Durarara!!

Durarara!!

Cover of the first light novel.
デュラララ!!
Genre Action, Suspense[1]
Light novel
Written by Ryohgo Narita
Illustrated by Suzuhito Yasuda
Published by ASCII Media Works
English publisher
Demographic Male
Imprint Dengeki Bunko
Original run April 25, 2004 – January 10, 2014
Volumes 13
Manga
Written by Ryohgo Narita
Illustrated by Akiyo Satorigi
Published by Square Enix
English publisher
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Monthly GFantasy
Original run April 18, 2009 – present
Volumes 10
Anime television series
Directed by Takahiro Omori
Produced by Akeko Yokoyama
Atsushi Wada
Hiro Maruyama
Kozue Kaneniwa
Yasuyo Ogisu
Written by Noboru Takagi
Music by Makoto Yoshimori
Studio Brain's Base
Licensed by
Network MBS, TBS, CBC
English network
Original run January 8, 2010 – June 25, 2010
Episodes 26
Manga
Durarara!! 3way standoff -alley-
Written by Ryohgo Narita
Illustrated by Izuko Fujiya
Published by ASCII Media Works
Demographic Shōjo
Magazine Sylph
Original run July 22, 2013 – present
Volumes 2
Light novel
Durarara!! SH
Written by Ryohgo Narita
Illustrated by Suzuhito Yasuda
Published by ASCII Media Works
Demographic Male
Imprint Dengeki Bunko
Original run April 10, 2014 – present
Volumes 4
Anime television series
Durarara!!x2
Directed by Takahiro Omori
Written by Noboru Takagi
Music by Makoto Yoshimori
Studio Shuka
Licensed by
Network Tokyo MX, GTV, GYT, BS11, MBS, CBC
English network
Original run January 10, 2015 – March 26, 2016
Episodes 36 + 3 OVA
Light novel
Orihara Izaya to, Yūyake wo
Written by Ryohgo Narita
Illustrated by Suzuhito Yasuda
Published by ASCII Media Works
Demographic Male
Imprint Dengeki Bunko
Published July 10, 2015

Durarara!! (デュラララ!!), often shortened to DRRR!!, is a Japanese light novel series written by Ryohgo Narita, with illustrations by Suzuhito Yasuda, that has also been adapted into a Japanese anime series. Durarara!! tells the story of a dullahan working as an underworld courier in Ikebukuro, an internet-based anonymous gang called The Dollars, and the chaos that unfolds around the most dangerous people in Ikebukuro. The series ran for thirteen volumes, published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint. In April 2014, a sequel series titled Durarara!! SH (デュラララ!! SH Durarara!! SH) and set 2 years after the events of the original series stated.[2]

A manga adaptation by Akiyo Satorigi started serialization in the shōnen manga magazine Monthly GFantasy on April 18, 2009. An anime adaptation began airing in Japan in January 2010.[1] Two games based on the series for the PlayStation Portable were released, and two games for PlayStation Vita were released later.

Plot

Mikado Ryūgamine, a young boy who longs for the exciting life of the big city, moves to Ikebukuro to attend Raira Academy with his childhood friend Masaomi Kida (whom he has not seen since he was young). After the two meet at the train station, they set out at night to the streets of Ikebukuro. Masaomi warns Mikado about people he doesn't want to cross in the city, such as the violent and superhumanly strong man Shizuo Heiwajima, the information broker Izaya Orihara, and the mysterious gang known as "The Dollars." After running into some of the side characters, Mikado sees a local legend called the "Black Rider", who rides around Ikebukuro on a black bike that occasionally neighs like a horse, and who is rumored to have no head under her helmet. The "Black Rider" is Celty Sturluson, an Irish dullahan who is in Ikebukuro looking for her stolen head. The narrative follows all of the characters equally, showing how their lives intersect and creating a greater plot line from what each character knows about a common incident.

The story is told from the perspective of eleven or so of the main characters changing every episode in the anime. However the narrator is not always the episode's one and only character perspective given. One of the few constants given in every episode is that the narrator gives his own opinion on the current situation that they are in, as well as certain things that make them tick and keep them going in Ikebukuro, a city with a large underbelly that is the medium for the majority of both the plot's development and random violence throughout the series.

