Bungou Stray Dogs - Episode 45 - 10 Second Anime

The Port Mafia rescues Kunikida's group. Atsushi, Kyouka, and Dazai find ways to defeat the true mastermind: Fyodor.

Episode 45 — "You, A Child of Sin; I, A Child of Sin"

Hmm.

Old foes become allies but still have separate agendas. That's a regular narrative device in crime dramas.

Dazai let the Military Police incarcerate him where he wanted, right next to Fyodor! That short-circuits the regular chase scene between the lead hero and villain. Now we can enjoy the masterminds teasing each other and how Bungou Stray Dogs reveals the mechanism behind Fyodor's Gift.

Heh.

Chuuya saved the Armed Detective Agency! Who made the trade with the Port Mafia? Ougai Mori expects payment, of course, from Fukuzawa. Oops. The fight isn't over yet. Suehiro's blade acts like a sniper rifle. Oh man, Kunikida sacrifices himself.

Woof. Kyouka and Atsushi hid in the ceiling for two days. The Armed Detective Agency faces the worst-case scenario. Evidence and public favor are against them now. Atsushi suspects Fyodor's control behind the Decay of Angel group. Like me, he wonders where Dazai is. Atsushi knows the next best person to help: Francis! His Eyes of God surveillance system is still active. Hah! Manhasset Security derives from the setting in The Great Gatsby. Already? Francis is under attack! By whom? Aw. Louisa May Alcott is still with F. Scott Fitzgerald. Is that Nathaniel Hawthorne? Is he still Fyodor's assassin in the Rats in the House of the Dead group? How is that old group affiliated with Decay of Angels?

So, let's hear what Mori wants from the Armed Detective Agency. Oh. Dazai let the Hunting Dogs arrest him and put him in the maximum-security prison for the Gifted. Ah. Francis knows where Fyodor is! He's in Meursault prison, where nobody can escape. But, somehow, he can communicate with his Decay of Angels comrades. Meursault is a character from Albert Camus's The Stranger. That guy was accused of murder by authorities due to his lack of remorse. Francis knows a lot. Oops. Guess where Dazai ended up! Right next to Fyodor! Let the mind games begin. Dazai is already communicating with Armed Detective agents. How? I'll smile when I find out.

Ango is still Dazai's man on the inside of the Military Police. Meanwhile, Fyodor and Dazai commence their comedy routine of a chess match. Dazai's "counseling" issues lack the same heft as Fyodor's. They give each other terrible advice and laugh about it. There's the question: how do you contact the outside world? Learning this would be the key to victory for both sides.

Francis has a price for Atsushi's request to find Mushitarou, who can erase evidence: save Margaret. Margaret Mitchell is in a coma, and Francis wants Akiko to heal her. Margaret can defeat Nathaniel, but her former partner has a twisted motivation to save her from the Guild. We still need to know how Fyodor's Crime and Punishment Gift works. Atsushi reluctantly accepts Francis's deal. The tiger boy doesn't want to heal a sick person just to face death trying to kill Nathaniel. But he also can't leave a person to suffer. Kyouka likes that about him.

For the Port Mafia, the price is Akiko back to working with Dr. Mori. The Port Mafia leader lied about Fukuzawa's condition not to include her in a member switch. We should not be surprised. Francis sent Atsushi to the Port Mafia safehouse, but there's a catch: the Hunting Dogs might have insinuated themselves into Francis's organization. It's time to be cautious!