Baccano! (light novel)
| Thank you, because I also thought it wasn't that good, it was really confusing for me. |
| What.???. This anime is just freaking awesome..... I loved the way they scrambled all the scenes throughout the series...... And finally connecting all of them together... Just Epic.... |
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| The reason I gave it a 10/10 is because I never watched an anime that has a huge cast and loved every single one of them, I do have preferences (Ladd Russo, the comic duo, the journal president), but they are all great. Yeah even the cry baby Jaccuzi. It has comedy duo, gore and the most gruesome scene in anime, weird tatoo guy who cries like a baby because he doesn't want to kill his enemies, serious old geezer planning to get the real immortality potion, teen romance between a italien gangster and a homonculus, 3 (or more? damn I'm already forgetting) factions fighting inside a train for their own reasons, Italian mafia with a great dub. Hell you don't even need to understand the story to love it. |
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twonline said: What.???. This anime is just freaking awesome..... I loved the way they scrambled all the scenes throughout the series...... And finally connecting all of them together... Just Epic.... this^ the way the anime is related is just AWESOME , and have lot of likeable characters. |
| I just finished Baccano. &don't know if its 'cause I saw Drrr!! first but I liked it more. Probably 'cause it wasn't that bloodthirsty. Blood its necessary for this kind of Story but it was a bit too essential for my personal taste, or so. That's why I wont give it a ten but a nine. I know. That's not that much of a difference but I don't care. I guess I overrate Animes a lot, or you just underrate them? Who knows? Ain't that stupid? You underrate Animes just 'cause you believe they are overrated. Seriously that's a scary Hobby. |
RainyYesterdayMar 8, 2011 5:27 PM
| Well, it's the best anime ever for me. |
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| ^what the heck am I reading?! bad music?! c'mon, it might not be your type of music but that doesn't mean it's bad! here, the first ost it's JAZZ in case you haven't noticed also, the story is only confusing for the first ~2 or 3 episodes, after that it's actually very easy to understand in my opinion. the plot itself is kinda simple actually. |
| If you hate non linear stories how the fuck did you watch steins gate |
Immahnoob said: Jizzy, I know you have no idea how to argue for shit, tokiyashiro said: Jizzy as you would call yourself because youre a dick The most butthurt award goes to you And clearly you havent watched that many shows thats why you cant determine if a show is unique or not Or maybe you're just a child who likes common stuffs where hero saves the day and guys gets all the girls. Sad taste you have there kid you came up to me in the first place making you look more like a kid who got slapped without me even knowing it and start crying about it to me |
| I just finished Baccano and thought it was ridiculous. I thought it was just a clusterfuck of random eccentric, exaggerated, shallow entities. Most of the characters seemed to exist only to provide the illusion of a variety of characters and of "surprises" as they overlapped and stepped each others toes. But it wasn't really a variety because most characters were just random 1-dimensional characters with just a single exaggerated personality trait that made up the entirety of how they acted, and they usually didn't even have a believable explanation as to why they are that way. They could have had 1000 different characters like that and it certainly wouldn't make things better. I'd rather have fewer characters with at least some depth to them and it would feel like a more true variety. As I said, those characters seemed to exist just to provide unexpected clashes, like how a meeting of 2 entities would be interrupted by a 3rd entity. But this happened constantly. We knew they'd just keep randomly clashing, so there was nothing unexpected about that. Unfortunately, there was nothing deep or profound about those clashes either. Nothing made me say, "wow". It was just random. They could have had it unfold in any other way and it would make no difference. It's almost like what I'd expect if I ask some kid to make up the craziest story possible, and he starts giving me stuff like a man with lasers for eyes gets beat by a mind-control expert that makes him look in the mirror to fry himself with his own laser-eyes, and then Jesus appears on a dinosaur and stops him... It just makes up stuff out of convenience without needing to make sense. So want some examples of characters or plot elements not making sense, but rather just being convenient for the plot? (And some other complaints) Why does the old immortal bad guy care to know the secret immortality potion if he's already immortal, and how does his killing people right of the bat (on the ship when he becomes immortal) do anything to achieve that goal. And don't forget that to become immortal, they summoned some unexplained devil or (evil?) spirit to provide them with some immortality potion. For some reason, they also get a weird way of killing each other, absorbing knowledge, and need to use their real names in each other's presence. Oh, and the demon gives one of them knowledge on how to make the immortality potion on his own... because... I have no idea why. And somehow the old immortal bad guy manages to concoct a different immortality potion on his own. Almost forgot the part where the old immortal bad guy starts saying out loud how his homunculus Ennis is worthless, under his control, and can't think for herself or disobey. That seems to cause her to disobey. And then the guy says he knew this would happen eventually, because all his