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Durarara!! Light Novels #3
Durarara!!, Vol. 3
"Could you kill someone? Working as an information broker in Shinjuku, just toying with all those people... But could you, Izaya Orihara, kill someone? Directly, by your own hand? Not stabbing someone with your knife just right to keep them from dying while you keep dodging the question, I mean. Well, whatever... In the end, you're the kind of guy who uses other people to do your dirty work. You're hilariously cowardly."
Tokyo, Ikebukuro. Loads of baggage from the past are starting to turn up: A boss trying to escape the past. A pair of high school girls with consciences. A boy unaware of his friend's feelings for him. A man planning a takeover. A boy who uses information to manipulate others. And a headless rider on a pitch-black motorcycle--all headed on a collision course that will decide who will overcome their past and who will become nothing more than a memory...
Tokyo, Ikebukuro. Loads of baggage from the past are starting to turn up: A boss trying to escape the past. A pair of high school girls with consciences. A boy unaware of his friend's feelings for him. A man planning a takeover. A boy who uses information to manipulate others. And a headless rider on a pitch-black motorcycle--all headed on a collision course that will decide who will overcome their past and who will become nothing more than a memory...
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 10, 2006
27 people are currently reading
508 people want to read
About the author
Ryohgo Narita
348 books383 followersRyohgo 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 16, 2021
I love the craziness of the characters. All of them but my favorite so far is Celty. Love her. The 2nd one is Izaya. Ah ha I am an Izaya's fan. He is so sly. The 3rd one, maybe, is Dotachin.
February 16, 2025
The Yellow Scarves arc was one of the draggier bits of the anime, so it's a relief to discover that the original novel version is much tighter and tenser. Which is weird because the novel doesn't have any of the subplots where we see individual Dollars getting hunted, or when Horoda's goons chase after Anri. Instead the book is tightly focused on Kida and his backstory. He screwed up two years ago, and no matter how lighthearted and flippant he acts nowadays, he's still haunted by that past. The stakes here aren't a gang war and the destruction of the Dollars (though that's certainly present), but Kida's very soul, and that makes for a better story. Narita really gets into Kida's head as things spiral out of control and he has to decide whether to run away or make a stand that could cost him dear.
September 17, 2024
To be honest, the story about Masaomi and Saki has never interested me much, and I think anime scriptwriter Takagi Noboru did a good job in combining books two and three to create a more solid, better paced presentation of the story. Moreover, it didn't help my enjoyment of the book that it seemed what's bugging me from book one was true: it seems like the Indonesian edition is a secondhand translation from the English version, not the original Japanese one. It wasn't that evident in the previous books, although I had my suspicion. And I wouldn't mind it that much, honestly, if only the translation from English was smooth. To put it bluntly, it wasn't. There were well translated parts, yes, but the dialogues suffered the most: stilted, and sometimes you just can't understand clearly what's being talked about. To name some examples: "Not so fast", for instance, was translated into "tidak begitu cepat", which just didn't fit the context at all. Imagine you're shouting to someone who's running away from you, "Tidak begitu cepat!" What does it even mean? Another example: "ibu Shinra melalui pernikahan". In Indonesian, that's simply confusing, until you realise that it's a literal translation of "by marriage" in English. Saying "ibu tiri" in Indonesian is enough!
To me, translating the name of the group "Blue Square" into Indonesian ("Kotak Biru") is also a giveaway. It might have been editorial choice, but what I suspect is that the translator didn't realise that the name in the Japanese version *is* already in English, "ブルースクウェア", while in Japanese the other group is called "黄巾賊". "Blue Square" in the English version is rendered into "the Blue Squares" while "黄巾賊" is rendered into "the Yellow Scarves". When what you have is the English text, you might not realise this difference in the original version and just translate both names into Indonesian. My gut feeling is that if you're translating from Japanese, you will instinctively keep the name "Blue Square" instead of changing it into "Kotak Biru".
I wish to read more of Durarara!! in Indonesian, but I also hope that they will provide us with a better translation in the next volumes.
To me, translating the name of the group "Blue Square" into Indonesian ("Kotak Biru") is also a giveaway. It might have been editorial choice, but what I suspect is that the translator didn't realise that the name in the Japanese version *is* already in English, "ブルースクウェア", while in Japanese the other group is called "黄巾賊". "Blue Square" in the English version is rendered into "the Blue Squares" while "黄巾賊" is rendered into "the Yellow Scarves". When what you have is the English text, you might not realise this difference in the original version and just translate both names into Indonesian. My gut feeling is that if you're translating from Japanese, you will instinctively keep the name "Blue Square" instead of changing it into "Kotak Biru".
