デュラララ!! ×2

Durarara!! Light Novels #2

by Ryohgo Narita

Ikebukuro has a slashing problem.

Ikebukuro, Tokyo. A place where the clumsy and inept at love gather. A high school girl worried about her status. A third-rate magazine reporter covering the Ikebukuro beat. A teacher suspected of sexual harassment. A thug wearing a yellow bandanna, who is said to be the toughest around. A young man who deals in all manner of sensitive information. And a headless rider on a coal-black motorcycle. As these individuals and more are drawn into a whirl of unlucky incidents, Ikebukuro itself will begin to crumble...

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

360 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2005

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

[Sushi (寿司) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't wait to read the 3rd one. I have it but before I have to read DanMachi 4 and SAO 4.
I love so much Durarara!!!
Wow! Wow! Wow!

● I love as every story interlace with the other ones.
○ I love as the author tells/gives us some details and let us think about them. (Anri Sonohara) When we are sure about something he adds other details to the story. (Anri, Haruna, The Saikas and the death of Anri's parents) And again when we, maybe, believe to Haruna's words the author gives us the truth about why and how Anri's parents are dead. Completely the opposite of the beautiful Anri's dreams.
● I am happy Shizuo hit (that pile of crap, perverted) Nasujima. I hate Nasujima.

[Dani St-Onge · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

This is a weird place for me because this novel covered one of my least favourite arcs in the series. I was never interested in Anri as a character and a lot of the Saika arc focuses on her history and growth. However, we did get some excellent scenes with Shizuo, Izaya and Celty to round out those dull Anri passages.

I feel that as far as characters go, Anri and Mikado are really at the bottom of the batch. They're not very interesting and they feel almost edgy. They have no chemistry but there seems to be a pending romance between them. Every time it got to a part of the novel from Anri's POV I wanted to put the book down. She's extremely dull, despite everything the Saika arc does to try and spice her up. There are plenty of more interesting characters to focus on and it almost feels like Anri is stealing their page time.

While every character gets some page time this is a volume that primarily focuses on Anri and Shizuo. While I was bored to tears by Anri I loved Shizuo's development here. I do honestly think Shizuo is a character who teeters between hero and villain, I would never call him a good guy, but he's so intensely interesting especially when juxtaposed with Anri. It's nice to learn how a man becomes a monster with such terrible strength.

Compared to the anime and manga adaptations of this story I'm still finding that the original novels are holding up a little better. They definitely have more depth. Characters whose names I didn't even learn while watching the anime feel much more fully fleshed out and important in Narita's original novel work.

The translation is better than anything I hoped for, which isn't a high bar because I hadn't dared to hope that we'd get a translation at all. There are definitely some discrepancies that I think could have been handled better. I can't imagine why Shizuo's speech pattern was translated into a vaguely southern dialect. I certainly can't imagine him seriously saying "y'all".

I don't think this is the best quality that this series has to offer, but you definitely can't skip it if you want to continue the series into the good stuff. There's definitely some valuable character development and plot motion here. Also every character gets at least one amazing scene, so no one's favourites will be entirely left out. I'm really excited for the next novel and I anticipate enjoying it even more with the focus more on Masaomi and Izaya.

[Niquie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ryohgo Narita knows how to write, Durarara I honestly feel that this is one of the better written light novels series I’ve had the chance to read.

So thank you Ryohgo Narita, I appreciate you.

But back to Durarara!!, vol 2 takes place a year (?!) after the first book, and focuses on the characters Anri and Shizuo. Who turn out to be surprisingly similar.

This book is solid. I don’t know how else to describe it. The characters are interesting, the plot worked, and there was a decent amount of character and plot development.

There were two cases of 1st person pov, I got the first case, not sure why that other character got a 1st person pov but it didn’t distract from the book it just seemed kind of random.

To be honest I wasn’t sure about this series. Vol 1 was interesting, but I wasn’t invested in the characters and I wasn’t sure where the plot was going. I’m still not sure where the plot is going (besides war!), but I’m not as bothered about that as I was. Plus the characters grew on me. In fact I was surprised I recognized most of the reoccurring cast.