other servants he created eventually turned on him too. How stupid is that? Who the heck is the rail tracer... What? Why? He exists just because it'd be another convenient random entity to join in the clusterfuck? I guess he just enjoys killing random people on trains. And where did that "romance" thing at the end with the rail tracer and that girl come from? So our indiscriminately-killing bloody monster is actually a calm smooth-talking romantic that falls in love at first sight? And then there's the other bloodthirsty guy on the train, ranting about how much he loves blood and killing. I don't know why. Just another random entity for the clusterfuck. The kid who cries all the time? That's his thing? Ok, whatever. Then we later get the flashback to when he was even younger where he says he's gonna cry all the time when he feels like it so that all his tears will be dried up for when he really needs to be brave or something. WTF? Yeah, I don't think it works that way, but even if I do buy it, it's still crap. Like that's supposed to be the great backstory explaining his personality? Pathetic writing. Then he says his girlfriend something like, "I've think I've cried too much, so I decided the amount I've cried counts towards you too, so you don't need to cry if bad things happen." Ugh, shoot me now. Perhaps the most believable thing is that he's been with this girl for 10 years and only now has kissed her for the first time... because that's how most romance anime seems to be. As for the story being complex: The different things going on were so loosely connected that they didn't really matter. It makes for one big incoherent story. I didn't even feel it really came together in the end, contrary to what others may think. It was closing things up all over the place in a way that had little to do with the story leading up to that point (like the rail tracer going off with that girl... just random nonsense). It did not have one big moment of everything coming together for one big climax. It was actually anticlimactic, like an afterthought similar to any other story where they just decide to give the characters various "happily ever after" endings. It's not like the end provided any important answers to earlier episodes either. It was more like "where the heck is this all going" on the earlier episodes, to "oh, ok, I guess" at the last episode. I ended up rating this show as a 5. I think that might be slightly generous. |
| ^ I laughed my ass off. Ah, that was a good, hearty laugh! Well, you look at things at your own perspective, bro, and yours only. Well, in this anime, you can't really expect it to be liked by everyone, especially because one of its quirks is the non-mainstream way of storytelling. The thing I liked about it most is the ending because you had already seen from the start and only needed to watch it to truly understand what it meant, so of course it puts the climax a bit more off than if the story was chronological. The jumping timelines were also a better way of connecting the dots, because I look at it like its telling you 5-6 different stories in one episode and keeping you updated in each episode until all of them are masterfully concluded on the last one (as long as you can keep up with its pace, of course). I definitely think it's way better than separating them into arcs or standalone episodes for each story where you probably won't remember the previous episode because of focusing on the present story too much and being forced to tie all of them in your head on the last ep. So, everything the dude on top of me disliked, I either like or actually don't care. |
| Well, everyone has their own tastes and opinions, so I'll respect that. Here's how I looked at it though. I'll admit, I did think the characters weren't very developed and dimensional, and I didn't think it was super coherent. Normally, when I judge series, things like character development and are important to me, but with a series like this, I wanted to look at it in a different light just because its structure and storytelling style was so unconventional. After all, I don't think a series should always be judged based upon a rigid set of guidelines. Of course you aren't going to get deeply-explored characters when you have a cast of that size in a 13-episode anime. On the contrary, the quirks of each character were appealing to me, and the insanity that resulted from having a ridiculously large cast of characters was really fun to watch. The non-linear storytelling was also fun to watch for me. Coherent? No. But the good thing was that I was never bored for a single moment, since there were so many things going on. I didn't notice any major plot atrocities other than that. I've seen copious amounts of series commit worse crimes than incoherence. On a more personal note, I personally loved the 1930's setting and jazzy vibes. Plus, I loved the whole concept of mafia and alchemists rolled into one. I found the entire series unique, and I commended it for taking such an unconventional approach to storytelling. It was great that the viewers didn't get handed everything on a silver platter. I liked being able to piece some things together myself. Bottom line: It was fun and entertaining. For me, at least. Some people might not enjoy it, because enjoyment levels are subjective, which is perfectly fine. But I personally would not rip it apart for every technical detail. |
nauticalblueJan 7, 2013 8:40 PM
| It's the third best anime I have ever seen and the second one is Durarara!! by the same authors taking place in the same universe. |
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| If there's one complaint I have about this show, it's that I found it kind of cheesy when Italian mafia have the sensibilities of Japanese people, but then again this happens in every anime where they try to depict foreigners (and no, the dub does not help). Other than that it was well made with a coherent plot and an ending that ties most of it together -- not the best, but fairly enjoyable. I gave it an 8. 90% of the scenes had everything to do with the train, so I have no idea what OP is complaining about. |