I wish to read more of Durarara!! in Indonesian, but I also hope that they will provide us with a better translation in the next volumes.
May 7, 2023
For anyone who wishes some of the other characters got more time to shine, this book delivers. Masaomi takes center stage this volume, and we get his backstory, his true character, his connection to a certain infamous information broker (where we get to see the -thus far- true depths of his depravity). And his struggles to face the past while not turning away his present or throwing away his future are the backbone of this entire volume.
There also is some attention given to the van gang: Kadota, Yumasaki, Karisawa, and Togusa. Their long history with Masaomi gets some limelight during an intense sushi dinner, and Kadota really shines in this volume as a man of wisdom and action. He goes from betraying his douche of a gang leader, saving the life of a naive girl, and espousing some real life advice to a kid who needed it all within a half-dozen or so pages. Only to then go on and be even more of a chad by getting together some friends to infiltrate a different gang to beat up the remnants of the first gang.
The dumbest genius Shingen Kishitani is also introduced in this volume. A delightfully horrid man who is -technically- the mastermind who put everything into motion while also being an absolute buffoon who lost control of the game ages ago. But for as ridiculous and immoral as this man is, there is a genuine love for his son and, by extension, care towards Celty that rears its head when confronted by the new, current, mastermind of the game: Izaya Orihara.
Also in this volume are the true terrors of the Japanese traffic cops, anti-climatic reveals of head-related mysteries, an egregious amount of rain, a man getting shot twice, one particular gang member's horrible, rotten, no good very bad day, arguably the most satisfying punch in the series, a lecture in Russian, and promise of friends to reconnect.
In summation, this book exists at once as a proper conclusion of a major arc and a promise for more to come.
And boy, oh boy, has this series only just begun.
There also is some attention given to the van gang: Kadota, Yumasaki, Karisawa, and Togusa. Their long history with Masaomi gets some limelight during an intense sushi dinner, and Kadota really shines in this volume as a man of wisdom and action. He goes from betraying his douche of a gang leader, saving the life of a naive girl, and espousing some real life advice to a kid who needed it all within a half-dozen or so pages. Only to then go on and be even more of a chad by getting together some friends to infiltrate a different gang to beat up the remnants of the first gang.
The dumbest genius Shingen Kishitani is also introduced in this volume. A delightfully horrid man who is -technically- the mastermind who put everything into motion while also being an absolute buffoon who lost control of the game ages ago. But for as ridiculous and immoral as this man is, there is a genuine love for his son and, by extension, care towards Celty that rears its head when confronted by the new, current, mastermind of the game: Izaya Orihara.
Also in this volume are the true terrors of the Japanese traffic cops, anti-climatic reveals of head-related mysteries, an egregious amount of rain, a man getting shot twice, one particular gang member's horrible, rotten, no good very bad day, arguably the most satisfying punch in the series, a lecture in Russian, and promise of friends to reconnect.
In summation, this book exists at once as a proper conclusion of a major arc and a promise for more to come.
And boy, oh boy, has this series only just begun.
June 2, 2017
Zawiodłam się...
Ogólnie nie mogę powiedzieć, że tom był zły, ale mimo wszystko to nie jest Durarara, jakiego pragnę. Zbiegi okoliczności, śmieszne akcje, powiązania, zaskakujące zwroty akcji, pościgi, zagadki itd. Ale ten tom BYŁ PO PROSTU NUDNY. Pamiętałam wydarzenia z anime i naprawdę oczekiwałam kilku scen. I tu naprawdę śmieszna rzecz, w anime dodali jedną scenę, którą kocham. Tak więc nie uświadczymy jej w light novelce. Poza tym konflikt między Żółtymi Szalikami a Dollarami został bardzo uszczuplony w LN (a raczej anime je rozwinęło). A więc za to dostaliśmy masę rozmyślań Kidy na temat tego co zrobił, robi i zrobi... Nuda. Na uwagę jeszcze zasługuje zakończenie... Kolejna scena, która w anime sprawiła, że się prawie posikałam ze śmiechu, a tutaj podeszłam do niej totalnie obojętnie.
