Bungou Stray Dogs Episode 29: A veil of confidence

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This episode was a pretty solid opening for the present day story. I liked how Fyodor was presented in this episode, and he’s shaping up to be a formidable foe. I’m looking forward to seeing how he interacts with the Armed Detective Agency, since he seems to be less focused on raw power. I definitely wasn’t expecting the characters introduced in this episode to get killed off, though.

I’m starting to wonder how the Port Mafia operates at any level with how many members want to kill Mori. It’s seeming like a common trait amongst the stronger members of the organization at this point.

I think the best part of the episode was the fact that Fyodor both lies and tells the truth about his power. He truly does have the ability to mess with people’s minds, but it’s not his supernatural power. I think it’s a nice distinction to make because of perception. In this series, we get a flashy effect whenever a power is used, but presumably not all abilities are that showy. Can a normal person even tell if a power is being activated?

Even if the ending is a bit grim, I liked the concept behind the episode. As Fyodor explains later in the episode, he essentially takes advantage of the confidence people feel when they’ve figured something out. This might just be the neuroscience background in me talking, but I thought that aspect was really cool. He describes a cognitive bias that actually happens, and he uses it to trick Ace into killing himself.

In the end, Fyodor was fighting an information battle, which gives him a lot of potential as a character. He might end up being a good match for Dazai, who tends to handle the strategic thinking for the Armed Detective Agency. I’m honestly surprised that the collared lackey we met in this episode died as well. I would have expected him to join up with Fyodor. It was a bit sad.