With dark humor and sharp direction pulling you through a world populated by strange figures full of supernatural mystery, Bungo Stray Dogs episode 1 draws you in immediately and doesn’t let you go for the entire episode.

We start off with a young man, Nakajima Atsushi, whom we find dressed in rags and dying of hunger. In his desperation, he remembers the orphanage from which he was cruelly booted and decides he’ll rob the next person to pass him by. A young man unfairly cut off from any support and dying in a ditch, at once we have life-or-death stakes and a sympathetic character whose survival we care about. We root for him to succeed when he gathers the last of his strength and courage in an effort to survive.

Bungo Stray Dogs immediately shows its sly streak, as the first person to pass young Atsushi by is a motorcycle who zips past in a blink. The motorcyclist was followed an entire military squadron out on march and what seems to be a corpse drifting by in the river. Atsushi goes for the corpse, which is revealed to not be a corpse, but instead suicide-lover Dazai Osamu , a tall and striking fellow who talks of suicide with the same casual civility you might use to discuss the weather. Across the river, his furious colleage Kunikida Doppo tears into him, less horrified by his stunt than aggravated by its disruption to his careful scheduling. But the dark humor works.

The voice acting is great; Osamu’s voice is coy and smooth and soft, and Kunikida’s has a husky, growling timbre unusual for a character who might otherwise be seen as a priss. The character designs have varied silhouettes and real style- the legs are lengthy, the eyes bright, the hands spindly, the trenchcoats suitably flared and dramatic. Atsushi, our starving orphan, has a pair of wildly expressive golden eyes whose significance only becomes clear later in the episode.

These characters, all based very loosely on heroes of the Japanese literary canon, are superpowered detectives and members of an elite force known as the Armed Detective Agency. Every scene seems drenched in style and mood, and the direction is super tight, making even necessary info dumps feel compelling.

As for the fight scene at the end (I don’t want to explain the episode’s plot further and ruin the fun and magic of it), let me just say that the music for the fight’s climax is notably great. By the end of the episode, we’re introduced to a few more members of the Armed Detective Agency and their powers, which are poetically titled and rather different from your standard superhero abilities. A city stuffed with the supernatural and an elite detective force based on literary heroes? Bungo Stray Dogs has a premise with wings.

Should you watch Bungo Stray Dogs?

Absolutely yes. Bungo Stray Dogs is a highlight in a season filled with garbage . Its combination of fluid animation, dry dark humor and eccentric characters in a world filled with magic and mystery means it’ll take a long time before this premise runs out of steam. Episode 1 shows a firm grasp on characterization, pacing, humor and direction, and I really look forward to watching more.

Bungo Stray Dogs streams on Crunchyroll Wednesdays at 1:35 PM here .