Omg, the manga is so Celty centric, I love it. It's really odd to read the manga after watching the anime since I spent over half of it going, "And I know who YOU are and what YOU'RE doing and who YOU'RE screwing and blah blah blah". At least the manga still does a pretty good job of keeping the mysteries under wrap for the time being. Did I mention Celty? ♥ ( )

This manga was a bit confusing since they jump around to different character and have random stuff happen, and also use code words. I have the light novel on order so maybe that will clear it up. ( )

Mikado is a naive high school student who just moved to Ikebukuro hoping for adventure. His friend Kida shows him around and tells him about people to avoid. Mikado sees an urban legend, the possibly headless motorcyclist, and meets Izaya, a scary guy who had planned on shaking down a couple suicidal young women for money.

I'm kind of glad I saw a bit of the anime first, even though it's already apparent that the two differ. All the scene changes would have been much more jarring, otherwise. I at least knew in advance that the series flits between a large number of characters, each with their own larger-than-life stories.

At this point, all I can say is that Izaya is scary-crazy, Mikado is a naive idiot, and Celty is looking for her head and may or may not be in a relationship with Shinra, the doctor. There are a lot of characters to follow.

The art style seems a little odd – kind of skewed. Or maybe the proportions are odd? Anyway, it's nothing I can't get used to. Visually, I prefer the anime, though.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) ( )

This is an incredibly confusing read. The story switches between points of view with no warning, and I am still trying to figure out how the main character fits into it all. I am intrigued and may pick up the next one, however. ( )

This series dives into the dark (and only partly fictional) underbelly of the Ikebukuro area of Tokyo, from the perspectives of various characters. The unifying factor is a headless motorcyclist, who is apparently out looking for her head. Lots of references to Japanese popular culture and trends.