"Baccano" is one of those shows that, at first glance, you wouldn't think came out of Japan- a film noir-esque gangster flick set in an alternate version of 1930s America, with various hints of the supernatural thrown in for good measure. With an ensemble cast, great voice acting and highly entertaining comedy and fight scenes, "Baccano" manages to be a very fun ride (no pun intended) despite being more than a bit on the short side.
Story & World (7.5/10):
"Baccano" story revolves around the lives of various characters, including alchemists, thieves, thugs, American Mafia and Italian Mafia. Oh, and immortals. From a flashback episode, we learn that a bunch of people were granted immortality by a mysterious demon back in 1711. Naturally, many of these characters are still alive in the 1930s and one crazy scientist is trying to recreate the elixir. However, that's just one small fraction of the plot. And there's a lot of plot.
One of the first things you learn about "Baccano" is that nobody is the main character. The story is constantly switching points of view, frequently every few minutes, which slowly but surely pieces together a very complicated story. Much of this takes place on a train called the 'Flying Pussyfoot', which many of the major characters have conveniently boarded. Chaos ensues, bullets go flying and people are killed. It could pretty much be argued that the entire story revolves around the train, with everything else showing the events that lead up to it. The story is not told in a straight line, however, as the constant point-of-view switching goes into the past just as often as the future.
Unfortunately, the story is let down by the anime's very short length. In total, there are only 16 episodes, with 13 being the main story and the remaining 3 serving as an epilogue of sorts. This makes the overall story come off as very rushed with little to no build-up. Furthermore, the multiple points of view make it difficult to keep track of everything within such a short amount of time. While the story is definitely unique and exciting, it is also an unfortunate case of ending too quickly and leaving you wanting more.
Art & Animation (7.5/10):
"Baccano"'s animation is pretty average. It looks fine for the most part but it's ultimately pretty rough around the edges, even considering the fact that it came out in 2007. This is especially shown during scenes that are zoomed out, in which the characters' faces are completely blank and have no visible features. Considering this wasn't the case with several anime that came out in the early 2000s, this comes off as very jarring. It's pretty obvious that they didn't have a particularly big animation budget.
Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10):
The musical score is, for the most part, pretty good. While not many of the tracks are particularly noteworthy, it still really fits the setting and tone of the show. Special mention goes to "Calling", a hauntingly beautiful track that serves as the ending theme. The voice acting is fantastic, specifically the dub. Ask any fan of the series, and they will say the dub is the right way to go here, especially considering the series takes place in America. A lot of my favourite voice actors are here, including Colleen Clinkenbeard, Todd Haberkorn, Brina Palencia and Monica Rial, who provide the voices of Nice, Firo, Ennis and Chane respectively. Add in a decent, witty script and this is undoubtedly one of the show's greatest strengths.
Characters (7.5/10):
The cast of characters is impressively diverse. The opening even goes through the trouble of showing the names of nearly all the major characters, with the ending theme following suit by merely showing their faces. Unfortunately, the dozens of characters proves to be a problem. As I mentioned before, the series tries to ram an awful lot into only 16 episodes, which is not a good thing when you have dozens of characters. As a result of this, only a few of the characters ever get the recognition they deserve.
It's a real shame, because the characters who do get the recognition they deserve are great. My favourite has got to be Claire Stanfield, also known as Vino, the world's greatest assassin. Not only is he an absolute badass, but he's also pleasingly complex. He may be an assassin who works with criminals, but he does so in order to kill other criminals. He also has a code to never harm innocent people and in fact despises people who kill for the hell of it. This doesn't mean he can't enjoy his work, though, and he employs countless methods of torture to get the job done. It's ironic that one of the most brutal characters in the series is also one of the most heroic. Additionally, he's actually a pretty affable guy when not on the job, making you wonder if he's really a psychopath or if he just puts an act on to function better as an assassin.
Another notable character is Ennis, a homunculus who was created as an emotionless puppet by a mad scientist. She is kept as a slave and abused by her creator, who forces her to obey his every command with the fact that he can kill her with a single thought. Therefore, she has to all sorts of horrible things against her will and there's nothing she can do about it. At first, she has no concept of morality or sin, but after being forced to absorb an alchemist, she does know and is horrified by what she's done. It's pretty heartbreaking to see what she goes through, as she learns human emotions and tries to cope with the horrors of what she's doing.
There's a bunch of other interesting characters as well, including Nice, a scarred girl who's enthusiastic about bombs, Chane, a mute girl who dual-wields knives and Ladd, an unstable mobster who detests the arrogant and takes great glee at killing anyone who least expects him to. And, of course, who could forget fan-favourites Isaac and Miria, a duo of hilariously dim-witted thieves who go around spreading inspiration to others without even trying. Additionally, without giving anything away, you find one of the biggest badasses in the series in the last possible character you would expect.
Enjoyment (8.5/10):
"Baccano" is a very entertaining series from start to finish, with plenty of hilarious comedy and great action scenes. And really, what's there not to enjoy about a noir crime series in which characters slowly cross paths with one another? It is rather confusing for the first six episodes, as it's only until the seventh episode that things finally start to come together and make sense, but if you're patient you will be rewarded.
Overall:
"Baccano" is a great series that unfortunately feels like it's over far too quickly. The animation is pretty limited and I really think it could have done with 8 or 10 more episodes just to expand on quite a few things, but thankfully this doesn't take away from the enjoyment too much. It's also unlike almost any other anime out there, that alone makes it worth checking out.
Score:
7.5+7.5+8.5+7.5+8.5=39.5/50=7.9/10
