Ranked #25

Baccano!

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

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

Throughout my childhood, I wasn't really much into movies or the whole moving picture theater idea when I was young. I was more into video games and playing outside. All that changed when i watched a certain movie called Reservoir Dogs. At first, I was only into it simply because of the blood and violence. But further throughout my multiple viewings, I realized that the story and acting was also a big part of my fascination to this particular film. Then a few years after that another movie created by the same person came out called Pulp Fiction. This was done in the same style as his first movie but on a much bigger scale, involving so many more characters and following more stories stumbling toward one goal. During one of my multiple viewings of that movie throughout the years, i had a friend tell me to watch a movie by a man named Guy Richie named Snatch. Why am I taking the time to write 169 words about actual movies? Watch them to find out.

Story (Outstanding)
It's because you see, Baccano is very heavily influenced on these western movies made in this style. From the opening theme (Snatch) to the storytelling (Pulp Fiction) to even the coolness (Reservoir Dogs/Godfather) oozes western-style. Therefore, it's practically pointless to explain the plot of the show since they show how the show ends in episode one. That's the hook, the viewer isn't supposed to understand what they are seeing at first. Instead, they are enticed to want to know how did a 'mess' such as this happen in the first place. After that giant hook of showing you how it ends, it all unravels almost perfectly into a story involving over a dozen individuals. For the most part they are all complete strangers but through a little luck, chance, and happenstance their stories will cross paths most definitely.
...with a little anime flair of course.

Art (Great)
The art is something of perfection, from the minor details in the shadowing and brutal violence left on victims, to major details like the painted streets of 1930's New York City. You can tell there was a large team summoned to make this 13 episode epic. Where it shows the best though are all the action scenes, where the movements are fast but smooth at the same time, and gun shots come complete with flash and gun smoke. Blood splatters in all different directions, teeth and bones can be torn apart and you can point them out as they're flying in the air. It's all just simply amazing. Art would be a perfect only if they wouldn't add some poorly placed 3D backgrounds in some spots, and if certain parts weren't so overly dark. The darkness ruins some of the beauty of a few scenes and its a shame since this is a show where everything it shows is a visual treat.

Sound (Outstanding)
The sound is second to none. The op is classic, and I love how they meld the last episode synopsis with the opening theme. But this show would definitely not be as cool without the jazz styling, piano solo's and everything else in between. Every scene has an amazing amount of environmental sounds running at the same time and definitely sets the mood. If you watch it a few times I swear you'll hear something different every time. This is easily one of the few shows best enjoyed on a good surround sound system on high.

Characters (Great)
The characters are out of this world. Some plucked off of gangster flicks, some plucked out of action flicks, and some straight out the anime stock. With a cast of characters this large, you're bound to find a favorite one or have fun pointing out what RL actors they resemble or portray. Their voice acting is also top notch, I even enjoyed the annoying characters voices as well and thats rare. The crazies were my favorite overall though, just how they managed to sound so insane without it being annoying but rather fun was rather cool. My only gripe is the "comedy relief" of the show. Why do 'serious' shows such as this require comedy relief? Sure its fine to have to relieve the viewers from all the masochism throughout the show. But i don't think they should have given so much air time to the comic relief as they did.

Enjoyment (Great)
This show is basically a 4-hour Tarantino-esque movie, if you remove the credits and extra recollections that get the viewer back on track. Overall its a perfect sized anime for a Tarantino-esque story. Any longer and the viewer will get tired of the mixed up style of story telling especially with the attention span of people these days. Think of it as "it will get exponentially complicated if this series went to 26 episodes. Although i would be all for a brand new story if Narita Ryougo made it. But only time will tell. It would have been cooler if they kept anime without all the anime 'hoodoo' and tried to make it a serious anime. But like the Japanese say, "It can't be helped."

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Title: Baccano!

Novel, Manga, Anime: Baccano! was originally a light novel series authored by Ryohgo Narita, with art done by Katsumi Enami. The series was published by Dengeki Bunko, at it currently stands at fourteen collected volumes. It also won the Ninth Dengeki Novel Prize.

A manga series based on the second storyline of the novel series (basically picking up where the anime leaves off) began running in February of 2007, with story still done by Ryohgo Nartia, and art done by Ginyu Shinjin. It is currently being published by Media Works and is running in Dengeki Comic Gao!. At this point in time, it has one collected volume to its name.

