Durarara!! 23: yellow no more

The Yellow Scarves turn on Kida.

Episode 23 is the second to last installment of Durarara!! In it Masaomi Kida learns some painful lessons. A contract is put out on Kida’s life by Horoda, and Celty’s plan to defuse the situation by getting Anri and Mikado to talk it out is disrupted when an angry (and bloodied) Shizuo declares his intention to kill Masaomi Kida. Yes, Kida grows a spine, and at the worst possible moment.

Your permission to walk freely in Ikebukuro has been revoked by order of Horoda, the new general of the Yellow Scarves.

Kida is informed that he is out of the Yellow Scarves, and he and Mikado are now targets for a hit. This finally clarifies somethings for him, but far too late. When he can’t get a hold of people in the Yellow Scarves that he can trust, he decides to go to their headquarters alone.

Simon: "Killing... being killed, it's not good."

Simon sees him and recognizes the face of a man walking towards what he knows is likely his own death. Simon tries to talk Kida out of it. He seems to be more aware of what’s happening than any previous time we met him. He even asks straight out if Izaya has started something again. I’m really glad that Simon was given a little time in this episode. He is probably my favorite of the C-tier characters. Unlike Dotachin’s gang, who had the opportunity to step in and do something on occasion, Simon always seemed like a character who was patiently waiting for a chance to do something big, but rarely got the chance to do much more than deliver sushi.

No, Izaya, that doesn't make you look crazy at all.

Of course Izaya is loving it. He sits over his game board and gloats. He even thinks he has the luxury of critiquing his own play for style. He wonders aloud if he should have chosen someone flashier to play the role he gave to Horoda. When he turns to Namie, she’s looking mighty jumpy. In fact we see her talking privately on the phone at one point. Could Namie onee-san be doing something of which Izaya wouldn’t approve? And speaking of phone calls, we also get a brief glimpse of Hospital Girl phoning up Russian Sushi. Maybe Izaya has made too many enemies after all.

Just look at that grin. Shinra, you sick bastard.

Okay. Obviously Shizuo Heiwajima survived the shooting, but I want to point something out. See that picture above with Shizuo yelling at Shinra (who is apologizing for having called him dumb)? You can look at a bigger version by clicking on it. There’s a freaking clamp sticking out of his leg! Not only did he survive getting shot twice, and still manage to say “Hello” after walking to the doctor’s. Not only can he have a conversation while he’s being operated upon, but he can completely intimidate someone who is twisting around the inside of his leg with a metal clamp. Yes, Shizuo > All. Poor Anri, she is seen briefly during the procedure, looking like she is about to start blowing chunks. When Shizuo declares his intention to hunt and kill Kida as soon the wounds have been sewn shut, she runs out of Celty’s apartment. This ruins Celty’s plan of bringing together the principals to have a nice calm conversation.

Masaomi Kida's finest moment.

Masaomi arrives at the Yellow Scarves HQ only to find that it is now under complete control of ex-Blue Squares. He talks brave about killing Horoda, but he is outnumbered and they beat him severely.

Cliff Hanger

Independently, Anri and Mikado arrive to find Masaomi bleeding at the feet of the assembled Yellow Scarves (Blue Squares) army. Of course none of them have had the conversation they should have had long ago. Next week is the final episode, so there isn’t much more left to say.