However, one series that does; yet runs with a primary cast much younger than that of Bungo Stray Dogs, is the Winter 2021 supernatural action-mystery series known as Kemono Jihen. Featuring a main cast mostly made up of pre-teens/tweens, Kemono Jihen is an anime based on the manga by the same name created by Shō Aimoto, and has several things that run parallel to elements seen in Bungo Stray Dogs. Here’s why you should watch Kemono Jihen, based on its similarities to Bungo Stray Dogs.
RELATED: The Best Literary References in Bungo Stray Dogs
Plot
Kemono Jihen follows a detective named Kohachi Inugami, a specialist in supernatural elements and the occult, after his arrival at a remote village. The hostess of a local inn calls Inugami to the village to investigate a series of grisly incidents involving the mutilation of livestock in the area. He notices a single boy working the fields, and learns more about him and the village. Kabane, derisively called “Dorotabou” is mistreated by the other villagers, and avoided because he supposedly emits a foul stench; however, he is eager to assist Inugami in his investigation in any way he can, despite the foul looks he receives from everyone else. What Kabane does not realize is that his involvement in Inugami’s investigation will be his entry point to a world he has never seen before; one of strange beast-like supernatural creatures known as “Kemono”.
Bungo Stray Dogs begins when 18-year-old Atsushi Nakajima is kicked out of the orphanage where he’d been living for most of his life and left to fend for himself. At the time, the city of Yokohama was living in fear of a supernatural tiger supposedly roaming the streets, especially at night. Penniless and with nowhere to stay, Atsushi worries about his safety; however, during his lamentations, he notices a man’s legs sticking out of a barrel being carried away by the strong current of the river flowing in front of him.
Seeing someone in danger, Atsushi saves the man, much to his chagrin. Introducing himself as Osamu Dazai, the eccentric man tells Atsushi of his overwhelming desire to end his own life. Together with his partner, Doppo Kunikida, Dazai reveals that he has been investigating the recent tiger incidents in the area on behalf of the Armed Detective Agency, an organization that solves crimes that the authorities cannot. Dazai and Doppo ask for Atsushi’s help in the case, and once it is resolved, Atsushi is offered a place in the Armed Detective Agency, where he assists Dazai, Doppo and their other colleagues in the resolution of various other cases. However, threatening the fragile peace in the city is the criminal organization known as the Port Mafia, which runs the city of Yokohama from the shadows.
Unknowing Protagonist
One of the most striking similarities between Bungo Stray Dogs and Kemono Jihen lies with their protagonists. Like Atsushi, Kabane is discovered by a detective with a very specific kind of expertise. Both characters are introduced as characters who are tossed aside or alienated in some way, with Kabane’s treatment in the village being parallel to Atsushi’s rough upbringing and eventual eviction from the orphanage. Like Atsushi, Kabane is enlisted in the detective’s investigation due to it bearing some kind of personal relevance to him, much like solving the tiger case would serve to put Atsushi at ease. In both cases, the protagonist is brought into the investigation with the knowledge that they are actually the culprit – Atsushi turned out to be the supernatural tiger terrorizing the streets of Yokohama; while Kabane is actually revealed to be a human-ghoul hybrid known as a “hanyo”, left with the inn hostess by parents he does not remember. A strange accessory known as the “Life Calculus” hangs from his neck, which suppresses his ghoulish thirst for flesh and blood.
After the resolution of both characters’ respective cases, they are enlisted by the detective who discovered them and move on to life with their respective agency. Interestingly, both characters have a strange physiological composition that makes them prone to transformation when they aren’t aware of themselves. Atsushi learns how to control his tiger transformation as Bungo Stray Dogs progresses; however, Kabane remains reliant on the Life Calculus; which also attracts unscrupulous types who want it for themselves, to maintain his human form and regulate his compulsion to feed.
World
While the shows don’t necessarily have similar characters aside from their protagonists, the idea that the main character, having learned something new about himself, goes to be with other people who are in a unique situation of their own. Both Bungo Stray Dogs and Kemono Jihen feature incredibly creative worlds that are affected by the series’ specific kind of supernatural phenomena and can reflect some fantasy elements. Both series can get extremely dark, especially in a way that contrasts quite heavily with the general atmosphere of either one, and the characters in both series all have twisted and interesting origin stories that connect them to the audience and to each other.
An interesting observation with Kemono Jihen is the fact that its characters are generally much younger than those of Bungo Stray Dogs, but their storylines and motivations aren’t necessarily childish. Bungo Stray Dogs does in fact feature young characters in incredibly tough situations, so this aspect is another way that Bungo Stray Dogs and Kemono Jihen are parallels. One thing Bungo Stray Dogs definitely does much better than Kemono Jihen is create high-stakes and present very compelling antagonists. Since Kemono Jihen has only run for one anime season, it can be expected to delve further into its lore and characters much in the ways that Bungo Stray Dogs has, particularly in its later seasons.
MORE: Is Bocchi The ROCK Introverted K-ON!?
