Alternative TitlesJapanese: バッカーノ！
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 13
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Jul 26, 2007 to Nov 1, 2007
Duration:
24 min. per episode Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 8.711 (scored by 14025 users)
Ranked: #252
Popularity: #89
Members: 26,948
Favorites: 1,734 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
action adventure comedy fantasy mafia shounen |
SynopsisDuring the late 1930s in Chicago, the transcontinental train, Flying Pussyfoot, is starting its legendary journey that will leave a trail of blood all over the country. At the same time in New York, the ambitious scientist Szilard and his unwilling aide Ennis, are looking for missing bottles of the immortality elixir. In addition, a war between the mafia groups is getting worse. On board the Advena Avis, in 1711, alchemists are about to learn the price of immortality.
Based on the award winning light novels of the same name, this anime adaptation follows several events that initially seem unrelated, both in time and place, but are part of a much bigger story - one of alchemy, survival and immortality. Merging these events together are the kindhearted would-be thieves, Isaac and Miria, connecting various people, all of them with their own hidden ambitions and agendas, and creating lifelong bonds and consequences for everyone involved.
[Written by MAL Rewrite] |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Baccano!
Sequel: Baccano! OVA
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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TheCriticsClub
167 of 225 people found this review helpful
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13 of 13 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
Every so often an anime comes along that isn't afraid to challenge the conventions by which a story is told. Too often, despite being noteworthy or groundbreaking, these shows can fail due to poor animation, lackluster characters, or a marked failure in plot development. In other words, they get so caught up in being unconventional that they sacrifice the other, more important aspects.
Thankfully, Baccano! is not one of those.
Animation
Baccano! maintains a very high standard of animation throughout its entirety. Brains Base made good use of color to heighten the effect of the more dramatic moments in the show. The animation quality is particularly noteworthy considering the fact that Brains Base is one of the smallest studios in the animating business. The fact that Brains Base managed to achieve a level of animation to match many of the larger studios and maintain that level of quality for the length the show, especially during the action sequences, is a credit to their effort and skill.
Sound
Baccano! opens with the excellent (and very appropriate for the setting) track "Guns N' Roses" by Paradise Lunch. The jazzy theme of the OP fits perfectly against the backdrop of 1930's America, in which the majority of the show is set. This jazz themed music continues throughout the entirety of the show and adds a certain authentic flavor which is often lacking in other shows. The only true downside to the music is the ED, which is a stereotypical J-ballad. However, this is only a small detraction from the otherwise great music though and can easily be skipped over.
Another area where Baccano! excelled was the voice acting. The talented VA's for each role managed to breathe life and individuality into the large and diverse cast of characters. The most singular achievement of the voice actors is that each of the characters can be easily identified by voice alone, as each actor has brought a different timbre, a different nuance, sometimes even a different accent, to each role.
Characters
From the marvelously hilarious Isaac Dian and Miria Harvent to the psychopathic Ladd Russo, all the characters are very well designed and as unique as their voices. Isaac and Miria are without doubt the most memorable members of an excellent cast of characters. The duo effectively serve as a glue that holds the story together. They dance through the series's multiple time lines like a giddy gyroscope on acid, occasionally colliding with one of the other cast members at random (usually by fluke).
There is one minor downside regarding the characters. Baccano! is a 13 episode series, with a cast of approximately 12 main characters. Though they all receive a certain amount of development, some critics would argue that it is not enough. However, the quality of the overall show is of such a high value that any shortcomings in development had no impact on enjoyment.
Story
The story in Baccano! is very straightforward. Usually, it is the style of in which the story is told that receives the most attention. Baccano! adopts a non-sequential storytelling style. While this may not be anything new (the TV broadcast of Haruhi and the movie Pulp Fiction did the same thing), it adds to the enjoyment by removing the need for the universally derided "down time" episodes. Baccano! has multiple individual storylines, all of which intertwine into a larger story. At first, the events and characters may be confusing. But once you're past the initial surprise of leaping feet first into the middle of the story, you find yourself immersed in an unusual, fast-paced and entertaining style of storytelling that whets your appetite for more.
