Bungo Stray Dogs Seasons 1 and 2 Released Monday

On Monday January 4, Manga Entertainment will release Seasons 1 and 2 of Bungo Stray Dogs in a single edition, on Blu-ray and DVD. It will carry both of the 12-part seasons, plus the OVA episode, for a total of 25 episodes.

The "battle action" story centers around a league of literary figures with supernatural powers. For example, in real life, Ryūnosuke Akutagawa wrote acclaimed stories that inspired Akira Kurosawa's Rashōmon film and the Aoi Bungaku Series anime's Jigoku Hen (Hell Screen) arc. In Bungo Stray Dogs, he has the power to transform and manipulate his cloak into a monster-like entity. Together, these writers solve mysteries as part of the "Armed Detective Agency."

The series mainly features Japanese authors such as Rampo Edogawa, Kenji Miyazawa, Osamu Dazai, Atsushi Nakajima, Doppo Kunikida, and Akiko Yoshino. It has also featured contemporary Japanese authors such as Yukito Ayatsuji (Another novel/manga/anime/live-action film, Tsukidate no Satsujin) and Natsuhiko Kyogoku (Requiem from the Darkness, Mōryō no Hako, Tōfu Kozō, Loups-Garous), as well as overseas authors such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Agatha Christie, and Dan Brown.

Takuya Igarashi and Yoji Enokido, the director and screenwriter team behind Ouran High School Host Club and Star Driver, is helming the anime at Studio BONES. Nobuhiro Arai (Chaika the Coffin Princess) is handling character design and serve as chief animation director alongside Hiroki Kanno (Blast of Tempest). Ryō Hirata is handling prop design and sub character design, while Fumihiro Katagai (Chaika the Coffin Princess) is in charge of gun design. Taku Iwasaki (Gatchaman Crowds, Black Butler) is composing the music and Kazuhiro Wakabayashi (Ghost in the Shell, Blue Exorcist) is serving as sound director at Glovision.