| My subjective reviews: katsureview.wordpress.com THE CHAT CLUB. |
Timofmars said: I just finished Baccano and thought it was ridiculous. I thought it was just a clusterfuck of random eccentric, exaggerated, shallow entities. Most of the characters seemed to exist only to provide the illusion of a variety of characters and of "surprises" as they overlapped and stepped each others toes. But it wasn't really a variety because most characters were just random 1-dimensional characters with just a single exaggerated personality trait that made up the entirety of how they acted, and they usually didn't even have a believable explanation as to why they are that way. They could have had 1000 different characters like that and it certainly wouldn't make things better. I'd rather have fewer characters with at least some depth to them and it would feel like a more true variety. As I said, those characters seemed to exist just to provide unexpected clashes, like how a meeting of 2 entities would be interrupted by a 3rd entity. But this happened constantly. We knew they'd just keep randomly clashing, so there was nothing unexpected about that. Unfortunately, there was nothing deep or profound about those clashes either. Nothing made me say, "wow". It was just random. They could have had it unfold in any other way and it would make no difference. It's almost like what I'd expect if I ask some kid to make up the craziest story possible, and he starts giving me stuff like a man with lasers for eyes gets beat by a mind-control expert that makes him look in the mirror to fry himself with his own laser-eyes, and then Jesus appears on a dinosaur and stops him... It just makes up stuff out of convenience without needing to make sense. So want some examples of characters or plot elements not making sense, but rather just being convenient for the plot? (And some other complaints) Why does the old immortal bad guy care to know the secret immortality potion if he's already immortal, and how does his killing people right of the bat (on the ship when he becomes immortal) do anything to achieve that goal. And don't forget that to become immortal, they summoned some unexplained devil or (evil?) spirit to provide them with some immortality potion. For some reason, they also get a weird way of killing each other, absorbing knowledge, and need to use their real names in each other's presence. Oh, and the demon gives one of them knowledge on how to make the immortality potion on his own... because... I have no idea why. And somehow the old immortal bad guy manages to concoct a different immortality potion on his own. Almost forgot the part where the old immortal bad guy starts saying out loud how his homunculus Ennis is worthless, under his control, and can't think for herself or disobey. That seems to cause her to disobey. And then the guy says he knew this would happen eventually, because all his other servants he created eventually turned on him too. How stupid is that? Who the heck is the rail tracer... What? Why? He exists just because it'd be another convenient random entity to join in the clusterfuck? I guess he just enjoys killing random people on trains. And where did that "romance" thing at the end with the rail tracer and that girl come from? So our indiscriminately-killing bloody monster is actually a calm smooth-talking romantic that falls in love at first sight? And then there's the other bloodthirsty guy on the train, ranting about how much he loves blood and killing. I don't know why. Just another random entity for the clusterfuck. The kid who cries all the time? That's his thing? Ok, whatever. Then we later get the flashback to when he was even younger where he says he's gonna cry all the time when he feels like it so that all his tears will be dried up for when he really needs to be brave or something. WTF? Yeah, I don't think it works that way, but even if I do buy it, it's still crap. Like that's supposed to be the great backstory explaining his personality? Pathetic writing. Then he says his girlfriend something like, "I've think I've cried too much, so I decided the amount I've cried counts towards you too, so you don't need to cry if bad things happen." Ugh, shoot me now. Perhaps the most believable thing is that he's been with this girl for 10 years and only now has kissed her for the first time... because that's how most romance anime seems to be. As for the story being complex: The different things going on were so loosely connected that they didn't really matter. It makes for one big incoherent story. I didn't even feel it really came together in the end, contrary to what others may think. It was closing things up all over the place in a way that had little to do with the story leading up to that point (like the rail tracer going off with that girl... just random nonsense). It did not have one big moment of everything coming together for one big climax. It was actually anticlimactic, like an afterthought similar to any other story where they just decide to give the characters various "happily ever after" endings. It's not like the end provided any important answers to earlier episodes either. It was more like "where the heck is this all going" on the earlier episodes, to "oh, ok, I guess" at the last episode. I ended up rating this show as a 5. I think that might be slightly generous. |
| Ehhhh, it's completely subjective. I personally loved everything about it, especially the characters (Ladd Russo & Vino ^_^) |
"El Baile de la muerte" |
