Perhaps because it goes without saying, or perhaps because those denizens of the internet with which I commune were so smitten by its concentration of ‘win’ that they were lost for words, but whatever the reason, one of the better series of the year (indeed, of the past few years) is scarcely talked about and undeservedly underhyped. Overshadowed by the bloated clout of shows like CLANNAD, Baccano seems to be a hidden gem in a vast quarry of anime. Why, it was only through my own efforts, rather than the recommendations of others, that I actually came to watch the show. I stumbled across the stylish and upbeat OP on youtube, and was instantly attracted to its quirky world of thievery, mafia and violence. I’d known of it since before it aired, but after it received such little attention I kind of assumed that it had been somewhat of a failure.
But the failure was mine, and the show has kicked my assumption to the floor with its impressive storytelling finesse, excitement and sense of fun. I watched the whole series, save the last episode, for which I must rely upon Ayu, over the course of two days, hooked by its unrelenting pacing, and its fascinating cast of characters I either loved or loved to hate. Baccano! has who I consider to be the best murderous bastard/maniac character to come out of anime for a long time, and who can resist Maria and Isaac and their absurd antics? The series is a bit confusing at times, as it has multiple timelines being progressed at the same time, all of them interconnecting, but it all makes sense if you pay close enough attention (chances are you wouldn’t want to do otherwise anyway). I also really love the way it combines so many classical fiction settings and genres, from train mystery, mafia story to a highlander-esque story of immortality. While it’s not the most cerebral experience of my life, the series is effortlessly entertaining and surprisingly involved. Colour me impressed, Brains Base have created, with the help of the source novels of course, an anime that is refreshingly entertaining, attractive, and rewardingly complex.
I can’t wait for the final episode. It will be fascinating to see all the seperate timelines get wrapped up in what is hopefully a thrilling climax.
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All I’ve got to say is: amen. Everything you said is how I feel. Best show in a long time, really refreshing.
Baccano has been pretty SUGOIIII so far. The characters and settings are excellent.
Convoluted story, Too many characters, Confusing narration, plus done by a relatively unknown studio pretty much jostled everyone to simply not give a damn about this show. Made me think of COYOTE RAGTIME SHOW, another series nobody cared about, even after it was R1 licensed.
It certainly is one of the best new shows of the year, IMHO, but it’s also pretty different from most anime. And the confusing chronology definitely turned off a few potential viewers. You really have to make an active effort to understand it.
I’m not exactly completely in tune with the anime community, but I was under the impression Baccano! has been pretty well received by many. Off the top of my head, I recall at least 2 or 3 series reviews about it already, and each rating it the equivalent of an A+.
I couldn’t find a soul who doesn’t like the show after seeing it. Easily the best of 2007. All the other shows like Clannad and Shana can kiss its ass.
Though they might not talk about it much, every time Baccano! is mentioned on /a/, you can see that it’s almost universally loved, and that’s no small feat on /a/.
>>Made me think of COYOTE RAGTIME SHOW, another series nobody cared about, even after it was R1 licensed.
The difference being, of course, that Coyote Ragtime Show was crap.
>>Though they might not talk about it much, every time Baccano! is mentioned on /a/, you can see that it’s almost universally loved, and that’s no small feat on /a/.
That’s true. And I agree with Sagacious C; the show seems to be universally loved .. but very rarely reccommended or discussed. ¯\(°_o)/¯
>> Though they might not talk about it much, every time Baccano! is mentioned on /a/, you can see that it’s almost universally loved, and that’s no small feat on /a/.
Indeed. But the fact that Baccano! is rarely mentioned on /a/ is a sign in itself that Anonymous likes it.
Well, the final episode is out, although I’ve only seen the first three so far. It also appears the DVDs will include four bonus OVA episodes based on the novels set in 2001.
Got to agree with everyone, it is quite a unique and entertaining anime. IMHO it is quite different from most other (good) shows and that is what makes it excellent (apart from being well put together). There is also one similarly good show that seemed to have a lack of “marketing” hype: Seirei no Moribito. Like Baccano it has a great story, excellent character progression and crisp animation, but I managed to watch it only because I like to experiment. Anyway I learned a lesson that the best gems are not that widely known.