Action anime stars famous Japanese authors with superpowers

Media distribution service Crunchyroll announced on Wednesday that it will stream the television anime of Kafka Asagiri and Sango Harukawa's Bungō Stray Dogs manga as it airs in Japan. The stream will premiere worldwide outside of Asia on April 6 at 1:35 p.m. EDT.

Kicked out of his orphanage and on the verge of starving to death, Nakajima Atsushi meets some strange men. One of them, Dazai Osamu, is a suicidal man attempting to drown himself in broad daylight. The other, bespectacled Kunikida Doppo, nervously stands by flipping through a notepad. Both are members of the "Armed Detective Agency" said to solve incidents that even the military and police won't touch. Atsushi ends up accompanying them on a mission to eliminate a man-eating tiger that's been terrorizing the population... In the virtual city of Yokohama are individuals bearing the name of Bungo, "literary masters," who possess unusual powers likened to that name. Now begins the battle between the mysterious Bungo powers!

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 Bungō 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. The series 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, are helming the anime at Studio BONES. Nobuhiro Arai (Chaika - The Coffin Princess) is handling character design and is serving as chief animation director alongside Hiroshi 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.