REVIEW: ‘Bungo Stray Dogs,’ Episode 52 — “The Answer to Everything”

The action is really ramping up in Bungo Stray Dogs as the Armed Detective Agency faces off against the Decay of the Angels in an effort to clear their name. Bungo Stray Dogs Episode 52 reunites members of the Detective Agency as they look to hunt down Kamui and retrieve the Page that allows reality to be distorted. The stakes couldn’t be higher as the mystery unravels, but will the Detective Agency figure out the truth before it’s too late?

Bungo Stray Dogs Episode 52 starts off by reuniting the members of the Detective Agency. After Ranpo was able to free Kunikida from the Hunting Dogs, he brings Kunikida back to Atsushi and the rest of the Agency. The reunion is heartfelt and emotional, and the fear on Atsushi’s face when he discovers Kunikida’s missing hands was palpable. You can tell how concerned he is about the loss of his friend’s best weapons, but his concern causes him to miss the fact that Yosano’s ability will allow her to heal Kunikida.

That moment serves as a really special moment to highlight why it is so important for the Agency to be back together. Individually they all have abilities that make them formidable, but Kunikida reminds Atsushi that the reason the Agency is so special is because together they bring out strengths they wouldn’t be able to achieve on their own. It’s why their enemies tried so hard to split them up, which makes their reunion that much sweeter knowing that it increases their chances of success exponentially.

While all of this is going on, Ouchi Fukuchi, the head of the Hunting Dogs, is asked to help build a lead a counter-terrorism organization. A United Nations task force, this new Supernational Armed Security Force would not be restricted by borders and would have full freedom to hunt down terrorists. Their first main target would be the Armed Detective Agency, giving the Agency an even more powerful foe to worry about. It also puts Fukuchi in an even bigger position of power, making the man synonymous with justice an even more important figure in the battle between law enforcement and the Agency.

Despite Fukuchi’s new position, Ranpo convinces him to partner up with the Agency in order to stop Kamui and retrieve the Page before the Decay of the Angels can enact their plan in six days’ time. This puts Ranpo, Atsushi, and Fukuchi all together when Ranpo discovers the truth of Kamui’s identity. The big reveal is heartstopping and has serious ramifications for the rest of the series. It’s hard to really nail a big reveal like this, but Bungo Stray Dogs Episode 52 did such a great job it actually took me a minute to catch my breath after the last few minutes of the episode.

Bungo Stray Dogs Episode 52 unleashes a whole new level of chaos for the Armed Detective Agency in a perfect way. The suspense that has been building for some time pays off in a really satisfying way that also adds a whole new layer to the mystery. I can only hope that the rest of the season continues to build at the pace it has, with each episode only getting better than the last.

Bungo Stray Dogs Episode 52 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.