<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/2015-11-06Baccano! cover.jpg">
<b>Review of Baccano! by Demelza</b>
Most anime fans will likely have heard of <em>Durarara!!</em> at some point or another, and if you have you’ll probably know of <em>Baccano!</em> as well - the series of light novels that Ryohgo Narita started writing before <em>Durarara!!</em>. <em>Baccano!</em> seems to be as adored by its fans as<em> Durarara!!</em> and being a fan of Ryohgo’s later work myself, I was eager to give <em>Baccano!</em> a shot.<br>
<em>Baccano! </em>tells the story of a wide range of characters and is predominantly set within a fictional New York during the 1930s. Much like<em> Durarara!!,</em> the cast of <em>Baccano!</em> seem to have little or no relation to one another but as the story progresses everyone is brought together by a twist of fate. The majority of the story does take place in New York but the rest takes place aboard the transcontinental train known as the <em>Flying Pussyfoot.</em> On this train two gangs at odds come to meet, along with a monster, the Rail Tracer, who eats train passengers.
In the 1930s, an immortality elixir is created by an alchemist known as Szilard Quates. However, to the alchemist’s dismay, the elixir gets stolen not long after. This event triggers two gang families, who are normally on good terms, to begin fighting as the result of Szilard’s attempts to retrieve what he created. The stolen elixir is the starting point for all these characters coming together and crossing paths, which is ultimately what drives half the series. The other half is driven by the events aboard the <em>Flying Pussyfoot</em>. You’d be forgiven for not thinking this is the most unique of stories as to me it really isn’t, but there is a whole lot of fun to be found in<em> Baccano!</em> anyway. <br>
Straight from the first episode, it’s very clear that this is Ryohgo’s work, even if you’re someone who’s gone into the show without that knowledge. The way the plot moves and how we flip between all the different perspectives of the cast is something that Ryohgo shines at and I can see how he went on to create<em> Durarara!! </em>afterwards. Due to his disjointed style of storytelling, you’re better off not thinking too deeply about anything until you’re a few episodes in, when everything begins coming together. This could be a problem for some series but actually makes <em>Baccano!</em> all the better. That being said, while Ryohgo has excelled at creating a really interesting plot, what he hasn’t done is create interesting characters.<br>
I watched all of <em>Baccano!</em> across three days and did so because I found the story really compelling. However, after the first few episodes, there were certain characters that I just wanted rid of. Enter Isaac and Miria: a couple of idiots who are thieves and live fairly interesting lives. Now while I definitely appreciate why they exist and the hand they have in the story, I always wanted them to disappear as quickly as possible and enjoyed the brief moments without them a lot more than when they were present. Isaac and Miria are very much main characters, which really is a shame as their annoying tendency to copy one another's words, and generally be far too hyper, just frustrated me no end. <br>
It’s safe to say that, Isaac and Miria aggravations aside, I got on a lot better with some of the other cast but still had grievances with how they were handled. It felt like the section of the story covered by the anime focused on the wrong people. I really loved Firo Prochainezo, who is a part of one of the gang families, but sadly while he is a big part of the story I felt that we didn’t get to see enough of him. I also liked many of the immortal characters and the Rail Tracer but again didn’t feel satisfied with how much screen time they received. A part of this is probably due to <em>Baccano! </em>having so much to tell in just 16 episodes (three of which are OVAs), but overall I think the real problem lies in the characters just not being as strong as those in <em>Durarara!!,</em> whom I really love.<br>
As with <em>Durarara!!</em>, <em>Baccano! </em>was handled by studio <em>Brain’s Base </em>and they’ve done a wonderful job with the animation. <em>Baccano!</em> is full of action scenes, as you’d probably expect, and they’re animated really well. It’s worth mentioning that there is a lot of blood and general gore in <em>Baccano!</em>, so if you’re a bit squeamish you’ll probably find yourself looking away quite often, but I think that it fits with the nature of the show. It’s also worth noting that <em>Baccano!</em> is directed by Takahiro Omori, who also directs the <em>Durarara!!</em> anime, and that they share the same composer in Makoto Yoshimori, who does a wonderful job with the music.<br>
The voice actor cast for <em>Baccano!</em> is generally impressive and do a good job in both the Japanese and English versions. Being able to pull off European accents is of great importance for the <em>Baccano!</em> dub and there are some good performances here from the whole cast. Some of the more annoying characters in Japanese felt less annoying in English, like Isaac (played by J. Michael Tatum in English, who most recently voiced Erwin Smith in <em>Attack on Titan</em>) and Miria (played by Caitlin Glass, who was Winry Rockbell in <em>Fullmetal Alchemist</em>), which was nice. <br>
<em>Anime Limited </em>have handled the release of <em>Baccano!’s</em> collector's edition in the UK, which comes packed with a small booklet, the 13 episodes of the series spread across three Blu-ray discs, and the 3 OVA episodes. The set also has the original <em>Baccano!</em> trailer, clean opening and ending, and a behind-the-scenes feature on the series. It’s a really nice set as <em>Baccano! </em>looks wonderful on Blu-ray, and including the OVA episodes is important as they wrap up the story. Without them <em>Baccano! </em>would definitely have felt unfinished.<br>
I think<em> Baccano! </em>has a lot going for it, especially if you’re a fan of <em>Durarara!!</em>. If you can look past some of the annoying cast then you’ll probably find a new favourite anime in this series. Even if you don’t like any of the characters, <em>Baccano!</em> still has an interesting enough story to make it worth your time. Just don’t expect it to make any sense until you’re a few episodes in.<br>
<b>Final score: 7 out of 10</b>
<b>Additional screencaps</b>
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-11-06Baccano! 1.jpg">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-11-06Baccano 3.jpg">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-11-06Baccano 5.png">
<b>Review of Baccano! by Demelza</b>
Most anime fans will likely have heard of <em>Durarara!!</em> at some point or another, and if you have you’ll probably know of <em>Baccano!</em> as well - the series of light novels that Ryohgo Narita started writing before <em>Durarara!!</em>. <em>Baccano!</em> seems to be as adored by its fans as<em> Durarara!!</em> and being a fan of Ryohgo’s later work myself, I was eager to give <em>Baccano!</em> a shot.<br>
<em>Baccano! </em>tells the story of a wide range of characters and is predominantly set within a fictional New York during the 1930s. Much like<em> Durarara!!,</em> the cast of <em>Baccano!</em> seem to have little or no relation to one another but as the story progresses everyone is brought together by a twist of fate. The majority of the story does take place in New York but the rest takes place aboard the transcontinental train known as the <em>Flying Pussyfoot.</em> On this train two gangs at odds come to meet, along with a monster, the Rail Tracer, who eats train passengers.
