FEATURE: Aniwords – Durarara!! and Unhidden Monsters

In its 50+ episode run, particularly in the twenty or so episode that have made up Durarara!! x2, Durarara!! has demonstrated a rather impressive ability to maintain a largely impregnable nature, both in terms of plot and character motivations. While the outlines of the character beats and story movements are at least accessible, plunging into the depths of why certain characters act certain ways or (heaven forbid) where the story is actually going, if anywhere, is a venture most watchers of the show will admit is challenging and perhaps even impossible. I'm no exception to this kind of general bafflement with the contortions of the show, having been fooled time and time again into thinking I'd finally seen where Durarara!!'s endgame lay. It's been frustrating, I'll admit, but one thing that I have noticed—particularly within the winding nonsense of x2—is that there do seem to be a few dualities and themes that have cropped up again and again, even as the plot has knotted and tangled itself beyond any sort of reasonable rationality.

Of these, the most prominent (and, I think, most relevant to what Durarara!! actually seems to be interested in musing on) are the dynamics between children and adults, the interplay between the human and the inhuman, and the tension between secrecy and openness.

In episode thirty of Durarara!! X2 The Third Arc, our dearly hated friend Izaya Orihara makes a short monologue about removing the "non-humans" from what he sees as his personal chessboard—Ikebukuro. Among these he counts Anri Sonohara (a host for the sentient sword Saika), Kasane Kujiragi (another Saika wielder), Celty Sturluson (a dullahan), and his long-time rival Shizuo Heiwajima. In doing so, he also specifically highlights the humanity of Mikado Ryuugamine (and, by association, Masomi Kida), drawing a clear line between his human loves and the "monsters" whose unique powers and capabilities place them largely outside of his ability to control.



But, of course, the distinctions that Izaya draws are largely arbitrary—as are those others impose on the weirder figures of Durarara!!. Shizuo is often referred to as a "monster," but we know he's really nothing more than a human with inhuman strength. He has friends, a job, feelings, and motivations. To call him a non-human on account of his physical power reveals a fascinating bias within Izaya's human-centric ideology and, in fact, calls into question the validity of compartmentalizing humans and "monsters" with clear certainty. Of course, as far as Izaya and Shizuo go, there's a lot of bad blood there, so perhaps Izaya's not the best source for objective opinions (as if his sociopathic tendencies weren't enough to clue you in on that already). But, alternately—why does Izaya despise Shizuo so much? Perhaps it's because of how radically Shizuo disrupts the easy distinctions Izaya wants to draw between the human and the not.

By way of contrast, let's take Mikado—who Izaya, at least, explicitly considers a human—as an example. Mikado since the ending of the original Durarara!! (and Kida's corresponding departure) has been one hell of a mess, wandering aimlessly about before beginning his association with Aoba in back in the first season of x2 and even more still after that. But thanks to Chikage's brutal dismissal of him at the end of that season and his worries over Anri and Kida, he's slowly grown into a someone dangerous despite his harmless exterior demeanor—enough so that even the city's yakuza, who generally turn a blind eye to the childish antics of the color gangs, have taken note of him. Although he comes from the other direction as Shizuo, Mikado likewise blurs the lines between the human and the monstrous—and I suspect we've yet to see how far down the path of darkness he's really gone.

Before moving on, I'd be lax to not note that this intersection of humanity and monstrosity is not simply limited to Shizuo and Mikado; it's in fact a dynamic present in many of Durarara!!'s other characters. From Celty's humane love for Shinra balanced against her mythical nature to Varona's merciless drive for power evaporating in the face of Shizuo's strangely normal side to Ruri Hijiribe's idol/serial killer personas, this duality exists throughout the show.



The child vs. adult theme doesn't exist separately from the human vs. monster theme, and its further tied up in the show's obsession with secrets. Although the first two ideas certainly aren't perfectly analogous (you can't say childhood=humanity and adulthood=monstrosity so easily), the moments where they line-up are plentiful. Consider Mikada and Shizuo in contrast again: where Mikado, the teenager, hides behind screens and manipulation to execute his own brand of inhumanity, Shizuo, the adult, lives his out in the open. For an even clearer example, consider Aoba and his brother Ran—the former again hides in the shadows, while the latter lives out his nasty, monstrous life in the open. Or, we have the difference between the yakuza (a vicious, confident, organized adult group) and the Dollars (anonymous, fractured, and childlike). The Dollars began as a fantasy for a naive Mikado, a way for him to access the monstrosity of the city without really engaging with it. Unfortunately for him, Ikebukuro is a monster—an uncontrollable, amporphous, dangerous mass—and so the only way to keep up with it is to become more like a monster himself. But Mikado's got friends, humans he cares about, so he can't allow Anri and Kida to see him taking this path. Thus, secrets.