DollaHolla said: Yes but those were the specials.. And whats up with Boss Ladd hollering IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING? When the girl is deflecting his bullets yet in the OVAs we see Ladd fight the wrench guy and he deflects his bullets too. Stupid. Actually every bit of the OVAs was idiotic. Anyways lots of people share you're opinion it's just that way more people don't, and also noone gives a fuck. |
DollaHolla said: And whats up with Boss Ladd hollering IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING? When the girl is deflecting his bullets yet in the OVAs we see Ladd fight the wrench guy and he deflects his bullets too. I think Ladd said that because he was surprised a Woman did it. Remember, the 1930s could be quite Sexist. It might also be because that particular scene took place on top of a moving train. |
Snugens said: This is also what I thought. Or perhaps it isn't your cup of tea.This is probably one of those cases where something gets hyped up to be great then people go into it with the mindset of trying to pick it apart instead of actually sitting back and enjoying the ride. Its my favorite anime, and everyone I showed it to (who had no prior knowledge) liked it as well. I really liked it (but liked the OVA significantly less), because there wasn't a dull moment. And I actually learned the names of everyone in the cast. I thought it Quentin Tarantino directed an anime it would be like this, but not everyone likes his movies because they don't make sense. But I like them because they're entertaining. Same thing with Baccano. |
| 1. Amazing set of characters. Many unique characters, though they lacked some depth, they were interesting enough to care for. 2. great animation. Fight scenes were enjoyable to watch. 3. The way everything starts to piece together and make sense. 4.English dub. One of the best English voice acting ever. 5. good music 6. visually appealing anime 7. great story, great atmosphere. Good blend of humor into everything else. Brought a good balance. |
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| I thought it was alright. I give it an 8 for the story and interesting characters but it lost me with all the time skipping and switching between characters so rapidly. I was able to understand everyone's story (to some extent) and piece everything together but all the time skipping sort of aggravated me because it made the whole story jump around like a kid on a sugar rush. In the end it all made sense but I think i wouldve liked it more if they organized it differently (as in have half an episode focus on a character or group, leave it halfway, then come back later instead of breaking one story into 5 pieces while simultaneously progressing the story of whats happening on the flying Pussyfoot). It was just a confusing and unnecessary way of setting things up in my opinion. |
| Examining one series under the magnifying glass at a time. |
| I don't know why people like this so much either. Honestly it just felt messy as fuck. Time jumps were confusing and seemed to serve no purpose outside of a thinly veiled attempt to make the anime seem more complex. 6/10 from me |
| [size=200]MAL AVATAR SYSTEM BLOWS |
| This show is amazing in every single way. Confusing? Is paying attention really that hard? Best cast of characters I've seen in a while, splendid animation, great humour, well-written and one of the best soundtracks ever. Everything comes together perfectly in the end, and the storytelling is done perfectly. Something you gotta re-watch to fully appreciate. Solid 9/10. Still waiting on a season 2... |
| I could not get into Baccano. I loved Durarara so I thought I would give it a try. I personally prefer Durarara. I have nothing against Baccano, but I just don't see what it is that is amazing about it. I was 7 episodes into it before I stopped. |
| Well I loved it , it might be not be everyone's taste but it was certainly my taste. I think the people like me who loved this series maybe the reason because it a beautiful, confounding mess of chaos and delight. Beautiful for it's animation and art, it was a chaos for the fighting scenes and the cliffhangers it had which made me exciting for the next episode. It was filled with delight because it was fun and made us more exciting for the next show and ask ourselves "what will happen now?" Really it was like a movie. Really loved it and I hope for more. Maybe a second season!!!!!!! |
| Darkness cannot drive out darkness; Only light can do that, Hate cannot drive out hate; Only love can do that. |
| It isn't really my kind of taste when it comes to anime and it was rather confusing with all the time jumps. That being said, if you take this and split everything apart from a reviewers perspective...this anime is almost flawless. The plot was very good. There wasn't a single character I disliked, all of them were just outstanding. The OST was class. Even the Specials were good. And lastly, the artstyle was amazing. How they put so much story and character depth in a 13 episode series is nothing short of masterful. PS. This is the only anime that I've watched where I can say, the dub puts the sub to shame! |
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| To me, the anime was enjoyable with it's unique story telling and all that crazy shit going on in the Flying Pussyfoot. Only thing about it that I question why everyone likes it is Claire/Vino, I didn't find him all that interesting yet apparently, he's more beloved than Isaac and Miria. |
MachoGooseJul 28, 2014 10:45 PM
