Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 1

文豪ストレイドッグス [Bungō Stray Dogs] (Comic) #1

by Kafka Asagiri, Sango Harukawa (Artist)

Having been kicked out of the orphanage, a despairing young man by the name of Atsushi Nakajima rescues a strange man from a suicide attempt--Osamu Dazai. Turns out that Dazai is part of an armed-detective agency staffed by individuals whose supernatural powers take on a literary bent!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Mystery, Graphic Novels, Seinen, Comics, Young Adult

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 2, 2013

About the author

See 朝霧カフカ (Asagiri Kafka).
Japanese scenario writer and novelist.

Reviews

[persephone ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fact that almost every character is attempting suicide at one point and that it’s not even the main plot will never not be funny to me

[౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

the suicide attempts made this fun ifykwim

[Jokoloyo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this manga is exceptional: using real life authors as reference in manga's characters.

This manga is a fantasy superheroes manga with selling points in the name of the characters and their super powers. The characters are based on real-life authors, and the name of super powers are based on the authors' works.

But so far, at least for volume 1, the names are mostly cosmetics in my opinion. Only Dazai Osamu in manga that has suicide tendencies that seems resemblance real author's life. I wish there are much much more references to real life authors that influenced the story in manga. If that's the case, this could be one unique manga.

[juls · Rating 5 out of 5]

this ruined my life (10/10 would recommend)

[Mizuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only started reading Akutagawa Ryuunosuke's stuff seriously and got impressed by them after I started reading this series. (But I always like Edogawa Rampo, Edgar Allan Poe and H. P. Lovecraft's novels since childhood so they need no introduction!) 🤣

But I still can't get into Dazai Osamu's writing, I just don't get it! 🤣

[Edited@15/05/2024] Okay, finally I finished reading a short story by Dazai, The Girl Who Became a Fish (魚服記), with the help with a lot of awesome illustrations!!!

Still, the Dazai Osamu in Bungo Stray Dog is endlessly annoying yet amusing at the same time, giving everyone around him a lot of headaches, that amuses me. XD

The first volume, the first short story is interesting but the later short stories not so much, but it's something I can live with.....

And don't you ever get me started with all the giggling I have done for all these Bungō Stray Dogs fanfics (Edagawa Rampo/Edgar Allan Poe is a thing, mind you. 🤣)

PS: I also tried reading Nakajima Atsushi (the actual novelist)'s short stories once and they are quite...calming?

Updated at 02/01/2025:

(1) I just noticed that this earlier artwork looks slightly different from the latter one! Smile 😁

Longer review for vol. 1, written after I finished reading the Chinese translation: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Review for vol. 7: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Review for vol. 13: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Review for spinoff series Bungo Stray Dogs: BEAST, in which the MCs' roles are reversed, vol. 1: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Review for Bungo Stray Dogs: BEAST vol. 2 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Review Bungo Stray Dogs: BEAST vol. 3 for https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Review for spinoff series Bungo Stray Dogs: BEAST vol. 4: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Review for one of the light novels spinoff: Yukito Ayatsuji v.s Natsuhiko Kyogoku https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

On a happier note, the BSD spinoff in which everyone is chibi: Reviews for Bungo Stary Dogs WAN! vol. 1-4:

Review for vol. 1: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Review for vol. 2 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Review for vol. 3: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Review for vol. 4: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Review for Yumeno Kyūsaku's Hell in a Bottle
Review for Nakajima Atsushi's The Moon Over the Mountain (illustrated version).
Review for Dazai Osamu's The Girl Who Becames a Fish

[Mizuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review for the overall series:

This is a manga which takes place in an alternative version of Japan, in where gangsters with supernatural abilities roam the streets of the capitol; and the only a group who can stop them is the mysterious group known as the Armed Detectives, who also possess their own set of supernatural abilities.

At first the pace of the story is slow, and the plot is quite predicable, there's no difficulty to guess who 'the monster' really is, but once those Armed Detectives show up, things become more interesting: soon you will find out those Detectives are no other than actually existed famous novelists in the actual history of Japan.

