Durarara!! - Episode 8

It's an extremely rare day off for Celty and Shinra as we enter Durarara!!'s eighth episode, much to the excitement of the latter. For Celty herself however, a chance to kick back and relax doesn't hold much appeal as her thoughts continue to be consumed both with her missing head as well as the wider connotations of her past memories and present experiences.


In fact, the dual themes of memory and searching for things you have lost reverberate throughout this episode, be it via Anri's shoes (lost as the bullying against her at school continues) or Shizuo's inability to remember the purpose of a building that was recently demolished. This latter example was perhaps the most oddly poignant moment of this episode - A reminder of how easy it is to forget things which we deem unimportant without a second thought, yet how a single memory can prove to be so harrowing via either its loss or its refusal to vanish.

Once again, this instalment delighted in tying the threads between various characters and goings-on ever closer together, occasionally in rather ironic ways with Shinra visiting the establishment that most likely is involved in Celty's missing head in some way, while in turn linking the mysterious girl with the neckline scar to these goings-on in the process. Speaking of mystery, we once again get some further small hints as to Masaomi's "other side", as he suggests that he knows something about the source of Anri's bullying.

However, it's Celty that really grabs the spotlight here in numerous ways, as we finally get a bit more of a grasp on her personality and emotions via her own commentary on this episode's happening, be it a rather surprising revelation of her thoughts about Shinra, the fact that even she finds herself drawn away from worrying about her head when something in her present demands her full attention, or something even simpler such as her willingness to cook for Shinra on her day off. With this episode subtly laced with comedy and some other rather sweet moments, once again Durarara!! manages to excel at doing what it does best - Even when it tones down the blistering pace of city life we've seen in earlier episodes, it never fails to deliver when it comes to providing us with fascinating characters to watch and consider.