Overall
Baccano! contains a nice mixture of drama, action and comedy. This, coupled with some amazing characters and a good short story, makes Baccano! one of the most enjoyable romps in recent years. The absurd, comedic moments serve as a perfect counterweight to the action and tension that builds throughout the show. Nothing is too dramatic or depressing, and both the humor and the violence aren't forced. The most enjoyable thing about Baccano! is that each character's actions feel natural to that character and this comes across to the viewer in a big way.
Baccano! is one of the rarest types of anime as it successfully merges comedy, suspense, action and even a little romance, without sacrificing animation or sound quality. It is a gem that will appeal to fans of many different genres and it is one of the few animes that can be watched again and again without suffering any loss of enjoyment.
This review is the final result of a review team composed of members from the "Critics and Connoisseurs" club. The team members were:
Archaeon - Wrote the review
Lowell - Who contributed to and edited the review
Megadedhed - Who contributed to and edited the review
Here are their individual scorings for the show:
Category - Archaeon, Lowell, Megadedhed
Story - 9, 8, 9.6
Art - 10, 8, 9.5
Sound - 9, 9, 10
Character - 10, 8 , 9.8
Enjoyment - 10, 9, 10
Overall - 10, 8, 9.5
In the club wide poll held for Baccano! it received an average overall rating of 9.03 read more
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BadSeafood
133 of 180 people found this review helpful
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13 of 13 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
Baccano is an Italian word, which translates loosely to English as "Noise/Commotion."
Baccano! is a(n all too) short Anime based off series of light novels written by Ryohgo Narita covering a time span from 1711 to 2002, but primarily focusing on 1930s Prohibition Era America; an interesting setting in a genre widely known for featuring Japan as the center of the known universe. Each of the novels features several running "Short stories" surrounding different people and the events that encircle and ensnare them as their individual narratives intertwine and the whole situation spirals out of control. On the surface, the separate plots may seem simple, but as they twist and turn in step with one another, things become quite "Noisy" indeed.
But the cast of Baccano! is its beating heart and lifeblood (lots of it); ageless immortals, alchemists, mafia families, thieves, revolutionaries, assassins, freelance journalists, and the assorted legendary monstrosity for that added flavor. The show alone (let alone the novels) boasts 18 "Main characters," and a boatload of side and supporting ones, many of whom have names and all of whom are distinctive. Ladd Russo's murderous boarding party consists of exactly 12 members, and you'll be able to count them all off at some point or another as the story progresses. The characters are over the top, ruthless, lovable, and great fun to watch in action; no one is unnecessary or insignificant. The success of the English dub will depend heavily on the delivery of the actors; matching the Japanese voice actors would be no simple feat, and topping them nigh impossible.
The show's stylistic trappings can be described as "Darkly entertaining," and it juggles these two moods fairly successfully. The tone can be gruesome and frightening one minute and lighthearted and charming in the next (and on occasion, both simultaneously), all within the same episode and with a very natural flow. The soundtrack is appropriately jazzy, and the artistry has a stern yet comforting look. Nothing seems out of place, and even the far fetched bits feel oddly at home, such Chane LaForet effortlessly deflecting shotgun shells. Physics? In MY Anime? Pshaw.
That said, Baccano! also manages to handle very well two elements that the majority of Anime tends to use clumsily and in excess: action scenes and the supernatural. Baccano! is not your action series (although that's not to say it isn't violent). The supernatural bits are handled sparingly and refined, and the fights are concise, executed with good timing, and do not overstay their welcome. Although by some point you have to ask yourself how many of these people know the secret to train walking?
It's been a one wild ride, and the weird part is, I can't think of much criticism for it. At all. Granted, the level of violence is a bit steep. People are summarily shot, stabbed, cut up, ground up, kicked and beaten, decapitated, set aflame, and alchemically cannibalized. Some of them, several times. Hardly helps that two of those eighteen central characters are assassins by trade and hobby. It's also not all that deep (psychologically or philosophically, for people who appreciate that in an Anime), but if you can stand the copious blood loss, you really have no excuse.