Podsumowując, tom ważny, ciekawy, ale mimo wszystko wiało momentami nudą. Dodam także, że to chyba najdłuższy tom (a przynajmniej ze wszystkich, które zdążyłam przeczytać) i z największą ilością rysunków. Naprawdę, nie dość, że było 10 rozdziałów, więc każdy zawierał "okładkę", to jeszcze między tekstem gdzieś pojawiały się rysunki. W późniejszych i nawet we wcześniejszych aż tylu ich na pewno nie było...
Ogólnie nie mogę powiedzieć, że tom był zły, ale mimo wszystko to nie jest Durarara, jakiego pragnę. Zbiegi okoliczności, śmieszne akcje, powiązania, zaskakujące zwroty akcji, pościgi, zagadki itd. Ale ten tom BYŁ PO PROSTU NUDNY. Pamiętałam wydarzenia z anime i naprawdę oczekiwałam kilku scen. I tu naprawdę śmieszna rzecz, w anime dodali jedną scenę, którą kocham. Tak więc nie uświadczymy jej w light novelce. Poza tym konflikt między Żółtymi Szalikami a Dollarami został bardzo uszczuplony w LN (a raczej anime je rozwinęło). A więc za to dostaliśmy masę rozmyślań Kidy na temat tego co zrobił, robi i zrobi... Nuda. Na uwagę jeszcze zasługuje zakończenie... Kolejna scena, która w anime sprawiła, że się prawie posikałam ze śmiechu, a tutaj podeszłam do niej totalnie obojętnie.
Podsumowując, tom ważny, ciekawy, ale mimo wszystko wiało momentami nudą. Dodam także, że to chyba najdłuższy tom (a przynajmniej ze wszystkich, które zdążyłam przeczytać) i z największą ilością rysunków. Naprawdę, nie dość, że było 10 rozdziałów, więc każdy zawierał "okładkę", to jeszcze między tekstem gdzieś pojawiały się rysunki. W późniejszych i nawet we wcześniejszych aż tylu ich na pewno nie było...
September 28, 2020
With this the first arc is now completed!
What would happened if 3 best friend actually hiding secrets deep inside ? What if, those secrets is actually more intertwined in a bad way than what they think it is ?
As the closing as the first arc, this volume is packing a satisfying punch in the story. Izaya's involvement to create a gang war since volume 1 has finally bore fruit in this volume. Even though his motivation is a little bit screwed ( to prove a folklore, really ? ) he seem to be the type with chaos as his personal favorite.
Now that we have seen Mikado's past ( volume 1 ) and Anri's past ( volume 2 ), Masaomi's past has a darker feeling to it. At the same time, the best character growth is held by Masaomi as I believe, it is not easy to embrace your past and finally move on.
I wonder what will happen at the second arc now. What will Izaya do with his cunningness, what will happen between Masaomi, Mikado and Anri ( especially after I read the epilogue ) and more importantly, what will happen in Ikebukuro now.
What would happened if 3 best friend actually hiding secrets deep inside ? What if, those secrets is actually more intertwined in a bad way than what they think it is ?
As the closing as the first arc, this volume is packing a satisfying punch in the story. Izaya's involvement to create a gang war since volume 1 has finally bore fruit in this volume. Even though his motivation is a little bit screwed ( to prove a folklore, really ? ) he seem to be the type with chaos as his personal favorite.
Now that we have seen Mikado's past ( volume 1 ) and Anri's past ( volume 2 ), Masaomi's past has a darker feeling to it. At the same time, the best character growth is held by Masaomi as I believe, it is not easy to embrace your past and finally move on.
I wonder what will happen at the second arc now. What will Izaya do with his cunningness, what will happen between Masaomi, Mikado and Anri ( especially after I read the epilogue ) and more importantly, what will happen in Ikebukuro now.
June 2, 2022
I love this series so much and it's an nice, easy read. I'm going to be honest, I probably wouldn't like this series quite as much if there wasn't Izaya Orihara. I love him with all my heart and oh boy is he a wonderfully miserable person. This book is when all of the three main high school characters' secrets start to crash into each other and just like the previous two books, it's chaotic but a wonderful kind of chaotic. All around just fun to read and surprisingly insightful for a light novel. Of course, I have to end my review with a quote from the one and only Izaya. "'You can't escape it, no matter how hard you struggle. No matter where you go, the past will follow you. No matter how hard you try to forget, no matter if you die and let it all disappear, the past will always be right behind you, chasing you down.'"
