If there's one major fault with Baccano, it's that the characters are somewhat lame, and unfortunately it's the characters that are supposed to anchor the narrative in this kind of series. Everyone has a gimmick and sometimes those traits cross the line from charming to annoying. Therefore your enjoyment of the series is almost entirely dependent on how much you can stand the characters. Jacuzzi is the worst kind of weak-willed do-gooder and I grew tired of him after about five minutes. Ladd and Graham similarly begin to grate on the nerves after prolonged exposure simply because they're one-trick ponies. How many times can you murder a guy with no provocation before it gets old? The rest of the diverse cast is okay, but no one really steals the show.
Furthermore, a show about mafia syndicates and immortal alchemists absolutely screams for a certain subset of stylish, badass motherfuckers and pithy dialogue that just didn't happen. I guess it's unfair to compare it to something like Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs, but it really can't compete. Perhaps subtitles are inherently unable to translate something as subtle as style and atmosphere, because the translations I had sounded terribly awkward, and I hope it didn't sound that way to a native Japanese. Incidentally a good English dub wouldn't try to slavishly stick to the subtitles but instead take more liberties with the dialogue to smooth it out and make it flow naturally.
That said, Baccano's still enjoyable, and the whole turns out to be greater than the sum of its parts.