The anime series itself was directed by Takahiro Omori (famous for directing both seasons of Jigoku Shoujo) and produced by Brains-Base (well-known for their work on KamiChu!). The anime is thirteen episodes long and ran from July 26th to November 1st of 2007. It has yet to be licensed Stateside.

Story: It's really hard to describe this anime, because the plot in and of itself is extremely complicated. There are three storylines: one that revolves around the mafia and an elixir of immortality in 1930, one that involves a hostage situation aboard a train called the Flying Pussyfoot in 1931, and a girl's search for her missing brother in 1932. For one episode, the show jumps back to a ship carrying alchemists headed for the New World. Each episode contains multiple jumps from time to time, but the main focus is the Flying Pussyfoot in 1931. And all of these plots intertwine.

You think that's complicated? Add into this a cast of about twenty main characters, along with another ten side characters that are still equally important to the story, and you've got about thirty people to handle. Initially, these characters are introduced with one-note personalities, but each and every character gets development, along with advancing the intertwining plot lines. You are guaranteed to find at least one male and one female character that you like in the cast.

And they did this all in the space of thirteen episodes.

There's not a lot more that I can say about the story for Baccano!. Just my description above should give you a sense of the epicness that the writers undertook for this. And the fact that they managed to pull it off and pull it off well is absolutely amazing, as there was plenty of chances for it to pull a Rozen Maiden and not adress anything, or a Nishi no Yoki Majo: Astraea Testament and try to rush things and fall apart. But by the end of the thirteenth episode, everything is completely settled; you will know what's going on and how everything is connected to each other.

WARNING: There is some gore in this series (blood, limbs getting cut off, things along that line), but it's nothing compared to Elfen Lied.

Art: Brains-Base shows the same amount of detail in this production that they did in KamiChu!, only in a different way -- each character design is different, and you can easily recognize a character when they come on screen, and this is really important, with the sheer amount of characters. The animation is fairly-high quality, attaining Victorian Romance Emma and Elfen Lied-level beauty.

In short, excellent work.

Music: The show's set in the thirties, and appropriately, there's a lot of jazz-themed numbers for background music, all of which is fairly well done, and makes me want to find the OST. This includes the OP, which is done by Paradise Lunch, and is pretty good, too. The ED is the stereotypical female J-Ballad, and is really kind of a letdown.

Seiyuu: There are a lot of new talent that was used on this show, and they all do a great job. Sanae Kobayashi (famous for voice work on Daedalus of Ergo Proxy and Nyuu/Lucy of Elfen Lied) plays one of my favorite female characters in the show, Ennis, so that's always a nice touch.

Length: See my rant in Story to see how amazed I am at what they were able to do and do well in the length that they were given.

However, the story covered in the anime only covers the first four volumes or so of the novel. And while the manga is covering another storyline, it would be nice to see an adaptation of the rest of the material, just to see what they can do with it.

Overall: This anime manages and develops thirty characters in three different times/storylines that all intersect with each other, and manages to wrap it all up and do it well, all in the space of thirteen episodes. And it's got pretty music and great seiyuu. In short, made of bloody genius.

This is one of my top picks. Go watch it. NOW.

Story: 10/10
Art: 9/10
Music: 9/10
Seiyuu: 9/10
Length: 9/10

Overall: 46/50; 92% (A) read more

It bothers me to say I took a while to realize the quality of “Baccano!”. Aside from boasting no less than 18 main characters, the Pulp Fiction-esque narrative would constantly fracture and leap back and forth in time. I didn’t like that I had to make an effort to constantly focus and be forced to remember so many names and faces; three episodes in, I was feeling frustrated and close to losing interest. Something needed to be done and in a last ditch attempt to salvage the series, it became clear I’d have to wait it out, build up the fansubs and spend a long weekend working my way through each episode; allowing time to fully immerse myself in the story. And now that weekend is past; the end result is? What the hell did you expect? Awesome!

Many desire immortality, yet the key to eternal life has forever eluded man. The story of “Baccano!” begins in 1711 when a group of sea-faring alchemists capture this most desired of gifts. Nearly all of them become immortal there and then, yet, as fate would have it; only one is granted the knowledge to recreate the potion. Of course, he quickly decides not to tell, wisely realising the folly in allowing such power to leak out into the public domain, but his brave decision quickly incites murder and ultimately, a struggle that’s raged for over 200 years. We join the story as it reaches its climax during prohibition-era North America; this was the absolute height of organised crime in the US, a violent and cruel time to live, or indeed, die.

