Durarara x2 Ten ~ Episode 23 [Face of the Dollars]

There were a number of things I considered naming this post. ‘Who hit Dotachin’, ‘How I learned I hated someone more then Namie’, ‘Mikado’s darkside’, but none of them felt as right as calling this Episode ‘Face of the Dollars’. Because when you come down to it, Kyohei’s hit and run, Shizuo’s arrest, Mikado’s attitude and maybe even Namie’s kidnapping all come down to this.
The Dollars are coming apart. I think Akabayashi said it best when he compared them to a city that is starting to smolder. How very interesting it is that he also called Izaya the arsonist.

Now let’s backtrack, last episode Kyohei or Dotachin was hit by a car. We really see the effects of that this episode, seeing all the people that showed up at the hospital to wish him well. Seeing how Togusa and Walker are both on the warpath, out to find who hit their friend and murder them. I’m not even speaking in a figurative sense either. When Walker shows up at the Yellow Scarves meeting. If he’d even suspected that one of them might of been responsible for what had happened, he would of set the entire room ablaze.

He’s not just their friend, or the one that takes care of them. He’s the one that keeps them grounded and keeps them sane. The only reason that Erica is at the hospital is so if Kyohei’s condition improves. She can call her friends immediately and keep them from becoming killers, even though at that moment, her only wish was to kill the person responsible herself.
In an earlier episode, Mikado calls Kyohei a model Dollar. Exactly the kind of person he wanted from the very beginning. Erica describes him as a guy who can’t ignore someone in need. The kind of ‘Nice Guy’ that’s rare even in anime and manga these days. Everyone in the series generally likes him and is friendly with him. So this is honestly a tragic moment.

Meanwhile, offscreen. Shizuo was arrested, for what? The episode didn’t say. If I had to venture a guess it would either be that he was framed by Izaya again for something he didn’t do OR he went on a rampage after what happened to Kyohei. With Kyohei in a coma and Shizuo arrested though, there is nobody to really be ‘The face of the Dollars’.
Well for the most part, Aoba calls in someone he thinks that can perfectly fill the spot. Someone famous, someone who has never hidden their involvement with the Dollars.

It’s Celty, the person he calls in is Celty. He wants her to be the new Face of the Dollars. As she goes and asks Mikado what his plans for the future of the Dollars are, they are interrupted by Akabayashi who has heard from Izaya who the leader of the Dollars is. Well this is going to be pretty interesting.

Lastly, the final title I considered for this episode. ‘How I learned I hated someone more then Namie.’ is when she is walking and is kidnapped by Yodogiri Jinnai’s secretary. I came to the realization that…I hate him more then I hate her. How did I come to this? Because for all of a split second, I felt protective of her. The only one allowed to abuse her is Izaya!
Well Izaya, Mikado, Mika, Seiji….ANYONE BUT YODOGIRI. If she died getting stabbed by Saika? I’d have a party, if Izaya killed her? I’d have a year long party. I hate this guy so much though and he’s not allowed to kidnap her or hurt her!

Let’s see, is there much else too say about this episode? It did a good job of reminding who I loved, who I hated, who I worry about like their my baby. That’s just one of the beautiful things about this show, each character leaves such a distinct impression on you. Now let’s see if we can find out what Shizuo was arrested for, my bets on being framed by Izaya AGAIN.

~Midnight