The prologue stories ofBungo Stray Dogsare never the most drawn-out affairs and thus come at the audience quickly, so they have to compensate with bold imagery. The series has always been on full blast in the theatrics department, which makes an episode centered around a theatre so perfect for this creative team.
Last week, Fukuzawa met Ranpoand took him under his wing, hoping to use his assistance to solve a case at a local theatre: a threat to kill a performer on stage. When Fukuzawa realizes that Ranpo’s deductive prowess is far from typical, he decides to use Ranpo’s intellect to save the actors and help the young man to understand others better.
RELATED:Bungo Stray Dogs: How One Episode Transformed Its Best Villain
I Can See Clearly Now
In Episode 1’s review, one of the few drawbacks that gave some pause was the inconsistency of color throughout, sometimes black and white, sometimes in full color, and other times a mix. But surprisingly, this turned out to be a rather clever choice that paid off super effectivelythanks to the visual storytelling.
In the beginning, Ranpo’s intellect combined with his lack of comprehension of social cues leads him to make something of a scene, the aftermath of which is a sort of breakdown. It’s a somewhat uncomfortable scene that hits home just how confusing the world looks to a young man whose brain processes information differently.
To remedy this, perhaps realizing that Ranpo’s deduction is resultant ofsomething neurological rather than the supernatural, offers him his trademark glasses. It’s the same glasses that he’s worn all series, that presumably channeled his power, but are - in fact - a placebo. They’re just cheap glasses, which makes the already vestigial spectacles that much funnier in retrospect.
This deception by Fukuzawa is fascinating because, on one hand, it is utilitarian to the end that Ranpo can function to the best of his ability without being a hindrance. On the other hand, it feels like Fukuzawa is genuinely trying his hardest to calm Ranpo’s worries and offer him another way of looking at the world in a way that doesn’t view others with disdain.
And with that, the world becomes filled with colors other than the red of blood. Suddenly, all the “inconsistencies” with color design suddenly click, as they were all flashbacks of previous information being reflected on, often in a new light.Ranpo is set up to be the solutionto the story’s problem, so by offering him clarity, the audience receives it too.
As an aside, this show’s ability to grab the attention of its viewers is something special, and it might just come down to the editing and subversion of expectations. Half an episode goes by before even the opening plays, the scenes can be so enthralling that it feels like half an episode has gone by when only 5 minutes have passed.
A Killer Performance
It’s easy to forget amidst the prior black-and-white imagery thatBungo Stray Dogsis still very much a modern story, hence the theaters' extremely up-to-date production values. The elaborate stage is flanked by rear projected screens adding tons of 3-dimensional atmosphere while the actors perform atop platforms on high.
Bungois already highly theatrical, so a play in that universe has to go all out to even make an impression, and it’s pretty successful. Although, not much time is spent reflecting on what the play’s story is actually about since it isn’t super relevant and the audience only sees a few glimpses of it before the murderer strikes.
That said, whatisshown in the play mirrors the real circumstances of these characters, namely the question of who would kill one of them and why? The same discussion could just have easily happened behind the scenes before the performance started, which is itself a clue to the truth behind the letter.
Ranpo’s grand and self-aware deus ex machina revealed the truth behind the murder, and it ended up having a genuinely interesting message about art, intent, and impact. It felt like the story was wrapping up,when in fact another crimewas being committed under the characters' noses. Is it possible that someone outsmarted even Ranpo?
This episode was delightful from beginning to end, thanks to some stellar presentation and the scenes shared between Fukuzawa and Ranpo. Ranpo does seem to disappear in the latter half until the end, and when Fukuzawa speaks with the woman who runs the theatre, her recount of Ranpo’s words to her implies that an entire small character arc has occurred behind the scenes.
There are likely one or two more episodes remaining in this particular story, so there’s a chance that - just like the color design - there might be some intentional choices here. We still need to learnwhy Natsume Souseki was at the theatreand what other mastermind was pulling strings, and why?
It wouldn’t be surprising if the next episode delved into how Ranpo solved one mystery in order to offer clues for another, deadlier puzzle. After this episode’s clever mid-episode style shift, it wouldn’t be surprising to see any apparent drawbacks turn out to be “part of the plan” as it were. Another solid week forBungo Stray Dogs, with much more to come.
