History Headscratchers / Durarara

[[folder:Damn You Muscle Memory]]

* When Celty rescued [[spoiler: Sonohara]] from Yellow Scarves, one of them throws an iron bar to them and [[spoiler: Anri cuts them in half, effectively revealing her status as the Slasher, causing much trouble]]. Why couldn't she just block it with her arm like she did few episodes ago? Did she really have to risk revealing her identity like that?
** In the novel, the narrative says that she did it without thinking. That is, by reflex.
** Oh, really? Summoning a blade is more instinctive than just blocking it with her arm?! Reflex does not work that way.
** Well, considering [[EmpathicWeapon what the sword in question is...]]
** Remember a few episodes back when she was attacked by a [[spoiler: fake host of Saika]]? She managed to block it with her arm, you know.
** Yeah, but consider this: as much as Anri says that she doesn't understand love, it's obvious that she has affection for various people, Celty being among them. Those times she blocked with her arm, Anri herself was the only one threatened, and she doesn't think she's worth anything, so her reaction was a sensible defense. When the bar is thrown at her and Celty, she registers it as an attack against someone she has a connection with, and she overcompensates.

[[folder:Avoiding Izaya]]

* Why do Kida and Mikado keep talking to Izaya at all? Don't they realize that asking and getting help from him pretty much equals drinking sea-water?
** As manipulative as Izaya is, he's still the most resourceful person to talk to. Come to think of it, I don't recall him lying to people face-to-face. What he does online doesn't count.
** It also kinda helps he's basically the Durarara equivalent to [[{{Slayers}} Xellos]]. True, he can be a backstabbing troll, but as long as you and he have a mutual gain to exploit by your association, he can be a very valuable ally, so much you go out your way to keep him as such, even knowing his ChronicBackstabbingDisorder tendencies.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Magenta's suicide attempt]]

* How could Magenta-chan lose a shoe when she jumped from the building? It's a leather boot! They're normally hard to remove and falling from that height isn't even pushing enough to lose an ankle-cut shoe.

[[/folder]]

[[/folder]]

*** Word of God says it's just a nonsense word that the author came up with it on the spot.
*** Just to clarify things a little: ''DRRR!!'' '''should''' be the proper romanized title, given that Narita decided the title the last minute after hearing someone flip through the pages of a book. Since symbols (letters) are made out of ''sounds'' in Japan, it would sound like デュラララ (lit. ''durarara''). In the west, however, it should be romanized as ''drr''[rrr]. It's even written as such in the second opening credits where all of the names are spelled in English. Durarara, however, is decidedly catchier and easier to say.

*** Yup, Izaya doesn't have that much authority outside of the city, since his information network is just limited to that one place. He's only god inside the city, and just a 'normal' person outside.

*** Well, considering [[EmpathicWeapon what the sword in question is...]]
*** Remember a few episodes back when she was attacked by a [[spoiler: fake host of Saika]]? She managed to block it with her arm, you know.
*** Yeah, but consider this: as much as Anri says that she doesn't understand love, it's obvious that she has affection for various people, Celty being among them. Those times she blocked with her arm, Anri herself was the only one threatened, and she doesn't think she's worth anything, so her reaction was a sensible defense. When the bar is thrown at her and Celty, she registers it as an attack against someone she has a connection with, and she overcompensates.

*** Actually, although the door wasn't open very far, he was quite obviously peeking in a bit through it. I do like the idea of her using text as a means to insert her thoughts into others' minds. Like a reverse [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Archive]].

*** Because he enjoys messing with Shizuo so much?

*** I think that's the point - the traffic cop in question is crazy devoted to his job and, as far as he's concerned, bringing in a repeat offender who keeps breaking the laws he's bound to uphold is worth the overkill.

* Why did Kida agree to work for Izaya? I suppose he needed some money desperately but still after everything Izaya had done to him and his girlfriend, shouldn’t he know better?

*** But this isn't even about him being a ButtMonkey. He's a part of the van gang, but doesn't appear in nearly as many scenes as the others, he doesn't do much compared to the others, and the worst instance is in the van gang's introduction in the video game where not only does he not speak, you only know he's there in the scene when they cut to an art still and show his ''back'' in the corner. At this point, I consider him nothing more than an AdvertisedExtra.
*** I just kind of figured he was there for some light-hearted humor. There's so much going on in this series, and what with [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters all the characters]] with heavy, mysterious, or dark pasts and presents, it's just nice to have someone whom you can't be suspicious or weary of.

* When rescuing Kazutuano (sp?), Togusa is outside of his van with Kazutuano, seeing if he's okay. When we cut to the van chasing the kidnappers, [i]Togusa is driving the van. How can he be driving when he wasn't in the driver's seat two seconds ago?[/i]

** Well, Mikado is from a small town and moved to the city for school, so they're not supposed to be around. Izaya and Shizuo are adults, so they don't need to interact with their parents much, and Izaya in particular seems dismissive of his. Kida's are the only ones that it would make sense to see (you'd think they'd wonder why their son dropped out of school and ran off with a girl).

