Doppo Kunikida to uparty idealista i członek Zbrojnej Agencji Detektywistycznej – organizacji specjalizującej się w rozwiązywaniu spraw, które nie są odpowiednie ani dla wojska, ani dla milicji. Zostaje wrobiony w pracę w zespole z mocno podejrzanym maniakiem samobójstw – Osamu Dazaiem. Podczas badania sprawy tajemniczego nawiedzonego domu wpadają na trop licznych zaginięć. Do tego atakuje ich Ryuunosuke Akutagawa, członek Mafii Portowej, a to dopiero wstęp do tej niepożądanej przez Kunikidę, choć nierozłącznej relacji. Tak zaczyna się opowieść o konfrontacjach uzdolnionych w przepełnionej mrokiem Jokohamie!
A cynical, genius, crazy detective narrated through the eyes of a man of staunch ideals. ------------ I cannot wait to read the light novels and catch up to manga soon ! =» only left with light novel 2-8 , the anthology and BSD wan now.
Bungo Stray Dogs is such a hilarious series to me… like, it’s kind of bad, but kind of brilliant; ridiculously convoluted yet super exciting, and has me screaming over a huge cast of characters who are all named after famous Japanese authors? And the mafia is in it?? And VAMPIRES?? Honestly such a wild series and I love it to bits, also Asagiri is such a legend for writing so many light novels (which are my entire life) which I can buy in lieu of the manga (I would need a mortgage) and can then read. In Japan. I READ THIS IN JAPAN-
The List has been updated : Read “A Darker Shade of Magic” in London✅ Read “Bungo Stray Dogs” in Yokohama ✅
this light novel follows kunikida’s perspective as the detective agency welcome dazai and he carries out his entrance exam. i found that reading from kunikida’s perspective was unfortunately a little boring. the parts where he interacts with dazai were definitely the highlights. dazai is a much more interesting character than kunikida, and it’s not really a surprise that a large number of the future light novels focus on him/his past. i was very curious to know how his arrival at the agency would be like a lot of other people probably, and would’ve appreciated more reactions from other characters due to his enigmatic personality. i felt like other characters reactions were lacklustre/not really there.
anyways this light novel is adapted in s1 e6 of the bsd anime. it’s completely different in that (from what i remember) the case is not dazai’s entrance exam and atsushi is there. in the novel atsushi is not introduced until two years after. additionally, the case is no where near as complex; the anime misses a lot out.
here’s some moments that i liked: ▸ we get a glimpse of dazai’s past as he’s aware of things he shouldn’t be, such as the organ trade going on in the city ▸ dazai’s acting skills in the american embassy ▸ dazai explaining to kunikida that he’s not impressed with ranpo because of his ‘super deduction’ skill, but that this is not actually a skill at all and ranpo is actually that clever. i liked this in the anime too, ranpo is one of my favourite characters in the series, especially after season 4/5. we get to see him a lot more and im looking forward to reading vol. 3 of the light novels ▸ dazai being charismatic towards other characters, him knowing what to say to the little girl who is in trouble on the plane ▸ the little extra snippet at the end where akutagawa says that he’s looking for his mentor, ‘former port mafia executive dazai’
maybe this whole review makes me seem obsessed with dazai but he’s one of my favourite characters of all media, alongside satoru gojo
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Kind of weird that they turned Dazai's detective agency backstory into just a filler episode in the anime. (This novel is basically Season 1 episodes 6 and 7, if you're wondering.)
Kunikida isn't one of my favorite characters in BSD. He's funny, but he can be super annoying sometimes, so reading something from his perspective was a little boring, but I liked learning about Dazai's beginnings. I also liked that it came full circle where the epilogue matched perfectly to the first volume of the manga. It makes me want to reread/rewatch BSD all over again.
The second light novel has been read. Yes, for those who don't want to read it can find the same storyline in the anime season 1 episode 6 & 7, but you will miss the antics of Kunikida and Dazai. The Azure Messenger case is supposed to be their first case together and, according to the title, also Dazai's entrance exam. Well, at first, I can't help to think that his exam would be like Atsushi's but then at second thoughts, that would be hilarious since the man is too perceptive for his own good. So, yes, it would be Kunikida's chance to shine. Here, I can find the idealist Kunikida who also idolized Fukuzawa just like Ranpo and the Kunikida who knows his partner from a mere answer his partner gives. Of course, the thrill part is when they played the you-are-the-culprit stage. They both did well as actors and deserve an Oscar. This light novel portrays both the gloomy and hilarious Dazai too good that I can find the anime and the manga vibe by reading this. The smart and manipulative of him that would be the heart of Armed Detective Agency. This shows how much the agency wouldn't be without their unique duo, the idealist and the manipulative. And yes, deserves a read.
Kunikida, with all the burden of his exacting ideals, has a wonderful voice here! And I think the plot holds up so much better in this light novel than in the anime version.
