Bungo Stray Dogs' prologue arc has concluded this week on a high note thanks to some excellent action and some emotional character beats that already have set a high bar for what's to come. Fukuzawa and Ranpo have really stolen the show these past three weeks, turning two already fun characters into far more complex creatures whose relationship feels fleshed out.
Last week, Ranpo began to understand his intelligence and unraveled the mystery behind the "murder" of Tokio Murakami, who actually faked his death for the sake of the performance. However, once all was resolved, the fake murder turned out to be a cover for a real murder, as the playwright was killed and Ranpo found himself in a car driven by the true killer.
The Truth Comes Out
For a brief moment, it felt like the true killer had gotten one over on Ranpo and truly deceived him, but in reality, he knew and left clues for Fukuzawa to reach him. This didn't mitigate a sense of tension, however, as it's pointed out later just how vulnerable Ranpo is despite his intelligence, making for a tense conclusion.
But perhaps cutting through that tension was the burning question as to the point of all of these charades: what was the goal of such an elaborate construction? There was Tokio's aim of twisted performance art, but for the true killer to use that as a diversion merely to kill the playwright doesn't suggest a clear motive. It may as well have been back to square one.
The twist turns out to be that the true goal was Souseki's capture, which brings the whole mystery into perspective. It didn't make a lot of sense that Souseki was tied up just to prevent them from stopping a fake assassination; it seemed a random and ill-fitting role for such a major character. His importance itself was the biggest clue.
The best part about this episode was going back and realizing the clues that were staring the viewer right in the face, most notably the detail about the piece of the carpet that was missing. It's visible in the background of Episode 39's ending during the credits, which is a fun detail. The only problem is that there isn't much connecting the carpet to the kidnapping until this episode when the smell of the solvent is brought up. It's a detail that the audience wasn't given.
For all of Bungo's charm, it isn't exactly a series with the most traditional mystery plots, and the viewer might not always have the information to solve the case themselves. It also goes without saying that this series doesn't aim to be a hardcore mystery either, but simply an exciting and well-made drama with mystery elements.
There is a lot of thinking that goes into creating mysteries and even more that seems to go into qualifying what makes a good mystery. It wouldn't be fair to dismiss a harsh critique of the mystery elements as "overthinking it" but a perceived failure to be a structured whodunit shouldn't distract from this story's competence as a character-driven story.
"The Story of One Man's Struggles... And Of Parenting"
The beginning of this arc immediately caught the eye with a single word: "parenting." Season 3's "Cannibalism" arc framed the relationship between Fukuzawa and Ranpo as something far more than just leader and subordinate. It's clear that they are effectively father and son and this episode more or less solidified that notion.
Fukuzawa's past has often been characterized by bloodshed and a military past, but it wasn't until this season that we got the impression that he was ashamed of his past acts. In season 3, he was shown to have killed many with the help of his friend/rival Ougai Mori, but here he doesn't even wield a sword.
He was prepared to work alone, but instead, he instead met Ranpo, and the most unexpected aspect of Fukuzawa's arc was the way he was willing to abandon some of his "rules" for the sake of Ranpo. It's an unexpected move that doesn't go unrecognized by Ochi Fukuchi, Fukuzawa's friend in the Military Police, nor Oda himself.
It's not a completely moral act nor an evil one, but it is something wholly at odds with the perception of Fukuzawa, a character who has only ever been shown to be resolute. This shows some vulnerability, but not necessarily a weakness either. But that is nothing compared to how Ranpo's outer layers are peeled back by the end.
He spends the whole episode slowly extracting information from his captor under whom he intentionally gave himself up. But as soon as Fukuzawa comes in and cleans up the rabble, he doesn't praise Ranpo but scolds him like a father. Ranpo's weeping apology afterward hits hard, almost as much as when Atsushi wept about his own father figure in Season 3.
For as wacky and badass as these characters can be, the artwork and performances give their more serious moments a lot of underappreciated weight. Episodes 1 and 2 were fun rides, but it's episodes like this week's that remind fans why they are so in love with this show. It helps that the production of this series has only been getting better since the start.
Nobuhiro Arai has been the Character Designer and Chief Animation Director since the beginning, with quite a career in studio Bones and other acclaimed anime besides. But something about these early episodes has me quite excited to see what's in store for the rest of the season.
One artist of note is Yuu Yoshiyama, whose animation was seen in #38 as well as the climactic fight from this week's #40. Their use of impact frames, the lens flare on knives and guns, and the fight choreography make the action feel like an old GAINAX production or something by Trigger. SakugaRelux on Twitter claims that they've participated in much of the season, meaning there's plenty to look forward to.
This is the last of the prologue for this season, which means the remainder of the 13 planned episodes will be dedicated to the anticipated Decay of Angels arc. It's funny to think that it's already been three weeks, and now it's as if the true story is just beginning, but the time spent with Fukuzawa and Ranpo will undoubtedly be one of this adaptation's smartest choices.