Again and again throughout Durarara!!, secrecy is associated with childhood and transparency with adulthood. In the show's terms, the only real adults are the ones who have come to terms with the monsters within themselves and have learned to live with them. Consider Kasane Kujiragi as a foil to Anri on these terms. Kasane doesn't have Anri's qualms about using Saika; she conducts "business," as she terms it, with her blades. She lives openly with her own monstrosity. But does this make Kasane less (or more?) than human? I don't think so. Ditto Shizuo. Ditto Celty, and many other characters in Durarara!!. The human exists right alongside the monster.

One might come to the end of this and wonder if Durarara!! is, then, a show fundamentally pessimistic on the idea of humans. If all of us have secret monstrosity inside us that we either hide for better or worse, or live out openly, do the more human parts of us even have a chance? Or will we, like Celty, be consumed suddenly in a dark ball of instinctual rage? To that end, I suppose much relies on the ending of Durarara!! x2 and where Mikado, Kida, and Anri ultimately end up. Will Mikado pull the trigger? Will Kida be able to face up to the monster of his own insecurity to stop his friend? Will Anri overcome her worries to pull the two boys together? The outcome of this arc will tell us whether Durarara!! believes we can be humans despite our monstrous urges or if it thinks we will become monsters despite our human natures.

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Epitome of Eighteen Histories 7: Sonohara Anri Episode

Raira Academy. Career Guidance Room.
“Sonohara. You’re not furthering your education?”
A few months into her second year of high school.
In her first career guidance session in Raira Academy, Anri received this question from the teacher who was head of her year.
In the teacher’s hand was the survey form for her career aspirations, from Anri’s homeroom teacher.
“Yes… I’m thinking of working once I graduate high school.”
“I see… That’s a waste… With your results, the school could put forth recommendations to even the better-ranked universities.”
The teacher glanced at the staff-use laptop, where Anri’s results were displayed.
She had achieved perfect 10’s across the board several times since her first term in the school, and by that alone one could say she was a role model for excellence.
On first sight she appeared to be a reserved girl, but her performance in physical education was just as stellar, and apparently she had received many invitations to sports teams at one point.
However she regularly turned them down due to being busy with her student committee duties, and once it became known that she was living independently after the deaths of both parents and managing her own day-to-day needs, those who aggressively pressured her to join dwindled.
“Your grades, mm, I don’t mean to be blunt by putting it this way, but not anyone can get straight 10’s. The only imperfect grade you have is in home economics in Term 3 of Year 1… The cooking practical, huh.”
“Sorry, cooking simply isn’t my forte…”
“Ah, that’s perfectly fine. If you can even prepare food perfectly the other students would be in a real fix. Every human should have a flaw or two, really. It’s the school’s job to fill in those gaps, after all.”
With this, the year head asked Anri once more,
“But you’re really fine with going out to work? I won’t stop you if there’s something you have your eyes on doing, but if you’re worried about school fees, with your grades, an unconditional scholarship is an option, you know?”
At that suggestion, the model student in question—Sonohara Anri—shook her head apologetically.
“No… I think that chance should go to those who are studying with a future in mind, with proper reasons. I… don’t have that kind of dream, so…”
“Hmm. Speaking of which. Your first choice is to start working, but do you have any connections in the workforce?”
“I have a dream for the future, in the long run… But I haven’t considered how exactly to go about it…”
“In the long run? Do you mind talking about it?”
The teacher asked, to which Anri hesitated for a moment, before replying, truthfully,
“I want to buy back the shop my parents ran… and open the business again.”
“…”
At this point, the teacher recalled Anri’s circumstances.
The tragic circumstance by which a slasher had broken into the antique shop Sonohara Hall, and murdered both her parents.
“I see… The house you were born in, huh… In that case, I won’t interfere, but if you really wish to start a business, you could try a business college or a vocational school, too. With this kind of grades you have many choices, after all. Well, I won’t pressure you, but try to maintain your results.”
Anri listened attentively to the teacher, and nodded.
“Thank you very much. I’ll consider furthering my education as an option.”
On the way home from the career guidance session.
Walking alone on the road in the sunset, Anri reflected once more.
Her family home was filled with memories that were by no means all good and happy.
But even so—even so, she wished to return to it one day.
Occasionally she would visit to check on it, but it remained unsold, there as always.
Besides the grisly murders in its past, it was not a particularly advantageous spot for a business.
Its value had dropped, but it was not projected to fall further, and it was imaginable that with a few more years it could be bought over by someone else.
—I have to start saving up, at least…
With that in mind, her mind was set on one thing.
—Time to work.

