This post contains spoilers for "Bungo Stray Dogs."

Kafka Asagiri's "Bungo Stray Dogs" starts off with a note of pathos. An orphaned teenager named Atsushi keels over in hunger after being kicked out of his orphanage, lamenting that he can never belong. Just when these sentiments start to soar, though, the mood shifts as Atsushi accidentally saves an eccentric detective from drowning. This detective, Dazai Osamu (who made /Film's rundown of the strongest anime characters), acts as the conduit to an undiscovered world of special abilities and faction rivalries, exposing an invisible war being fought in the bustling city of Yokohama. However, Asagiri's evolving story about superpowered detectives and mafia bosses is not always about such deathly serious matters, as comedic levity is an integral part of a world plunged into chaos. This bittersweetness elevates "Bungo Stray Dogs" into an experience that one cannot get enough of.

The...