Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Bungo Stray Dogs: Seasons One and Two Blu-ray Movie Review

A interesting anime with compelling ideas.

Bungo Stray Dogs is an action-adventure anime surrounding a group of characters involved with a unique agency. The series is on streaming on Crunchyroll. Originally broadcast on Tokyo MX network, Bungo Stray Dogs is based on the original manga with story by Kafka Asagiri and art by Sango Harukawa. The series features animation produced by studio Bones (Eureka Seven, Space Dandy). Fans of mysteries with supernatural elements might want to consider taking note.

Atsushi Nakajima (Yūto Uemura) faces a cold and heartless world when kicked out of his orphanage. The bleak and miserable world which surrounds him is a testament to the cruelty of humanity and the evils within humankind. Knowing that life is full of misery and an eternal sense of nothingness, detective Osamu Dazai (Mamoru Miyano) feels suicide might be worthwhile.

Considering taking his own life (given his feelings of hopelessness in the miserable world he lives within), detective Dazai is only stopped from committing suicide because of a surprise encounter with Atsushi, who manages to save him from the darkness of death. Discovering that he has unique supernatural abilities, Atsushi can transform in to a lion fighter – and things will never be the same for him once more. Now Atsushi joins Osamu in the city of Yokohama and the duo work on investigative cases throughout the area. As the storyline of Bungo Stray Dogs gets darker, surprising twists arrive.  

The animation is one of the strengths of the production. The series has impressive looking animation and there is much to appreciate about the aesthetic of the series. Under the art direction of Yumiko Kondou (My Hero Academia – The Movie: World Heroes' Mission, Glass Fleet), Bungo Stray Dogs is certainly an ambitious animated undertaking. The series has stylish colors and a unique visual style.

The character designs by Nobuhiro Arai (Chaika - The Coffin Princess, Chaika - The Coffin Princess: Avenging Battle) are one of the more impressive elements of the production. These designs are worthwhile and fit the distinct characters of the production. These are an artistic element of the production which help to enhance the distinct tone of the series and the dark undercurrents of the storyline.

Jump or fall.

The cinematography by Tsuyoshi Kanbayashi (Darker than Black: Gemini of the Meteor, Blast of Tempest) showcases the bleak elements of the storyline. Given the series sometimes involves complicated and dark themes of suicide and death, the visuals help enhance that element. A impressively grim and dark aesthetic when needed, Kanbayashi was a good fit for the series production.

The series action and sense of suspense is something that will appeal to fans of supernatural mystery productions. The surrealist elements of the anime aid the filmmaking and help to imbue additional components to the overall experience. Audiences will appreciate these unique aspects of the series. A supernatural spin adds a fantastical element that imbues extra energy and balance to the whole equation.

Featuring an original score composed by Taku Iwasaki (Gurren Lagann, Soul Eater), Bungo Stray Dogs has a effective score which fits well as the soundtrack to the production. Iwasaki crafted a great score with Gurren Lagann and here is another notable effort from the composer. The score enhances both the atmosphere of the production and the dramatic gravitas of the series.  

Written by Yoji Enokido (Star Driver, Revolutionary Girl Utena), Bungo Stray Dogs has a reasonably engaging concept. Though the storyline is darker than some anime series, the saga has plenty of elements which will keep audiences entertained. Fans of mysteries should take note.

Directed by Takuya Igarashi (Captain Earth, Ouran High School Host Club), Bungo Stray Dogs is worth checking out for its compelling concept and interesting cast of characters. The series has many well explored production merits and there is much to celebrate about these elements. Igarashi is a good director who capably handles the material for the production. Fans of the manga will want to check Bungo Stray Dogs out.

Bungo Stray Dogs: Seasons One and Two Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, Bungo Stray Dogs is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. Colorful when needed while still retaining a darker color pallet, Bungo Stray Dogs is a visually compelling production which highlights the animation. The video encode does a suitable job of showcasing the series visuals. The action moments are well presented and capably handled by the release.

Bungo Stray Dogs: Seasons One and Two Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of audio options: the original Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles) and the English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound. The surround sound option has more fun with the immersive nature of the sound channels but fans of the original language version should find the release satisfactory in the sound department as well. The audio is crisp and clear (as dialogue sounds easy on the ears and is sharp and clean). The score is well reproduced as well. The sound effects have adequate balance in the sound mixing.

Bungo Stray Dogs: Seasons One and Two Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Season One:

Promo Videos (HD, 3:58)

Commercials (HD, 00:33)

Textless Opening Song "Trash Candy" (HD, 1:31)

Textless Closing Song "Namae wo Yobu Yo" (HD, 1:31)

Trailers (HD, 9:20)

Season Two:

Promo Video (HD, 1:40)

Commercials (HD, 1:38)

Textless Opening Song "Reason Living" (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song "Kaze ga Fuku Machi" (HD, 1:32)

Trailers (HD, 9:39)

Bungo Stray Dogs: Seasons One and Two Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bungo Stray Dogs has some interesting concepts and there are some worthwhile production merits to the program. The animation is particularly noteworthy and the team of animators involved helped to make the series all the more successful. Director Takuya Igarashi (Ouran High School Host Club) does solid work as the head-filmmaker behind the production. The series has a compelling aesthetic and sensibility. The release has a strong video-audio presentation and a selection of supplements. Recommended.