It’s funny, but Anri, Mikado, and Masaomi are more similar than even they realize, guess that’s why they get along so well even though they seem pretty different personality wise. Which just makes the misunderstanding at the end suck hard. I wonder if these three will still be friend when this series is over, or…

Final Thoughts: This is a good book, so I’m definitely going to read the next vol. I may not be excited by this series, but I feel like I can rely on it.

[LJF · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is anyone in this city not crazy?"
-Third-Rate Tabloid Writer

Ikebukuro hasn't changed much since last time. Still full of crazy people, crazier backstories, and even crazier adventures. But now, a Slasher is stalking the streets. Eye-witnesses claim to be attacked by a red-eyed man wielding a katana- but he doesn't kill anyone, just slashes them- why?
ANRI SONOHARA has a problem. Her best "friend", MIKA HARIMA, has abandoned her in favor of SEIJI YAGIRI, her new boyfriend. No big deal, she's got her two new, real friends, MIKADO RYUUGAMINE and MASAOMI KIDA (although at least one, if not both of them, is in love with her). The real problem is that she doesn't know where she stands- what is her purpose in life, she wonders, and after the tragic incident five years ago, will she ever be able to love again?
TAKASHI NASUJIMA is a teacher rumored to have harassed female students before, so when he comes sniffing around Anri, she goes searching for the only one who might know the truth about him- HARUNA NIEKAWA, a second year girl who supposedly left Raira Academy due to his harassment. Just who is Haruna, and why does Nasujima tremble at the very sound of her name?
A third-rate tabloid writer is charged with a mission- find out who the strongest person in Ikebukuro is, and write and article about them. Everyone has their own opinion: the Black Rider, SIMON the sushi chef, KADOTA, KARISAWA, and YUMASAKI- yet when he goes to each of them to ask if its true, they all say the same thing- the strongest man in Ikebukuro is, without a doubt, SHIZUO HEIWAJIMA. But Shizuo knows the truth- when it comes to true strength, he is, without a doubt, the weakest in Ikebukuro- perhaps the world.
Of course, IZAYA ORIHARA knows (almost) everything that is going on- and is manipulating it from behind the scenes. Even his new secretary, NAMIE YAGIRI, is shocked by his plans- just what kind of war is he planning?
SHINRA KISHITANI is happy- more or less. The one he loves, CELTY STURLUSON, the dullahan known as the Black Rider, has finally admitted her feelings for him. But Celty has real problems to worry about before dealing with a newfound romance- the slasher has attacked her, and since he didn't know she was headless, she can only assume he was really trying to kill her- why? Between Shinra, the slasher, and helping Shizuo, she has her hands full.
Perhaps most mysterious of all is SAIKA, someone who is posting obscure messages of the chat room frequented by SETTON, KANRA, and TAROU TANAKA. No matter how many times Kanra tries to block them, Saika keeps coming back- and the posts get more and more disturbing. From the posts, Saika gives every appearance of a girl deeply in love- but it's wrong, twisted somehow. Just who- or what- is Saika?
All these problems come to a head. Who are WALKER and ERIKA? What is Shizuo's secret? Can Anri ever move on? Why are so many kids around town wearing yellow scarves- could it really be the rebirth of the Yellow Scarves Gang? If so, what is the identity of the mysterious "Shogun" they keep talking about? And, perhaps most importantly, what is the connection between the slasher and Saika?

A great sequel to the amazing first book, DRRR!! x2 does not disappoint. This series doesn't miss a beat, seamlessly jumping back and forth from one thing to another. (One thing I really appreciated was that Yumasaki finally referenced a story I knew! (Yotsuba&!)) Ryohgo Narita keeps us on our toes, guessing until the very last page- can't wait for more Durarara!!!

[Rêveuse Eveillée · Rating 5 out of 5]

Après avoir eu un coup de coeur pour le premier tome de cette série, je n'avais qu'une seule envie : avoir au plus vite la suite entre les mains.

On retrouve les personnages du tome 1 alors qu'une nouvelle machination ce met en place : quelqu'un semble s'amuser en agressant la population d'Ikebukuro à l'aide d'un katana, mais personne ne sait qui est cette personne... Sans compter sur le fait que des choses vraiment étranges se passent sur le tchat, provenant d'une certaine "Saika".

