I think what really stuck out with me on this episode a lot is the soundtrack.  Music is very important in capturing each scene and with a series that shifts between timelines, characters and situations rather quickly in a single 24 minute episode it really has to capitalize on its transitions.  Bacanno! composer Makoto Yoshimori established this with the first season by creating pieces around its wacky cast that defined the personalities of each person.  The russians have a somewhat russian-style accordion piece, Hijiribe Ruri’s introduction has the casual piano scores the original Durarara!! worked with so well making a return and I think its nice how there are these ramped quirky instrumentals with Kadota’s encounter with the thugs.

I really like how toned down this third episode was.  Even more exposition to an already well-designed Ikebukuro that adds in Ruri as a makeup artist, pop idol [whom we saw early on in the first season on a TV screen] and now a serial killer.  It’s about time we get some character introspection on a someone from the main cast.  Going through puberty and questioning her own existence.  Human or monster but what she discovers is that being a killer can be quite monstrous in itself.  There’s for obvious reasons parallels to Saika in that there’s a desire to kill and seeing her with actor Kasuka makes her personality fleshed out even further and to me: much more intriguing.  Their escape was a great way to intersect Shinra’s story.  Also I find it fascinating how obsessed she becomes with Celty after meeting her headless form.  Really grasping here are definitely strange occurrences in Ikebukuro but being different and monstrous might be a wonderful thing indeed.

Shinra stuck in Celty’s web is entangled in Ruri’s mess of killing a member of the Yakuza.  This episode manages to show off Kadota’s fighting skills and tie together the thugs messing with the Orihara sisters in a very satisfying conclusion.  Ryugamine and Anri unfortunately meet with what looks to be some thugs from the same gang that gave the sisters trouble.  The magazine article was a nice touch in really illustrating how small details can bring this large cast together!

OVERALL IMPRESSION: 7/10

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