In the anime, Dazai is already an established part of the ADA, and a good deal of the actual storyline is rubbed out. But here, the story fits much more naturally into the timeline: we see Dazai's introduction to the ADA, with Kunikida the one forced to show this suicidal trickster the ropes.
The mystery is decent, the character interaction is both fun and bittersweet, and the whole thing is a pleasure to read.
“no matter how brilliant an ideal may be, if the path to realization is too far, then the light at the end is nothing more than an illusion, and those ideals - meaningless.” | tw: mention(s) of suicide; suicide attempt(s); blood; slight gore
Może nie było to nic odkrywczego, sama historia jest zawarta w anime, nie zmienia to faktu, że przyjemnie było przypomnieć sobie o początkach Dazaia w Agencji.
Chyba jestem nieobiektywna bo uwielbiam tę serię. W wersji Light Novel czy nie.
“ However, no matter how brilliant an ideal may be, if the path to realization is too far, then the light at the end is nothing more than an illusion, and those ideals—meaningless. Thus, the quickest path to fulfillment is inscribed on the first page of my notebook: "Do what must be done.”
I love being a BSD fan and always be confused with the materials the LNs and the mangas, I was planning to read the Light novel first last year but I ended up reading the manga.
If you don’t already know the BSD LN are kinda separated but I am planning to read them in order. The first volume follows Doppo Kunikida who is an idealist and a detective who works at the Armed Detective Agency, an organization that takes on dangerous jobs even the police won't handle. Everything was going according to his plan until one day he's paired up with the agency's newest hire: a suspicious, eccentric, suicide-obsessed man named Osamu Dazai. So we follow them in their first-ever case together.
I love this duo so much they’re funny sometimes, dazai annoys me most of the time but I can’t deny how smart he is. The story is Set two years before the events of the manga series, and it was adapted in the first season with two episodes but they kind of changed some stuff.
I highly recommend reading it if you’re a bad fan you will get more material for the things you already know, it wasn’t spectacular but it was fun.
I'm going to skip out on giving a rating for this one, just like for the rest of the BSD manga, simply because I don't think I'll be able to provide an accurate one. But know that I have a deep appreciation for this entire saga. It's been months and I'm still basically obsessed with it, which is unusual for someone like me. Anyway.
This was a very interesting installment, though the writing style took some time to get used to. It provided a lot more detail into the Azure Messenger arc than the show, which I liked. It had a lot of interesting insights, though I wish that Kunikida's internal monologue was more of an internal monologue instead of a series of observations on the surroundings. Reading about the characters in first-person was unusual, for some reason.
I wonder who the US informant was. He said he was from the Guild, but I wonder who... It can't be Fitzgerald, because he's too pretentious to be an informant. Not Twain either, and probably not Steinbeck. Questions, questions...
so so so so so so so so so gay but seriously i do enjoy getting to read something from Kunikida's pov. I think its interesting how Dazai acts here it really seems like he doesn't quite know how he's supposed to act as a good person, he's clearly trying to be good but he's not quite there like he is now. Also I fucking love how badly, how hard Dazai is trying to save Kunikida from the same fate as Oda....
Even though Kunikida is one of my least favourite characters in the series, this was an interesting read. I think it gave me just a little insight into Kunikida's mindset.
All in all, a very exiting BSD story. All kinds of twists and turns, and detective shenanigans.
I was fond of the episodes showing this arc in Season 1; the light novel is a really great expansion on the characters and plot! Also, the audiobook narration is very fun. (≖⩊≖)
Тази новела е изключително симпатична, което е в комбинация с това, че е интересна. Искрено я заобичах, въпреки че първата ми среща с това заглавие не беше от най-добрите. Може би Куникида е една от причините да изпитам много повече удоволствие от срещата си с тези странници, отколкото обикновено. Той май беше и една от главните причини да реша на мига, че искам тази книга, когато я видях. Предпочитания... И тъй като ми е особено симпатична, изпитах нуждата от самоинициатива и се върнах в доброто старо време. Преведох сама на себе си първата част от пролога... и незнайно защо споделям превода, на който му е интересно (твърде малка част, уви, но все е нещо)... https://knigoqdec.blogspot.com/2020/0...
Gostei muito, o Kunikida e o Dazai formam uma dupla muito boa e é porreiro ver essa parceria e dinâmica a nascer. Só tenho pena que o não é muito consistente com o anime, porque o caso do livro é o mesmo que o caso usado na primeira season do anime, com algumas diferenças superficiais (exceto um certo acontecimento que não está no anime mas que devia estar porque é simplesmente incrível). Vou ler mais destes light novels
interesting light novel. i enjoyed beast/stormbringer/age 15 much more, (maybe because i can’t stand kunikida) but dazai being in this one makes it super interesting. ⭐️4.25
was this novel *good*? i don't think i'd say that no.
did i have *fun* reading this? yeah. iconic freak cinema. kunikada is such a weirdo and i think he's a fun narrator because he clearly thinks he's so normal and then he proceeds to have the most insane opinions. dazai does magic mushrooms. there's even permanent character death.