70 years later, and Isaac and Miria JUST realized "hey, isn't it weird how we aren't aging..." Comic relief sucks most of the time imo. But with Isaac and Miria, man, they just make everything even better. They are only partly comic relief though, because what they do influences the story- like, quite a lot. Heck, they're probably considered by most to be the main characters- even though an argument can be made that several other characters were the "main" characters. I guess that's what the first episode was for, with that girl choosing the main character for the story. Speaking of which, time to go quickly re-watch the first episode now, which is actually kind of the end it turns out. Bold move, because that confusing episode no doubt would have turned a lot of people off. But for those who chose to stick by it, it is now a rewarding experience.
Ok now about this very non-linear story telling, which was a choice for the anime adaptation, as the light novels as far as I know were told normally, in typical linear fashion. For me.... I don't mind it. It makes things interesting for sure, and it's always satisfying to see scenes and events start to connect. Now while connecting the dots does make for an interesting experience indeed, I think it's just played as a gimmick. It isn't necessary. Sometimes scenes lead into others nicely, but most of the time, for me at least, it's all just random: like they took the storyboards and cut them up and threw them into a hat and randomly picked them out one by one to make a new, jumbled up storyboard. As one of the top reviews states, there isn't really any rhyme or reason to it. Should there be any rhyme or reason to it, can't we just simply call this an artistic writing style? Well yes.... but actually no. Think of it this way: what does this story GAIN by telling it in this non-linear fashion? With this kind of storytelling, there really is nothing TO gain other than again, keeping the audience somewhat perplexed until all his eventually revealed. It's a risky move though, because it no doubt will be a turn-off for many. If you're going to tell the story in this way, you have to do it in a way that also keeps your audience captivated, with no room for "huh?"
Odd Taxi is a good example of how to do it right. Now you might be thinking, so then what does THAT (odd taxi) gain by telling its story in non-linear fashion? Well, same thing as baccano, same thing as any show that tells its story this way. It's because audiences like to watch a mystery being unraveled, we like to see a seemingly jumbled mess slowly come together and form a full, complete picture. But now the difference is this: Baccano is just a mess, that comes together by the end. Odd Taxi tells full, complete stories at the START, which then all connects and forms something even bigger by the end. Baccano (to me at least, this is just my humble opinion, please forgive me if you are hardcore fan of it) is the equivalent of smashing a vase, and then putting it back together. Odd Taxi, is a collection of car parts, all fully functional, that just have to be assembled to create the complete product. Are these two able to be fairly compared? Maybe, maybe not. These are just my two cents for the day.
ANYWAY, rating time. Despite any nitpicks that you and I may have on the storytelling, it is a thoroughly engaging story. It's definitely an above average anime, holding its head quite high above most other anime with all their cute and wholesome sh*t. Give us something brutal instead! And brutal Baccano has given us, it doesn't really hold back. But again, I just don't fully agree with this style of story-telling. It's a high-6 to mid-7 kind of anime for me....
however...
The CHARACTERS. F*ck yes. I fricking LOVE these characters. EVERYONE is awesome in there own right. Some, more than others of course, but none here in this huge ensemble is a lame character. Apart from the old guy though. He sucked ass. He's just like "BOO HOO I WANNA KNOW ELIXER RECIPE WAAAHHHHH" the whole time. So glad Firo finished him off, and lived happily ever with Enis. Love those two just as much as Isaac and Miria. And the message that Chane left for Vino? My heart man. Best way to end it all off. I don't fully get Vino, but he's the most badass character of the whole show and like one of the most badass in any anime period. I have no question seeing why he's a fan favourite. He's MY favourite character of them all- well, him or the other fan favourite, Ladd, of course. Although low-key I kinda like Luck's persona as well.... and of course Firo's awesome.... you know what nvm I don't really have a favourite character. I don't have a least favourite character at all- other than the old man of course. Maybe Dallas would take the next place though, idk what he was here for other than to stir up trouble and to get everyone looking for him and such. Poor guy though, what a brutal punishment he got. Luck sure knew what he was doing. Put in a barrel filled with concrete, constricting his movement, and dropped down to the bottom of a river to drown over and over again indefinitely? Yikes. Anyway, without rambling on for far too long, I just wanted to say, pretty much every character in this show is just, well, despite everything, just really likeable. Sometimes an anime is carried by its story, sometimes by its visuals and soundtrack. But here, without a doubt, it's carried by characters. And that's why I'm giving it an extra point above the 6 or 7 out of 10 score I think this anime would've deserved otherwise. Heck you know what, now that I think of it, I'd have probably given this show a failing grade of a 4 or below had it not been for these characters. If we just got some generic cardboard cut outs (you can argue that these characters are one-dimensional as well, but idgaf. They're all lovable, and that's all that matters to me here.), I would've probably not even bothered to finish this. Now imo it still deserves just a 6 or 7, but I am so biased towards these characters that again, I'm giving it a little more love.
8/10. Albeit an 8/10 on the lower side, perhaps an 8.3 out of 10. But still an 8 regardless.
Now I thought I wasn't going to bother with those specials, because apparently they're just fluff: but again, I'm here for the characters, and I want to see more of them no matter what.
Oh and one last thing: I hopped you guys watched this in dub. This is coming from someone who is at most, just indifferent about the dub. Usually I steer clear of dubs like the plague except once in a blue moon. But in this case, I really think it's far better experienced this way. It's 1930's America, after all. They should be speaking English. Plus, the voice actors did a rather splendid job indeed. But more importantly, you will be spared by Miria's grating loli-like voice. If you watched in sub, but might have some intention of re-watching it in the future, please do so in dub. Honestly should almost be a requirement. Aight, that's all for now. Cya around folks.
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