Rent DuRaRaRa!! X2: Series 2 (2015)

DuRaRaRa!! X2: Series 2 (aka Durarara!!x2 Ten) review by Adrijan Arsovski - Cinema Paradiso

DuRaRaRa!! X2: Series 2, for those wondering, is the second installment of Durarara, which sees the ensemble – for a lack of a better word – re-assemble into more of the craziness in the town of Ikebukuro. This series tries its best to inject some of the most popular narrative themes nowadays, including unrequited love, silly comedy, supernatural twists, clan wars, and everything and anything the mind can think of. Really, when it comes to anime, the sky is the limit, as DuRaRaRa!! X2: Series 2 ventures into new territory whilst also giving some love to the first series as well.

The second series takes place in Tokyo’s district of Ikebukuro, a very peculiar town where lots of unusual stuff happens. The residents of this town are some of the quirkiest characters to be ever put to screen. These characters wield cursed swords, clash against individuals with superhuman strength, participate in some of the most hectic gang wars ever put to screen, and more. These events perfectly capture the essence of Ikebukuro, which very much plays like a distinctive character in the series. What makes the Series 2 so special however is that sinking feeling about certain characters’ arcs; these characters change beyond recognition and are no longer plagued by their old habits.

The central theme is series 2 is the so-called ‘purge’ in the dollars, including the ensuing chaos that breaks loose thanks to our main protagonist Mikado Ryuugamine’s actions. What he essentially does is letting the dollars to be taken over by the blue squares, which is where the underlying chaos really starts to stem from. This is where we can pinpoint the main difference between Durarara series one and two – namely in the craziness and chaotic ensuing of it all (granted, new viewers may be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of everything that’s going on in the show, which is probably where the main appeal of the series lies as well).

The show has its major share of flaws though, which can be traced back to the main story, the overabundance of both new and recurring characters, and the over-reliance on some cheap plot elements in order to introduce that more thrills (which, given the increasing number of characters, is not all that captivating to say the least). At times, it almost feels as if the new cast is just too big for its own good, which hampers the chemistry of the previous cast and leads to some very confusing moments during the show.

All things considered, DuRaRaRa!! X2: Series 2 is a blast to watch, granted if you can withstand all of the new faces amidst the total chaos in Ikebukuro. Overall, a decent continuation to series one.