Wow, the idea of turning novelists into magical crime fighters, is a greatly refreshing one!

Among them, there's one Armed Detective Dazai Osamu, his supernatural power is known as 'Human Failure', but in reality Osamu was a novelist who is not just famous for his masterpiece 'Human Failure', but also infamous for his few double suicide attempts with his different lovers. (He tried a few times before he finally offed himself with one of his lovers) It's obvious that we will see more of this fictional Armed Detective Dazai Osamu as the series develops further.

I will look forward for the next book.

PS: and don't you ever get me started with all the giggling I have done for all these Bungō Stray Dogs fanfics (Edagawa Rampo/Edgar Allan Poe is a thing, mind you. XD)

Review for vol. 6: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Review for vol. 7: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Review for vol. 9: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Review for vol. 13: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Review for vol. 16: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Review for spinoff series Bungo Stray Dogs: BEAST vol. 1: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Review for spinoff series Bungo Stray Dogs: BEAST vol. 4: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Review for one of the light novels spinoff: Yukito Ayatsuji v.s Natsuhiko Kyogoku https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Review for Nakajima Atsushi's The Moon Over the Mountain (illustrated version).
Review for Dazai Osamu's The Girl Who Becames a Fish
Review for Yumeno Kyūsaku's Hell in a Bottle

[richa ⋆.˚★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Using real life writers as manga characters is such a brilliant idea! Really had fun reading it, the anime is equally good.
The characters are drawn so hot <3

[25/04/23]: reread because I felt like it 😚

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I somehow completely missed that this series has supernatural/fantasy elements. I was going to watch the anime but I passed it up because I thought it was just drama/crime and that seemed kind of boring to me. This manga is great though. It's a very good blend of mystery and fantasy and it's also hilarious.

Yay, it's been a while since I found a manga series I like this much.

edit-Also, I'm apparently pretty slow. Reading the other reviews after I wrote mine I found out the characters are named after famous Japanese authors. The names sounded familiar but it didn't click with me and I've even read some of them before! This is terrible. I've failed my Japanese Lit teacher ...

*commits seppuku*

[The Artisan Geek]

18/7/20
I was initially introduced to Bungo Stray Dogs by it's fanbase that found me through my video review of No Longer Human. As someone who is a fan of classic Japanese literature this manga is right up my alley. It was great! The atmosphere throughout is well balanced and the story line grabbed my attention throughout.

You can find me on
Youtube | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Website | The Storygraph

[☆ Angel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too gay 👎

[ada ✮ · Rating 4 out of 5]

watched the first episode years ago but i was still an undeveloped fetus this is lowkey good now

[Sima ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this oh dear!!!! Months ago, I watched the show's first episode and never continued the rest. Then I decided to read the manga and it was so good. I hope I love the rest of the series because I'm so excited to see how the story goes on. I'm already in love with Dazai and how hilarious he is! I've been looking to meet a character like his again, so I'm excited about his storyline too.

[Igel :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the overall concept, but some things are throwing me of. Like the weird sibling relationship and the sucide jokes. I don't think sucide is something to make fun of all the time. It just isn't funny to me at all. But I really liked the characters so I think I might continue?

[kazzle dazzle · Rating 5 out of 5]

bsd isn’t good bc of its plot, it’s good bc of how amazingly written the characters are.
anyways the manga after season five of the anime ended feels like a fever dream.

[usagi ☆ミ · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS NEEDS TO GET LICENSED FOR ENGLISH TRANSLATION NOW.

Why?

FAMOUS JAPANESE AUTHORS WHO HAVE SUPERPOWERS, WHO ARE ALSO PART OF A DETECTIVE AGENCY.

Also, endless Osamu Dazai jokes:



You're welcome.