Read
October 22, 2023Ryohgo Narita continua a exploração de sua versão esotérica de Ikebukuro. Neste volume, a história aborda uma série de esfaqueamentos na região e o aumento de tensões entre as gangues da área, incluindo o passado de Kida como líder de um desses grupos.
O terceiro volume não é tão frenético quanto os dois anteriores. A redução do ritmo é bem-vinda, mas, infelizmente, este volume não vai tão a fundo quanto poderia no conteúdo, apenas pincelando de leve nas consequências de uma gangue formada por menores de idade e na violência que decorre da arrogância juvenil de seus membros. Ainda assim, o jogo de desinformação (tanto o intencional quanto o acidental) mantém a história atraente, e Narita continua a construir uma tabuleiro que pouco a pouco cerca todas as peças e jogadores, sempre plantando sementes em potencial para situações de volumes futuros.
O terceiro volume não é tão frenético quanto os dois anteriores. A redução do ritmo é bem-vinda, mas, infelizmente, este volume não vai tão a fundo quanto poderia no conteúdo, apenas pincelando de leve nas consequências de uma gangue formada por menores de idade e na violência que decorre da arrogância juvenil de seus membros. Ainda assim, o jogo de desinformação (tanto o intencional quanto o acidental) mantém a história atraente, e Narita continua a construir uma tabuleiro que pouco a pouco cerca todas as peças e jogadores, sempre plantando sementes em potencial para situações de volumes futuros.
September 23, 2017
I'm not sure why, but I didn't enjoy this book as much as the second book in the series, although I did enjoy how the different characters' storylines literally crashed into each other by the end. As usual, an interesting plot twist near the end that made me reread (or at least re-skim) the book to catch all the nuances. This book takes Masaomi to a really dark place emotionally but adds great depth to his character, and Izaya is really shaping up into the villain I love to hate. His method of manipulation and extreme intelligence reminds me of Makishima Shogo from Psycho-Pass anime series, another one of my favorite villains. A fantastic ending to the book made this a good read, but the focus on Masaomi made this a little bit less interesting than the previous book.
July 5, 2017
"En résumé, c’est un troisième opus que j’ai carrément adoré, bien plus que le second. Ici, les révélations éclatent enfin, et pourraient mettre quelque peu à mal certaines amitiés. Nous avons toujours la quête de Celty pour retrouver sa tête, mais pour une fois, elle est assez secondaire. J’ai adoré la psychologie des personnages, qui est bien plus poussée que dans les tomes précédents. À présent, il me tarde de découvrir le tome 4, même si je sais que cet arc des gangs est terminé. Ça me rend encore plus curieuse pour la suite. Qu’est-ce que l’auteur nous réserve ?"
Chronique complète: http://lire-une-passion.weebly.com/fa...
Chronique complète: http://lire-une-passion.weebly.com/fa...
January 31, 2019
So the peaceful story surrounding the trio finally came to an end. This volume mark the ending of Durarara!! Season 1, and also close the curtain on Kida Masaomi. I don't suppose to see him any time in the future AS A MAJOR CHARACTER again. That is quite sad.
But ok, as Narita-sensei said, the next volumes focus hard on Celty, as she is supposed to be the main character of this series. And my lord Izaya doesn't seem to step down the game. Things are just getting a bit stirred up. Ikebukuro's tumultuous life are just rocking harder and more vividly. I'm looking forward to the upcoming volumes. Let's go!
But ok, as Narita-sensei said, the next volumes focus hard on Celty, as she is supposed to be the main character of this series. And my lord Izaya doesn't seem to step down the game. Things are just getting a bit stirred up. Ikebukuro's tumultuous life are just rocking harder and more vividly. I'm looking forward to the upcoming volumes. Let's go!
September 9, 2020
Με αυτό το βιβλίο, φαίνεται να τελειώνει η ιστορία των τριών πρωταγωνιστών των 2 τελευταίων βιβλίων. Τρεις φίλοι, τρία μεγάλα μυστικά που τους βαραίνουν, τρεις κρυφές ζωές που αρχίζουν να ξεδιπλωνονται με τις πράξεις τ��υ καθενός αλλά και των γύρω τους. Η κυρία πλοκή, με την μάχη των συμμοριών, δεν με τράβηξε τόσο όσο οι μικρές λεπτομέρειες που αποκαλυπτονται από την ζωή των δευτερεοντων χαρακτήρων του βιβλίου. Έχοντας ξεδιαλύνει σε ένα κύριο σημείο τις περιπέτειες των εφήβων, η προσοχή τώρα στρέφεται στην ζωή των ενηλίκων, ανθρώπων και μη, που ζουν στο Ikekuburo. Αναμένω την συνέχεια!!
