Baccano!

Okay, so I'm finally doing my post on Baccano! Here we go!

Baccano! has a little bit of everything. There's alchemists, demons, immortals, thieves, assassins, the mafia, and there are about 20 main characters. The story mainly centers on two out of the ordinary thieves, and the affect that they've had on the other character's lives. Throughout the entire show there are 3 stories being told that are only a year or two apart from each other. What makes Baccano! even more interesting is that it's based in the 1930's. That alone adds a lot of character to the show setting it aside from other anime. The actual plot to the show is just how all these characters were/are connected to each other. Whether the relationship was good, bad, or ugly there was some form of connection between almost every character.

The show is a lot of fun. The characters all stand on their own. No cookie cutter syndrome going on. However, the downfall of Baccano! is that the way the story is told can be extremely confusing. Not only is it jumping time frames randomly, but the story is being told almost backward. The first episode is actually the end of the adventures. It's a very interesting way of telling a story, and I enjoyed it, but half the time I felt really lost. Really, if you want to understand the story completely you're going to have to watch it a second time.

That's my only complaint on this series. Other than being confused throughout the whole thing everything else was top notch.

I really want to talk a bit about the humor. I found it astounding how funny this series was. There were some downright horrendous moments. You could feel sick with disgust, and then a few scenes later you're crying from laughter. Isaac, and Miria (the two idiot thieves) add so much to the show with their crazy antics. Or Ladd (an assassin), who adds a morbid sense of hilarity to the show that you know you shouldn't be laughing at, but you just can't help yourself. I am so very impressed with the variety in the characters of this show, I can't even express it in words. I would tell someone to watch this JUST for the diversity in the characters.

The music was superb. There was a lot of swing, but there was also the dorky little tunes for those silly moments, and it all just fit the show perfectly. It helped make the setting even more, and that's important. You'll find yourself humming some of the songs after you finish because they're just so catchy.

Oh, and a must mention is the opening. The opening to Baccano! is the best anime opening I have ever seen. You get a feel for every characters personality, and there are A LOT of characters. You actually feel like you know what you're getting into. You can SEE the thought that went into it. The music, what the characters are doing, the art. It's all so great that you must watch it. YOU MUST--

Overall, I think this is a really great series. In truth, I absolutely adored it. I found myself not being able to wait to watch the next episode. The animation was lovely, the music was great, the plot was interesting, and the characters were just amazing.

And a shout-out to the voice acting. It was all very well cast. There wasn't one character that's voice didn't match the character they were recording for.

The only people I wouldn't recommend this show to are gore haters. I, myself, am not a gore fan, and this was about as much as I could take. So if you're super squeamish about these kinds of things -- this is not for you. Also, if you're easily offended, then no. Don't watch it. Come back when you gain a sense of humor. There are some things people might find offensive.

So all in all, I'll give it a 8/10. Even though for my personal taste I'd give it a 10, because I loved it so much.