Media

Light novel

The Durarara!! light novels are written by Ryohgo Narita and illustrated by Suzuhito Yasuda. The first novel was released in April 2004 under ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint and the thirteenth and final novel was released in January 2014. A sequel series, titled Durarara!! SH is under production.[3][4] A Chinese-language release in Taiwan and Hong Kong is published by the Taiwan branch of Kadokawa Media under their Fantastic Novels imprint.[5] Daewon C.I. licensed the Korean-language release of the series in South Korea and releases the novels under their Newtype Novels imprint.[6] As of January 2015, it was announced that Yen Press would be releasing the Durarara!! Novels in English under their Yen On Imprint.[7]

No.Japanese release dateJapanese ISBNEnglish release dateEnglish ISBN
1 April 25, 2004ISBN 978-4-84-022646-2July 21, 2015[8]ISBN 978-0-31-630474-0
2 March 10, 2005ISBN 978-4-84-023000-1November 17, 2015[9]ISBN 978-0-31-630476-4
3 August 10, 2006ISBN 978-4-84-023516-7March 22, 2016[10]ISBN 978-0-31-630477-1
4 March 10, 2008ISBN 978-4-84-024186-1July 19, 2016[11]ISBN 978-0-31-630478-8
5 March 10, 2009ISBN 978-4-04-867595-6-—
6 July 10, 2009ISBN 978-4-04-867905-3-—
7 January 10, 2010ISBN 978-4-04-868276-3-—
8 June 10, 2010ISBN 978-4-04-868599-3-—
9 February 10, 2011ISBN 978-4-04-870274-4-—
10 August 10, 2011ISBN 978-4-04-870729-9-—
11 May 10, 2012ISBN 978-4-04-886562-3-—
12 June 7, 2013ISBN 978-4-04-891746-9-—
13 January 10, 2014ISBN 978-4-04-866217-8-—

Durarara!! SH

No.Japanese release dateJapanese ISBNEnglish release dateEnglish ISBN
1 April 10, 2014ISBN 978-4-04-866486-8-—
2 October 10, 2014ISBN 978-4-04-869008-9-—
3 January 10, 2015ISBN 978-4-04-869169-7-—
4 February 10, 2016ISBN 978-4-04-865666-5-—

Orihara Izaya to, Yūyake wo

No.Japanese release dateJapanese ISBNEnglish release dateEnglish ISBN
1 July 10, 2015ISBN 978-4-04-865243-8-—

Manga

A manga adaptation written by Narita and illustrated by Akiyo Satorigi first appeared in the May issue of Square Enix's Monthly GFantasy in April 2009 and became a regular series starting with the magazine's July issue released June 2009.[12][13] As of June 27, 2011, four tankōbon have been released.[14] The manga is licensed in North America by Yen Press and released the first volume in January 2012.[15] There are sequels like Durarara!! Saika Arc that are out in Japan and America by the same author of the original manga. A manga adaptation of the Durarara!! 3way standoff -alley- video game began serializing in the September issue of ASCII Media Works' Monthly Sylph magazine on July 22, 2013.[16]

Anime

An anime adaption of the light novels was announced in the wraparound sleeve of the sixth volume of the light novel.[17] The anime is produced by Brain's Base and started airing on January 8, 2010 on MBS, TBS, and CBC. Crunchyroll simulcasted the anime at 480p and 720p within 24 hours of its Japanese premiere. Other users were able see the same episode in standard definition for free one week later.[18] The anime adapted the first three novels, and it was licensed by Beez Entertainment for European release;[19] while at Anime Expo 2010, Aniplex of America confirmed that they have the license to Durarara!!, later producing an English dub for a January 2011 release.[20] The English dub was produced at Bang Zoom! Entertainment. The music for the first season was composed by Makoto Yoshimori, who also wrote the music for Baccano!.

Aniplex of America released Durarara!! in three digipak, two-disc sets. Part one was released on January 25, 2011, part two was released on March 29, 2011, and part three was released on May 31, 2011. They were exclusively sold at RightStuf.com and at Bandai Entertainment's The Store.[21] As of March 29, 2011, Durarara!! (Eps. 1–9, dubbed) have been added to the U.S. PlayStation Network Video Store. The show began its U.S. broadcast with Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block on June 26, 2011 and aired its last episode on December 17, 2011.[22]

On March 15, 2014, a new TV anime series was announced, titled Durarara!! x2 (デュラララ!! x2).[23] The main staff from the first series returned, though it was produced at studio Shuka instead of Brain's Base.[24] It aired in three different cours, or quarters of a year. The cours are subtitled Shō (承, lit. "understanding"), Ten (転, lit. "motion"), and Ketsu (結, lit. "conclusion") respectively. The first cour began in January 2015, the second cour began in July 2015 and the third cour began in January 2016.[25] Crunchyroll simulcasts the series in North America, Central America, South America, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.[26] Aniplex of America licensed the series and is streaming an English dub via Crunchyroll, Funimation and Hulu.[27][28]

Radio

An internet radio show called Durarara!!Radio: Duraradi for Short!! (デュラララ!!ラジオ 略して デュララジ!! Durarara!!Rajio Ryakushite Duraraji!!) was aired on February 26, 2010 and ended as of March 25, 2011. The hosts were Toshiyuki Toyonaga and Kana Hanazawa, the voices for Mikado Ryūgamine and Anri Sonohara respectively.[29]