[nini ♥︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

☆﹒ 𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
—

♥︎ This whole series has my heart. If I could only read one manga series for the rest of my life it would be this. Every single character down to the villains is lovable. I love how it’s a really serious series that is clouded with comedy, because I am someone who loves to joke about dark things. The concept is so good, everything about this is amazing ugh I wanna re-read it just thinking about it.

[sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

who let the dogs out

[kat ♡ (keira knightley's wife) · Rating 5 out of 5]

ok damn cant believe i didnt get into this earlier

[sally ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"All we have is the right to waver like stray dogs who have hit rock bottom."

currently reading: chapter 89

a soft cinnamon roll main character, a morally ambiguous mentor character, fantasy elements, and literature references all in one series?

oh, how could I not fall in love?

[Greta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gay

[ana ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh to read bsd for the first time

[G_occasionally_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is so great (and the following volumes get even better).


May I interest you in:
🐅 Japanese manga (read right to left)
🐅 the quirkiest, deadliest, and niche supernatural abilities. Sometimes also the freakiest (John Steinbeck's The Grape of Wrath ability)
🐅 detective work
🐅 beautiful black-and-white illustrations
🐅 names and abilities based on real-life novelists and poets 🖤 (e.g., Osamu Dazai, one of the main characters, is named after the writer; his ability is called "No Longer Human," after the writer's book No Longer Human; and his goal is to commit double suicide with a beautiful woman -- too real? I say no)
🐅 Dazai 🖤

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

And finally! my first manga ever! 😍
At first, I was a little scared, cause I'm not used to comics and graphic novels and I thought it was going to be difficult, you know, keeping up with both the pictures and the dialogues, but it turned out to be completely fine.
The story had a good opening; funny characters, mysterious plot and fantasy elements. (all you need to create a captivating story)

Additional information:
Characters of this manga, are named after real authors and their abilities are authors' famous works, so you'll get to know more about Japanese literature! Asagiri is really a genius for this work of art!

[Elena Rodríguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

+3
“You fear death. You fear killings. Those yearn for death…are also yearned for by death before. ”

2/3 relectura de este manga que descubrí hace años hará por el 2016. Siempre me ocurre lo mismo que empiezo un manga inacabado, me pongo al día y por cuestiones achacadas a mi persona (vamos, que soy un desastre) me olvido y dejo que pasen los meses y con ellos los capítulos y cuando quiero retomarlos ocurren dos cosas: la primera, no sé en que capitulo me encontraba la última vez y la segunda, no me acuerdo de la mitad de cosas o detalles importantes. En fin, espero que esta sea la definitiva, aunque una parte de mí se ve releyéndolo por cuarta vez...

“This was the beginning. In this town full of bizarre happenings, the mysterious story of a detective company where strange people gather had begun. This was only a prelude to what lay ahead…”

He de admitir que esta obra la descubrí de casualidad en una época que intentaba ver animes. Me salió la sinopsis y me parecía interesante. La verdad es que en su momento me cautivó, más tarde me enteré que cada uno de los personajes está basado en un autor japonés del siglo pasado y las “habilidades” especiales que posee cada uno de ellos hacen referencia a su obra. Sinceramente con eso ya me ganaron.

“But you can’t kill me. ”

Asimismo, la idea del manga es buena, no lo voy a negar, aunque como siempre ocurre con estos mangas semilargos los primeros tomos no suelen ser los mejores, sino más bien tirando a flojillos. Sin embargo, ha estado bien y me he entretenido, sobretodo Dazai y excentricidades. A por el siguiente.

“Welcome to the armed detective company”.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviamente voy a seguir esta serie. ¡Es increíble! La acción, el suspenso, el dibujo, la historia, pero sobre todo: Los personajes. Como una bookworm me parece increíble que cada personaje este inspirado en un autor famoso y a partir de este momento declaro que empezaré una especie de Bungo Stray Dogs reading challenge, en el que estaré leyendo a cada escritor que se referencia.

Sumamente increíble.

[Nazanin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-reading because the recent chapters weren't really promising so far 🤡👍 ( the author keeps killing off characters. Status? pain.)

