デュラララ!! ×10

Durarara!! Light Novels #10

by Ryohgo Narita, ヤスダスズヒト (Illustrator)

池袋の舞台に躍る、歪んだ恋の、物語──。人気爆発のシリーズ第10弾！

「最近のダラーズ、おかしいとは思いませんか?半年前、黄巾賊に起こっていた事が、今度はダラーズに起こっているかもしれない…」

東京・池袋。この街からダラーズに関わる者たちが徐々に消えていく。それは、かつての親友同士がお互いを想いながらも自らの信じる道を突き進み、加速した混乱のせいなのか。もしくは、街の中に渦巻いている、粟楠会、闇ブローカー、情報屋など大人たちの謀略のせいなのか。それとも、ダラーズの顔役として頼られる男気溢れる青年が陥った意識不明の重態のせいなのか―。

様々な思惑を抱えた事件が始まる中、首無しライダーが取る道とは―!?さぁ、みんな一緒に、デュラララ!!×10。

Genres: Light Novel, Fiction, Manga, Japanese Literature, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Supernatural

312 pages, Paperback

First published August 10, 2011

About the author

Ryohgo Narita (成田 良悟, Narita Ryōgo) is a Japanese light novelist. He won the Gold Prize in the 9th Dengeki Novel Prize for Baccano!, which was made into a TV anime in 2007.[1] His series Durarara!! was also made into a TV anime, which began airing January 2010


There are two traits found in most of Narita's works:
* Narita writes extremely fast, one volume a month if he wishes - with tons of spelling errors and missing words as a tradeoff. The editors like to leave them sometimes just for fun, though.
* His work titles often have an exclamation mark at the end (i.e. Baccano!, Vamp!, Durarara!!, etc.).

Kanji names: 成田 良悟 & 成田良悟.

Reviews

[Dani St-Onge · Rating 3 out of 5]

For more reviews and bookish content: http://literarylion.ca/

I think light novels, as a whole, are perhaps not the genre for me. They’re written to be short, fast-paced books anyone can pick up and as such I never feel fully immersed in the story. I know this is a personal problem but I really would like Narita to take his series a little more seriously.

For example, this book includes what I am almost positive is the same spiel about Celty as the last book directly copy pasted. This is the eleventh book in a series. Celty is one of the main characters. Your readers should know she isn’t human without you hammering it into them by explaining what a dullahan is and how she came to Japan for an ELEVENTH time. This is a tactic children’s books don’t even use this poorly.

Again though, light novels are meant to be for anyone to pick up at any time. So quality suffers. The author admits that he feels Celty is the main character but because fans preferred the high school trio he’s rushing the story and tying up their conflict instead of focusing on what he really want to. He tells readers this in the afterword, but even if he didn’t it would be painfully obvious it was rushed.

It’s clear to me now, that I am not the target for this series. I don’t see Mikado as a complex or interesting character. He reads like an edgy teen fantasy to me. Kida is a little better but Anri exists almost solely to give Mikado a more human side. The Dollars seems like a terrible gang and I can’t really understand Mikado’s desires for them.

I want to keep reading because I find Izaya compelling. Shizuo is interesting. Celty and Shinra are cute. I’m here for the adult cast and this book was little better than high school drama with some gang violence flair. I think, when I finish this series, I might drop light novels as a whole. It will at least be a long while before I pick some up again.

Also the character name honorifics are butchered. Sir Shizuo. Mr. Mikado. This series is niche enough that you could have stuck with the japanese honorifics and fans would have understood. The translator is clearly trying to find equivalents and the effects is nothing but awkward.

[endeavoursofvic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me giving a durarara!! light novel 5 stars? wow. what a concept. such surprise.
yeah. I am still utterly obsessed with this series.
[also: I will take this as canonical queer rep. Not sure it is meant that way. But I'll take it regardless]

[Stronach · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the heart of Ikebukuro, people crash into one another, as their sparks alight across the pyre of this series final climax.

