Baccano!!

Baccano is Italian for noise, but Narita translates it as "stupid commotion." Each of the stories in the series involves several unrelated plots intersecting and crossing each other as events spiral farther and farther out of control. Immortal alchemists, mafia operated speakeasies, and many other elements of pulp fiction mashed together for a world straight out of the movies.

Now, the 1st ep aired somewhat today and I'd be lying if I announced that I didn't enjoy this 1st episode. Overall, it's pretty good, like the jazz-motif/blues music placed for the series, fits it perfectly, though I kind of think the Op's introducing a tad too much of Baccano's characters. But pretty much the 1st ep does have some or more Pulp Fiction elements used for this anime, though I have to say, I like the OP a lot, very unique.

Any thoughts about it?

Baccano ep 1 Screencaps~

Kei

It's like Snatch meets Anime. Certainly wasn't what I was expecting, but it was a pleasant surprise. I like how the narrative of the story is that the events have already transpired, and reporters are looking back at it.

The fact that Koyasu Takehito does the voice for Luck Gandor pretty much makes him my favorite so far.

igalsfy

well, this first episode was pretty interesting. great animation, great characters (i'm particularly waiting to see how the journalists will fit in the story), i also love the music and anyway this good ol' prohibition timeline is always a source of great shows, be it anime or whatever. so i'll keep watching it a bit more and see if the story get interesting or not.

Natty Bumppo

Bumping this because I just watched the first episode.

Even though I didn't know what the fuck was going on, its what attracted me to the show. That and the action. I always enjoy shows like this not to mention its set in one of the best time periods.

Everything about this show screams: WIN!

The music, especially the OP, is really good. The ED sucked though.

Kei

This show isn't getting enough love.

Ladd Russo is insane.

Roz

I've heard a ridiculous amount of good things about this. Even though I haven't even seen it yet, I'd say it is more than likely worth checking out.

OK this person's name is why everyone should watch this.

!

Kei

Isaac and Miria are the best characters in this show. Definitely the cutest anime couple in history.

Subs have pretty much caught up to the raws at this point. Raw 9 aired last week, and subs go up to 8. Great show that no one is watching.

igalsfy

damn me who stopped watching anime for a while, i still have to watch this show. so, could someone without spoiling tell me if the story is really great?

Kei

Yes.

Yes it is.

Tragic_johnson

great show, the robber partners are perhaps two of my favorite charecters in a long time.

igalsfy

oy oy oy isn't this show absolutely amazing? i've got a hard time with the time skips, but everything's so great in there. what's going on in the train is hilariously pleasant and isaac & miria are definitely the greatest characters i've seen in a while.

i'm also very fond of jaccuzi, the guy who gets easily frightened and don't want to kill but still acts like a hero when it's needed. nicely handled, if not original.

Natty Bumppo

@igalsfy:

oy oy oy isn't this show absolutely amazing? i've got a hard time with the time skips, but everything's so great in there. what's going on in the train is hilariously pleasant and isaac & miria are definitely the greatest characters i've seen in a while.

i'm also very fond of jaccuzi, the guy who gets easily frightened and don't want to kill but still acts like a hero when it's needed. nicely handled, if not original.

Like Kei said, "its a great show that no one is watching."

Sad really, I wish we had more of a discussion on this anime.

Kei

Rail Tracers meeting with Czeslaw at the end of 11 was great.
"I was tortured for years, there is nothing you can do to scare me."
"IS THAT SO"

CC ann

the art looks okay.

I saw the seiyuus, well a bunch of my favourites are there too such as onosaka masaya, yamaguchi kappei and koyasu takehito…

...did I just see araki kae's name there??

igalsfy

@Kei:

Rail Tracers meeting with Czeslaw at the end of 11 was great.
"I was tortured for years, there is nothing you can do to scare me."
"IS THAT SO"

i didn't really get who is originally this vino. in fact i don't get how the families work. like who's who.

while i love what's going on on the train, i hope it will be over soon enough, because i'm not really sure that the story is supposed to move forward on it.