[Ella ✿ · Rating 3 out of 5]

behind on my yearly books, hoping I can binge mangas🤞

[Prince William Public Libraries · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is a bit of a weird one, but I absolutely adore it. It follows Atsushi Nakajima, a boy who’s been recently kicked out of the orphanage he’s lived in since he was child. Just when he feels as if he’s ready to give up and die of hunger, he sees a weird man floating down a river. After saving him, the man, Dazai Osamu, takes Atsushi under his wing and invites him to work at the armed-detective agency with him, where most of the staff have supernatural powers.

This is a great series for book nerds. All the characters are named after famous literary people and their powers are based on their works. Asagiri puts a lot of detail into each character so that their personality has some traits of the author and their works. I find the little details fascinating and it’s especially exciting when you run into authors you recognize. The story itself is also great. It’s the perfect mix of comedy and seriousness. There are so many characters to love and hate. It’s not a series for everyone, but it’s a great one if you can get into it!

- Julie A., Haymarket Gainesville Library Staff

Click here to find the book at Prince William Public Libraries.

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out more manga and graphic novel reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...

Atsushi Nakajima has just come to the city after being kicked out by his orphanage. He rescues the perpetual suicide attempter Dazai who recruits him into an armed-detective agency. They take on the mafia of the city!

So we meet Atsushi and learn about how he joins the armed-detective agency. I really liked how clueless he was about who he is and what he has been doing. The test they give him was also quite cute and a great way to meet the other detectives. Then in the end we get a major run-in with the biggest paranormal ability in the mafia! It was a good flow of plot even if the battles weren't major ones until the end.

Really though where the story shines in in the characters. I loved Dazai and his nullifying ability. That paired with his foresight and connect the dots skills and we have a great detective. The little mystery about his previous occupation was fun and kept me reading. I would like to know why he is pretending to try to kill himself because honestly when someone wants to commit suicide they are bound to succeed. The siblings were another favorite of mine, I loved the end where they defended one another!! Atsushi is a great way to get to know everyone and as he learns about the group's different abilities so do we. The president was also super cool looking!

I'm not a fan of the mafia. If I had known they were the major villain then I probably would have passed. I'm not even a fan of the mafia in shojo manga. Still all the abilities good and evil were very interesting and the match ups were quite compelling. Also some of the battles were hard to follow, even though this was drawn recently it felt like the battle art hearkened back to the early manga where some frames have to be really interpreted.

I did enjoy the Tokyo setting and that everyone runs around with supernatural abilities. I look forward to more world building in coming volumes. Many will find the suicide attempts humorous and the by play between the characters funny. It isn't quite to my taste but is not overwhelming in the story so I was fine with reading past it.

BOTTOM LINE: A compelling start to a supernatural battle manga.


______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my manga and graphic novel reviews in a special feature called Saturday Morning Cartoons...

[Shawna Finnigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

TW// suicide attempts, murder, incest

I’ve heard only good things about Bungo Stray Dogs and I’ve seen cosplays from the series frequently in the cosplay community, so I thought it was time to finally give this series a try. Unfortunately I had a lot of problems with it. I may continue with the anime at some point, but I will most likely not be continuing with the manga.

My biggest problem with this manga is Dazai, the fan favorite character. He was really annoying and unlikeable, but the biggest issue with him is his relationship with suicide. He fantasizes about suicide and attempts multiple times. His fantasies and attempts are written as if they’re jokes. However, as someone with a history of suicidal ideation and who knows people who’ve committed, I find these jokes to be really insensitive. Suicide should not be turned into jokes. I’m all for suicide representation and awareness in media, but not when it is presented in harmful or insensitive ways.

This manga also suffers from a massive incest problem. A lot of manga series have siblings with incest vibes, but it’s a little less common to find series like this one where a sister gropes her own brother.

None of the other characters really captured my attention and I found the story to be mostly bland. The premise would’ve definitely made for an interesting series, but the execution was very lackluster.