Bungou Stray Dogs 3rd Season

Following the conclusion of the three-way organizational war, government bureaucrat Ango Sakaguchi recalls an event that transpired years ago, after the death of the former Port Mafia boss. Osamu Dazai, still a new recruit at the time, was tasked with investigating rumors related to a mysterious explosion that decimated part of the city years ago—and its connection to the alleged reappearance of the former boss.

Due to circumstances out of his control, he is partnered with Chuuya Nakahara, the gifted yet impulsive leader of a rival clan known as the Sheep, to uncover the truth behind the case and shine a light on the myth of Arahabaki—the god of fire who might just lead Dazai to the case's solution.

Meanwhile, in the present day, it is business as usual once again for the Armed Detective Agency. Their peaceful break will not last for long, however, as enemies old and new gather their strength and prepare for another face-off.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Dazai, Osamu Main

Miyano, Mamoru Japanese

Nakajima, Atsushi Main

Uemura, Yuuto Japanese

Nakahara, Chuuya Supporting

Taniyama, Kishou Japanese

Edogawa, Ranpo Supporting

Kamiya, Hiroshi Japanese

Akutagawa, Ryuunosuke Supporting

Ono, Kensho Japanese

Dostoyevsky, Fyodor Supporting

Ishida, Akira Japanese

Yosano, Akiko Supporting

Shimamura, Yuu Japanese

Izumi, Kyouka Supporting

Morohoshi, Sumire Japanese

Kunikida, Doppo Supporting

Hosoya, Yoshimasa Japanese

Poe, Edgar Allan Supporting

Morikawa, Toshiyuki Japanese

Kananiwa, Kozue Producer

Suzuki, Mari Producer

Simone, Jamie Producer

Kurakane, Chiaki Producer

Reviews

Jun 28, 2019

Ethan_07

Recommended

I'm just gonna say it again, this is so underrated.

Bungou Stray Dogs (3) builds on its solid foundation of characters, continue to weave its finest action and comedic blend for all viewers. Their fate continues to entangle and untwine, with third season zooming closer to them rather than their bombastic gifts, capturing the little moments that made up their characteristics.

The charm and one of the specialties of Bones Studio is, the facial expression of the characters. It’s like watching children react to a movie with sad, delightful, shocking and horrifying scene. They are depicted accordingly to that situation, much like a child genuinely having the ... times on their lives in that moment. And these are infectious, especially Dazai who seems to be having the most fun expressing his immaturity that could tickle your bones. We could feel the chemistry they have while teasing each other and we’ll want to join in as well. Adding some spice on the witty dialogue, these comedic scenes could be pulled in to ease your nerves and show you the soft and gentle side of them. A relaxed atmosphere on heart-warming interaction.

The suspenseful scenes, can grasp our breath and choke us to our limit. Rather than just focusing on building the ambience with its color palette and ticking the time limit, the menacing look from both the good and the bad sides increase it even further. With a single smirk and the sudden change of tone intensity of voice actors that seems to be unable to hold their rage or excitement, you’ll be brought right into the situation they are in. At that single moment when their pupils dilate, eyes widened and frozen expression of stunned surprise, the screen cuts to black and you know s*it is about to get real. These are the amazing power of a single look that could foreshadow the epic fight scenes and lit it up when it really does happen. This make us root for them, whether they are right or wrong, just because of how brilliance the set-up is.

Third season cherished the return of the lethal frenemy Port Mafia, badass Armed Detective Agency and rising of The Guild, all while witnessing the rise of the strongest one-man mastermind they’ve ever encountered – Fyodor.

Fyodor, is depicted to be a criminal mastermind, one which excel in mental attacks and a smart strategist that made his debut in Dead Apple. One that might even beat Ranpo. Ever since first season, ADA and Port Mafia have always held a fundamental rivalry towards each other despite them having worked together several times in overcoming crisis, such as the deal with The Guild. The prime example would be the formidable Agutakawa and sensitive Atsushi. But this season plays on closer to this blurry state they are in, risking to destroy the harmony built and erupting a fight between these two organizations that could split them apart eternally. In the face of imminent danger, they are to choose to either fight or fall together. And as they gets closer to the thin line that separates them, they will eventually learn the truth behind the bedrock of their organizations.

Besides, Bungou Stray Dogs has its own way of storytelling. Its core of the twist resides in the way the groundworks of a situation is laid out, with each specification detailed on. It initially portrays a wreckage that seems to be impossible to be fixed, then it shows you how it can be fixed. However, this does not steal all the spotlight. The characters are the crucial element that enhance the story. Dazai, is the vital connection of them all, not only because he’s always managed to slip between two organizations but he because he is always 1000 steps ahead. He always seems to be hiding an agenda behind his little actions, as if trying to trick the world that he’s not Kira. And as such, he’s the most efficient character in drawing the best and the worst out of others.

Main highlight of the premise has always been how much each character cares for other in their own way. Their diverse personalities enforced their unique way of interacting, not only amongst the Armed Detective Agency members and Port Mafia, but also between them. They have faith in their team member, and they back each other up in a way that none would get killed. Despite being enemy, their first option would always be exempted from killing each other, however, this doesn’t draw back the life-or-death vibe. Their relationship, is their strength that ties them up and their weakness that holds them down. It all comes to how they are portrayed to utilize that, and it’s worth every seconds to watch it unfolds. There are also more and more insights given on old characters, while adding some new characters, such as a specialist in IT. One of the insights being how Kyoka and Atsushi face their past with their parents, overcoming the inner demons that had been slowly haunting them and eating them away without them realizing it. It ends with a beautiful touch.