♂♀

A few weeks later. Wedding ceremony.
‘A round of applause for the bride and the groom!’
Sonohara Anri was at a particular wedding ceremony.
Naturally, she was not the one getting married.
The part-time job she had chosen to take up was that of a fake guest at weddings and such events. It was a job that involved acting as a friend or relative at weddings in order to balance the number of guests on the bride’s and groom’s sides.
It was in a sense a job that existed to inflate numbers and enliven the atmosphere; however, high schoolers were occasionally accepted to act as children of distant relatives.
Anri had seen the recruitment advert and tried contacting the company, and after a simple interview had been accepted.
At first she had thought of taking up a part-time job like cashiering at a convenience store, but she had felt it unsuitable for one with poor social skills like herself, and had hesitated at worrying Mikado and her other acquaintances were they to find out. It was then that she had encountered this job.
Surely she wouldn’t encounter Mikado or any of her classmates at a wedding.
It might seem like a job that required socialising, but in truth, the scope was simply for an outsider who knew unacquainted with the other guests to act as a distant relative to attend the ceremony, give applause, dine, and go home. It was enough to be one among the crowd, and blend into the background.
This was how the interviewer had explained it, and Anri had accepted those terms thinking she might be up to it, if that were all.
She, a girl who had no family or friends in reality, could attend a memorable event, receive a meal, and even receive monetary reward for it.
The thought that this was a job suited to someone nicknamed a parasite, as she was, flashed across her mind, but there were others who took pride in this same occupation. Then she had thought that it would be disrespectful to group them alongside parasites or herself, and shaken her head.
And the truth did turn out to be less simple than that.
The crux of this job was one’s ability to act as a pseudo-friend or relative to spruce up the atmosphere. One of her seniors at the job had been assigned to be good friends with the groom.
But he spoke to the groom enthusiastically, raised his voice without being cued, explained to the groom’s family and authentic friends that they were fishing buddies, and even went so far as to assist the reception staff.
He took pictures with the groom and exchanged ‘nolstagic stories’ with the groom’s other friends, and even Anri, who knew the fact of the situation, was almost convinced he was a real friend.
—Amazing…
Anri was deeply shocked as she watched her senior at work.
—While here I am, not doing anything…
Now enlightened to the fact that this job was more than sitting in a chair and picking up whatever food was served, Anri began to feel the need to do something as well.
The firm that had employed her by no means expected so much from a first-timer, and had in fact assigned her the role of a distant relative’s child, which involved little contact with the groom, so as to ease her into being in the actual setting—but unaware of this, Anri began to flounder for something to do.
It was at this unfortunate timing that some of the bride’s guests approached with a video camera.
“Hello~, excuse me~. We’re making a commemorative video, are you a child of one of Tadashi-kun’s relatives~?”
A man and woman, seemingly friends of the bride, asked Anri this smilingly with a video camera.
Anri’s role as a child of a distant relative, with little contact, was known only to the groom and his family beforehand.
But the friends of the bride were completely in the dark. As a result, Anri, caught by surprise when she had already been growing flustered, froze.
“Uh, um… I…”
At this rate she would cause trouble for the groom.
With this thought, Anri immediately attempted to close her heart.
As usual, she tried to push the scenery before her eyes into a picture frame, to gaze at the situation as if it were none of her business and act calmly.
But for three reasons, she was unable to do that.
One was that she had been taken by surprise.
One was that Saika, deep inside her, was unusually excited in proclaiming its ‘Love’ due to the wedding ceremony, a consolidation of love.
One was that Anri herself—felt envy for the bonds of these people at the wedding.
These various factors stole Anri’s calm from her, and left her mind blank as a sheet.
“Uh… Um…”
Anri stuttered.
Just as she was thrown off by the fear that the ceremony could be ruined by her alone—
A woman beside Anri placed her hands on her shoulders, and leaning her cheek on Anri from behind, and said towards the camera,
“Hello~, I’m Kazane, and this girl is Anri-chan. We’re both second cousins of Tadashi-niisan, but she doesn’t take well to strangers, so with all of these relatives we’ve never met before she’s a little nervous!”
“Eh…”
“Isn’t that right, Anri-chan?”
The woman who had labeled herself ‘Kazane’ said this and winked.
At this, Anri remembered.
The woman was one of the colleagues who had come with her.
“Y, yeah…”
She managed to smile and nod, and congratulate the groom on camera alongside Kazane.
“That’s all~, thanks so much! I never knew Tadashi-san had such cute relatives.”
They probably had not had such strenuous demands of distant relatives. Without any show of surprise, the friends of the bride in charge of filming the event moved on to the next table.
“Are you alright? You looked nervous so I tried to play along; did I interfere too much?”
“No, it was a huge help… Thank you very much.”
Anri bowed her head, and Kazane returned with an invigorated smile.
“Your first time with this job?”
“Yes… Have you been doing this long, Kazane-san?”
Anri asked. Kazane shook her head.
“It’s only my second time, too. It’s for an article, so I’ll only be joining for a few more events.”
“An… article?”
“Yep, I’m something like a freelance writer. Right now I’m on an assignment for this magazine called Tokyo Warrior, to write about my firsthand experience with some unusual part-time jobs. Ah, I got permission before doing this, so no worries there. I’m not intending to publish your name either.”
“I see, thanks for the consideration.”
Anri and Kazane spoke in whispers so as to not disrupt the wedding.
“It’s nothing. I actually feel sort of bad, since it’s as though I’m taking advantage of you guys.”
“No, I don’t mind…”
After this exchange, Anri looked at Kazane a little enviously.
“You’re really incredible, Kazane-san.”
“No way, even as a freelancer I’m a newbie.”
“But I think it’s amazing to have something you want to do, and actually be able to fulfill that dream.”
“Do you have a dream for your own future, Anri-chan?”
Anri wavered for a moment at this question, before relaying the same answer she had given during the career guidance session.
At this, it was Kazane who half-shuttered her eyes in envy, as she said,
“I see, but isn’t that fine? I think reopening your parents’ shop is a good dream.”
“But I haven’t been able to sort out how I want to go about it exactly…”
“That’s how things are. Isn’t that alright? When it comes to family, I think it’s just right to be able to feel some kind of connection somehow, not too heavy, not too light. Whether the memories you have are good or not.”
Kazane smiled self-deprecatingly, and elaborated a small amount on her own situation to Anri:
“For me, my biological mother was married to someone else before she had me, and they had a son before divorcing… Which means I have an older half-brother with a different father. …Even though I haven’t spoken directly to him yet… of course I’m very curious… but I haven’t had the courage to approach him yet.”
“I see…”
“My brother seems to live in such an amazing world, and I find it intimidating to approach… I want to grow out of this cowardice and find out more about the world, you see. That’s why I chose to be a reporter.”
Kazane continued the conversation for some time afterwards, but it seemed she had taken a liking to Anri, as she smiled to Anri as one would to a friend of many years rather than a girl several years her junior.
“I get the feeling I’ll be meeting you again sometime, Anri-chan. Let’s get along when the time comes!”
“…Of course, please take care of me too.”
“Right, I’m planning to start a project to look into urban legends, so tell me if there’s an urban legend near you! If you know rumours about the Headless Rider, for instance.”
Anri’s eyes widened unthinkingly, but she managed to push down her surprise and smile back.
While she did so, Kazane heaved a small sigh of relief.
“But thank goodness today hasn’t had problems.”
“Today?”
“I’ve always been sort of a trouble magnet, I guess… I seldom encounter harm myself, but often I’ve had fights break out in front of me, or people get severely injured… And there was a police crackdown on thieves who were stealing wedding gift money in the wedding before this, it was a mess. And things happen, like this one time some gang boss was challenged by someone from another school right in front of me*.”
(*Kadota’s episode. Not yet translated.)

