The following contains spoilers for Episode 38 of Bungo Stray Dogs, "The Lone Swordsman and the Famous Detective," now streaming on Crunchyroll
They've done it yet again; Bungo Stray Dogs has returned strong, not by looking forward, but by looking back into the pasts of its characters and the world that has molded/been molded by them. The beginning of Season 4 adapts the third light novel spinoff of the series, titled "Bungo Stray Dogs: The Untold Origins of the Detective Agency" released in 2015.
Ever since Season 2, Bungo has opened its seasons short, 3-to-4-episode stories, typically set in the darker days of Yokohama before the Three-Part Framework was implemented. But while the last two focused heavily on Dazai's past as well as that of Oda Sakunosuke and Chuuya Nakahara, this newest flashback might be the most welcome yet.
"The Untold Origins of the Detective Agency"
Part of the magic of Bungo's storytelling is how economically it tells its story, using these adapted spin-off stories as a sort of prologue prior to the main event. They never advertise these prologues, making them almost more of a surprise than the climaxes of the seasons themselves, but it's the most pleasant of surprises.
Fukuzawa isn't a character that has been explored in depth, though that isn't to say they haven't been wonderfully characterized by their actions, to say nothing of his powerful presence on screen. When the audience does learn about him, it is more often through the lens of his relationship with Ougai Mori of the Port Mafia.
As for Ranpo, he's one of the more peculiar figures in Bungo as his "power" at first seems like it eschews the tension of a premise like a "detective story." Even after it's revealed that he isn't Gifted, his deductive prowess is treated like a catch-all. He's a funny guy but holds up during serious moments as well thanks to Hiroshi Kamiya's performance.
Both of these characters are good, but both of them could seriously benefit from an arc dedicated to them, their partnership, and the origin of the Detective Agency. And considering that the story ahead in the present day is quite Ranpo-centric, this prologue will be essential to the emotional backbone of the season at large.
Style & Substance
This episode begins strong with Yokohama engulfed in heavy winds that lend the opening scenes a sense of unease at the whistling wind over the sight of a dead body. It's unlike any atmosphere seen in depictions of the city up until that point and combined with the use of black and white, it appears a purely stylistic choice until the detective appears.
Fukuzawa appears at the scene of the murder, where the supposed murderer has already been secured, a young Oda Sakunosuke. It's an unexpected appearance both happy for fans who have missed him, but it's bittersweet as this is a younger Oda before they stopped killing people. Once Ranpo shows up, however, he immediately proves why he's the brilliant detective.
Despite being a detective show, Bungo's strength has never been mysteries per se, but from the drama that culminates from mystery-like elements. There are clues and perhaps viewers might be able to guess the killer in some of Ranpo's standalone episodes, but the priorities are on the whole a bit different. So it was exceptional to see this episode revel in such a contained and fun mystery.
It's all about confidence and gusto, something that embodies the very soul of Bungo's directing, even when it can get a little ridiculous, like Fukuzawa's acrobatics to avoid stepping on paper. But all of it pays off, be it dramatically or comedically, and the action just in this first episode emphasizes how much more care Bones has put into the action this time around.
Lone Wolf No Longer
Season 3's climax emphasized how deeply Ranpo cares about Fukuzawa, and this story seems razor focused on how the two came to not only be compatriots, but family. If the opening title crawl is to be believed, Fukuzawa is something of a parental figure to Ranpo, who like many of the young gifted central to the narrative, is an orphan.
So the "lone wolf" who begins proclaiming himself as such quickly takes a 14-year-old boy under his wing in the same episode to great comedic effect. Even in these prologues, the story never loses its sense of humor, just as it never loses its penchant for drama. The dramatic irony of Ranpo's ability being natural aptitude is used for dramatic effect quite cleverly.
Ranpo is quick to deduce the truth in what everyone says, but he himself doesn't understand that others aren't as perceptive as him. It lends a sense of neurodivergence to his characterization that, whether intentional or not, puts a lot of his behavior across the series into perspective. It will be very interesting to see how this story concludes.
Gripes were quite minor in this episode, mainly stemming from some visual inconsistency in the color design. Some scenes were squarely black-and-white, sometimes utilizing colored line art to make the main characters pop, while other scenes simply featured a heavily muted color pallet. One scene in a dressing room at the theater looked to be in full color, just in a dark room.
For a series with traditionally consistent art design, this was a bit of a surprise, but not one that ruined the experience. Any individual scene, regardless of how it might clash with another, still looks exceptional compared to a lot of TV anime. Takuya Igarashi's direction is still very strong, and it would be hard to imagine another director captaining this series even half as well.
Altogether, a great premiere that saw a return to one of Studio Bones' best shows in years, and one that never returns bearing a gift that fans expect. Even if we know where these characters end up in the present, the journey to get there is worth its weight in gold to flesh out these characters.