Despite its frequent lapses into light comedy, squeamish readers should be warned that this is a deceptively violent (and often, sadistic) series. Without going into too much detail, lets just say that bones break, arms get sliced, faces explode and children are tortured. Of course, this refreshing lack of moral compunction inevitably climaxes in some breath-taking and unpredictable action scenes, including several sequences of beautifully animated hand-to-hand combat, fought on the windy carriage-roofs of a moving train. Just so you know, it turns out that knives, guns, grenades and even flame-throwers aren’t much of a match for blood-thirsty gymnasts. “Baccano!” is a lot like “Black Lagoon”; it has that same delirious hunger for gruesome carnage.

On its own, the action wouldn’t be enough, but as I’ve already mentioned, this is hardly a conventional series. Aside from the fact that the narrative will regularly interchange years and events in a matter of seconds, many of the characters provoke empathy and romance despite having splattered the brains of an adversary all over the wall minutes earlier. I loved the playful dialogue, and the character interactions are remarkably fun and natural; you believe in their fear, sadness or anger. You can see a love affair unfolding and it’s almost heart-breaking. By the end I was completely riveted by the story, lost in the characters.

There is so much to say about “Baccano!” but I’m afraid I’ll lose your concentration if I keep going. I’ve already had to completely scrap the first version of this review since it degenerated into a bloated rant. Obviously, I absolutely loved this series, and if I ever get around to writing a review of 2007, it will easily make my top 3 of the year. The best decision I made was to push through it over a quiet weekend; as expected, the jumbled jigsaw of a plot and all those unique characters are so much easier to remember this way. The only problem is that now I’m having trouble letting go, I’m still stuck in the world of immortals and trying to fathom out the few remaining mysteries. Hints are made at characters and storylines beyond the anime narrative and quite frankly, I’d die for a sequel. If you’re yet to watch “Baccano!”; I envy you. read more

Baccano! Is a Shounen, Supernatural, Action, Adventure, Comedy series with a very attention-grabbing and peculiar story style that’s entertaining to watch. There’s plenty excitement and laughs to be had however prepare to be lost, at some point, in the numerous, connected storylines. ^_^

Baccano! is set in 1930’s America and revolves around different characters and their stories, which involves several unrelated plots intersecting and crossing each other. The way the series is portrayed is very interesting however first time watchers will easily get confused and lost, as it constantly switches from story to story or moves between different timelines. But for those able to concentrate for long periods of time will be able to handle it easily. It is then that you can truly appreciate the story for what it is.

The characters of are also another important element seeing how this series has a surprisingly large cast of characters, so remembering them may become a problem. However there will be some that stand out to individual viewers, be it for the character traits, personalities or eccentric behaviour (Isaac & Miria). These will be the ones you’ll enjoy.

The animation is superb in the way that everything and everyone moves fluidly, from their little gestures to the action sequences. There’s also a fair bit of blood and gore, which is used appropriately and the environments including buildings look authentic. The only real downer is with the lack of detail in the character designs. The music of this series goes for the Jazz theme, which suits perfectly with time period it relates to.

Overall Baccano! strangely felt like Quentin Tarantino’s classic “Pulp Fiction” not only for its non-linear storyline but also for its ironic mix of violence and humour. The story is one of the best aspects of the series as it tells a bunch of random events that later on piece together to make a whole story. Not only that but it was incredibly enjoyable to watch the characters go through their own stories, with plenty of mafia action and hilarious comedy. Some may be turned of by the gore and the confusing aspects of the story but all in all this is a series worth checking out.

^_^ read more

baccano! is one of the most unique anime shows i have seen. It is a bit complex and confusing at times soo not recommended for everyone.

STORY:

the story of baccano! is unique and intriguing. Anyone who want to watch an anime with a great story then this is the one. At first i hesitated to watch this series as iam not really into the whole fantasy genre but as i started to watch the series i was amazed on how the story unfolded and the way it was presented which totally rocked. The though a story of immortals of the 1930s might sound a little strange, Baccano! had one of the most realistic mafia and gangster animes out there. The story was nearly perfect for an anime series and is very interesting and is a mix of almost every genre. During the first couple of eps it may be a bit confusing but everything will be sorted out and explained in the latter episodes. Also the ending was really fantastic.

