Let me take you back to a different time. It was the early 1930s, Prohibition was still in and the Great Depression had just gotten started. Gang violence, bank robberies, speak-easies and the sound of Tommy-guns were about as common place as a soda jerk in the local drug store. Pretty much everything you'd expect from a gangster story.
Well... Except for the fact that some people won't stay dead after you've riddled them with enough holes to make Swiss cheese look un-appetizing and they look exactly the same age in the 20th century as they did in the 18th.
Baccano!
Studio: Brain's Base
Director: Takahiro Omori
Original work by: Ryohgo Narita
Licensed by: FUNimation
Number of episodes: 16
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Crime, Dark Comedy
Story:
The story itself is a bit difficult for me to discuss since I've not seen anything that compares with Baccano! in the delivery of its story. The main plot is dispersed between three different events taking place in 1930, 1931 and 1932- these events being how a mafia family got its immortality, the tragic events that take place aboard a train called "The Flying Pussyfoot" (Yes that is its name) and a woman's search for her missing (albeit, very dickish) brother.
What makes Baccano! special is the manner in which it tells these events, namely: simultaneously. Each episode jumps between scenes from each of these events, progressing each storyline at pretty much the same pace. At times the transition between story lines can get a bit confusing as usually the only thing that really indicates a change in storyline is a black screen with the year of the scene you're transferring over to. This method of telling Baccano!'s story works quite well, however, as each scene gives you the right amount of information without getting ahead of or spoiling the other story lines.
Another aspect I like about Baccano!'s story is in the way it tells you how everything goes down right at the beginning. In the very first episode you know there's a guy in a green suit who can do some crazy stuff like reattach recently cut fingers, a guy in a white suit beside some railroad tracks who has a pretty messed up arm and a man covered in blood on top of a train reading a message carved on the roof. This introduction puts more focus on the journey itself. We want to know how they got to where they are rather then how the plot will end.
The only thing that I didn't like about Baccano!'s story pertains to the last three epilogue episodes at the end. The episodes felt lacking in the writing department compared to the rest of the story and certain things the epilogue-only character, Graham Specter, does break some of the immersion from the main storyline.
At its heart, Baccano! genuinely loves its own setting. It gives off the feeling of a gangster movie set while mixing in the right amount of fantasy elements. The story makes enough references to the era to feel like the writers have done their research.
Characters:
Considering how short Baccano! is, it has a very, very large cast of characters, each being quite unique compared to the last. The cast ranges from the Bonnie and Clyde-esque comedic relief characters Isaac Dian and Miria Harvent, the smooth and charming Firo Prochainezo, the untrusting and scheming immortal child Czeslaw Meyer, the happily and violently psychopathic Ladd Russo, the crybaby-esque yet very caring (and unfortunately named) Jacuzzi Splot and the very dick-ish Dallas Genoard just to name a few of the huge cast. Despite its brevity, Baccano! gives each of its large cast of characters a good amount of screen time and development.
Another interesting aspect about Baccano! is there are no definite "main characters". Or another way to consider it is that there are nearly 20 characters that could be considered "main characters" as the view point switches between all of them frequently. This could be seen as confusing to some but I found it worked quite well as each character felt well developed and interesting to follow.
The only character I really had a problem with is Graham Specter who, as stated above, only appears in the epilogue episodes. As a character, he is more or less "Ladd Russo but likes to break stuff instead of killing people" which is in itself disappointing but he also tends to do some things that break immersion in the series and that just plain feel ridiculous (i.e. taking apart a car in mid-air).
Animation:
Baccano!'s animation is a bit iffy to talk about. On the one hand, it's very fluid in its action sequences and the darker color pallets really add to the generally dark atmosphere of the series. But on the other hand, there are some quality drops with the background characters feeling very undetailed at times. While these drops are not too serious, I still found it little bit distracting.
Aesthetically Baccano! does a good job of capturing the feel of Prohibition era New York City in its background and character designs with a more lived in and worn feel to many of New York's streets and with the characters tending to wear formal wear such as suits and dresses.
By the way, if you're in the least bit squeamish when it comes to violence and gore, Baccano! might not be the series for you. Characters getting their heads shredded on moving train-tracks, heads getting blown off and arms getting ripped apart until only bloodied exposed bone is left are just a few of the violent scenes depicted in Baccano!.
Though Baccano! does not beat you over the head with gory violence every scene, when it does show gore and violence, it shows it very graphically.
Sound:
I'll admit right now, I have a big soft spot for swing. In this department,Baccano! does not disappoint as each track ranges from different kinds of Jazz to Swing to everything in between. The opening itself captures the essence of the series while getting you pumped to some smooth swing and while also helpfully listing off the names of each of the characters to help you keep on track of who's who. The closing is a bit disappointing as the creators decided to go for a more somber mood that lacks the "big band" feel of the rest of the soundtrack, so you're more than likely going to skip it.
Opening
Closing
As far as language goes, stick with the English dubbing. Not only does it work better with the setting, it's also probably one of the best English dubbings I've heard. You have to give FUNimation a lot of props for this dub as each voice actor fits the perspective character perfectly and there are some really, really nice accents. Plus, I just have to mention that J. Michael Tatum and Bryan Massey do phenomenal jobs as Isaac and Ladd.
Personal Enjoyment:
Baccano! is a series I genuinely like. While the drops in animation were noticeable, they were infrequent enough not to take away too much from it. The story telling method Baccano! uses can be a bit confusing, but I genuinely loved how the story flowed. It's a bit hard for me to pick a single character I loved more than the rest as most of them are pretty well developed and unique. The music fit the series wonderfully, and It was easily one of my favorite dubbings out there.
All in all, Baccano! is a unique little fantasy gangster flick series that does a nice mix of seriousness and violence with a good dose of humor to lighten the mood. Its unique way of telling a story, ensemble cast of interesting and insane characters and love for 1930's setting places it among the most intriguing series I've seen.
Final Verdict:
After assigning scores to:
Story: 4.25
Characters: 4.25
Animation: 3.75
Sound: 5.00
And my own personal enjoyment: 4.75
I have given Baccano! an assigned score of:
4.40/5.00
Recommendation:
I give Baccano! a very solid buy recommendation unless you are not a fan of gore or squeamish about violence. Baccano! is available for stream through FUNimation and Hulu (though presently you'll either need a FUNimation Elite subscription or Hulu Plus to stream the dubs) and can be purchased from FUNimation's store, Amazon, Rightstuf and wherever you can purchase anime dvds/blurays.
Alternative anime to check out:
Black Lagoon/Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail
Black Lagoon is what happens when the writer's main inspirations are Quentin Tarantino and John Woo. Set in the fictional Thai city of Roanpur, Black Lagoon follows the ragtag group of modern day pirates and mercs known as Lagoon Company. While not as gory as Baccano!, Black Lagoonequals it in violence, and its wonderfully mixed cast of characters and dark action movie themes make it well worth the watch.
Also like Baccano!, Black Lagoon should be watched dubbed versus subbed as the dubbing is both high quality and fits the setting and characters a lot better.
Hellsing(2001)
Hellsing is one of the few series I would refer to as genuinely "cool." The story revolves around a secret British organization designed for the hunting of vampires. While it's not exactly the best written and some of the characters are pretty lacking at times, the main male character, Alucard, may well be one of the greatest badasses in anime.
Hellsing is also a series I'd recommend dubbed over sub if for no other reason than to have Crispin Freeman's magnificent voice as Alucard himself.
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