I really don’t get why everybody and their grandmother has trouble figuring out that Celty is a woman when she has clearly notable boobs
I have no idea how anyone irl would have an issue… Unless they’re just being nitpicky about anyone who doesn’t outright say their gender…
But I can explain the character reactions in the books!
Celty’s clothes are actually pure shadow, so they are completely unreflective. This fact isn’t used in the art style because it would make most of her poses impossible to comprehend. But yeah, if she has her arms down you wouldn’t even be able to tell where torso stops and arms start, nevermind trying to distinguish boobs. The only time her boobs would be clearly visible is if she’s seen in profile with her arms up in a brightly lit room…. Or if she’s not wearing her shadow suit.
Here is the full translation of the DRRR!! x Baccano! crossover story from the 2020 Kadokawa expo, courtesy @agallimaufryofoddments. I am so delighted that this is a thing that I have seen with my own eyes.
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DurararaTell-All
Everyone is Good Friends Special Volume
Alternately,Baccano 2021
So this is New York…
While walking that town of New York, where there was still a chill in the air, she quietly examined the surroundings.
There were many people sporting masks as a countermeasure against infectious disease, and additionally they moved to and fro while maintaining a regular distance from one another.
Whether or not that was the usual sight to see here was something she,who had only just arrived, did not know, but as she faced that scene that was already common in Japan, she once again felt how much the usual way of life had changed in so many places.
On the other hand, of the many people who walked by, there were several who looked at her, and judged her to be following the infection measures far more stringently than themselves.
At any rate she – Celty Sturluson – wore a biker suit that showed just about no skin, and on top of that was placed a full-face helmet.
Celty Sturluson was not human.
Commonly known as a dullahan, she was a kind of fairy that originally resided in Scotland and Ireland – whose purpose it was to travel around to the residences of those whose fate was close upon them, and announce the approach of their date of death.
Carrying their own severed head under their arm, riding in a two-wheeled carriage drawn by a headless horse known as a Cóiste Bodhar, they would call upon the homes of those whose day of death drew near. If that person inadvertently opened the door, a basin full of blood would be poured over them – the dullahan served as that kind of ominous messenger, passed down together with the banshee as a figure of European myth.
However, at the moment she was living separated from her head, and while wearing a full-face helmet in place of that vanished head, she spent her days as a courier in Ikebukuro.
As for why she was in America during these current times when travelling was difficult – it was certainly not for anything like tourism, but for the sake of her courier business.
Truly, with the way Shingen is, of course his company is like this too.
Was Nebula originally based in the United States…?
Nebula had noticed that Celty had never become infected with any disease in the past, and she ended up taking jobs transporting things such as occult creatures that couldn’t be revealed to the public.
Furthermore, she had undergone a strict sterilization procedure at Nebula’s institution before entering another country, and after both she and her Cóiste Bodhar had been completely soaked in a pool of liquid medicine, they traveled to America while avoiding groups of people as much as possible.
And so at last, she had headed toward her ultimate destination, Nebula’s New York branch office, but…
I’m completely lost.
This place was totally different from her familiar Ikebukuro.
Also, since Nebula’s research institute was seemingly an unofficial establishment, it wasn’t registered on sites like online map services.
On top of that, the note she had received from Shingen contained no more explanation than such cryptic descriptions as ‘from the queen cell placed in the small boot, proceed to the place where the moon sinks and dive into the red darkness’, and no matter how many emails she sent asking what it meant, she continued to receive no reply.
Should I ask Shinra? No, knowing Shinra, if I tell him I’m lost he’ll just say ‘I’m coming to New York right now.’
I can’t deliberately expose Shinra to the danger of infection. As much as possible, I have to avoid making him worry…
Be that as it may, what is this cipher really saying…? I’m thinking since Italy is shaped like a boot, the ‘small boot’ is maybe Little Italy, but…
The ‘queen cell’ is something to do with beehives… what does it mean…? If there’s a building shaped like a beehive…
Celty had been walking through Little Italy as she looked around, but since she was mentally exhausted, she took a seat on the handrail at the side of the road.
It’s different from Ikebukuro around here, isn’t it, with just about no narrow back alleys.
Looking at the way the buildings were pressed closely against each other, the headless rider despondently turned her gaze to the ground and shrugged her shoulders.
As she did so – a lone shadow grew near.
“Pardon me…”
“?”
“Is anything wrong?”
When Celty looked up, there stood a woman with short hair, wearing a black business suit and slacks.
Due to her mask, the lower half of her face was hidden, but her dignified eyes were mysteriously reassuring.
–Oh, no, I’m all right.
After showing the other woman the Japanese characters she had typed into her smartphone like she always did, Celty hurriedly began to correct it into English, but –
“Ah – I understand Japanese.”
Relieved by the suit-wearing woman’s words, Celty typed out in Japanese.