♂♀

The wedding had come to a break as the bride and groom had a change of clothes, and in a women’s toilet near the venue, Anri looked into the mirror, and thought to herself.
Kinomiya Kazane was a person worth respecting.
This was Anri’s genuine opinion.
—I wonder if I can be like her one day, too…
With that thought, she recalled their earlier conversation.
Jokes aside, the woman’s ‘trouble magnet’ status could well have come true again.
That was what Anri thought, as she opened the door to the cubicle in the far end of the restroom.
For in that cubicle stood a woman with bright red eyes, wielding a sharp weapon.
She was a woman Anri had encountered in the ladies’ by coincidence, apparently an ex-partner of Tadashi’s who had been stalking him.
Convinced that Tadashi was being deceived by his bride, she had brought a cleaver and bottles of acid into the venue so as to ruin the ceremony, and had attacked Anri who had witnessed her making her preparations.
Anri had at once slashed back at the woman using Saika, and hearing the announcement that the ceremony was soon to begin she had immediately used Saika’s control to keep the assaulter on hold in the restroom cubicle.
“Um… Please stop doing dangerous things from now on, and look for another person you can click with. And if you’ve done other bad things before this, please turn yourself in to the police.”
“Yes… Mother.”
The woman nodded with glazed-over eyes and disposed of her cleaver in the trash bin of the restroom.
While unable to know how effective Saika’s control was over the woman, this was the most Anri could do.
—What is there that only I can do?
As she sheathed Saika back into her hand, Anri contemplated the matter seriously.
—I wonder if I can build a family one day, too…
She thought this having returned to the wedding’s venue, at the sight of the bride and the groom who were now in fresh outfits.
She imagined herself in a bridal gown, and, when she thought of the face of the man that was the groom—
“…!”
Realising what she had just visualised, her face flushed red, and she looked down.
As all this was happening, the actual bride and groom had begun to cut the cake.
Anri was smiling before she knew it, and she clapped kindly for the bride and groom.
As though giving her blessings for the happiness of the two strangers, and for their stable everyday life itself, that would serve as the foundation of that happiness.
As though she were just slightly envious.
And today, as well, she continued to be a parasite unto the world.
Until the day came that she could break free of her own shell, and take off into the sky.

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[Anime] Durarara x2 Ketsu – Episode 3

Episode 3 of Ketsu is a very dialogue heavy episode . It lacks any of the real action of the last few episodes and exists mostly to give us a better perspective on Mikado’s character. However, the dialogue between Mikado and Izaya isn’t the only conversation going on during the episode. Niekawa and Anri also spend a good amount of the episode just talking to one another. With very brief combat that is hardly worth mentioning.

The trouble with episodes like this is there isn’t a lot to say or really anything fun going on visually. I can say a few things that really interested me in this episode was Mikado asking Izaya to be on his side.