I love this series. It was waaay more violent than I originally thought and way more graphic.

Ruwyn

bump

I finally caught up with this series over the weekend. Been meaning to watch it for weeks and I'm glad I finally got into it.

Wow there are a lot of sadistic freaks in this anime. Issac and Miria definitely brighten up the darker parts of this show. I also enjoy that giant guy with Jacuzzi who tends to get stuck everywhere.

I'm following things pretty well, but have they explained why Huey LaForet is in prison? And is Rail Tracer really the guy's name?

! Or is he one of the people from the boat? Of course if he was, I imagine he would've just absorbed Czes right then and there…though he's a sadistic fuck so I guess he'll torture him first...

igalsfy

concerning your spoiler, no, i don't think he's immortal. i think he's just a plain freak with great talents and agility.

Ruwyn

Yeah, I totally skipped over episode 9.

He's definitely the most badass guy named Claire that I know.

! Glad to see some insane mortals go at it since at times I was worried that the majority of the cast would be immortal

@igalsfy:

concerning your spoiler, no, i don't think he's immortal. i think he's just a plain freak with great talents and agility.

Confirmed.

! He wasn't at the original meeting nor has he taken the new make shift elixir.

Ruwyn

Well episode 12 has been subbed:

Another solid episode. Reminds me that I'm not numb to gore.

! We find out what happened to Ladd's arm along with some daring rescues. Flashback of Czes eating that immortal who was torturing him. Hopefully next episode they'll reveal how Firo and the Gandors gained immortality

Captain Kuro

I've been wanting to watch this because the setting and time period interests me.

@Captain:

I've been wanting to watch this because the setting and time period interests me.

I hear Japanese doesn't much appreciate the anime. I personally thought that it was the best anime of last season - AKA Miria and Isaac are the best thing to happen to last season.

theAMAZINGboo

This series is amazing. Best show I've watched in years. I loved every minute of it.

It's a shame to hear it's not doing too well. Perhaps it'll do a lot better when it's released in english. I really hope it does, more shows like this need to be made.

Indeed, Miria and Issac are my favorite characters from just about anything.. Then again, this series doesn't have any characters I hate.

igalsfy

it's already over~

the final scene of isaac and miria is hilarious. "hey, miria, don't you think we didn't age at all?" eyecatch of doom.

best characters of the year.

Kei

Everything in the last episode was perfect.

Especially the fate of Dallas Genoard at the hands of the Gandor Brothers. It was icing on the cake when Keith dropped the cards in the barrel with Dallas.

Ruwyn

I wasn't as crazy about the last episode, mostly because it left me wanting more.

Of course they hinted at Dallas' fate in the opening.

I personally wanted to know more about Huey LaForet since he was one of the originals along with Maiza and Czes.

And yes, Issac and Miria are gold.

Roz

Late to the party, but I just now started watching this series. My only question at this point is, why didn't I start watching this earlier? It's wonderful.

At least now I don't have to experience the pain of waiting for translations to be released, but still. Wow. Wow. It's amazing that the elements in this, which seem to be conflicting, work so well together. I'm referring to

! The fact that all of the immortal/alchemy stuff actually works with the old timey gangster stuff rather than screwing with it negatively.

Mog

I absolutely loved the opening when I saw it and proceeded to watch the entire series just because.

In general, I can't deny I enjoyed it. Stylistically it just worked wonderfully, aided by some totally awesome animation and music. The storytelling method could be distracting at times, but mostly just managed to ensure my attention was kept throughout, so that's good.

It all just covered a wafer-thin plot, though, I guess. Thankfully the characters were likable enough to make up for it.

And the opening just kicks so much ass.

Roz

Still not too far into this.

Jacuzzi is adorable. He probably annoys the hell out of everyone, but man, he's so cute. Which probably means that something horrible is going to happen to him.

I really just love the characters in this in general. I haven't seen one that I really disliked so far, although I'm still early on in the series.

Tizoc

@Roz:

I've heard a ridiculous amount of good things about this. Even though I haven't even seen it yet, I'd say it is more than likely worth checking out.