The art, is by Bones too.

The songs are quite wonderful, but it is the opening and ending scenes that are synchronized with them that brought the amazement and excitement level high up in sky. The ED is simply the best of all seasons, with the song "Lily" by Luck Life that is simply stunning as it brings back the shounen feelings from previous two season filled with regrets, pain and cheerful moments they’ve all been through. I could even say that it’s almost like a perfect recap but is still refreshing to watch how far they’ve gone from their initial start. One of the endings that I wouldn’t even skip for the sake of it.

Overall, this season has been thrilling and emotional with its consistent quality in each episode. It strikes our heart when we least expected it, and continues to read us their supernatural tales with its dynamic visuals and vibrant characters. It gives closure to their past, as it opens up a new path to the future of unknown threats, heart-warming moments and everything in between. And with that, their adventure is ignited once again.

Cheers, to the stray dogs!

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jun 28, 2019

forster82

Mixed Feelings

SHORT SPOILER FREE REVIEW:

Bungou Stray Dogs is simply... Bungou Stray Dogs.

If you enjoyed the previous seasons of this anime, then you might as well also enjoy this third season, just dont get your hopes up and expect something extraordinary. In my case, I thought the previous seasons of Bungou Stray Dogs were just alright, but somewhere deep inside me I was just hoping for something "more" from this season and that left me a tad-bit dissapointed in the end. Dont get me wrong, this season isnt bad, but I also just dont understand the massive hype that revolves around it, as it just isnt anything ... out of the ordinary.

In my opinion, the story of this season was one of my least favorite from the three (which I find quite shocking as this one has the highest score on MAL). It is simply mediocre at most. I was honestly way more immersed in the previous 2 seasons and I also enjoyed them way more than this third one, though that may just be me and my shit-taste for quality anime.

In the end, I'm giving the 3rd season of Bungou Stray Dogs a solid 6/10. <3

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Nov 9, 2020

HimuraMai

Not Recommended

I watched the two first seasons, which followed each other rather closely, the film, an ova, I believe, and then finally this. Like season 2, the first half of the season is dedicated to a lengthy flashback that, in this case, explains the mysterious origins of a side character. One of the main side characters, if that makes a difference, but a side character. And I'm still not sure why. It could have to do with the illusive Dazai, being perhaps a fan favourite, but what do I know? I don't even know if he is a fan favourite. The plots of Bungo Stray dogs ... have not ever been very complicated, get the protagonist (season 1), fight the enemies (Season 2). Simple. Where the success of season 1 laid was in the multiple characters and the little side characters and their stories. Not many of those, mind, but it felt like there was a continuation of what happened before to what happened next. A rise and fall of incidents as it were. You could track the progression of the plot, the logic.
Then comes along season 2, and you're thrown into a flashback leaving about half the run time for the actual plot. Fine, one of those characters shows up on the screen, so not a total waste of time right? Well... Only I don't see the connection between that past and the present, except to explain why Dazai switched sides, only I liked not knowing. It didn't, and doesn't, really matter. One of the good points of season 1 was the sense that relationships were well established before our protagonist walked in. It felt like a world where things had happened and while they were important at the time, didn't have relevance now. So why bother with it now? So they defeat the boss, who, shockingly, has motivations for doing what he does, hinting at a book. So what do you think happened? I wanted to know more about the book. They were willing to kidnap a human for I can't remember how much money but essentially a fortune, and destroy an entire city. Boom, gone. For one little book. A gimmick, of course, it could have been a magic wand for all it matters. But they set the stakes quite high for this tiny book, and we didn't even get to know what was in it, or where it was. So curious I was.
Imagine how bored I was of flashback when yet another one presented itself for the 3rd season. By that point, my interest had been quelled by time, so I was so fed up with the extremely lengthy flashbacks that I just stopped watching it. Until this year, where I revisited season 1 and 2 for the nostalgia and the humour which I liked. Where I once more got curious about this blasted book. Of course, there were a few cool fight scenes here and there, thank you Bones, well done once more, which was worth watching it for. How OP isn't Dazai's former partner's ability? (That's how much I remember him, Gravity-ball guy)
Anyway, I got through all that to maybe discover the antagonist was the villain of the flashback. I really couldn't care. He was frankly unimpressive, except for the first scene he was in. And so were the rest of the characters. Where did Dazai's intelligence wander off to during most of it? His cunning plans that I saw in season 1 and 2. The man who let himself be captured because he wanted to. The man who predicted his comrades' abilities and desires so perfectly that no one important actually died? The Mafia's boss danger and cleverness? His charm and power? Where is the dangerous chief of detectives? And the very detective himself? I think they just removed him because of how big an inconvenience he would be. That is to say, the antagonist would have been taken down by him within the first episode (episode 5 or6, I think. Yeah) if he was a part of the ordeal. Half the show, ladies and gentlemen were spent on a flashback. A pointless flashback. 6 episodes to tell a story. Granted it wasn't a very good story. And again with the plot, it had nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with that book. There was no continuation of the last storyline, nothing. I was quite disappointed. And they didn't even get to fight the villain or see an epic showdown of wits.
My point?
Where did Bungo Stray dogs go off to in this season? Because I'm pretty sure I didn't watch the same characters I did in season 1. And even season 2.
My conclusion? If you want to watch it, go ahead. If you found season 1 enjoyable, season 2 less enjoyable, you certainly won't enjoy this lacklustre story. I wish I could say otherwise.
Sorry that you had to go through my bad review on so many levels.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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