Rather bold Mikado.
Another part of the episode that was rather fascinating is when Kujiragi [Who’s name I am only now bothering to learn] steps into the ‘fight’ between Anri and Niekawa. She shows amazing control over her bit of Saika. She talks down to Anri about her control of the sword and their coexistence and then invites Neikawa and Anri too a cafe to talk in greater lengths about the sword.

Saika, just confuses me. There are way too many people wielding a part of her and it confuses the hell out of me.


The last part of the episode of any real intrigue is when Rokujo Chikage approaches Masaomi at the end of the episode and asks him a question. Which one he would rather. Having his gang taken over, or having it disbanded. This interest me because the last I knew, he didn’t have any beef at all with the Yellow scarves. So what is with this all of the sudden? What’s his motive in this?

In the preview for the next episode we see the two of them in a fist fight and I can only stop and wonder to myself ‘Why?’. Also, I’ve seen Chikage fight before on level with Dota-chin. I’m not entirely sure how much of a chance Masaomi will have against him unless he holds back.

Overall, this was one of the slower episodes of Ketsu so far. Not to say that it wasn’t important because I can’t say with any real confidence that any episode of Durarara isn’t important. There is always something going on that will drive along a later plot point or is developing a character. That’s the kind of episode this was.

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Anri Sonohara redraw 2015

Hey,

So it is already a few months ago that i have post something, But i haven't stopped drawing. This week i will post my last drawings of the past 2 months. This is a redraw of one of my draws that i have drawn 2 years ago.
Well i have inproved a bit. Not big time. but i have not draw very much the last 2 years in my opinion.

This is a fanart of Durarara!  Because the second season have started i have drawn this one.

greet,
bastiaandegoede

It is free for use as background on your pc.
If you want to use it for other stuff ask me please.

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‘Durarara!! X2’ English dub debuts next week

Anime publisher Aniplex of America, today announced that the English dub of its upcoming anime series, “Durarara!! X2," would be makings its streaming debut next Tuesday.

Based off of the light novel series from author Ryohgo Narita, the “Durarara!! X2” anime series is produced by Studio Shuka, which will be the animation studio’s first major project. The series began airing in Japan in January of this year, and this is the first time Aniplex of America has released an English dub for one of their series, while it is still being broadcast in Japan.

The “Durarara!! X2” English dub will debut on Tuesday Mar. 10, 2015, with new episodes being added every Tuesday. The series will be available via Hulu,Crunchyroll, and the Aniplex Channel.

The entire “Durarara!!” English cast will be returning to reprise their roles in “Durarara!! X2,” while also being joined by new cast members, including Viz Mignogna and Lex Lang. The full English and Japanese cast list for the series is available below. To learn more about the anime, you can visit the official site.

Celty Sturluson: Miyuki Sawashiro/Kari Wahlgren
Mikado Ryugamine: Toshiyuki Toyonaga/Darrel Guilbeau
Masaomi Kida: Mamoru Miyano/Bryce Papenbrook
Anri Sonohara: Kana Hanazawa/Michelle RuffIzaya
Orihara: Hiroshi Kamiya/Johnny Yong Bosch
Shizuo Heiwajima: Daisuke Ono/Crispin Freeman
Shinra Kishitani: Jun Fukuyama/Yuri Lowenthal
Kyohei Kadota: Yuichi Nakamura/Steve Blum
Walker Yumasaki: Yuki Kaji/Brian Beacock
Erika Karisawa: Ayahi Takagaki/Mela Lee
Saburo Togusa: Takuma Terashima/Spike Spencer
Kasuka Heiwajima: Daisuke Kishio/Vic Mignogna
Aoba Kuronuma: Hiro Shimono/Kyle McCarley
Kururi Orihara: Hisako Kanemoto/Bridget Hoffman
Mairu Orihara: Eri Kitamura/G.K. Bowes
Shingen Kishitani: Akio Otsuka/Doug Stone
Seiji Yagiri: Kazuma Horie/David Earnest
Namie Yagiri: Sanae Kobayashi/Bridget Hoffman
Saki Mikajima: Misato Fukuen/Cassandra Lee Morris
Tom Tanaka: Katsuyuki Konishi/Keith Silverstein
Haruya Shiki: Hochu Otsuka/Dan Woren
Kinnosuke Kuzuhara: Keiji Fujiwara/Christopher Smith
Simon Brezhnev: Takaya Kuroda/Patrick Seitz
Max Sandshelt: Masaya Onosaka/Doug Erholtz
Egor: Toshiyuki Morikawa/Lex Lang

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Celty Sturluson profiel

Celty Sturluson (セルティ ストゥルルソン, Seruti Sutoruruson), also known as "The Black Rider" of "The Headless Rider", is a Dullahan from Ireland who came to Japan looking for her stolen head. Her motorcycle is actually a horse in disguise, which she has named Shooter. She has no head and perceives via unknown sensors that are not located on the head. The physical strength she possesses is above human, though not quite on par with Shizuo Heiwajima and Simon Brezhnev. She is also capable of manipulating a shadow-like, durable substance to form objects ranging from gloves to chariots at her will. 

