Seelie Reviews: Baccano!

The plot of this anime concerns a train heist by not one, not two, but three different groups of criminals while an unknown monster strikes from the shadows. This is the story of a young pure girl in search of her misguided and violent brother who has disappeared. Actually, it's really more about this one guy with the secret of immortality and gangland politics and...

Let me start over.

Baccano is one of the most confusing anime out there, and it isn't because of any sort of mind screw. This sucker has three plot lines, all going simultaneously. But that isn't confusing enough, so let's mess with the chronological order. And not in the Haruhi Suzumiya sense, no no. This is Haruhi Suzimiya stuck in a blender with a piece of chewing gum, because if you want to watch this in chronological order, you'll have to spend roughly a month in front of some editing software. And you would still fail. Add to the confusion tons and tons of characters, many with nigh unpronounceable names (can't imagine what the japanese audience must have thought) along with staggeringly cringe inducing (and amusing) violence and that is Baccano.

And it is glorious.

That is the worst plot summary you will ever hear from me, and it isn't because the series makes no sense. It just doesn't seem to at first. Also, any attempts to explain anything will immediately spoil this series horribly. You can not even do an image search for this series without spoiling *something*. The best I can do is say that for the most part this takes place in America in the 30's and that immortality and gangsters figure very prominently.

The characters fall all along the morality spectrum and are unique to this series. One can't file these characters into standard anime character slots. There aren't even main characters so much as there are people who show up more or less often. There are more of them than one would think prudent , and while none of them get a ton of development, they are all sufficiently and interestingly explored to the point that they are likable and one of a kind. The lovable nature of these characters is incredibly important to this series' success, because while the well-timed plot twists and the slow clarification of the events might have been rewarding by themselves, no one would have stuck around without all the marvelous (and totally insane) characters.

This series has a beautiful look. Since there are more named characters than you can count on both hands it is extremely important that everyone have distinguishing features. And that they do. This is a testament to the sheer quality and variety of the art, because this distinction is not achieved through ridiculous haircuts but through facial structure, something that often gets ignored in anime. The characters are not the only beautiful aspect of this show, however. The backgrounds are well-researched and beautifully executed.

The music is utterly divine. It colors the world wonderfully bringing exactly the needed emotion for each scene whether frightening, sad, or just plain goofy. It is also lots of fun all by itself. The ending theme is pretty and dissonantly calm considering the chaos of the episodes. It is skippable. The opener, on the other hand, is anything but. Not only is the music in it extremely addicting, but the names of the major players are displayed in it. Also, in the middle of it is a slot set aside for relevant snippets of previous episodes. Without these two features, the show would be even harder to understand.

Both the sub and the dub are very good, but there is absolutely no reason to watch anything other than the dub. This is a show taking place in America that is heavily dependent on an American movie tradition. Add to this the brilliant performances Funimation puts out and the decision is made. (The amount of thought put into the accents in the English dub is extraordinary, complete with mellowed and softened accents over time. Some people will think the French accents sound fake. I defy you to find a French person who doesn't speak with a "fake" French accent.)

Plot: A+
Characters: A 
Visuals: A
Music: A

It's important to realize that this show isn't for everyone. First off, it is bloody as sin. Second is the fact that you will need to stay focused to have any hope of understanding it. You will have to watch it twice. Still, I can't recommend this enough (unless, of course, you're squeamish).