OK this person's name is why everyone should watch this.

! [qimg]http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/9254/jspotiw2.jpg[/qimg]

I'm interested….

Roz

Amazingly enough, after actually watching some of the series (I'm about halfway through) as I just mentioned, I now like that guy for more than just his name. He's adorable.

Jay_n_Silentbob

I just finished this today.

First thought: That ending was, for the most part, very unsatisfactory.
They should of had one if not more of these things happen before it ended:

! -Showing Dallas being fished out of the Hudson River and meeting Eve
-Ladd ~~somehow be alive still and~~ kills Rail Tracer in a very bloody fashion ~~where both of them die.~~
-Show someone else in 2001 other than Miria and Isaac
-Some more information on what happened to Huey and the governor's family
-The Director of the information store should of been revealed to be an original immortal.
-Go back to the two people in the first scene of the series

Second thought: This whole skipping years right before something important happens got a little tiring.

Third thought: Ladd is kick ass.

Fourth thought: Was Firo ever really needed in this series at all?

However, overall I liked it (it had its ups and downs, but still a very solid anime).

EDIT: After rewatching the first episode, I realize I forgot alot of things…This series may actually be more enjoyable if watched a second time.

EDIT2: Wow am I off today.

Kei

I think you mean Ladd.

Roz

Well Jay n Silentbob, it's funny that you'd mention that.

While watching Baccano!, one of the things that I constantly had to keep in mind so that I wouldn't nitpick and overspeculate was that it is based on a lengthy light novel series (Basically illustrated novels. Not quite manga, but not quite novels either.), meaning that inevitably a hell of a lot of things are going to be left out.

There are extremely thorough follow-ups on everyone who appears (and survives) and everything that is pictured in the anime as far as I've seen, but they simply didn't have the time to jam it into that particular adaptation.

Unfortunately, the likelihood that we'll ever see the series (as an anime, anyway) continued is very very low. Evidently the anime bombed horribly in Japan but the light novels continue to be published. What's even more unfortunate is that it isn't likely that Baccano! will officially make its way to the US, and if it does it won't be any time soon. This is speculation though - there is a slight bit of promise since another of the same author's works is currently being translated.

Everything you mentioned, though? I've flipped through the light novels (I can't read a lick of Japanese, so I have to rely on pictures) and seen what appeared to be significant follow-ups on everything and everyone you mentioned in your complaint.

A particular favorite which I didn't actually see you mention is:

! The blonde woman with the spear who strikes Isaac's ear at the beginning/end. She makes a significant appearance in at least one of the novels.
!

Also, covering some of your issues more specifically, based on the illustrations I've seen while leafing through things:

! Ladd is confirmed to be alive - I believe he's in prison at one point. I don't think he ever gets a chance to confront Vino/Claire/Rail Tracer again.
! Some of the novels themselves take place in 2001 - all of them are dated, and go through a good chunk of the 1930s and skip to 2001.
! The man and the little girl definitely appear again, but I honestly don't remember what they were doing or if I could even tell.

EDIT: Firo's significance or lack thereof:

! Actually, Firo is a very prominent character. I believe there's a drama CD centered around him, even. His relationship with Maiza is incredibly important to the plot, because keeping in mind what Isaac said at the beginning about eating beef and stealing sacks of money: Szilard ate Maiza's brother, and Firo ate Szilard. This means that Firo has half of the knowledge of how to make the immortality elixir as well as the rest of Maiza's brother's knowledge and experiences. He also had the ability to restore Ennis.

Jay_n_Silentbob

Yea, when I posted earlier today, I basically just wanted to say what I wanted about the series before going to work, but now that I've wikied it and everything, I realize how most of what I said was just nitpicking and ignorance. I guess they could of wrapped things up by changing the story a little bit, but still, since it's based on a light novel most of what's left open seems to make sense.

It's a damn shame that it bombed in Japan. Although most of the characters were pretty generic, they kinda grew on me.

Mayhaps a manga adaptation would work better.