Celty lives with Shinra Kishitani and works as an underground transporter. She wears a helmet when she goes out and communicates via a PDA. She enjoys online chatting, televisie and DVDs. Her online screen name is "Setton." 

Characteristics 
In her early years, it is shown that Celty wore knights armor as she travelled the country side with her head resting on her lap. When she immigrated to japan, she updates her attire to match the times For most of the series, Celty is shown to wear an all black biker jumpsuit with black gloves and shoes. All of her clothing is made from a shadowy substance that materializes around her at her will. She also wears a yellow and blue helmet that vaguely resemble the shape of a cat's head. As far as physical features go, Celty isn't particularly imposing although she does have above average strength. Her head is also shown to have brown hair and green eyes the few times it is shown on screen. 

Celty's personality is, ironically, one of the most normal and down to earth compared to most of the other cast. Although she was fairly emotionless in her early life, she has since developed a much meer defined personality as she spent meer time with people. She is generally a confident and optimistic individual although she is not without her insecurities. Chief among these are her concerns about how people will react to her inhuman nature. In the start of the series, Celty tends to avoid most people as they usually react negatively upon realizing she has no head. However, she has recently begun opening up meer to people as she encounters others who are not only accepting of the supernatural (such as with Shizuo of Anri) but seem to revel in it (such as Mikado of Izaya). 

Aside from developing a meer human personality, she has also developed a few human interests. She is shown to enjoy watching films and playing videogames but has developed an odd phobia of aliens. Something that has been used for comic relief throughout the series. 

Reasoning of her mission: 
The reasoning behind her need to find her head is so much of her fear of death. Celty explains in thought that she wants to control the way she lives and ultimately dies. Without her head in her possession, that decision isn't hers to make, which causes her to fear the fact that she is no longer in control of her life. She is also seen explaining in Episode 4 that another reason she desires to reunite with her head is to restore her memories and figure out why she was there in the first place. 

Background: 
Celty is a dullahan, a creature from Celtic lore who guides souls to the afterlife. Not much is known about her early life. The earliest point in her history that is known is the dag she woke up to find her head was missing. She remembered her name, her abilities, and what she was but not much else. Celty sitll felt a faint connection to her head and used it to travel accross Ireland in pursuit of it. Eventually, her zoek required her to cross the sea to japan and so she stowed away on a ship imbound to the small Island nation. She is eventually discovered door a young Shinra Kishitani who promptly brought this to the attention of his father, Shingen. She changes her horse to a motorcycle. 


Celty and Shingen worked out a deal where he would keep Celty's secret while she would allow him to perform a full autopsy. Celty agreed and went through with the procedure but eventually passed out from the pain. Once she arrived in Japan, Celty would continue her zoek while acting as Shinra's caretaker when Shingen was away. As she continued to spend time around humans, it allowed her to devlop meer as a person and cause her to develop close bonds with unique citizens of the city. 

Relationships: 
Shinra Kishitani: 
Shinra first met Celty after spotting her hiding in the cargo hold of a ship he and his father were taking to Japan. At this point in time, What Shinra felt towards her was merely a sense of awe and wonder at such a mysterious creature. Shinra continued to remain interested in Celty as he grew up and this curiosity eventually evolved into love. Celty, on the otherhand, remained indifferent towards Shinra for most of his life and even seemed to find him detestable at times. However, as she spent meer time around humans and developed her emotions, she began to reciprocate Shinra's feelings. 

In episode 12, of at the end of Volume 1 of the Light Novels, Shinra displayed his desire to remain with Celty no matter what in that he intentionally kept the location of her head from her because he feared that if she reclaimed it, she would leave him. After all was zei and done, he allowed Celty to punch him after what he did to Mika Harima. Then he punches Celty's helmet off saying that she looks good even though she dosen't have a head. 

In Volumes 5 and 6 of the Light Novels, there were several sections called "The Lovey-Dovey Prattles of an Underground Doctor", which were obviously narrated door Shinra. As the titel implies, each and every one of them has Shinra rambling on about something and somehow stearing the subject over to his love of Celty. While he initially starts off talking to himself and even Celty about it, he begins to talk about his feelings towards people who toon up at his house such as Shizuo and Tom in Part 3, and even Shiki in Part 5. In Part 4, Shinra was writing a diary entry about imaginating Celty in many different types of outfits, inclusive of gunslinger outfits and even a sailor outfit. 

In a flashback in Volume 8, Shinra was shown to be protective over Celty to the point where he threatened Aoba, who was trying to befriend Celty, with his scalpel beause he sensed Aoba's ulterior motives. 

