English Dub Review: Bungo Stray Dogs “The Strongest Man”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

In the aftermath of the Sky Casino’s fall, Kunikida is faced with a terrible choice. Ango, Atsushi, Lucy, and Kyouka dig deeper into the secrets hidden within Atsushi’s memories, and Ranpo proves his worth as the world’s greatest detective.

Our Take:

It didn’t take us too long to return to the vibrant and mysterious world of Bungo Stray Dogs via its fifth season. It’s a good thing, too, because the season four finale left us with a shocking cliffhanger that has us dying to know what happens next. The season five premiere answers that question, with Nikolai saving Sigma from falling to his death following the Sky Casino’s downfall. We also discover that Kunikida has survived the explosion but at the cost of his two hands. As for the Agency members, they assumed they left the mission empty-handed regarding their hopes to stop the Decay of Angels, but that’s not the case.

Even though they lost Sigma because of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Atsushi did receive information from Sigma’s ability regarding the identity of the last Fallen Angel. The final Angel is Kamui, who also possesses a page from the magic book The Decay of Angels used to frame the Agency. He also plots to kill every member of the agency. However, Kamui’s true identity happens to be Ranpo, who survived the police attack and rescued the agency members by rewriting Kamui’s plan. But that’s not the best part that played well in the Agency’s favor. Instead, it’s Ranpo using his detective skills to prove the Agency’s innocence during a press conference.

It’s no secret that season five is a continuation of the show’s previous season, and “The Strongest Man” knows it. So I wouldn’t recommend using this as your starting point for Bungo Stray Dogs. I made the same mistake with season four since I haven’t watched the previous seasons. However, I didn’t regret it as much as I thought I would because I enjoyed its thrilling concept, although I periodically find myself confused with specific plot points and characters.

It’s also unsurprising that this is another great start to the new season, with Ranpo getting the agency members off the most wanted list. Although, it would’ve been even better if this episode served as the season four finale instead of “Skyfall” to provide a satisfying end to the arc. That’s my only issue with “The Strongest Man”, as everything else is compelling enough to continue watching the fifth season. Of course, that could be because I am more experienced with the series now than in season four. Hopefully, this will continue in the remaining episodes.