Great. It's the immortal American mafia.
Just what humanity needs.
Baccano was a show that aired in Summer 2007, animated by Brains Base and directed by Takahiro Omori. 2007 was a wonderful year for anime. We got Ghost Hound, Nodame Cantabile, Sayounara Zetsoubu Sensei, Darker than Black and so much more. That was back when anime was in its prime, brimming with ideas and originality, and bringing a little something for everybody no matter what your favorite genre.
Of course we also got Baccano. Usually light novel adaptions are something to be weary about but - cutting to the chase - Baccano pulled it off and ended up
...
being an entertaining, wild, chaotic ride.
I don't think I've ever watched a show as fun as this one. It's a bunch of chaos, comedy, horror and action where the timeline is all jumbled up, events and storylines are scattered about, and you're just having the time of your life as you watch a huge cast of colorful and quirky, likeable characters that you never even thought you would like often do downright despicable things.
Baccano is actually an anime about quite a few different things, taking place in the 1930s of New York. To be quite short about it one storyline involves a train hijacking; another involves an elixir of 'immortality' and the people involved in it; then separately there's a mafia war that's going on, and a young girl who's just trying to find her older brother who mysteriously disappeared a year prior. And all the while the story isn't told in your usual 'linear' fashion, and jumps from one timeline to the next as all the stories and characters start to connect.
It's understandable if the description puts you off, mainly because it looks like it could be convoluted. This was my biggest fear going into Baccano; it's understandably trying to tell rather simple stories in a not so simple fashion. To be fair the first episode is disorientating. However persevere, and you'll find yourself with a wonderful anime series that really is an underrated gem.
Baccano could have been convoluted; it could have been messy; it could have had characters you despise and don't care about - but it does exactly the opposite and thankfully does what it should right.
Starting with the animation like most 2007 shows Baccano has high-budget consistent animation throughout the entire series. Brains Base is one of the smaller animation studios in the industry but they do not fail in delivering near flawless animation. The colors are quite dark and matching of a 1930s setting with hyper realistic backgrounds and the smoky, dreary atmosphere of life during the Great Depression. The effects, the brutality of the violence, it's all done incredibly stylishly. It's clear that the anime draws it's aesthetic and style from Western action flicks, Pulp Fiction to name one. Unfortunately the anime just gets way too dark in some scenes. And no...not 'dark' as in the tone gets dark. But the animation in general - some scenes are so dark you can barely see what's going on, which is a notable gripe of mine.
As for the sound Baccano's opening is common on lists of people's favorite opening themes. It's jazzy, unskippable, introduces the main characters and has you tapping your feet, much like Cowboy Bebop's opening jazz theme. This continues for a great chunk of the anime's OST, which boasts a wide range of mellow blues' tunes and snazzy jazz. It's also one of the few anime in which I wholeheartedly recommend the dub; there's a certain authenticity in the accents and the performances which meshes perfectly with the New York setting, and the actors all give it their all in playing and matching their parts. It's evident the dubbers had great fun in recording their lines, as there's not a dull delivery or underhanded performance in sight.
Besides, whilst you won't do wrong with the sub, you have some amazing voice actors on board for the dub, like J Michael Tatum as Isaac, Brina Palencia as Ennis, Maxey Whitehead as Czelaw and Bryan Massey who plays a fantastic Ladd Russo.
Moving on, Baccano uses a rather unique style of narrative, as it isn't told in your usual linear storybook fashion and instead skips from one timeline to the next like a rabbit high on speed. This could easily be 'off-putting' as to be fair the story can be confusing - however that's what makes Baccano so fun. It never feels like it's overwhelming you with information; rather, once the first episode is out of the way, the anime settles into its own pace, weaving storylines and characters together as smoothly as it can, whilst also skipping from one timeline to the next. Certain flashbacks are jarring and can take away from the usually smooth flow of the plot, instead slowing the intense energy down and taking it back a notch or two. However execution wise I was surprised at how well the director managed to use the non-linear storyline to his advantage.