While not nearly as obsessive of single minded in her affection as Shinra is, Celty does genuinely love Shinra. While Shinra's energetic and often overbearing personality can wear her out at times, she also appears to find his cheerful disposition to be comforting as well. When the two finally admit their feelings for one another, Celty becomes less and less preoccupied with searching for her head and thinks meer and meer about her future with Shinra as Shown in volume 4 where, after getting paid for letting Emilia run experiments on her, she thought of buying him a new DVD player. In volume 9, while Shinra is recovering from his injuries inflicted door Kisuke, Celty expresses a thinly contained rage and a strong desire for revenge. It even gets to the point to where she contemplates killing Izaya when she briefly suspects him of being behind the assault. 
CONFLICT: 
In the beginning, the main conflict in their relationship was their opinions on Celty's head. While Celty wanted to locate her head, and door extension, her memories, at all costs, Shinra repeatedly attempts to disuade her from continuing her search, occasionally disregarding her feelings on the matter. This unsurprisingly caused a few sparks to fly between them and it reaches its peak after Celty realizes Shinra had kept her head's location from her the entire time. The two have since reconciled and, while Celty does still occasionally continue her search, she doesn't feel as much urgency as she did before. 

Currently, the only real bron of conflict between the two, as stated in the vorige section, is Shinra's over-obsessiveness towards her. However, considering that Celty has known Shinra since he was child, she developed a tolerance for this long before they even made their relationship official. 

Shingen Kishitani: 
Celty doesn't have a very favorable opinion of Shinra's father. It has likely been made even worse when it's revealed that Shingen was the one who actually stole Celty's head. Celty considers Shingen to be nothing meer than a creepy old man and doesn't like putting up with him meer than necessary. Likewise, Shingen considers Celty to be a monster as well as an idiot as shown when he objects to her and Shinra's plans to get married as well as when he taunts her when he accidentaly reveals he stole her head. 

Emilia Kishitani: 
Celty's relationship with Emilia is a lot meer positive than her relationship with Shingen. While she does get slightly annoyed with Emilia at times, it never gets to the point to where they start arguing like with Shingen. There is always a tinge of awkwardness whenever Celty also enjoys taking jobs from Emilia mostly due to the fact that she usually pays very well. 

Shizuo Heiwajima: 
Celty and Shizuo have been shown to get along very well throughout the series. This most likely due to both of them being incredibly abnormal compared to the average person. Shizuo and Celty would often be seen talking to each other in their spare time and would often confide in each other about their problems and give advice. Shizuo also seems to care about Celty a great deal as shown when he got fired up about how Celty was attacked door the slasher and didn't hesitate to kick down Izaya's door when it was implied that he was somehow behind it. 

Izaya Orihara: 
Celty doesn't appear to like Izaya in general. She prefers not to deal with him meer than is necessary which is a bit of a problem since many of Celty's jobs come from Izaya in the first place. She always suspects him of being involved with many of the major events that happen in the city and doesn't trust him at all. Izaya considers Celty to be one of many different pawns at his disposal. When he obtains Celty's head, he developes a theory that Dullahans from Celtic mythology are the same as Valkyries from Norse Mythilogy. Since Valkyries only appear in battlefields, Izaya wants to start an all out war in Ikebukuro in an attempt to awaken Celty's powers as a valkyrie and ascend into heaven, if it indeed exists. 

Mikado Ryuugamine: 
Celty considers Mikado to be a very close friend. This is mostly due to the fact that, even after he saw her true nature, he didn't treat her any differently than anyone else. She is willing to help Mikado at a moments notice and will not hesitate to jump in if things get dicey. However, she respects his position as the founder of the dollars and, if asked, she will refrain from helping if that is what Mikado wishes 

Anri Sonohara: 
Like Mikado, Celty considers Anri a very close friend. Anri would frequently ask Celty for advice with Saika as well as what she should do during some of the meer tense events during the series such as the gang war with the yellow scarves. In the light novel, after being attacked door Vorona, Celty offered to let Anri stay with her and Shinra until everything calmed down. In volume 2 of the light novels, Anri expresses a vague attraction to Celty, much to Mikado's surprise, but never brings it up again. 

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Manga with Asexual Characters

So I've been doing some digging to find some asexual manga or characters. Not all of them are canonly asexual, but they have shown signs of possibly being asexual.

One Piece by Oda Eiichiro

• Enter Monkey D. Luffy, a 17-year-old boy who defies the standard definition of a pirate. Rather than the popular persona of a wicked, hardened, toothless pirate who ransacks villages for fun, Luffy’s reason for being a pirate is one of pure wonder; the thought of an exciting adventure and meeting new and intriguing people, along with finding One Piece. Following in the footsteps of his childhood hero, Luffy and his crew travel across the Grand Line, experiencing crazy adventures, unveiling dark mysteries and battling strong enemies, all in order to reach One Piece. Luffy has no interest in men or women; his only love is the love for adventure.

​Self by Saku Yukizou [NSFW]

• Self follows the story of a man named Youichi. He has a regular sex life, however he is not at all interested in sex, finding it much like a chore. After picking up a book called "Masturbation" he becomes interested in the concepts that are in it and starts to "experiment" with them. NSFW because lots of sexual content. 

Black Cat by Yabuki Kentaro

• It's about the infamous former assassin Train, better known as Black Cat. After quitting he takes on jobs as a bounty hunter, until his past begins to catch up with him. This manga doesn't deal with anything sex-related, but the main character has shown signs of being asexual. He was always quick to say that his best friend (who is a female) is nothing more than a friend, and that he has no sexual desire for her or anyone else.