Games

Two games based on the series were released only in Japan, both visual novels for PlayStation Portable. The first one titled Durarara!! 3way standoff (デュラララ!! 3way standoff) was released on September 22, 2010.[30] The second one titled Durarara!! 3way standoff -alley- (デュラララ!! 3way standoff -alley-) was released on August 25, 2011.[31] As part of the Durarara 10th anniversary project, a new game titled Durarara!! 3way standoff -alley- V (デュラララ!! 3way standoff -alley- V) was announced; and was released on June 19, 2014 for PlayStation Vita.[32] Another PlayStation Vita game titled Durarara!! Relay was released in January 2015.[33]

Development

Although it has commonly been claimed that the title "Durarara" is an onomatopoeia for the "revving of an engine," Narita states specifically in the first light novel volume that the name means absolutely nothing. He had been editing the finished draft of his book, when his editor called. When prompted for a title, Narita "...just randomly gave a name, 'Du...Durarara?'" Upon hearing this, his editor responded with a positive remark as he liked ambiguous titles."[34]

Reception

According to Oricon, the ninth volume of Durarara!! was the first to sell the most over a week in its bunkobon for February 7–13; previously, the highest-ranked DRRR!! volume had been the eighth, which ranked second.[35]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Durarara, Fumihiko Sori's To Video Clips Streamed". Anime News Network. November 20, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Durarara!! Gets New TV Anime Series". Anime News Network date=January 18, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  3. ↑ デュラララ!! (電撃文庫 (0917)) (文庫) [Durarara!! (Dengeki Bunko (0917)) (Paperback)] (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  4. ↑ デュラララ!!×7 [Durarara!!x7] (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  5. ↑ "無頭騎士異聞錄 DuRaRaRa!! ×1" [Dullahan Tensei DuRaRaRa!! x1] (in Chinese). Kadokawa Media. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  6. ↑ 듀라라라!! 1 (in Korean). Daewon C.I. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  7. ↑ http://www.yenpress.com/2015/01/new-licenses-for-the-new-year/
  8. ↑ "Durarara!!, Vol. 1". Amazon.com. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  9. ↑ http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/ryohgo-narita/durarara-vol-2-novel/9780316304764/?yen
  10. ↑ http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/ryohgo-narita/durarara-vol-3-novel/9780316304771/?yen
  11. ↑ http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/ryohgo-narita/durarara-vol-4-novel/9780316304788/?yen
  12. ↑ "Monthly GFantasy May 2009 issue" (in Japanese). Square Enix. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Monthly GFantasy July 2009 issue" (in Japanese). Square Enix. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  14. ↑ デュラララ!!4 (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Yen Press Adds Durarara, Kore wa Zombie desu ka, Olimpos". Anime News Network. July 22, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Durarara!! 3way standoff -alley- PSP Game Inspires Manga". Anime News Network. 2013-06-23. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  17. ↑ "Durarara!! Light Novels To Be Animated". Anime News Network. July 3, 2009. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  18. ↑ "Crunchyroll and Aniplex Bring Some Durarara!! Action". Anime News Network. January 6, 2010. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
  19. ↑ "Durarara, Vampire Knight, Eden of the East Licensed in the UK". Anime News Network. May 29, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Aniplex of America Adds Durarara Anime". Anime News Network. July 3, 2010.
  21. ↑ "Aniplex, Bandai and Right Stuf Team Up For Durarara!! DVD Distribution" (Press Release). Anime News Network. October 8, 2010.
  22. ↑ "Durarara!! To Run on U.S. Adult Swim Network in June". Anime News Network. May 28, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Durarara!! Gets New TV Anime Series". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  24. ↑ "New Durarara! TV Anime's Promo, Chocolate Mural Posted". Anime News Network. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  25. ↑ "Durarara!!×2 Casts M.A.O, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiro Shimono, Yuuki Ono". Anime News Network. October 4, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Crunchyroll Announces Durarara!!x2 Streaming Details". Anime News Network. January 9, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Aniplex USA Adds Durarara!!×2 TV Anime". Anime News Network. November 19, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Durarara!!×2 English Dub to Premiere March 10". Anime News Network. March 6, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  29. ↑ 『デュラララ!!ラジオ 略して デュララジ!!』 (in Japanese). Animate.tv. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  30. ↑ "PSPソフト｢デュラララ!! 3way standoff｣公式サイト" (in Japanese). Dengeki. 2010-04-10. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
  31. ↑ "PSPソフト『デュラララ!! 3way standoff -alley-』公式サイト". D-game Dengeki. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  32. ↑ "Durarara!! 3way Standoff: Alley V announced for PS Vita". Gematsu. 2014-02-07. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  33. ↑ 2014-08-07, Durarara!! Gets New PS Vita Game in 3D in January, Anime News Network
  34. ↑ http://differentclouds.livejournal.com/16825.html English Translation of the First Light Novel
  35. ↑ "Durarara!! Scores 1st Weekly #1 with 9th Volume". Anime News Network. February 16, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2016.

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