Durarara!! – Ep 12 – Being and Non-Being Mutually Exist

Posted on Apr 17 2010

Today I’d like to talk about love. It’s no great revelation that we’re bombarded with (often strange) messages about love and relationships every day. From movies to TV to songs to anime, there’s countless examples of how love “should” be. But love is a very personal thing and it may take different forms for different people in different situations – and that’s 100% okay.

Look, I’m not here to tell you what’s right. But there are some things that are just clearly, unequivocally wrong and I’d being doing you a disservice if I didn’t take this opportunity to point them out. Think of me as your hip, cool older sister who’s lived a little in her time and knows a few things and worries for your safety and happiness. OK?

We pick up right where we left off last episode: Seiji rushing Mikado with a knife. Selty steps in to prevent the little guy’s death, which also gives Seiji a nice segue to start blabbing about the power of lovvvvvve. Given what happens next this is absolutely HILARIOUS.

Basically, Selty’s like, “I’ll cut off your head to stop you from talking,” (I sympathize) and then The Girl steps in. BUT! WAIT! Apparently this is the first time Selty’s actually looked at the girl and she realizes it’s…not her head. Really, Selty? REALLY?

It’s thus revealed that it’s not just Mika Harima’s body, it’s Mika’s head too, with some plastic surgery upgrades to make her look like Selty. Also, this girl is even more nutso than we thought. Who knew? Actually, Namie did. And so did the Doc that’s all hot for Selty. WHOA PLOT TWIST.

And then Mikado steps in. Oh, Mikado. He tries so hard to look on the bright side. He tells them that they are screwed up and they deserve each other, but in a nicer way than that.

Young viewers, please note: this is not a healthy kind of “love.” If someone you “love” pulls this kind of crap on you, RUN. RUN AWAY.

Selty is a bit miffed at this revelation and heads home to confront the Doc. Instead of cowering in fear and begging for his sad little life, the Doc makes a speech about his reasoning for the deception (he’s loved her for 20 years, it’s Yagiri’s call not his, he thought she’d leave if she knew the truth). He looks her in her non-face and straight up tells her that he’s totally willing to manipulate her to keep her from running away. At this point I’m waiting for Selty to smash his face into the back of his neck…!

Instead she says he needn’t have worried, because she’d never leave him! What? WHAT?

She goes on to tell him that she has similar fears – as in, if she is reunited with her head, will she cease to exist in corporeal form? And also, if her head is destroyed will she disappear? She just wants some control over her own destiny!

Then she does punch him, but unfortunately it doesn’t send him flying out the window and to a bloody death in the street below.

Then HE PUNCHES HER and knocks off her head, but that’s fine because she’s CUTER THAT WAY. And he says it’s like THEIR MARRIAGE KISS. She punches him again and they topple to the couch together in a sexually suggestive way.

Am I the only one who finds this A LOT disturbing? I mean, come on. This is horrific. This is not romantic. I’ll say it again: THIS IS NOT ROMANTIC.

Young viewers – emphasis on young female viewers – “love” doesn’t involve punching. Ever.

SELTY PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL A HOTLINE! This guy is bad news!!

In the second half of the episode, Izaya randomly explains that “Dollars” comes from Japanese for “lazy,” and has nothing to do with money (and how does he know that, since Mikado made the gang up?). Then he wanders over to Mikado to lecture him on his silly human ambitions and desire for new experiences. “Keep evolving,” he tells him. “Just keep evolving.” Whatever, man.

Also, we learn Izaya is one of the three chatters. WHOA REVEAL…but not really.

Then Seiji tells Mika that he doesn’t love her, but he’s willing to let her love him until the head turns up again. Seriously, these people are all so messed up! I hope we get a therapy episode before the series ends…

Then the identity of the third chatter is revealed: Selty.

Then we have a scene where Selty rides around trying to convince us that she feels totally complete and fulfilled and doesn’t want for anything in her happy life. This is clearly a manifestation of Battered Woman Syndrome and I don’t buy it for a second.

Then Mikado decides to ask Sonohara to have lunch with him. But Kida is flirting with her! So Mikado beats him up! Sonohara says NO WAY to Kida and YES PLEASE to Mikado! OMG IT’S ONLY BEEN A MINUTE BUT THEY ARE SO TOTALLY IN LOVE!

Gag. Ick. Barf. Gross. (But I guess this is pretty true to high school, right?)

As the episode ends, we get a little info about how Izaya sees himself fitting into the whole plot. He has the head (no big shocker there) and is hoping to use it as a means to get into the afterlife. See, he thinks dullahans like Selty are also valkyries, the female warrior angels that escort fallen Vikings to Heaven (Valhalla) in Norse mythology. Izaya wants eternal life, so he’s going to start a war and hope that Selty’s head wakes up to escort him off the battlefield and into Heaven – or Hell, but he’d prefer Heaven.

At first glance, the whole thing sounds a lot less evil than I expected him to be, but then again…we’re talking about going to war, so it won’t be all hugs and kisses either.

Or maybe Izaya will just hook up with Namie and add another ridiculously ill-suited, dysfunctional “romance” to the mix… Wouldn’t that be AWESOME.

Next Time: Suddenly and Precipitately
Pack your knives, we’re gonna have a rumble!

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Comments
  • EagleEyes April 17, 2010 at 7:44 PM

    My opinion on this show keeps changing. I CAN’T DECIDE T.T

  • toyNN April 21, 2010 at 3:03 PM

    *sigh* I was still hoping that Durarara would keep up with the interest of the initial eps. But as you’ve so eloquently and humorously written its deteriorated into an unpleasant bizarre-love soap opera that’s rather unimaginative. Plus the characters become rather unlikeable except for maybe Simon and Shizuo (who I wish would kick the crap out of Izaya). I wonder if this show’s ratings have kept up in Japan?

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