| I didn't like it at all. I'm all for originality and uniqueness, but only when executed properly. Way too many one dimensional characters, none of which really stood out to me. The whole time I kept on thinking, "and I'm supposed to care about these characters why?" I also really hated how it constantly jumped around chronologically. This felt like an anime Tarantino would make while on speed. The only redeeming part about this anime was that it was aesthetically pleasing and had a good soundtrack. Baccano was honestly a chore to finish. The only reason I forced myself to finish all 13 episodes was because I thought it would grow on me with each episode. As I was watching the OVAs, I decided I had enough and just stopped watching. Having said that, I realize a lot of this is just my taste, and I do understand why some people liked it. |
| I agree. I enjoyed it but its overrated. Same with Durarara |
| "I hate this show because it confuses me and makes me have to use my brain" |
SolidPayneOct 1, 2014 11:48 AM
Qans said: I agree. I enjoyed it but its overrated. Same with Durarara your avatar is shizuo tho |
| This show was perfect for a guy like me who values style as much as substance. |
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| I'm a real sucker for anime and manga that have tons of intricately tied side plots and a fantastic cast of characters. It's just beautiful the way everything adds up in the end. The first episode was daunting and honestly, the worst-- but it got better and better. |
| Maybe I should feel bad about bringing this post back, but after reading the replies I sort wanted to give my own opinion as well. After reading all the replies, I think it's pretty clear that enjoying Baccano has a lot to do with the way the story is told. If you like the clashing stories, the non-linear set ups, and don't mind being confused for a while, then (usually) you love it. If not, then it's not an anime you're going to like (usually). Personally, I loved the confusion and the non-linear story-lines and all of that. I loved that the anime required all my attention all the time, because if I let my mind drift away from it for a second I would be completely lost. I liked that things were spelled out clearly, that the show was directed so I had to work to find the answers I wanted. The director and writer wanted me to be confused and I was and I liked that. I thought it was refreshing that Baccano expected you, as a viewer, to meet the series half-way and try to figure things out on your own. I think Baccano is also one of those series that you need to watch it a second time in order to fully enjoy it; in your first viewing you are confused, trying to make sense of things, and putting pieces together. On your second viewing, though, you already have those pieces, and so when you watch it again things finally make sense and you can enjoy it in a whole different way. You also end up picking up on details that you couldn't before because you did not know their relevance. Really, I think Baccano is amazing. One of my favorites. I would love if there were more Anime like it, but I do recognize it that it's sort of hit or miss, so if you don't like the elements of the story that make Baccano what it is, then you really won't enjoy it. It's important to note what some people said before. The anime is based on a light novel series which currently has 21 volumes (I think, I may be off a number or two). The Anime only covers the first four or so volumes, so a lot of things that didn't get explained or don't make a lot of sense are better laid out in the novels. |
| I personally like it since I really like complicated stories, an this one's story is amazing. Add it up with some of the best music anime can offer, and a cast of enjoyable characters, I can't see why I wouldn't enjoy it. It's severely confusing for the first 5 to 6 episodes, but the satisfaction I got when everything finally came together in the last few episodes fixed that up immediately. I honestly think that a person's enjoyment of Baccano! depends on their personal preference in styles of storytelling. To you like a story to be straight-forward and chronological, or do you like it to be complex and non-chronological. Also, Timofmars said: Looks like someone can't pay attention. |
"You either die an Ashita no Joe, or you live long enough to see yourself become a Naruto."  |
| Every person has a preference, so it cannot be expected that everyone would like it. I find the best way to watch this series, for those find it hard to follow, is to watch it all in one sitting. It is harder to forget characters and important events. Baccano! falls into my top 3 anime favorites. Here are some of the reasons why I loved it.... 1. No matter how many characters there are, the story maintains a way that somehow times them all together (and they are somehow significant). 2. The jumping around adds extra suspense to the anime's layout. 3. It combines alchemy, mobs, thieves, and special individuals. 4. The music is great. 5. The relationships in the series are fun, playful, and at times psychotic. 6. Humor! |
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| Just Finished Baccano and to be honest I didn't really enjoy it. Most episode seemed like a chore to watch. Far too many psychopaths with no actual motivation or reason for killing. I also found it hard to care about any of the characters as there were so many of them. I'm glad I've seen it now but I'm not sure why its rated so high. Its good in places but nothing outstanding. |
Crashmatt said: Far too many psychopaths with no actual motivation or reason for killing. I don't think psychopaths have a lot of reasoning for killing. ha ha It is kind of their thing. |
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| This is a unique anime in its form of storytelling. Durarara!! takes from it as well. It isn't for everyone, mind you, and may be confusing. Yet this is what it does: takes three different events in the beginning and ends up tying them together. It shows different scenes in random order but by the end you understand it. Mind you, I watched it a second time to completely understand what happened, but then everything made sense. |
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