Roz

I believe that the Grand Punk Railroad arc was also adapted into a manga, however I have not actually seen it. I want to.

Jay_n_Silentbob

@Roz:

I believe that the Grand Punk Railroad arc was also adapted into a manga, however I have not actually seen it. I want to.

Judging by this cover, it may be a little different than the anime's version of that arc (There's 3 characters I haven't seen before in it).

Also, did the anime producers know they weren't going to finish the series when they started the anime? Cuz they left in some foreshadowing of things that didn't happen, like:

! When the "demon" meets Huey again.
What wish Elmer asked from the demon
Some other things I can't think of at the moment

theAMAZINGboo

It really sucks that it's bombing. If any show deserves a sequel, it's this.

Damnit, Japan.

Edit: They probably kept those in just in case it profited enough to get a sequel down the line.

Jay_n_Silentbob

@theAMAZINGboo:

It really sucks that it's bombing. If any show deserves a sequel, it's this.

Damnit, Japan.

They're obviously racist against animes that take place in America or England (Hellsing) or anywhere other than Japan/Ancient Japan/A Fictional World.

theAMAZINGboo

Hmm? If I recall Hellsing is pretty popular.

If anything, they're overwhelmed at how awesome the hats the characters wear are.

Jay_n_Silentbob

@theAMAZINGboo:

Hmm? If I recall Hellsing is pretty popular.

If anything, they're overwhelmed at how awesome the hats the characters wear are.

The original Hellsing anime (not the OVA) was unpopular and thus ended in 13 episodes from what I understand.

Roz

@Jay_n_Silentbob:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e319/Jay_n_Silentbob/i15872.jpg

Judging by this cover, it may be a little different than the anime's version of that arc (There's 3 characters I haven't seen before in it).

Whuh? I recognize all of them from the anime except one, unless I'm mistaken.

theAMAZINGboo

It ended cause they ran out of manga and had to resort to Incognito.

But eh, I still have some hopes that when it's dubbed it'll be pretty popular here. Maybe not enough to warrant a sequel or anything, but something. (Like bringing over the light novels)

Jay_n_Silentbob

@Roz:

Whuh? I recognize all of them from the anime except one, unless I'm mistaken.

People I can't recognize:

Man in bottom right with slanty eyes

Man wearing du-rag thing on the left

Man with gray hair in center-right.

Roz

Bringing over the light novels would be amazing and I would buy them nine times and love whoever published/translated them forever.

The people on the cover:

!
! It's Jacuzzi and several members of his gang: Jacuzzi at the center, Nice to the top-left, Donny to the top-right, Jon to the right, Fan to the left, Nick to the bottom-left, and I'm really not sure who that is on the bottom-right. Jacuzzi is only typically shown with five other people.

Jay_n_Silentbob

Is Jacuzzi still in the light novels?

I sure miss that boi.

Roz

Oh hell yes he is. I wouldn't be nearly as enthusiastic about the possibility of a novel translation if he wasn't.

SOME OF THE EXCITING ADVENTURES OF JACUZZI SPLOT IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER (Spoiled for huge. And for spoilers.):

! Shortly after Grand Punk Railroad arc ends:
!
! Gettin' threatened with a spear, as previously mentioned.
! Hanging around:
!
! Chillin' with his homie baseballface:
!
! -And there are more where that came from.

Jay_n_Silentbob

Wowzorz.

Is it easy to tell what's happening in the light novel just by the pictures? I never read one before, but I'm really wanting to read Baccano's now.

Roz

@Jay_n_Silentbob:

Wowzorz.

Is it easy to tell what's happening in the light novel just by the pictures? I never read one before, and I'm really wanting to read Baccano's now.

I can very honestly say that no, not it is not. Not at all. You can go anywhere in the neighborhood of 16-60+ pages of text before you actually hit an illustration, and it is sure as hell not going to tell you much beyond some small indication of what happens at a very specific point, like "What this man is saying makes Ladd nervous" or "Jacuzzi is talking to Jon and looking like he's about to cry."