​Medaka Box by Nishio Ishin

• Medaka Kurokami is elected as Student Council President her first year of high school. Since she was just elected she was given all of the Student Council's responsibilities. Overwhelmed by all the work, she asks her childhood friend Hitoyoshi Zenkichi for help. This manga isn't really my cup of tea because I feel the characters are over-sexualized, but I've heard at one point in the manga the main character, Medaka, is shown to be openly asexual, not caring for relationships or sex. Her friends eventually accept her asexuality.

​Shuuseki Kairo no Himawari by Mihara Mitsukazu [NSFW]

• Specifically talking about the first short story in this series: Keep Those Condoms Away From Our Kids. A tale about kids that have completely lost their sexual desire. NSFW because of nudity and sex.

​Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun by Tsubaki Izumi

• Nozaki Umetarou a tall, handsome, and somewhat intimidating high school boy and the object of Sakura Chiyo's affection. However, after Chiyo confesses to Nozaki, he believes that she is just a fan of his popular shoujo manga. One misunderstanding leads to the next and before she knows it Chiyo ends up working for Nozaki and aids him in making monthly girls' romance manga. Even though Nozaki is the creator of such a popular romance manga, he has absolutely no experience with romance and has no attraction towards females or males.

Death Note by Obata Takeshi

• An overachieving 12th grader, Yagami Light is an aspiring young man who seems destined for success. Unfortunately, his daily habits bore his incredible intelligence--So when a strange black notebook falls from the heavens during his class, it isn't long before he takes it for himself. In his room, he finds, to his horror/fascination, that the Death Note is real, and owned by Ryuk, a Shinigami. Any person's name written in the Death Note will die in 40 seconds without fail. With this supposed gift of God, Light swears upon his grave that he will 'cleanse' the world of the evil and needless people that inhabit it, thus creating a utopia for all. Light has been shown countless times in the manga as manipulative and uncaring for people. He seems to be incapable of loving. The antagonist, L, may also be asexual, expressing a love of sweets more than people.

​Durarara!! by Narita Ryohgo

• Ryuugamine Mikado is a boy who seeks for the exciting life of the big city, who yearns for an irregular life; a hoodlum, a stalker denpa-girl, an informant, a champion fighter, a black-market doctor, and the Headless Rider astride a black motorcycle. But despite how different they are, all of these stories are interconnected by mysterious incidents going on in Ikebukuro: mysterious kidnappings, a pharmaceutical group supposedly performing human experiments, and the mysterious "colorless" gang known as the "Dollars." From then on, the existence of supernatural cases and a gang called the Yellow Turbans will rise to the surface, and Ikebukuro will pushed to the breaking point. One major character in particular stands out as possibly being asexual: Izaya Orihara. In the novel, Izaya states that he is not attracted to any individual.

​Beelzebub by Tamura Ryuuhei

• Oga Tatsumi is a first year in Ishiyama High, a school for delinquents. One day while resting by a river he sees a man drifting along the current. Oga pulls the man to shore, who then splits in two and reveals a baby boy. The child turns out to be the son of the demon king, and Oga was chosen to raise it with help from the baby's demon maid, Hilda. Oga has shown to possibly be asexual; he is shy and tends to avoid becoming involved with romance.

Kuroko no Basket by Fujimaki Tadatoshi

• Kuroko is a member of Japan's legendary middle school basketball team, "The Generation of Miracles," and, while nobody seems to know about him, the main five players of the team all admit that he is a better player. When he joins the high school basketball team, everyone is surprised to find out that he is small, weak, and easy to miss. What is the secret that makes him so strong, and how will he help his high school team? Kuroko has been shown to be indifferent to romance and sex or unaware of attempts when people try to swoon him, as it is seen whenever Satsuki Mamoi attempts to infatuate him.

​La Corda D'Oro by Kure Yuki

• Every few years, the prestigious Seiso Academy holds a prominent musical competition, and only the very best students at the Academy are allowed to participate. Though all are eligible to apply, only students from the music department actually make it to the competition. Hino Kahoko attends Seiso Academy, though she is in the regular department and knows nearly nothing of music. That is until one day, when she meets a curious little creature who introduces himself as a music fairy by the name of Lili. Lili gives the unwilling Kahoko a magical violin, a violin which anyone is capable of playing. That day, the names of the students who are to participate in the music competition are announced – and Kahoko's on the list! Suddenly Kahoko is thrown into a world of music, where every note counts, and where she must strive to be perfect. One character in particular stands out as possibly being demiromantic: Len Tsukimori. He shows no affection towards anyone until later on in the story, where he develops feelings for Kahoko only after they become very close.

That's all I have for now. I didn't want to mention the obvious Haruhi from Ouran Highschool Host Club and Lelouch from Code Geass, who can also debatably be called asexuals. Black Cat is kind of like those so I dunno, not many people mention it which is why I added it in. The same kind of goes for Medaka Box, however it's more suggested that Medaka is asexual than the other three. If you have any more manga, feel free to add them in! 

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