June 23, 2017
If book 1 was about introducing Celty and Mikado, and 2 focused on Anri, this 3rd introduces Masaomi's background and the origin of the Yellow Scarves gang.
The amount of characters that actually take center stage is quite big, with a little part for just about everyone but Mikado (which sucks because I wanted to see him develop a bit).
The world building and storytelling is fabulous, translation feels natural and you just can't put it down. Can't recommend it enough!
The amount of characters that actually take center stage is quite big, with a little part for just about everyone but Mikado (which sucks because I wanted to see him develop a bit).
The world building and storytelling is fabulous, translation feels natural and you just can't put it down. Can't recommend it enough!
July 10, 2019
“You can't escape it, no matter how you struggle. No matter where you go, the past will follow you. No matter how hard you try to forget, no matter if you die and let it all disappear, the past will always be right behind you, chasing you down. Chasing, chasing, chasing, chasing... Do you know why? Because it's lonely. The past memories, and outcomes are all very lonely things. They want a companion.”
May 23, 2019
This marks the end of what I am already familiar with in the story. Beyond this point is Uncharted Territory. I enjoyed reading this version, getting insights on characters that we aren't privy to in the anime. And that, if nothing else, made venturing into the light novels worth it.
August 17, 2019
Durarara!! #3: 5 Stars
Knowing this storyline from the anime I anticipated it to be 5 stars and it delivered.
How could I not love this since Masaomi and Kadota are basically my favourite Characters.
♥ Cannot wait to continue on.
Knowing this storyline from the anime I anticipated it to be 5 stars and it delivered.
How could I not love this since Masaomi and Kadota are basically my favourite Characters.
♥ Cannot wait to continue on.
October 16, 2017
now we reach season two of the anime! ONTO BOOK FOUR!
August 26, 2018
Maravilloso como siempre (aunque me ha sorprendido que en tres tomos ya hayan cubierto la primera temporada??).
Celty, my queen: 我爱你。
Celty, my queen: 我爱你。
August 20, 2020
In my opinion this is my least favourite arc. Kida and saki are too fucking dramatic it's actually boring.
May 3, 2023
just watch the show
April 29, 2025
what does narita put in his light novels because dear GOD it's like drugs to me
August 17, 2016
(Warning: the summary given by the book is wrong. I think it must be a mix-up from the fourth book, because the characters it describes are wrong- this book has no pair of high school girls with consciences, no boy who's friend has a crush on him, etc.)
Ikebukuro- a place filled with mysteries. A place where three best friends each control a legion over a hundred strong who obey their every word- yet none of them know the truth about each other. Is there any way to stop the coming war?
"Gang warfare? I won't let it come to that."
-Mikado Ryuugamine
MIKADO RYUUGAMINE is just an ordinary high school boy- who happens to be the founder and leader of the Dollars, one of the most famous gangs in Ikebukuro. His biggest worry is how to find a way to confess to the girl he loves- but many of the dollars are convinced that the Yellow Scarves, who he doesn't really know much about, are behind the recent slashings, and he may not be able to prevent the coming war.
"How dare you suck me back in..."
-Masaomi Kida
MASAOMI KIDA is the "Shogun" of the Yellow Scarves- but abandoned it after the person he cared about most was grievously injured because of it. He would like nothing more than to forget about them, but after one of his best friends is injured by the mysterious slasher, he knows he's going to need their help to find the slasher's true identity- and if it really is these so-called "Dollars", he won't show them an ounce of mercy.
"I shouldn't bother hoping for a human life."
-Anri Sonohara
ANRI SONOHARA, "Mom" of the Saika slashers, might not know that her best friends are the leaders of rival gangs, she does know that the Dollars and the Yellow Scarves are on the brink of war, and that, whatever the Black Rider says, it is entirely her fault. She is navigating her own tricky feelings, but one thing is certain- she will do anything to stop this war, even if it means hurting the only people who trust her.
The Dollars. The Yellow Scarves. Saika. One of these groups is secretly betraying their leader- which one?
KYOUHEI KADOTA, ERIKA KARISAWA, and WALKER YUMASAKI might be members of the gang known as the Dollars, but it's much better than the gang they escaped from. When some one from their past comes looking for them, will they agree to help?