In the 1930s, an immortality elixir is created by an alchemist known as Szilard Quates. However, to the alchemist’s dismay, the elixir gets stolen not long after. This event triggers two gang families, who are normally on good terms, to begin fighting as the result of Szilard’s attempts to retrieve what he created. The stolen elixir is the starting point for all these characters coming together and crossing paths, which is ultimately what drives half the series. The other half is driven by the events aboard the <em>Flying Pussyfoot</em>. You’d be forgiven for not thinking this is the most unique of stories as to me it really isn’t, but there is a whole lot of fun to be found in<em> Baccano!</em> anyway. <br>
Straight from the first episode, it’s very clear that this is Ryohgo’s work, even if you’re someone who’s gone into the show without that knowledge. The way the plot moves and how we flip between all the different perspectives of the cast is something that Ryohgo shines at and I can see how he went on to create<em> Durarara!! </em>afterwards. Due to his disjointed style of storytelling, you’re better off not thinking too deeply about anything until you’re a few episodes in, when everything begins coming together. This could be a problem for some series but actually makes <em>Baccano!</em> all the better. That being said, while Ryohgo has excelled at creating a really interesting plot, what he hasn’t done is create interesting characters.<br>
I watched all of <em>Baccano!</em> across three days and did so because I found the story really compelling. However, after the first few episodes, there were certain characters that I just wanted rid of. Enter Isaac and Miria: a couple of idiots who are thieves and live fairly interesting lives. Now while I definitely appreciate why they exist and the hand they have in the story, I always wanted them to disappear as quickly as possible and enjoyed the brief moments without them a lot more than when they were present. Isaac and Miria are very much main characters, which really is a shame as their annoying tendency to copy one another's words, and generally be far too hyper, just frustrated me no end. <br>
It’s safe to say that, Isaac and Miria aggravations aside, I got on a lot better with some of the other cast but still had grievances with how they were handled. It felt like the section of the story covered by the anime focused on the wrong people. I really loved Firo Prochainezo, who is a part of one of the gang families, but sadly while he is a big part of the story I felt that we didn’t get to see enough of him. I also liked many of the immortal characters and the Rail Tracer but again didn’t feel satisfied with how much screen time they received. A part of this is probably due to <em>Baccano! </em>having so much to tell in just 16 episodes (three of which are OVAs), but overall I think the real problem lies in the characters just not being as strong as those in <em>Durarara!!,</em> whom I really love.<br>
As with <em>Durarara!!</em>, <em>Baccano! </em>was handled by studio <em>Brain’s Base </em>and they’ve done a wonderful job with the animation. <em>Baccano!</em> is full of action scenes, as you’d probably expect, and they’re animated really well. It’s worth mentioning that there is a lot of blood and general gore in <em>Baccano!</em>, so if you’re a bit squeamish you’ll probably find yourself looking away quite often, but I think that it fits with the nature of the show. It’s also worth noting that <em>Baccano!</em> is directed by Takahiro Omori, who also directs the <em>Durarara!!</em> anime, and that they share the same composer in Makoto Yoshimori, who does a wonderful job with the music.<br>
The voice actor cast for <em>Baccano!</em> is generally impressive and do a good job in both the Japanese and English versions. Being able to pull off European accents is of great importance for the <em>Baccano!</em> dub and there are some good performances here from the whole cast. Some of the more annoying characters in Japanese felt less annoying in English, like Isaac (played by J. Michael Tatum in English, who most recently voiced Erwin Smith in <em>Attack on Titan</em>) and Miria (played by Caitlin Glass, who was Winry Rockbell in <em>Fullmetal Alchemist</em>), which was nice. <br>
<em>Anime Limited </em>have handled the release of <em>Baccano!’s</em> collector's edition in the UK, which comes packed with a small booklet, the 13 episodes of the series spread across three Blu-ray discs, and the 3 OVA episodes. The set also has the original <em>Baccano!</em> trailer, clean opening and ending, and a behind-the-scenes feature on the series. It’s a really nice set as <em>Baccano! </em>looks wonderful on Blu-ray, and including the OVA episodes is important as they wrap up the story. Without them <em>Baccano! </em>would definitely have felt unfinished.<br>
I think<em> Baccano! </em>has a lot going for it, especially if you’re a fan of <em>Durarara!!</em>. If you can look past some of the annoying cast then you’ll probably find a new favourite anime in this series. Even if you don’t like any of the characters, <em>Baccano!</em> still has an interesting enough story to make it worth your time. Just don’t expect it to make any sense until you’re a few episodes in.<br>
<b>Final score: 7 out of 10</b>
<b>Additional screencaps</b>
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-11-06Baccano! 1.jpg">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-11-06Baccano 3.jpg">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-11-06Baccano 5.png">