Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apple

It's a decent movie, as far as most anime movies I've seen that go alongside a series. Starting with what I considered good, the art and music were the best aspects (though nothing regarding the music stood out in particular). Well, that lasted long, now to talk about criticisms I have. I know I shouldn't write any SPOILERS, but I feel like talking about one thing because it was such a random thing. I'm not actually sure if this is a SPOILER since this thing comes out of nowhere and is ultimately inconsequential, but I'll just mention that it may be a SPOILER here anyway. So this thing... is a dragon. Yeah, it just sort of shows up randomly. No reasons, it's just there for a minute or so, then it's gone. Pretty weird. Anyway, stepping away from that spoiler(?) and into something else I probably shouldn't discuss in detail, the story content. It was kind of bad. I mean, not bad, just not good. The premise is interesting, though it kind of devolves into a battle royale-type thing with a Jungian twist. That's to say, the characters confront their "shadows" in as cliched a way as you can get with shounen. It could've been done in a more interesting way or to greater effect, but it wasn't so it's kind of meh. The reasons for it all, or the motives behind three particular characters that lead to this event, are also incomprehensible. It's even addressed in a meta kind of way at the end by another character, I believe they say something like they're "complex", though that doesn't really fix the issue that none of it really made sense. I'm not a fan of simply being told characters are complex or super intelligent, since more often than not it's a lazy cover for not displaying any complexity or intelligence. It's also kind of lame when stuff that absolutely has no way of being predicted happens and a character is like "Aha, just as I expected." To paraphrase a line from the show itself, the character and the writer are accomplices; in other words, the character isn't actually smart. Buuuut, overall it's a fine movie.

Let me preface this by saying that I hold Bungo Stray Dogs at a higher threshold than many other shows, as I have been pleasantly surprised by how well it was produced throughout seasons 1-2. That said, I'm reviewing this show based on both its overall comparison to other animes and its comparison to the previous episodes in season 1 and 2. Art~ As a whole, Bungo Stray Dogs has some of the best animation I've seen. The vibrantly colored scenery seemed to change in every shot, with such detail that must have taken far more time to animate than in almost any other show. The lighting, too, was immaculate; showcasing bright, saturated, warm colors and vibrant, chilling, cool tones. As an artist myself, I definitively appreciate how much the animation boosted my enjoyment of this movie. The animation to me is most certainly one of Bsd's strongest features. I could ramble more about this topic, but since this is a review for a movie I'll end it here. (Though I'll touch on these points in more depth for my review of the anime or season 3.) Sound~ I think that the audio quality was around the same level as those of season 1 or 2. I don't remember any exact tunes distinct to the movie, but I was not particularly unsatisfied and the audio definitively boosted my enjoyment and engagement of the movie. The sound was up to the standard that I'd hold those of a production like BSD. Characters~ I did find some of the characters' actions to be conflicting. Comparing to his usual self, Atsushi acted quite immature during the crisis in Dead Apple while Kyoka remained calm and collected. I might add that Atsushi was, in fact, extremely annoying in the beginning. Later on after Atsushi toughened up for the "boss fight" he regained his composure and returned, more or less, to normal. Seeing Atsushi swing from a prolonged state of panic to one that radiated a hero-like confidence seemed out of character along with Kyoka's sudden swings of assassin mode and tearful happiness. (mild spoilers) What this movie did add to the story is Dazai's character development. We see more into his outstanding foresight as well as his strong desire to save his city. It's well done how the movie uses the repeated interactions between Dazai and Atsushi, in which it begins with Atsushi questioning whether or not Dazai was mourning at a grave at the beginning of the movie, and after Atsushi wins the battle in which he asks Dazai a question in the same manner. I believe the benefit of watching Dead Apple is that it introduces the new antagonist Fyodor. Watchers are provided with more information into Fyodor's background, though I don't find it absolutely necessary to know his background in order to enjoy season 3. Story ~ I like the idea set up with the antagonists which was decently creative. The initial confusion over which side Dazai was taking was also another point that was done well. Some things that I think could've been done better include: more background for the antagonists, a clearer explanation for some of their motives, and a slight reorganization of the pacing as I felt that the exposition and climax was un-proportional. I found myself confused even after the story provided the villains' explanation for their actions. The abilities of the crystals and how the villains' abilities work also could've been clearer. (spoilers over) Summary/Enjoyment ~ Overall, I enjoyed the show for the obvious reasons that it had my favorite Bungo Stray Dogs characters, and that was a well-animated and action-packed. This review was rather harsh, but most of the points that I touched on were nitpicks and I believe that most people will find this film satisfactory. There are some details that I think could've been executed better, but it was a great additional movie for this already excellent show. Note~ Uhh so this is my first review that I've written. Hope it was somewhat helpful!

I really love this movie. I've rewatched it 3 times already and I find it as stunning as the first time. the visuals are beautiful and the sound really adds dimension to the narrative especially in the scenes involving Dazai and Fyodor. I love watching this movie for the poetic dialogue between the characters. The thought by the manga writer that went into writing these characters named after real people really gives another layer of beauty to the whole thing. The character interactions really build the story for you. The concepts considered make you think about the meaning of certain things in the world. The art and visual style bring the narrative to life. I will always enjoy this movie and it will hold a special place on my list as a masterpiece both cinematically and philosophically.

This movie is fantastic! I would honestly recommend watching this film before continuing the series (If you're watching on Chrunchyroll the movie is directly in between the second and third season which was super helpful for me). The premise is absolutely wild, and really lets the characters shine in terms of their skills. By the end it just keeps going off the walls and you might be a bit loss but it's fine because it's still such a fun watch. There is also some Phenomenal Dazai and Chuuya content if you're into that. It's fun, there's some really funny moments that always crack me up, the dub is better in my opinion because I like being able to figure out accents, and it's definitely worth your time.

Have to watch both the seasons of Bungou Stray Dogs before watching the movie. First of all This movie focuses on Atsushi, Kyoka, Akutagawa, Dazai and the two villains and of course Chuuya and Ango as major supporting characters. The animation is absolutely beautiful and I love how the scenes are shown. To see 3 genius fight against each other was splendid and we can also see how much Dazai is a good person(no matter what his past is) in a world full of crazy people doing bad and makes even Port Mafia feel like decent people in the end. (That was an experience after watching how dark Port Mafia is in Season 2) At first I was a little annoyed which how they showed Atsushi being basically the expression "Huh???" all the time but as the movie went on we kinda get what is going on Atsushi's head and why he is behaving the way he is (minor spoilers......... Love the dragon & tiger legend brought into the movie) All in all if you are a Bungou Stray Dogs fan then this movie is a must see!!! I love the Characters, the Story, the Villain entry in this who will probably be the Major Villain of Season 3 and am excited to see why Dazai said that they need Akutagawa and Atsushi to join forces to defeat this Guy with the Special Ability "Crime and Punishment".