SHIZUO HEIWAJIMA has finally beat his demons- more or less. But certain members of the Yellow Scarves are out for revenge- if he isn't careful, they just might kill him.
SIMON BREZHNEV is the super-strong, pacifistic, Afro-Russian sushi chef- but just who is he, and why is he here?
IZAYA ORIHARA is, of course, manipulating the war from the shadows with the help of his secretary, NAMIE YAGIRI- even if she is only helping him to distract herself from the romance between her brother, SEIJI YAGIRI, and MIKA HARIMA. Will his plot really succeed?
SAKI MIKAJIMA is a girl without a family, who lives in the hospital. She worships Izaya, but he isn't the one she truly loves. The boy she loves claims to not care about her anymore, but she knows he's wrong, and patiently waits for the day he will come to realize it.
CELTY STRULUSON, the Black Rider, is enjoying a rare bit of domestic peace with SHINRA KISHITANI, the one she loves, but she knows it can't last forever, especially when SHINGEN KISHITANI, Shinra's father, returns from overseas. What is he plotting?
A war is brewing- one that may be too powerful to prevent, and when the storm clears, one of the three friends will be gone- perhaps forever.
I feel like a broken record. Durarara!! has surpassed itself with this latest book. It was intriguing and a powerful read, and kept me turning pages until the surprising conclusion. I cannot reiterate enough: READ THIS SERIES. (Note: This is NOT the last book- however, this is the last book focusing on the Raira Academy trio.)
Ikebukuro- a place filled with mysteries. A place where three best friends each control a legion over a hundred strong who obey their every word- yet none of them know the truth about each other. Is there any way to stop the coming war?
"Gang warfare? I won't let it come to that."
-Mikado Ryuugamine
MIKADO RYUUGAMINE is just an ordinary high school boy- who happens to be the founder and leader of the Dollars, one of the most famous gangs in Ikebukuro. His biggest worry is how to find a way to confess to the girl he loves- but many of the dollars are convinced that the Yellow Scarves, who he doesn't really know much about, are behind the recent slashings, and he may not be able to prevent the coming war.
"How dare you suck me back in..."
-Masaomi Kida
MASAOMI KIDA is the "Shogun" of the Yellow Scarves- but abandoned it after the person he cared about most was grievously injured because of it. He would like nothing more than to forget about them, but after one of his best friends is injured by the mysterious slasher, he knows he's going to need their help to find the slasher's true identity- and if it really is these so-called "Dollars", he won't show them an ounce of mercy.
"I shouldn't bother hoping for a human life."
-Anri Sonohara
ANRI SONOHARA, "Mom" of the Saika slashers, might not know that her best friends are the leaders of rival gangs, she does know that the Dollars and the Yellow Scarves are on the brink of war, and that, whatever the Black Rider says, it is entirely her fault. She is navigating her own tricky feelings, but one thing is certain- she will do anything to stop this war, even if it means hurting the only people who trust her.
The Dollars. The Yellow Scarves. Saika. One of these groups is secretly betraying their leader- which one?
KYOUHEI KADOTA, ERIKA KARISAWA, and WALKER YUMASAKI might be members of the gang known as the Dollars, but it's much better than the gang they escaped from. When some one from their past comes looking for them, will they agree to help?
SHIZUO HEIWAJIMA has finally beat his demons- more or less. But certain members of the Yellow Scarves are out for revenge- if he isn't careful, they just might kill him.
SIMON BREZHNEV is the super-strong, pacifistic, Afro-Russian sushi chef- but just who is he, and why is he here?
IZAYA ORIHARA is, of course, manipulating the war from the shadows with the help of his secretary, NAMIE YAGIRI- even if she is only helping him to distract herself from the romance between her brother, SEIJI YAGIRI, and MIKA HARIMA. Will his plot really succeed?
SAKI MIKAJIMA is a girl without a family, who lives in the hospital. She worships Izaya, but he isn't the one she truly loves. The boy she loves claims to not care about her anymore, but she knows he's wrong, and patiently waits for the day he will come to realize it.
CELTY STRULUSON, the Black Rider, is enjoying a rare bit of domestic peace with SHINRA KISHITANI, the one she loves, but she knows it can't last forever, especially when SHINGEN KISHITANI, Shinra's father, returns from overseas. What is he plotting?
A war is brewing- one that may be too powerful to prevent, and when the storm clears, one of the three friends will be gone- perhaps forever.
