Baccono! takes place on the train The Flying Pussyfoot, which comes attack and has many people fighting for their lives against armed terrorists and a mythical monster. Also it’s about two mafia families at war with each other. And a little girl searching for the whereabouts of her brother. And a group of alchemists trying to secure the secret of immortality. And each of these stories take place in a different time zone told at the same time as each other. Plus the fact it’s not told in a chronological, linear fashion, with the end at the beginning, and the middle all messed up makes it both unique and confusing. But it managed something I wouldn't have thought possible, all of the times zones ended up connected in a way that everything makes sense by the final episode.
The anime doesn’t really focus on one single main character throughout its 13 episodes, but instead it switches constantly from the gangsters to the alchemists; to the passengers of The Flying Pussyfoot and the psychotic killers. It would be impossible to list them all but a worthy mention has to go to Issac and Miria for being two of the most likeable characters as well as being some of the best comic relief I have ever seen.
However one problem with this unique style is that in the first half, you are just gonna be extremely confused. It will be hard to keep track of characters names or what gangster family they are part of, or who is immortal or not. But at the end it doesn't really matter, as it does become clear.
Now the majority of this anime is set in 1930's New York, so I would recommend watching the English dub. Not only is it very good, but it created the feeling that I was watching a gangster drama, rather than an anime. So in a way it's like Cowboy Bebop as they is barely a trace of anything remotely Japanese. Plus the opening is not a standard J-Pop affair but is really jazzy., which suits the setting perfectly.
Ultimately the reason why I love this anime is that manages to make everything work, from its bad ass actions, to its different setting: to the psychotic characters to the whiny, insecure ones. Everyone and everything develops really well and I just love the combination of action with plenty of gore, drama and comedy, and even some mild horror and romance. They all come together and form a fantastic anime. This is definitely an anime that I will not only watch again soon but also deserves its official release purchased as soon as possible.