Baccano! easily ranks as one of the best Animes of 2007. Short and sweet, don't let it slip through your fingers. For the rest of us who have already sampled it, now is the time to bank on a second season. read more
Recommendations
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Baccano! is a strangely underappreciated show that has a huge cast of good characters, a compelling plot drawn from the ample source material, a soundtrack that complements the show well, action, comedy, drama, intrigue...
If you appreciated what Cowboy Bebop had to offer then you'll find a lot to like in Baccano!. It's a show with definite rewatch value.
Awesome action, story, and soundtrack. This show is fantastic.
similar pace, good music, unique characters, and generally a groovy feeling.
The style is very similar. It has a very jazzy feel to it that fits with the show like it did with Cowboy Bebop. The characters are so loveable and unique and so different from one another like the people on Bebop. Not to mention the soundtracks have a similar feel to them.
Heavily themed with jazzy music and gritty violence... gracefully done with pinache.
Both of them are themed around Jazz and Blues. Both animes display alot of martial arts and gunplay. Definetily check out Baccano! if you loves Cowboy Bebop!
Both Cowboy Bebop and Baccano! heavily revolve around jazz music. They both also have a great cast of characters, are stylish and overall just have a similar feel to them.
Both shows have a similar kind of jazzy soundtrack and a cool type of similar feel to the shows. But they are different in the fact that baccano stick to one story but cowboy bebop is episodic.
Both Baccano! and Cowboy Bebop have excellent visuals, jazz on the soundtrack, high-intensity fight sequences, and likable characters.
Bebop and Baccano! are all about style. It’s the thirties: tommy guns, stars from black-and-white movies and jazz. Bebop is more like blues with its sadness and noir films features. Baccano! is a jazz like it was in really beginning, totally improvisation. You don’t know what will happen next. Great cocktail from retro, detective stories, comedy, cruelty and heartbreaks. Both these series was inspired by films like “The Godfather”, “The Untouchables” and so on. You’ll find crime families and gangland killing, fire-fights and pursuits, maniacs and comedy characters in Bebop and Baccano!
Soundtrack is also magnificent, when I watched Baccano! it was like I’ve met a Yoko Kanno’s genius work for Bebop one more time. Although storytelling is extremely different, for Bebop it’s a story per episode, Baccano! is a mosaic from plotlines that fully combined, they are really similar. You'll share an entire range of emotions with each character and find that these creations are somehow cast in the same mold.
Funky, badass, amazing anime with great action, animation, and music.
Both have possibly the greatest characters cast ever seen.
In both series you’ll find awesome fight scenes (both martial arts fights & gunfights), mafia, an immortal shota boy (Czes in Baccano, Wen in CB), and comedy despite the violence and mature contents.
Both are anime that you can rewatch again and again without getting tired of them.
Same kind of show : you'll find the best OST in both (jazzy, really cool), same spirit/atmosphere with really great characters/action you will enjoy all the show without any moment of boring !! I guarantee you'll not be disappointed !! 2 must-see.
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Both are action-packed mafia-related series with great characters.
If you liked the non-stop action and eccentric/intriguing cast of characters in Baccano! I have a feeling you'd definitely like Black Lagoon. Sure, it doesn't have quite the focused storyline Baccano! had, but it is well worth watching nonetheless.
Say it with me, guys: Lots! Of! Violence!
Besides that, both of these anime have a similar feeling about them. And they both deal with characters who don't exactly have the best of morals...
Bad guys fighting other bad guys... mafia.. xD
High levels of action. Lovable rogues.
Both involve extreme blood and violence.
Both have sadistic characters and mafia.
In both there are non japanese characters.
Mafia, violence, guns, black humor. In both you’ll find great and crazy characters, torture, blood, badass females.
Both are action packed anime, and have great music and animation.
Also, in both anime there is a majority of non-japanese people (the series itself are not set in Japan, after all), and basically no one in these anime can be considered “the good guy”.
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Opening Theme"Gun's & Roses" by Paradise Lunch
Ending Theme"Calling" by Oda Kaori
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