* When rescuing Kazutuano (sp?), Togusa is outside of his van with Kazutuano, seeing if he's okay. When we cut to the van chasing the kidnappers, [i]Togusa is driving the van. How can he be driving when he wasn't in the driver's seat two seconds ago?[/i]

** In the anime when she rides down the building screaming everyone in the crowd can hear her and even comments about it.
Perhaps when she is feeling an emotion strong enough she can transmit her thoughts into words. It works with Shinra easily because both of them love each other very much.

*** Actually, although the door wasn't open very far, he was quite obviously peeking in a bit through it. I do like the idea of her using text as a means to insert her thoughts into others' minds. Like a reverse [[TheDresdenFiles Archive]].

* Izaya wants to start [[spoiler:Ragnarok]] so he can be taken away by a [[spoiler:Valkyrie]] so he won't have to fear [[spoiler:TheNothingnessAfterDeath.]] Ok, I'm no expert on [[spoiler:Norse mythology]], but going off memory, [[spoiler:Valkyrie only take brave souls who die in combat.]] Izaya is quite frankly a coward who is just good at hiding it. How does he expect to be taken off by a [[spoiler:Valkyrie?]]

** My understanding of the matter was that he basically pimped her. As in, passed her around for people to sleep with and kept the money. Could explain (a little) why she's so screwed up.

** It also kinda helps he's basically the Durarara equivalent to [[{{Slayers}} Xellos}}]]. True, he can be a backstabbing troll, but as long as you and he have a mutual gain to exploit by your association, he can be a very valuable ally, so much you go out your way to keep him as such, even knowing his ChronicBackstabbingDisorder tendencies.

** My understanding of the matter was that he basically pimped her. As in, passed her around for people to sleep with and kept the money. Could explain (a little) why she's so screwed up.
* Alright, I have a very minor nitpickery, but why does Mikado still refer to Anri by her family name despite being close friends for quite some time? Maybe it's not a really big deal since they might not be friends long enough as he was with Kida, but then he refers to Celty, whom he'd befriended for an even shorter period, and Shizuo, whom he'd never even talked to, by their first names. Why?

** My understanding of the matter was that he basically pimped her. As in, passed her around for people to sleep with and kept the money. Could explain (a little) why she's so screwed up.

* Not really a Just Bugs Me so much as a quick question: What exactly does the titles mean? Baccano is Italian fort "ruckus or commotion," so I assume this is something similar.

* So let me get this straight. Izaya's plan to cause [[spoiler: Ragnarok]] requires him to start a [[spoiler: gang-war around Celty's head]]. Am I the only one who thinks that it makes no goddamn sense whatsoever? I mean, why can't he just take it to some war-torn areas or something? If [[spoiler: Ragnarok]] occurs just because of some [[spoiler: gang=war]] I really don't understand why it didn't happen before.

** Oh, REALLY? I summoning a blade is more instinctive than just blocking it with her arm?! Reflex does not work that way.

**** Remember few epsides back when she was attacked by a [[spoiler: fake host of Saika]]? She managed to block it with her arm, you know.
**** Yeah, but consider this: as much as Anri says that she doesn't understand love, it's obvious that she has affection for various people, Celty being among them. Those times she blocked with her arm, Anri herself was the only one threatened, and she doesn't think she's worth anything, so her reaction was a sensible defense. When the bar is thrown at her and Celty, she registers it as an attack against someone she has a connection with, and she overcompensates.
* Why is Kida and Mikado keeps talking to Izaya at all? Don't they realize that asking and getting help from him pretty much equals drinking sea-water?

* Why are Erika and Walker under the [[spoiler: {{Those Two Bad Guys}}]]? As far as I'm concerned their [[spoiler: torture moves]] aren't even considered that of [[spoiler: bad guys because they mainly torture bad people.]]
** Cuz they're ThoseTwoGuys and Heroic Sociopaths. I'm changing it now, as well as fixing some of their spoilers.
* I'm kind of shocked that no one has brought this up yet, because I'm halfway through the series, and it is killing me. Celty cannot talk; this is made very clear, and is indeed an early plot point, and her communication, though we the audience can hear it, is through her blackberry, typed out. Again, a big deal is made of this. So why??? every once in a while, is it completely ignored?!? I've seen her "talk" at least twice without the blackberry anywhere near her, and at one point, she does make the effort to type out what she says, but Shinri's face is buried in the couch and he never looks at the screen, but he still responds. It's a cool aspect of the character, but why would they introduce that if they're just going to ignore it?!?!

