and Chrome
Izaya is a young informant who serves as the series antagonist, selling information for his own satisfaction and is usually behind the most relevant events in the series. Izaya often claims to love all humans as a collective (with the exception of Shizuo Heiwajima) and enjoys manipulating people in order to gauge their reactions. These situations often lead to injury and misery, forcing those involved to go to great lengths to rectify the situation or give up entirely. He is a master of parkour, having perfected his technique after years of fighting with Shizuo. He is also quite skilled with his flick-blade, as he is implied to be the only one capable of leaving numerous cuts on Shizuo (and his bartending suit) whenever they fight in the novels. In the anime, he shaves a gang member's head bald without the man noticing it. He is considered to be one of Ikebukuro's strongest men.
In the past, Izaya attended Raira Academy with Shinra, Kadota, and Shizuo (whose life he made miserable since their mutual hateful rivalry began). At the beginning of the series, Izaya suspects that Mikado is the creator of Dollars (and is later proven to be correct) and knows the identities of the leaders of the three main forces in Ikebukuro. As a member of the Dollars, Izaya was also responsible for recruiting many members (unbeknownst to Mikado) and has used his membership as an excuse to secretly keep Celty's head. His motives are not entirely clear, though one of his main goals is to create a gang war in Ikebukuro in order to see if it awakens Celty's sleeping head. After a leave of absence after the Yellow Scarves arc, Izaya hijacks Kida's handle in order to manipulate Mikado whilst simultaneously using Akane Awakusu in a scheme to having the Awakusu-kai kill off Shizuo. However, he was interrupted after Yodogiri Jinnai stabbed him as a warning for his interference. Upon making a recovery, Izaya assembles a small army composed of Namie Yagiri, Ran Izumii, Mikage Sharaku, Haruna Niekawa, Adabashi Kisuke, Slon, Kine, and the Dragon Zombie gang. At the climax of the events that follow, Izaya injures Vorona to force Shizuo to break his arms before daring Shizuo to kill him in front of multiple witnesses as a final attempt to prove that Shizuo is a monster. But Vorona stabs Izaya at the last second, a stun grenade allowing a gravely wounded Izaya to escape with Celty partially healing him before Manami and Kine get him out of Ikebukuro. Though his fate remains a mystery to the residents of Ikebukuro at the start of Durarara!! SH, many assuming he had a role in the new chain of events, a wheelchair-bound Izaya admits to not be ready yet to return home as he continues his informant activities in another part of Japan...

Shinra Kishitani - Online Alias: Indoor Scholar
A young underground doctor who lives with Celty and is also in love with her. He stays indoors mostly, and wears a white lab coat even when not working as a doctor. Shinra's father is also a doctor and Shinra has participated in surgeries with his father since childhood, most notably a vivisection on Celty. Shinra attended to the same primary school as Shizuo, and has since then been interested in his unlimited strength in times of anger. In fact, he rather enjoys it when Shizuo makes use of his strength and is amused by the fights between Shizuo and Izaya. He first met Izaya in middle school and has been friends with him ever since. Shinra is well-informed with news of Ikebukuro's underground, such as the location of Celty's head and the sword 'Saika' which allowed Celty's head to be severed from her body. Despite knowing this, he keeps a secret from Celty out of fear that he will lose her if she finds her head, as the head may have a different will than Celty herself. Shinra seems to have the "capacity" to tell what Celty is feeling, much to her surprise since she doesn't have a head to show her emotions. He has a great interest in unexplainable phenomena. His online screen name is revealed to Anri in one of the chat sequences.