ANIMATION:

The animation could have been a lot of better considering the length of series. Sometimes there was a lack in details of the characters and backgrounds. Other than tat animation was really fluid and action scenes were intense and fast paced. Almost each of the long list of characters in the anime had their own unique design and no two characters were alike.

SOUND:

Baccano had awesome soundtracks from the start to the end and was somewhat similar to cowboy bebop. The OP and ED was equally good. Music suited this anime perfectly.

CHARACTER:

Almost every characters in baccano had their own unique behaviors and styles. Even though this anime had a lot of characters, no two characters were alike in design which i really liked. There were some annoying character and weird but most of the characters are lovable. Character development and the characters was overall very good and was very different form most the animes.

ENJOYMENT:

Very enjoyable from start to finish and gets really exciting during the last few eps..

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Never before has so much madness been crammed into so short a series.

STORY - Surprisingly, Baccano!'s story -- or really, I should say stories -- is very straightforward. It's just takes a while to realize how simple it is because of its crazy non-linear storytelling and ridiculous onslaught of characters. Indeed, this is definitely one of those series that I'm going to have to watch a second, or even third time, in order to pick up all the connecting threads that run through the thirteen episodes. I'm a big fan of things told in a non-sequential fashion though, and while the scenes change frequently enough to be incredibly confusing, it serves to move things along quickly, insuring that there's rarely a dull moment (and even if there is, it won't last long at all). It definitely won't appeal to everyone, but I think it's worth it to have to rewatch something like this a few times if needed -- after all, that only means that its definitely got your attention.

Storytelling and pacing aside though, the story itself I found to be a very exciting and unique blend of genres. Prohibition era (or approximately so) America is not a common setting for an anime, nor is an entire cast of American characters. Alchemists and the mafia don't generally mix either. It's a very eclectic bunch of subjects to say the least. Other reviews have likened Baccano! to a slew of film noir and pulp fiction films, but I've personally not seen very many of them (not because of lack of interest though) and thus can't compare very well. Still, there are similarities in style that I can pick out between the series and the few I have seen. Sin City comes to mind rather quickly, what with its multiple casts of characters and heavily exaggerated/stylized violence.

"Baccano" has been translated into meaning "noise" or "commotion" in Italian, a very fitting title for this series. Dozens of perspectives spin several stories, coincidentally connected. The only real downside to this chaotic presentation is that it makes room for a lot of plotholes and unresolved subplots and subsubplots. A lot of secondary characters' stories feel unresolved or completely useless at the series' conclusion. I have mixed feelings about this mostly because the lack of a solid conclusion contributes both to a sense of realism and the way the stories are "packaged" within the series (a newspaper company is recollecting it). It's interesting, but it definitely means you'll be left with questions. That said, I would not vote to lengthen the series. Thirteen episodes might seem a little short when there's so much going on, but it's actually the perfect length to me -- any longer and it would have felt drawn out and forced. Ironic, I suppose, but this series breaks a lot of traditional boundaries and so traditional expectations don't really apply in a lot of cases.

All in all though, you're definitely in for one hell of a train ride.

CHARACTER - Oh, man, where do I start? The characters in Baccano!, more than anything else, make up a large part of the series, especially considering how closely they're all connected to the overarching story. Because of their sheer number, and because of the varied genres that have been tossed into the mix, there is an incredible range of characters. From outrageously outrageous thieves to badass mafia under-bosses to conniving, immortal old men to beautiful, mute women to traumatized little children, there is a character for everyone to take an interest in, to sympathize with, to cheer on, and to hate. Some of the characters are perfect representations of their archetypes, and others are far out in the left field. It's crazy (and most of them are crazy too).

Unfortunately though, while almost all of the characters are fun and amusing to watch, I would venture to say that there are just too many of them. I could not count all of the "main" characters on my ten fingers, though, of course, "main" is difficult to define in a series such as this. But really, having more than a dozen characters running around, each with their own story, gets very confusing, very fast, especially when you factor in the arbitrary-seeming jumps in time, space, and story. Names and faces become difficult to remember, especially the tangle of mafia families and their relationships to each other. It also becomes hard to keep track of who knows who and when since groups of characters meet at different points in the timeline (you see why I say this is probably a series you'll need to watch more than once to understand all of).