- More and more members of the Dollars are disappearing.
- More and more people walk the streets with yellow accessories.
- An insincere reunion between two brothers operating as underlings on opposite sides, one more sincerely than the other.
- A genuine friendship is forged between the a girl who is unable to love and another girl who will do anything for the people she loves.
- A gossip rag reporter turns to the cops, the yakuza, until finally the Dollars founder himself to find his missing daughter.
- A man-hunt throughout Ikebukuro goes into affect to track down the one(s) responsible for a hit-and-run of am upstanding man and beloved friend.
- A conniving underclassman proposes that the newest face of the Dollars be the member without a face.
- A considerate yakuza lieutenant introduces himself to the Dollars' founder to provide the other a warning.
- An unexpected meeting between two assassins, one who now walks in the day and one who still operates in the night.
- A long overdue meeting between two polar opposites, the extraordinary who seeks the ordinary and the ordinary who seeks the extraordinary.
- The rapid. emancipation and fervent gratitude of one woman from the infamous Jinnai Yodogiri organization.
- The sudden arrest and subsequent battle of wills of Ikebukuro's strongest man with the shortest fuse.

And it's only a matter of time before one of those sparks catches...

Also in this volume are: serious conversations in Russia Sushi, threating nose pinches, hit and runs of severe consequence, arson metaphors, kidnapping your niece, barely reigned in bloodlust, gang meetings in karaoke rooms, backpacks full of pyrotechnics, raw meat metaphors, irritating cat puns, a terror worse than anything before, Molotovs in parking garages, hit and runs of significantly less consequence, a third saika, ballsy taunts, and an impromptu party at the apartment near Kawagoe Highway

[Rolaka Pisarka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uwielbiam twórczość Ryohgo Narity, ale niestety muszę powiedzie, że Durarara idzie w złym kierunku i brakuje mi dawnej przyjemności z czytania. Uwielbiałam tomy 4, 5, 6, 7 za humor, zbiegi okoliczności, akcję, wspaniałych bohaterów, intrygujące powiązania między wydarzeniami, lecz to się zmienia, a ostatnie tomy light novelki stają się coraz to mroczne, przypominając thriller psychologiczny, którym nie powinny być. To wspaniała historia, której mrok jest nieodłącznym elementem, ale jak się mówi: co za dużo, to nie zdrowo! Fani Durarary czekają na walki, na Shizuo, który wali latarnią w Izayę, Izayę, który manipuluje ludźmi i bawi się nimi, wątki nadnaturalne, które graniczą między pomysłowością a absurdem... Durarara to nie jest to, co serwuje nam ten tom. A niestety daje nam sporo nudy, rozczarowania, przegadanych scen i Mikado, który już nie jest Mikado...

[Ricardo Matos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the afterword says it all: while Narita considers Celty to be the main character, the Durarara!! fans fell in love with the struggle between the Dollars, the Yellow Scarves and Saika's children. I am one of those fans, and I loved this volume. And now that I'm all caught up to the official publishing, I'll have to wait 1 month to find out what happened, as this one ends in a bit of a cliffhanger.

If I ever met Narita, I would tell him: "Look, it doesn't matter who the MCs end up being in Durarara!! There are so many great characters that any of them would hold its own as an MC. Even Vorona :D So, be happy that you wrote such a great story"

[Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume does not focus on much hardcore violent actions, but it provides a glimpse on the dark side of each faction that is engaging in the mutual dichotomy around Ikebukuro. A big shock comes out, as Kadota-a major character-gets severely beaten up. Quite rare for a non-tragedy light novel. But sometimes a story would need such a curveball turn like that as a setup for even a louder thunder that would transpire next. Now, as every faction has revealed their true self and started to go frontal attack, which will survive and which will get obliterated? Their threads of existence now rest in the hand of Narita-sensei, and whether or not they meet their eternal doom is at his mercy.

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so surprised to read Narita's final word at the end! I didn't know that the question of who the protagonist is, is actually important to him. Because all of his works have a huge cast of characters that all somehow influence and create the story... I actually was more interested in how naughty little Izaya fucks up half the city. And gets his face smashed into a stone pillar afterwards, ouch

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sad to see the final page. This is a great series and everyone should read it!

[WelbiBeto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muinto foda