Aoba Kuronuma - Online Alias: Suspected to be Pure Water 100%
Introduced in volume 4 of the Durarara!! novels, Aoba is 1st year student in Raira Academy. He has a bright personality and is always seen smiling - calling Mikado 'Mikado-Senpai', but has also a darker side to him. He's described as being akin to "a younger version of Orihara Izaya". He is revealed to be the Blue Squares current leader - but gives the position to Mikado for yet unknown reasons. Aoba seems to fear Mikado a little, since the incident in Volume 6, where Aoba is stabbed in the hand by a ballpoint pen he gave Mikado when they performed the agreement; Aoba also reveals that he and Izaya have underestimated Mikado and that neither of them fully understand his true character.It is revealed in the more recent chapters that in his elementary school years, his older brother Ran Izumi abused him to amuse himself. In return, Aoba set a fire in Ran's apartment for "revenge" and let Ran take the blame when the adults thought the fire started from cigarettes. When their parents divorced, Aoba went to live with his mother and took on her surname, Kuronuma. A few years later, he formed Blue Square and ceded its leadership to Ran. When Aoba first mentions Ran in the novels again, he calls him 'Aniki'. His name "Kuronuma Aoba" translates to "black swamp" and "blue leaf" respectively. "Izumi" – his former last name before his parents divorced – translates into "fountain".

Simon Brezhnev- A tall Black Russian who came to the city to help out his Russian friend, Dennis to run a sushi shop. His real name is Semyon (Russian: Семён) but everyone just calls him by the name "Simon" since it's easier to pronounce in Japanese. Even though he is a friendly person, it has been shown that he is a force to be reckoned with as he is able to stop a fight with a man his size with just a single arm and also able to fight on par with Shizuo, who is one of the most feared men in Ikebukuro. He is another member of the Dollars.

Kyohei Kadota - Online Alias: MONTA
Originally part of the Blue Squares, he is now a member of Dollars. He is nicknamed Dotachin – probably from どた noisy, and ちん a derogatory alteration of ちゃん (it roughly translates as Stomper, and is a pun on his surname) – much to his annoyance, by several characters in the series (mostly Izaya and Erika). He quits the Blue Squares after finding out their leader kidnapped Saki Mikajima and subsequently rescues her along with his gang. His name is a reference to Dengeki Bunko light novelist Kadono Kōhei...

Namie Yagiri
The Chief of Yagiri Pharmaceuticals and sister of Seiji Yagiri. She harbors feelings for her brother. She is behind the recent human hunting in Ikebukuro which involves kidnapping people whose disappearance would not be noticed for unknown experiments. She seems to rely on Shinra for some tasks, including keeping their secret. She doesn't like the fact that Seiji is in love with Celty's head. She wants to get rid of what she calls "that thing". After Yagiri Pharmaceuticals ends up merging with another company, she makes a deal with Izaya and becomes his secretary (and maybe lover).

Animation & Sound
The animation is very consistent throughout the 23 episode journey and stays consistent in the second season (although not animated by Brains Base). The fight scenes with Shizou & Izaya are fluid and has a certain charm to there fights... as stated in there chracther bios... The sound is even more brilliant for everything that happens... the sound track gives a certain ambiance that I havent seen... it has a charm I cant really define.... Its just good like that, also although I havent seen Bacacno! I have a strange vibe of it so yeah.

Thoughts on Durarara!!x2 Shou
My thoughts are that the story gets back in full swing in the right way, but its pace is a little bit 'crazy' would be the best term given, its all good, although the story is is a bit sloppy as to many plots points are given that later have to be converged all at once... The new characters like Verona and Sloan are pretty nice members to this already large cast. The new cast members are all awesome. The english dub cast returns and they make this more awesome though, although the story is a bit of a clutter and I dont see why they had to cut the season into 12 episode quarters...

Conclusion - A
This anime isnt perfect but it has its flaws (like EQG) Shizou/Izaya dymanic is also very well done, and i makes use of what it has... the first quarter of the second season is pretty good, although the story is cluttered and it makes use of its insanely large cast.... its an A in my non-existing Depravity collection of anime, and a definite watch if you have the time (I have watched it all in 3.5 weeks) (Up to Shou at least) So yeah. Say what you will but its awesome.... (and if you stayed this long I give a gift in form of a few videos). (sorry if the videos arent allowed in your country etc for you)

and promote synergy and be the Boss... and dont die ok, plz... gotta love humanity....