I feel like a broken record. Durarara!! has surpassed itself with this latest book. It was intriguing and a powerful read, and kept me turning pages until the surprising conclusion. I cannot reiterate enough: READ THIS SERIES. (Note: This is NOT the last book- however, this is the last book focusing on the Raira Academy trio.)
August 26, 2019
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For some people, volume 3 will be the perfect end to the series. I say that because it perfectly ties up the stories of Masaomi Kida, Mikado Ryuugamine and Anri Sonohara. In fact this is where the original run of the anime ended and stayed ended for years. For people who view the three high schoolers as the protagonists of the series it's a perfect trilogy.
Which is why I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I felt I could have. I enjoy Masaomi's story line quite a bit, but Mikado and Anri have always done nothing but bore me and they get A LOT of page time in this novel. Mikado is, in my opinion, an extremely weakly written character and it seems like the author definitely wants to pull the story away from him which I think is a good thing.
Izaya and Celty do get some POV in this book and it absolutely saves it for me. I find them both so fascinating as characters and it explores venues that the anime really never got a chance to. I love learning this little details, even if some of them end up being insignificant to the story overall. Narita knows how to write fantastically realistic characters despite most of them having otherworldly powers.
I also think that the light novels, by virtue of being light novels, got away with a much darker tone and more graphic events. The gangs feel a lot more serious here than they did in the anime or manga in my opinion. Saki's abduction in particular is much scarier in the novel than the anime made it feel.
This book also ends in a huge action scene, and has a few good action scene scattered throughout. It's rare that action is written so well I can picture it vividly but I can definitely clearly see every fight here. Even the ones that differed fairly significantly from their manga counterparts.
I'm really excited to have the story of the three high schoolers tied up and to move them into having more of a background character status. I can't wait to read Volume 4 and see some of the more interesting characters get the focus they've always deserved.
For some people, volume 3 will be the perfect end to the series. I say that because it perfectly ties up the stories of Masaomi Kida, Mikado Ryuugamine and Anri Sonohara. In fact this is where the original run of the anime ended and stayed ended for years. For people who view the three high schoolers as the protagonists of the series it's a perfect trilogy.
Which is why I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I felt I could have. I enjoy Masaomi's story line quite a bit, but Mikado and Anri have always done nothing but bore me and they get A LOT of page time in this novel. Mikado is, in my opinion, an extremely weakly written character and it seems like the author definitely wants to pull the story away from him which I think is a good thing.
Izaya and Celty do get some POV in this book and it absolutely saves it for me. I find them both so fascinating as characters and it explores venues that the anime really never got a chance to. I love learning this little details, even if some of them end up being insignificant to the story overall. Narita knows how to write fantastically realistic characters despite most of them having otherworldly powers.
I also think that the light novels, by virtue of being light novels, got away with a much darker tone and more graphic events. The gangs feel a lot more serious here than they did in the anime or manga in my opinion. Saki's abduction in particular is much scarier in the novel than the anime made it feel.
This book also ends in a huge action scene, and has a few good action scene scattered throughout. It's rare that action is written so well I can picture it vividly but I can definitely clearly see every fight here. Even the ones that differed fairly significantly from their manga counterparts.
I'm really excited to have the story of the three high schoolers tied up and to move them into having more of a background character status. I can't wait to read Volume 4 and see some of the more interesting characters get the focus they've always deserved.
April 26, 2013
I really really love the Narita's plots and plot twists, and the way he makes everything come collide together. I loved the relationship development between Anri, Kida and Mikado, as certain facts about each other are revealed. It's pretty amusing to watch how the three of them are scared of how each other will react if their secret is let loose, because they think the others are not on "this side" of the society, and yet each of them is so deep in it.
September 2, 2016
"If he reached out, he might be able to grab the sky - anything he wanted might appear before his eyes if he wished for it."
Ah, if only Durarara would never end . . . so much to love about these characters, especially my Shizuo. It's not every man who can tear a roof from a car with a street sign. Sigh.
Ah, if only Durarara would never end . . . so much to love about these characters, especially my Shizuo. It's not every man who can tear a roof from a car with a street sign. Sigh.
April 11, 2013
I couldn't find the entire thing in english, If anyone knows, where it's completely translated, let me know.
May 2, 2016
Best book in the series so far.
February 3, 2017
Not quite as good as the first two Light Novels in the series, but still a solid read.
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