Finally, once again because of the sheer number of characters, very few of them seem to show real depth or development throughout the series. Some of them overcome obstacles or face setbacks and challenges, but their personalities and core beliefs don't change. I suppose its probably an impossible wish for a series such as this, and it may even be a distraction that would unbalance the even plain all the characters stand on, but a well-developed character is one expectation of a traditional series that I'm finding difficult to discard. But yes, since this is a rather unconventional series, its an unreasonable expectation for me to have, and I hold nothing against it.

ARTSTYLE & ANIMATION - At first glance, there's really nothing exceptional about Baccano!'s art style, but after a while, after you see a few of the gorier scenes, you kind of notice that they treat the raw violence a little different than usual. While people seem to lose limbs and body parts too easily to be realistic at times, the rendering of their injuries is incredibly sophisticated and impressive. Seriously, a severed arm never looked so good! Additionally, the backgrounds and character costumes for the entire series show demonstrate the wonderful depth of research that went into the series' creation -- New York of the early forties is wonderfully convincing with appropriate fashions adorned on characters and so on. The interiors as well are pleasingly accurate -- the insides of train cars, bars, and mansion homes are all fantastic. For an anime set in an unfamiliar time, it's really great to see that they did indeed take the time to look stuff up.

Also, it was really awesome seeing them weave the previous episode (or episodes) sypnosis into the series opening. It's refreshingly creative and lengthens the amount of time devoted to the actual episode, which is significant considering how much happens in every episode.

MUSIC - I love Baccano!'s music. From the very first time I heard its opening theme, I knew it was going to be one fantastic soundtrack. Since Cowboy Bebop's foray into jazz, I don't think I've seen any other series utilize that unique music choice. The jazz in Baccano! is energetic and upbeat, perfect for the mood of the series, not to mention wonderfully appropriate for its time period and setting. Beyond the opening song, Baccano! employs some really awesome Psycho-esque violin tracks that heighten suspense and drama, not to mention thrashing pianos with tension-filled broken chords abound. The ending theme is notably different from the rest of its music being a more traditional-sounding Japanese song, but its slowed melody and contemplative mood works well as you should definitely devote some time after each episode to sorting out and processing everything you just saw.

VOICE ACTING - With such a formidable cast, it would be incredibly difficult to have outstanding voices across the board. Still, Baccano! seems to do a pretty good job -- none of the voices are shoddy by any means, though yes, some of them are quite normal and unspectacular. (I was most impressed by the fact that none of the female characters seemed to have that characteristically annoying voice. You know what I'm talking about.) Of those that do stand out, the voices for Isaac and Miria are at the top. This is probably due in part to their incredibly eccentric personalities, but their voices just fit them perfectly. Baccano! has yet to be licensed Stateside, but I'd definitely be interested in watching the dub should one ever be produced, especially since all of the characters are indeed American.

OVERALL - I won't lie. Baccano! presents itself as a very confusing and complex series, and at times, it can be frustrating trying to decipher what exactly was going on and to remember who the hell everyone was. Despite this though, it somehow remains very entertaining to watch. There is a perfect balance between action-packed and "cool-down" scenes, and there is rarely a dull moment in between the crazy characters and crazy storylines. I'm going to go watch it again now.
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The first thing to note before watching Baccano! is that the story starts off by introducing you over 20 characters at once, and can be very confusing. However, don't let this deter you, as Baccano! offers a rather interesting take upon storytelling, giving the same story from many characters' point-of-view at once, which ties together by the end in a highly satisfying and well executed manner.

This sort of thing has been done quite often; a studio comes up with a great plot that makes sense, interesting and likable characters, a way to present the story in a way that pushes the bar; they start out well, but then end up like most do: they fail. Baccano! happens to be one of the instances where they actually succeed.

NOTE: Baccano! is somewhat gory, and does contain many scenes filled with blood and a few dismembered limbs here and there, as well as a few scenes of torture. It does nothing to reach gory levels in anime such as Elfen Lied, but if you have a weak stomach, perhaps it is better to keep your distance. Although I did not particularly like the more violent scenes, they don't last for very long, and it's easy to look past them to the great anime that they belong to.

Story: 10
The story consists of three stories being told at once (and the very brief interludes to the present day, early 2000s, and one episode in the 1700s), taking place in the years of 1930, '31, and '32, jumping between the three several time frames in a single episode. Each story involves many overlapping characters and involves all of them in some way or another. The story itself isn't necessarily the series' strong point; it's pretty standard as stories go - what makes it stand out is the way in which the story is presented, how each piece of information revealed is carefully planned out and you're given enough to be satisfied and not get lost, while not giving away so much that it ruins the plot. The story releases just the right amount of each plot line in each episode, finally culminating in the last two episodes, in which everything all finally comes together, and the grand unfolding occurs; it's well worth the wait.

