Title: Bungo Stray Dogs Vol. 20
Author: Kafka Asagiri (Story), Sango Harukawa (Art)
Publisher: Yen Press
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 192
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action
Publication Date: July 13, 2021
The Story
The story part of this isn’t going to take long to explain as the majority of the volume is a battle between Fukuchi against Atsushi and Akutagawa. While the battle is as fierce as they come, it has a bit of a surprise ending. I will say that Fukuchi is on a level that I haven’t seen in a villain in quite some time. I know all super-powerful villains have a weakness that allows them to be defeated but Fukuchi seems almost impossible to defeat!
The twist at the end of the battle, though… it makes you wonder about one of the characters and how they will end up once this whole ordeal is over.
The fallout from this battle will carry on into the next volume! Sorry for being really vague but with 90% of the book being the battle itself and the last 10% spoiling the previous 90%, it doesn’t make for compelling discussion but I will say this is something that has to be witnessed to understand the gravity of this fight and its implications!
The Characters
The biggest development here is on Fukuchi. We learn about his abilities which are to enhance the power of anything he touches. Even a simple pebble possesses the power of a bullet fired from a gun when thrown by him. Hell, he even grabbed Atsushi’s wrist and sent Akutagawa flying by magnifying the power of the punch! However, he also possesses tremendous battle perception which causes nearly nothing to work against him.
Then, just when you have it figured out, Fukuchi pulls out his trump card and the battle seems practically unwinnable at that point. Hell, the battle was won until it actually wasn’t! Once you discover what that trump card is, you too will question just how anyone, let alone Atsushi and Akutagawa, even stand a chance of beating him!
We also learn something about Akutagawa that makes you understand why he’s so obsessed with gaining Dazai’s approval. It’s a bit of a somber piece of information and once you learn it, you get some kind of newfound respect for Akutagawa.
Final Thoughts
Despite the shortness of the explanation, this volume packed one hell of a punch! The action which resembled a one-sided chess game was thrilling, thought-provoking, entertaining, and heartbreaking all at the same time. Not many battles in manga and anime make you lose hope for the protagonists but this one did.
The aftermath is certainly interesting and if the ADA didn’t have enough problems to worry about, we not have a new one to contend with. Then again, it’s all due to one of the great calamities from the Decay of Angel that we are introduced to! I’ll leave you to discover who that is!
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This item was provided for review by Yen Press