Cette fois-ci, la parole est donnée à des personnages qui étaient peu présents dans le premier tome, par exemple Sonohara qui ne parvient pas à trouver sa place dans le monde suite à un tragique événement. On apprend aussi à connaître un peu mieux certains personnages, par exemple Heiwajima et sa force surhumaine.

Des indices, concernant ce qu'il se passe, sont semés dans chaque chapitre entre des événements plus surréalistes les uns que les autres. Ici aussi, on retrouve des passages complètement surréalistes et totalement loufoque. Je pense notamment à une certaine déclaration d'amour qui m'aura beaucoup fait rire !

Une fois encore, les personnages auront leur lot d'alliances et de trahisons en tous genres. ce qui me plait beaucoup dans cette série c'est que les relations entre les personnages évoluent constamment.

L'intrigue est très bien menée : on comprend vraiment tous les enjeux que vers la fin. De plus, tout devient plus intéressant et plus clair une fois qu'on a appris à distinguer les personnes qui parlent sur le tchat.

Le dernier chapitre permet aussi une ouverture vers une nouvelle aventure : j'espère qu'Izaya fera une plus grande apparition dans la suite ! Il n'apparaît que trop peu dans ce tome.

Vous l'aurez compris, une fois de plus j'ai été séduite par cette série décalée et surréaliste mais à l'intrigue tellement bien menée qu'il est impossible de lâcher le livre. J'ai vraiment hâte d'avoir la suite entre les mains !

[Blank · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been months since I read the first volume and yet here I am!

Reading this series after so long is a bit confusing. I kinda forget all the character names and the fact that this volume is using different characters perspective than the last installment didn't really help.

This volume is about Anri, Mikado's crush at Raira Academy and Shizuo along with Celty. And considering how the epilogue goes, I won't be surprised if we are gonna focusing on Masaomi at the next volume.

While this volume is a bit meh in my opinion, the fact that the grand scheme of things starts to unfurl before us is a sight to behold. I don't know whether Izaya is the one pulling all the strings or the strings itself is already a tangible mess and Izaya decided to ride along, nevertheless, the next volume will be interesting.

[Khushboo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best thing about reading the Durarara!! series is just how well written it is. The characters get their time to shine, the scene are described well sometimes so well that you can hear and smell amd taste everything that is being described. Even fear.
I loved how Shizuo's character was explored more in this volume. What makes a character amazing is not how they will be classified as if they were real people. What makes them amazing is how complex they were, how morally grey, how impactful, how well-thought out. All characters of Durarara!!, from the short-tempered Shizuo to the mostly meek Anri, are all brilliantly written complex characters. Not good, not bad. Just living. And that's what makes them so relateable despite living in a city where resides an actual urban legend, a demon blade and a guy with monstrous strength.

[Rolaka Pisarka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Przez wzgląd na pewne okoliczności udało mi się zdobyć tom 2 i 3 Durarary, których nie czytałam, choć jestem już na 10 tomie. I powiem jedno, to nie jest za dobry tom. Nie mogę powiedzieć, czytało się świetnie, ale kiedy w tomach od 4 niemal nie mogłam się oderwać od czytania, tak przy tym czasami nawet lekko przesypiałam. Dużo myśli, dużo wgłębiania się w psychikę bohaterów i przez to towarzysząca nam nuda. Naprawdę przez ponad połowę tomu niewiele się działo. No, coś tam było, ale sama struktura tomu nie przypominała tej z kolejnych części.
Mimo wszystko, warto przeczytać (ewentualnie obejrzeć 1 sezon anime, bo wiernie zekranizowali ten tom).

[Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

¡Primera novela del año terminada!

Es una pena que ya supiese lo que iba a pasar porque hay cosas como Anri siendo Saika o Masaomi siendo el líder de las bufandas amarillas(si se dice así, yellow scarves) que una vez que las ves por primera vez ya no dan tanta impresión. Por otra parte, al ser una novela te puedes meter en los pensamientos de los personajes y los llegas a conocer mucho mejor, ya que estos no se ven tan reflejados en el anime.

Como siempre: Celty la reina y Shizuo el rey (Izaya también lo piensa jsjsjs) y cuando tenga dinerosss para comprar la siguiente ahí estaré leyéndola.

[Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two big knots have been disentangled. Two shocking facts come to light. (Spoiler alert!). So exciting. Two of the trio are actually the ringleaders of the two powerful forces in Ikebukuro: Kida ringleads Yellow Scarves and Anri ringleads Saika Academy. Just as Izaya said, Ikebukuro is now split up into three gangs: Dollars, Yellow Scarves, and Saika Academy, and the most ironic truth of all is the heads of three gangs are highschoolers and best friends.
It is as if all this farce happens according to Izaya's grand script. Now as the curtain has risen, what will become of Ikebukuro and its folks? Can wait to read the next volume.

[A.M. Reynwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun and equally as wild sequel, putting more focus on some of the other characters that we didn't see much of in the first book. I've got a better handle on the style of formatting, too, there is heavy use of paragraph breaks and double spaces in order to emphasize the dramatic effect and so much more introspection with the characters than actual dialogue. It's an interesting form of storytelling, I think. And I won't say I wasn't happy to see more of a certain debt collector's bodyguard . . .

[shizukobooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love Narita's story and all complex characters. When I'm reading the book, I feel like I'm in Ikebukuro and I adore it. I was never a fan of Anri in the anime, because she was kinda boring and annoying, but reading this, I actually started to like her. And this was even better than the first book.
[SPOILER] It's always so hilarious when Mikado, Anri and Mikado are all like "i won't tell them who I am because I don't want to pull them into this" and every single one of them is saying that, so in the end they are all fighting each other, unaware

[Fuu]

O anime é bacana, mas estou achando os livros mais envolventes. Todos os personagens são mais críveis, e as situações absurdas são tratadas com o peso e reações que merecem.

O texto não tem grandes aspirações, mas por outro lado isso dá aos livros um ar despretensioso que é compatível com o misto de rotina mundana e fantasia urbana da série. O Narita consegue entreter, sempre oferecendo vários pontos de vista pitorescos de uma mesma situação. O segundo volume não foi tão forte quanto o primeiro, mas ainda assim é uma leitura satisfatória.

[Lyndsi Mckay · Rating 5 out of 5]

again better than the anime but I think its because its more described. shizuo and anti being the focal points was absolutely wonderful and seems that shizuo is my favorite character in the anime even before my precious izaya :p it was nice to see him fleshed out more as a character. onto book three.

[Lazar Ljubenović · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seemed a bit recycled from the first volume. Although the parallels were probably done on purpose, it kinda felt flat towards the end. Still, the mess in Ikebukuro that these characters create is as fun as ever. Over the top personalities are even more strongly expressed in this volume, and that, ironically, makes the bunch more believable.

[Despoina Thomaidou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Το διάβασα τη διάρκεια του περσινού καλοκαιριού και δεν μπόρεσα να το χαρώ ιδιαιτέρως καθώς η προσοχή μου δεν ήταν ολότελα πάνω σ αυτό. Πάντως, συνεχίζει την ωραία ιστορία του πρώτου βιβλίου, επικεντρωνοντας σε διαφορετικούς χαρακτήρες, όπως ο αγαπημένος τρελός Shizuo και η λιγότερο αγαπημένη 'αθώα' της παρέας Anri.

[Camy · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW seriously good book in this series! The twist near the end was great and like the other books in this series, it made me reread the book to catch all the nuances of what's going on. I liked the insight into Anri's character and personality, it really made me like her a lot.

[Sema · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 1 is utter shit compared to this one, I think this has the most entertaining arc, plus the chapters are longer and more detailed unlike the first volume which had very short chapters and that felt choppy and lacking to me personally.

[Ricardo Matos · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't go wrong with the Durarara!! novels! Simply amazing and rich in characters and story

[Lexa^ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[endeavoursofvic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Durarara!! Volume 2: 4.5 Stars

I AM OBSESSED (who is surprised? no one.)
I cannot wait to read Volume 3 aka my favourite Arc of the series (at least from all the ones they have aanimated so far)

[Kelvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars. Loved the highlights on Shizuo!

[Nikoletta (nikisjournal) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Light novelki są chyba dobre jedynie dla osób, które nie czytają zbyt wiele. Za prosty język - nie byłam w stanie tego ukończyć, mimo całej mojej miłości do anime...