The story does tend to make the jumps between it's three stories rather rapidly throughout an episode, and if you're not paying attention, it's easy to get lost. My main advice would be to plan to watch the series when you're not going to be distracted easily many times during an episode, since as long as you follow along, the story makes sense.

Art: 9
The art quality in Baccano! is nothing to shrug at. The character design is exceptionally well done. Nearly all of the main characters are well defined and very easy to identify immediately. I did have some trouble recognizing a few characters for a while (as you are introduced to a large cast rather suddenly), but after a while, it became pretty easy to tell them apart. One particularly great feature is the OP of Baccano!, which freeze-frames at every character and gives you their name. This aids greatly in learning the characters quickly.

The quality of the animation is rather high, and remains high throughout the entire series, avoiding the drop in quality that many other series unfortunately suffer from. Action scenes are fluid and easy to follow.

Sound: 9
The OP is the perfect fit to this anime. The jazz tone that it sets is perfect for the feel of the series as a whole, and music played in the background throughout the various episodes maintains this same atmosphere. The ED, however, is your standard j-pop number, and is rather disappointing.

In terms of voice acting, the voicing cast does exceedingly well at portraying their characters. Not only do they bring personality to their respective characters, they also are rather easily distinguishable, making it easier to identify the large number of main characters from the rest.

Character: 10
The characters of Baccano! are the series' strongest point, as they are well defined, unique (most of them), and the chemistry between them is simply amazing to behold. Even the most annoying character (believe me, you won't have any trouble figuring out who it is) is redeemed at the end, and I even started to like him a bit. The dynamic duo of Miria and Isaac is just brilliant, providing great entertainment just observing how they unwitting screw with everyone and somehow make things right in the end without ever knowing. The humor between the two is great, although some people will no doubt find these two to be annoying. By the end of this series, you are bound to find at least one character that you will like. Although many of the characters receive a healthy dose of development, the large number of them makes it so that many feel somewhat underdeveloped, but this is expected considering that the series only consists of 13 episodes.

Enjoyment: 10
As can be expected, when I first started watching this anime, I was very confused with the initial presentation. However, as the story continued to progress, it steadily escalated until the final few episodes, where everything reached a great climax which was pulled into a satisfying ending to a great series.
The only thing that I would say that was a drawback was that despite tying up nearly all the main important loose ends, there were still a few little things here and there that still had to be addressed (such as firmly establishing the identity of the people you meet at the very beginning and how they tie into the story). However, that's what the 3 episode Baccano! OVA is for (hopefully; they are currently being released and I will check them out very soon to confirm), and I'd like to believe that it will explain everything else, as well as give even more character development.

The fact that they pulled off a complex story following a large number of characters in several time frames within a small total of 13 episodes is nothing to scoff at. Despite the fact that many critics of the series could pretty easily point out a great number of minor flaws, the overall brilliance of the series outshines these small issues, and makes them more than easy to completely ignore.

Overall: 10
In short, this anime is one that presents a great story, and most importantly, presents it well. This is a series that almost anyone could pick up and find something to enjoy (except perhaps those with a great aversion to blood). Although the series at first is hard to understand and will leave most viewers in confusion, the ending does a successful job of tying everything up, and everyone should have their initial questions well answered by then. This is a series that I would readily recommend to just about anyone to at least try out and watch a few episodes.

Score: 48/50; A (96%) read more

Baccano! Review
or This Reviewer Embraces the Fact that there is no Main Character

Baccano! is a show which has taken parts of the anime community by storm, while simultaneously remaining relatively unknown to the larger whole. The series is frenetic and has more energy than perhaps any other anime. Each scene, while displayed with no heed for chronology, is nonetheless structured to introduce questions and answer them little by little, even if the answer is chronologically first. This is an interesting and ingenious structural choice, and also is in many ways responsible for the series' undeniable style. Baccano! does a good job of offering a little something for most everybody, without watering any of it down.

Baccano! is a show that defies description. Generally speaking, it's about a number of people and a spattering of events which are connected, sometimes loosely and sometimes directly. More specifically, it is itself a story about these things and about stories in general. It, in some ways, comes close to breaking the fourth wall with its acknowledgment of the place of human subjectivity in any story. The framing of the series with the exchanges between Carole and the Vice-Director put the entire show in this context, and the re-telling of specific events from multiple perspectives provide examples as basis for the overall framework.

