Bungo Stray Dogs 3×01 Review: “Dazai, Chuuya, Fifteen Years Old”

Bungo Stray Dogs is starting season 3 in much the same way that it started season 2 – with a flashback. Season 2’s flashback lasted several episodes and centered around why Dazai eventually left the Port Mafia. Season 3’s premiere, “Dazai, Chuuya, Fifteen Years Old”, shows us how Dazai and Chuuya first met.

“Dazai, Chuuya, Fifteen Years Old” is the first episode in the prequel arc, which is an adaptation of the light novel of the same name, which was released alongside Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple. Set one year before the infamous and oft-mentioned Dragon Head Conflict, Dazai, already working for the Port Mafia at just 15, is sent out to investigate a situation in Suribachi City. Chuuya, currently the head of a band of ragged misfits known as The Sheep, is investigating a similar situation, and the two cross paths. Mori “invites” Chuuya to the Port Mafia so that he and Dazai can investigate together.

I am a big fan of the prequel arcs in Bungo Stray Dogs. Not that I dislike the current storyline, but season 2’s prequel arc was my favorite of the entire series. I am shaking with excitement at the thought that we might actually get to see the Dragon Head Conflict this season (because Odasaku! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE). Chuuya’s introduction was fantastic – just walking in and beating up everyone he encounters. (And, like, I know he’s fictional, but oh man, did I have to fan myself after he literally kicked a bullet back at the dude that shot him.) I love that he and Dazai were bickering right from the start, because they’re teenagers and that’s what teenagers do.

A small complaint would be that the seiyuu didn’t make any attempt to make their voices sound younger. Other than when they were fighting, neither of them sounded very much like a 15-year-old.

The animation was pretty stellar in this episode. The show often has an issue with characters standing in the foreground and talking, so they don’t move and there isn’t much detail to them, but it more than makes up for it with its amazing fight sequences and stunning backgrounds. Especially after my disappointment with the action scenes in this week’s One Punch Man, I can appreciate a well done fight, and Chuuya’s action scenes were fantastic.

Have you seen “Dazai, Chuuya, Fifteen Years Old”? What did you think?

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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