[Aurora Dimitre · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

39 - 2024

[Daniel B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

seen the anime first, then reading the books have made these books an asome adventure.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

sometimes, a semi-sentient sword must reign chaos down upon a city

[Stronach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume spends its time focusing on two major characters introduced in the prior book.
Two characters who do not love other people: one who can't, out of a lack fundamental qualities of a human, and one who won't, because it always does more harm than good.
Two characters who are once inhuman and incredibly human: a demure girl in possession of (or, rather, possessed *by*) a cursed sword and the strongest man in Ikebukuro who is feared by all and loved by one.

Anri Sonohara was a pleasant surprise upon re-reading. I was so invested in the plot and so entertained by Shizuo on my first read through that I don't think I gave Anri the attention she deserved, but this re-read has given me a greater appreciation of her as a character. She, like Shizuo, is a person who wants to live a peaceful life but finds herself again and again unable to obtain it. Whether it's by the not-so-happy family she yearned for, by the secrets she must keep from her friends, or the pushiness of a teacher she doesn't know how to handle. She chooses to withdraw from her life. She chooses to close her heart to the world. And yet, despite that, she also chooses to be kind and thoughtful and considerate. She is a person who feels ill-equipped to care, yet chooses to try anyway.

Meanwhile, I've always liked Shizuo Hiewajima. At first it was simply the rule of cool, but after learning more about him, he became complex and empathetic. Shizuo's life was a hell of his own making. He was cursed with a strength beyond what his body could handle and a depth of rage beyond what his mind could reign in. I know what it's like for an emotion to appear suddenly and consume your mind so thoroughly. An emotion different from Shizuo's, perhaps, but it's not so different that he doesn't resonate with me viscerally:
- "Day after day, he broke down...he struggled and strained and strove but could not escape himself."
- "How did it turn out this way...did the cause come from nothing but me myself...if I'm the cause of all of this, then I hate myself most of all."
- "Understanding its ways did not give him any better control over it."
- "I can accept who I am now, right...I can like myself for what I am, right?"

Also in this volume are decapitations that are more irritating than deadly, old fashioned manga bullies, a journalist's hunt for an expose on the strongest person in Ikebukuro, a mystery about the identity of the slasher, attempted vehicular manslaughter, a school girl stalker (a different one), and a knock-down, drag-out beatdown of the ages.

[Patrick Bake · Rating 4 out of 5]

A direct sequel to Durarara!! Vol. 1, placed six months after the finale of the first book, and deals primarily with, if not directly, Anri Sonohara and her ordeals, either it be a perverse teacher, or a demon. Mikado's reveal to a select few at the end of the first book leaves matters in Ikebukuro a little awkward as tension between the Dollars and Yellow Scarves begin to flare as a string of slashings turn the normally cheerful city, paranoid and unsettled.

New to town is Shuji Niekawa, a writer for a third-bit tabloid, looking for the strongest man in Ikebukuro, tracks down both Celty, the "Black-Rider", and Shizuo, the "Number One Person Not To Fuck With".

Storylines converge in typical Durarara fashion that snowball within days to a full out state of emergency, at least for street gangs. The saviours being of course, the only reasonable people in the entire story. (Names withheld but come on you know who they are).

A great sequel that slows down for a breathe of fresh air from the tense first volume. A fan of the anime and light novel before will enjoy it immensely, and those who aren't a fan of Japanese storytelling will love the series for an interesting little gang story that it can also be.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the second volume of Durarara, I was a bit surprised that the whole thing came off as half coherent in the end. The style here is ultimately more important than the plot, and for me, that worked. It's fast, disjointed, and plays with typesetting and scene sqitches in order to convey the psychological states and personalities of the numerous characters, which is an interesting technique. In the end, I'm not sure all the strands quite came together, but I'd almost rather be massively entertained by a light novel that has problems because of ambition than read one that's well written, but adheres to a close formula.

If you've watched the anime or read the manga for this series, this book covers the Saika arc, which was my least favorite. It works better in text, as there's a pivotal character I was bored by on the show who is made more interesting by merit of her thoughts being on the page and, in the more chaotic novel, not such a strict object of focus. The story in and of itself isn't much different, but the way that it's told is different enough that this certainly isn't boring.