–Ah, that helps a lot. I’m sorry to have worried you…
“Oh, no, it was just because you looked like you were troubled…”
–Actually… I’m lost.
Feeling like it was difficult to say ‘it’s nothing’ again, Celty meekly decided to ask advice from this woman who appeared to be local to the area.
However – that was not the only reason.
When she once again observed the other woman’s aura, Celty felt that the scent of death on this woman before her was astonishingly faint.
As she was now without her head, she couldn’t discern precise dates of death, but even so, to the extent that she was able to clearly detect it, this person’s death seemed to be extremely distant.
Celty had no small interest in a woman with such a fascinating presence.
–I am running a private transportation business; I’m Celty Sturluson.
“I’m… Ennis. It’s nice to meet you.”
〜〜〜
Afterward, having moved to a quieter area, Celty stared at the table-filled space around them, with no other people nearby, and typed out a question.
–This… looks like a restaurant that’s not open yet. Is it okay for us to be in here?
“Yes, although it isn’t doing business right now, this store is operated by my family, so I can come and go freely.”
–I see… running a shop in Manhattan is impressive.
The woman called Ennis replied to Celty’s admiring text.
“I feel the same. After all, this restaurant has been running for about a hundred years.”
–That long, huh.
As they took seats that maintained a proper distance between them, Ennis asked Celty a question.
“Why are you wearing a full-face helmet even indoors?”
–It’s social distancing.
“I see. I can understand that.”
Ennis, who was still wearing her mask, nodded. Celty asked another question of her own.
–Does it bother you? I mean, that I speak using texts and such.
“No, for those who can’t speak, it’s normal for some to not use sign language… though all the same, people who don’t breathe are a little more rare.”
!!
Even though she wore only a helmet, Celty was surprised that someone saw through her without getting a glimpse at what was going on inside it. As her heart lurched within her, she pretended to stay calm and typed out a message.
–It doesn’t bother you?
“Maybe it’s living so long, or maybe it’s living in New York… you come to meet a lot of different people. You’re just another one of them.”
Looking at Ennis, who spoke in a somehow philosophical manner, Celty realized that she had gone through a much longer life than her appearance would suggest.
But… she doesn’t look like a vampire.
Well, this is some situation, isn’t it. She’s like me.
Coming to that decision, Celty purposely decided to pursue the topic, trying to somehow let it flow like regular small talk.
–Is there someone else who always wears a helmet like me?
“Yes. Isaac and Miria… ah, no, a couple of acquaintances of mine are walking around wearing NASA space suits they got from somewhere, as a measure against infection.”
–That’s pretty eccentric, but it might be a fairly effective precaution…Oh, um, just going by the names, are those two a married couple…?
“Yes, they’re together… I think. Sometimes, they seem more like brother and sister.”
Ennis smiled gently as she spoke, and Celty wrote out her frank reaction to the words.
–They seem like lovers who can’t touch each other, huh.
“It’s not like that. They seem to have a lot of fun. I think their hearts are very strongly connected.”
–I see…
Suddenly recalling the connection between her headless self and Shinra, Celty stared fixedly at the scenery outside the window.
–I hope the day comes when we can meet, someday.
“Yes, I believe it is surely coming. Until then… I’m going to continue to live while holding onto my memories.”
–Your memories?
“Just having good memories makes me feel fortunate… and to that good fortune, to the people who have given me those good memories… I am thankful. I’m going to keep living so that I can pass on this good fortune to someone else.”
Watching Ennis’s eyes as she spoke, Celty wondered if she had had a truly wonderful encounter in the past – and at the same time, she herself was again reminded of the faces of the people she knew in Ikebukuro, and most of all that of Shinra.
–I understand that. I also feel that way.
“Yes – so please, make today’s meeting into an important memory too. And for that reason, I’ll do my best to solve your troubles!”
Hearing Ennis’s encouraging words, Celty held a shocked manner for just an instant, and then, appalled at herself, made her fingers dance over her smartphone.
–Ah… I forgot about my job.
Later –
They established that the ‘queen cell’ beehive in Shingen’s code was the restaurant that they were currently in, and from there located Nebula’s hidden research facility and became wrapped up in a massive commotion together with some young vampires they met inside, and as they borrowed the assistance of various people including members of the Camorra and information brokers who were in Japan, Ennis and Celty faced off against a conspiracy of gigantic proportions, but –
I just really love women when they’re portrayed REALLY AMAZINGLY COMPLEX AND WELL in anime. Not some fan service side character that provides no progress to the plot. Durarara has some FANTASTIC women. Some you cheer for, some you can relate with, some you down right dislike, all form an amazing character line up that without, Durarara just wouldn’t be the greatness it is. I’ve drawn as many of the important women or ones who have had a major impact on the plot as of Ketsu. I hope they’re identifiable enough in my style.