* Why do people assume that the boy that Mikado helps at the very end of Durarara OVA 2 is [[spoiler: Aoba.]] He doesn't look anything like him in the novel and to top it all off [[spoiler: He already lives in Ikebukuro and wouldn't need anyone to show him around.]] Also [[spoiler: If it was Aoba, wouldn't he already know Mikado's name anyway since he's that type of person to get information on people he plans on using?]]

* It's probably something I missed or something the novels can explain better but how did the Saika infect anybody else after Anri's trauma?

** What do you mean maybe? She drives around at ludicrous speed with no lights on or engines sounds at night, from a traffic cops perspective she is a menace on the highway.
** Yeah. but she doesn't actually cause any damage except when they set the crazy cop who always causes accidents after her. It just seems like overkill.

* Okay, this tropers brother is really bothering her about Celtys helmet. Mainly, how it stays on. He's actually obsessing over this, now that I've shown him the first episode. Here's what he's wondering, does it stay on by some weird peg system, or with crazy anime magic? This troper has no clue why this matters so much to him, but still.

** Uh, he IS naturally a brunette, he painted it blonde.

** Well to be fair to be fair the entire "gang war" in the later half of the series was anime-only, as it never occurred in the novel. The anime was strange for it way it treated the Dollars, which the novel avoids calling a gang.
** I'm pretty sure it was in the novels (at least from spoilers I've read) and I don't see what's not to get about the gang thing. The Yellow Scarves are a pretty textbook teenage gang, except for there being little evidence of poverty in their background, and the third StoryArc is largely about this traditional sort of street gang getting into a conflict with the Internet based gang Dollars (which Mikado modeled after RealLife street gangs, even though [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything they were never meant to do much of anything]] besides spread rumors about themselves.

** I guess it's something of a hypnotic slash so anyone get cut with it falls asleep.

* This Troper has a kanji-related question--just how close is "I broke a plate" and "I've been kidnapped" in Japanese, in regards to Kazutano's text message?

* Why does it say that the [[spoiler: Orihara]] parents were neglectful? Due to NoExportForYou, this troper hasn't been able to read the entire series, but the fact that they're [[spoiler: traveling businessmen or something]] doesn't necessarily make them neglectful, unless I'm missing something. Of course, [[spoiler: Izaya said he came from a completely normal family]], so there's that too...though being [[spoiler: [[ConsummateLiar Izaya]]]] his ideas of normalcy might be a bit skewed.

* Why Izaya's school uniform, that can be seen in the seventh episode, differs so much from standard Raijin uniforms(those worn by Shizuo and Shinra)? Kadota also is seen wearing something similar but Izaya's attire looks more or less like a short black jacket and simple black trousers combined with longer red shirt.

* Why did Kida agree to work for Izaya? I suppose he needed some money desperately but still after everything Izaya had done to him and his girlfriend, shouldn’t he know any better?

** My understanding of the matter was that he basically pimped her. As in, passed her around for people to sleep with and kept the money. Could explain (a little) why she's so screwed up.
* Why was SuperlativeDubbing taken out of YMMV? Many, ''many'' fans appear to be very fond of the dub.
** Just put it back on. There are a few people that will hate the dub no matter what and will foolishly remove things even if it's true.

** Where was it mentioned that his parents were neglectful again? Though it just seemed that, aside from Anri's, Shinra's and Haruna's, parents are [[InvisibleParents barely mentioned at all]].

** It seemed that , aside from Anri's, Shinra's and Haruna's, parents are [[InvisibleParents barely mentioned at all]].

** Namie gives Izaya Celty's head for protection when Celty and [[Literature/{{Baccano}} Nebula]] start searching for it; that's actually their first face-to-face meeting. When Izaya starts going on about Valhalla, she realizes what a huge mistake she's made.

* Why was SuperlativeDubbing taken out of YMMV? Many, ''many'' fans appear to be very fond of the dub.

** My understanding of the matter was that he basically pimped her. As in, passed her around for people to sleep with and kept the money. Could explain (a little) why she's so screwed up.

** Ho rotto un piatto (I broke a plate) and sono stato rapito (I've been kidnapped).

* What exactly was the extent of Takashi and Haruna's relationship? Haruna when in AxeCrazy [[spoiler: Saika]] mode says something about selling / money and also mentions that Takashi got bored of her easily.... I'm not sure... although I assume sex was involved....

* Why does Saburo get left out in lverything? I'm starting to really feel bad for the guy.

* Why does Saburo get left out in everything? I'm starting to really feel bad for the guy.
** Well, someone needs to be a butt monkey...

** Namie gives Izaya Celty's head for protection when Celty and [[{{Baccano}} Nebula]] start searching for it; that's actually their first face-to-face meeting. When Izaya starts going on about Valhalla, she realizes what a huge mistake she's made.

** Well, someone needs to be a buttmonkey...