It's so much fun that you'll be re-watching it again and noticing things you wouldn't have noticed before, which is always a plus. The genres don't clash too much either - from the fluid action, the stirring horror, and the rampant comedy of things.
And then we have the characters who are some of the most despicable yet the most likeable and colorful group of people I've ever seen. Makes sense? Well it should because that's what it is. There are so many characters and most people you'll speak to will say the same thing - they're all so oddly likeable. You have the cheery group of would-be thieves, Isaac and Miria, who when they're not robbing the oddest of items (like the time they tried to steal a museum) are spreading joy to the people around them; the psychopathic Ladd Russo who has a fascination with being the only one to kill his fiance Lua (who's quite an oddball herself), and Niece and...wait...Jaccuzi...Splot?
o-o
That's his real name too. Jaccuzi Splot, almost as ridiculous as the train's name of 'Flying Pussyfoot.' (Yeah, seriously legit.) That must be what Japan thinks of American names. I wouldn't be surprised if they just opened an English dictionary and plucked a few words out from it. There are plenty more too, from immortals to mafia members to train hijackers and sadistic torturers. And all of them, I kid you not, they are all so likeable that it feels wrong to say it. Why? Because as I said before Baccano is a lot of rampant fun. In fact the only innocent character in the entire series would be Eve, the young christian rich girl looking for her older brother Dallas.
Are the characters deep? Hell no; this is Baccano. It's not trying to convey a philosophical story with complex, brooding characters. What it sets out to create however excels in most parts, and its kooky cast is certainly the strongest point of the anime.
I believe one thing that does need addressing is the violence in Baccano. For something rather goofy, serious and comedic all at the same time the show is shockingly brutal, and doesn't shy away from detailed gore. The anime is never gratuitous however and all the blood and gore is used to advance the story - something quite rare to see. In the first episode alone you see someone get their head blown off, a guy have his fingers sliced, a man unconscious from multiple punches, the aftermath of a torture and another man with his whole arm stripped bare and nothing but bone showing. Stylistic and exaggerated? Yes, but vividly detailed. Baccano without gore would be like echii without boobs. It's essential for the actual plot of things.
It is one of the tamer R16 series I've seen over here but the rating is on Baccano for a reason, so if you're squeamish you may want to give the show a pass.
With all my praise said and done I will say Baccano isn't a flawless show. The narrative style - while unique and well-done - isn't entirely original, as it has been done in movies and anime before, like - per say - the Garden of Sinners. The animation can get way too dark at times, and the characters aren't necessarily deep or anything. But either way 'fun' and 'loud' is the only way to describe it. Highly enjoyable and highly re-watchable, with colorful characters, surprisingly brutal violence and goofy comedy, exciting action and chilling horror all mixed into one. It isn't perfection but it is one of the most entertaining shows I've ever watched and one of my all-time favorites.
I give Baccano a
9.60/10
Highly Recommended
Good;; It's highly entertaining; the blood and gore is used effectively; the characters are quirky and colorful; fluid, consistent animation; the show is well-executed; an excellent dub; overall it's as fun as you'll get, and cleverly written to boot
Mixed;; Despite my high praise don't go into this show expecting something deep, profound and of class; the violence is there and yes, it is extremely gory, so not for the squeamish
Bad;; The animation is way too dark at times; the OVAs that follow the series up aren't a continuation but rather an expansion to the series, which is disappointing
Oct 2, 2015
Great. It's the immortal American mafia.
Just what humanity needs. Baccano was a show that aired in Summer 2007, animated by Brains Base and directed by Takahiro Omori. 2007 was a wonderful year for anime. We got Ghost Hound, Nodame Cantabile, Sayounara Zetsoubu Sensei, Darker than Black and so much more. That was back when anime was in its prime, brimming with ideas and originality, and bringing a little something for everybody no matter what your favorite genre. Of course we also got Baccano. Usually light novel adaptions are something to be weary about but - cutting to the chase - Baccano pulled it off and ended up ... |
