https://anilist.co/anime/141249/BungoStrayDogs4/ Its been more than 2 years since I first watched BSD along with Saiki K and its one of those Anime where I dont really look forward to new installments but Ill never get bored watching it telling its own stories with for different characters using its own gimmicks and just being an overall fun show. The Night is Real/The Day is a Dream 400https://i.ur.com/D7yKyBv.jpeg One of the best things about BSD is its back stories. Excluding S1 which was just a setup all seasons of BSD follows a backstory of a particular character with Dazai as a focal point. This season however takes a different approach and follows Fukuzawa partnering/parenting Rampo during their black white days and another backstory exploring Yosano in her innocent days Fuck Yeah Finally without Dazai. Rampos flashback scene really deserves some praise especially the color shift to portray the change in Rampos view regarding the world and its people which worked really really well. 400https://i.ur.com/uzd4JMW.jpeg And probably the most emotional moment of the season is seeing Akiko finding a place where shes needed and not for her ability. This episode really brought a tear to my eye and I was honestly waiting for a separate backstory for Akiko since S1. Glad to see her getting one. In my opinion these back stories are way better than whatever the main conflict is as it gives more depth to its ensemble cast its the best in its drama. A primary problem with having an ensemble cast is unable to give more characterization to every character ultimately their characters are basic traits and stereotypes. BSD takes its time to expand on its characters as in the quantity and quality so it excels at it. Recurring storyline These back stories and character backgrounds culminate into the main conflict of the series. Each season has its own conflict and the stakes only get bigger as the story progresses. S1 is about saving a single character S2 is about saving a city S3 is about saving Japan and S4 is about saving the entire world it ends on a cliffhanger. The plot structure is pretty similar however. Lets introduce a scenario where the ADA will get caught in a fucked up state. Lets bring Dazai every God damn time because hes a fan favorite but also remind people that the main character is actually Atsushi and not Dazai. This is basically what happened in the main conflict past 3 seasons. S4 however took a different approach where it left Dazai and Fyodor backstage as puppet masters while the story progressed the same but now with Rampo getting some spotlight. I hate to break this but at this point Atsushi is a really weak main character surrounded between characters who have more interesting stories to tell. Its kind of ironic that his conflict is about selfworth finding purpose despite being rejected yet hes the least among them all. He has however interesting moments when hes facing Akutagawa who constantly stands in his way. Their rivalry makes them interesting but sadly Aku got no show this season. He literally has 0 screen time if you exclude the appearance in the opening the OP is pretty lit btw. ED... I still think Lily is the best BSD ED. NoFace Monsters 400https://i.ur.com/kRFb6gF.jpeg Look. I know that corner cutting is a thing and Im completely fine with overworked employees doing that but these faceless monsters really haunt through the entire season. Theres at least one scene where two or more faceless characters talk to each other and the weird thing is they dont even have mouths drawn. Its a real turnoff. Its something I remember happening in previous seasons too but this season really outdid them all. A Small Analysis Excluding that the fight choreography is pretty good. Apparently its an animation style called the Kannada Stylehttps://animetudes.com/2021/03/06/thekanadastyleincontext/ where the power is visualized by air bursts at the point of impact and the pacing of an action scene is determined by the decreasing frames inbetween animation etc. Its an effective cost cutting technique and it works. The action is definitely pretty good for its short while. And there are some interesting uses of shot composition that add extra detailing in a few scenes. For instance 400https://i.ur.com/xidg9tV.jpeg This shot goes in contrast with a similar shot from the previous episode. In episode 1 Rampo wins the scene as he clearly deducts Fukuzawas profession and the background writing The Night is Real/The Day is a Dream with Fukuzawa facing The Day is a Dream part and Rampo facing The Night is Real part because Rampo saw through the reality that Fukuzawa wants to forget as a dream. Then in episode 2 they swap places because now Fukuzawa sees through Rampos dream/delusion and opens his eyes into reality. And the scene after that is God damn brilliant. And the music... The new OST which I cant find the name which consists of muffled voices adds a specifically suspenseful sensation into the scene it plays. The rest of the OST was alright but I was pleasantly surprised upon hearing Eye of the Tigerhttps://youtu.be/G89PbQmPnrM at the end as Dazai explains to Fyodor how wrong he characterized God to be. Miscellaneous Though I already highlighted I just love the small details the show adds. For instance Edgar Allan Poes ringtone is the cries of a Raven one of Poes famous poems. BSD characters are generally an encyclopedia if you want to find about classic literature authors and their best works. The Anime is really an homage to all the great people in literature history and you can certainly find someone you can get invested in in their works. I currently read a few of Edgar Allan Poes short stories poems reading Fyodor Dostoyevskys Crime Punishment read Usamarus manga adaptation of No Longer Humanhttps://anilist.co/manga/43290/NoLongerHuman/ and planning to read something by Yosano Akiko. Conclusion At the heart of all Bungou Stray Dogs is not about the overall story or mystery its not about the homosexual tension between hot dudes or its not about me mindlessly simping over a crazy doctor. Its about Kafka Asagiris appreciation to all the great authors writers through his imagined personifications of them in these characters. And a director who understands it. I dont think this is a great story but I still love these characters.