Baccano!'s placement in the American prohibition era and embracing of this setting lends it a taste of the exotic. Even to American audiences, a unique take on the prohibition era such as this one seems foreign and wild, despite the familiarity of many of the places represented. Anyone who has ever seen a mafia movie feels at home, and yet at the same time it is made foreign to us. Unlike many other series which utilize a unique setting or particular aesthetic, Baccano!'s use of its setting, its powerful aesthetic, does not come off as heavy-handed. Baccano! oozes style without ever feeling the need to shove it in your face, allowing for someone to not connect with the aesthetic yet still enjoy the series overall.

The animation in Baccano! is definitely a strong point, even though it is a little rough around the edges. Stationary art in the series is certainly good, but nothing especially worth noting. In motion, though, the style of the series comes to realization with its somewhat flashy, rough animation style. Colors are bright and vibrant, matching the characters' flair and the feel of the setting. Despite some remarkably over the top designs, everything meshes very well within the series, and there is nothing which visually feels out of place, even the occasional CGI section.

Sound plays a unique role in Baccano! in reinforcing and bringing to life its setting. In this, through the use of primarily jazz and swing tracks with unique twists, the soundtrack is remarkably successful, lending a credibility to the endeavor without being vestigial or overbearing. The soundtrack is solid even without considering the above, and is definitely good enough to warrant listening to on its own. Within the series, it never really takes center stage—aside from the dramatic string piece that closes each episode—but instead achieves a healthy balance with the other aspects of the show, unlike many series with strong, aesthetically-driven soundtracks, such as Cowboy Bebop or Samurai Champloo. While not as strong on its own as those two, it does a better job of navigating its place within the overall work.

The voice-acting in Baccano! is unique in the anime world. It features few, if any, big name seiyuu, and, possibly as a result, is superbly cast. It is common for big name seiyuu to be included in a project for publicity and increased viewership, even where their voice does not fit the character, or where the show must be altered to accommodate the actor. In Baccano!, though, each voice actor fits their character extraordinarily well, and their performances overall are definitely solid, naturally bolstered by clever writing and a supporting soundtrack. As far as stand out performances, I must point out the seiyuu of Isaac and Miria, who managed to make what could have been very irritating characters enjoyable and fantastically entertaining. Ladd Russo's voice actor is also remarkably good, making a character who sounded simple and uninspired in description great in practice. As far as main characters are concerned, it is difficult to pinpoint a weak link, and the supporting cast is solid, if not as exemplary.

It is difficult to speak much on that plot of Baccano! without spoiling the mystery and the fun of it all, so I'll be brief and general. Baccano!'s plot is an evolving mystery which fills out completely the 13 episodes it inhabits. There is no idle time in Baccano!, and each scene fits very well into an overall picture. While this frenetic pace is paramount to the impressiveness of the series and to further its very postmodern style, at times it can be somewhat jarring. This, of course, is most likely intentional, considering the mindset of the rest of the series, but it does irk some, especially those less interested or familiar with postmodern literature. The plot itself is fairly straightforward if laid out chronologically, but the way it is presented makes it somewhat extraordinary. It does a better job of engaging the viewer in the plot, making them an active participant, than perhaps any other series I have seen.

If I had to point out a primary flaw of Baccano!, it would be the voluminous cast which limits the characterization of each. Each character is a larger than life, highly-stylized figure, but as a general rule there is little more to them than that. There is some nuance to each, but it is only in the relationships between the characters that they achieve depth, keeping this from becoming a crippling weakness. Even so, the aesthetically-charged character design is worth noting, differentiating each character powerfully from the others even in keeping with period attire—or at least a stylized, egalitarian version of it.

Baccano! takes everything you know about anime and shows you that there is another way, all the while engaging you with a flashy mystery full of action and suspense. Flush with style and ripe with content, Baccano! manages to give the audience a little bit of everything, without feeling rushed or particularly shallow, although its biggest weakness is the lack of complexity in its characters and plot. It offers unforgettable characters, powerful aesthetics, and a great soundtrack to frame a frenetic narrative which challenges notions of narratives themselves. The series challenges you as a viewer, interpreter, and active participant.

Final Score: 9/10
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