Anime Spotlight: Baccano!
Every so often an anime appears that truly surprises you. Perhaps it blows you away with it’s quality, or shocks you with how bad it is, or perhaps it simply just defies your expectations. Baccano!, with it’s disregard for chronological order and 1930’s American setting, falls in to both categories — being both a fantastically unique and brilliantly crafted experience that anyone with an interest in the less “anime” side of anime should treat themselves to.
The Premise
Baccano! is no simple show to explain. It follows a multitude of characters in a variety of situations, jumping between them as needed while slowly pulling all the threads together in to a satisfying conclusion. However, it can be summarized as three basic plotlines: A war between two rival gangs for an ancient elixir that grants immortality, a train ride that goes horribly wrong, and a young girl searching for her missing brother.
While these three sections are presented separately to begin with, they soon converge on one another, and, as the show continues, sections of backstory are revealed that link them together under one larger plot. It’s a strange way of presenting an anime, but Brain’s Base — alongside director Takahiro Omori — pulls it off with such finesse that it’s almost impossible to believe the show could be done any other way.
The true strength of the show’s writing, however, is most definitely found in its characters. These come in spades here, with every part of the show having at least five, or so, and at most around twelve. Still, despite their quantity there’s no skimping on quality, with every one having a strong significance to the plot and a solid character arc of some kind. Tying everyone together are the always entertaining Isaac and Miria (pictured on the left in the image above). Every moment these two occupy the screen is a joy to watch — they truly embody the joyous, creative energy that Baccano! holds in spades.
As a story, Baccano! is something that couldn’t be experienced anywhere else, an almost nonsensical mix of ridiculous characters and a disorganized story that somehow holds a method in its madness. There’s nothing quite like it, and, whether or not you have any interest in the setting, it’s a take on the genre that shouldn’t be missed.
The Presentation
Despite its absurdist nature, Baccano!’s animation is anything but. The entire show is animated in a simple, clear style that keeps everything easy to make out, but looks good in motion. While not spectacular, the animation conveys everything it needs to, and certain things, like the blood effects and fight scenes, clearly were given a lot attention and detail.
In contrast, the soundtrack could not be placed in any show but Baccano!. A strong collection of dark jazz places the atmosphere very solidly in the mob filled streets of 1930’s New York. It jumps between peppy and upbeat — keeping the tempo up in scenes of action and comedy — and almost depressing in nature.
Everything about the show, from its unprecedented storytelling to it’s unique setting and characters, serves to give it a unique style that sets it firmly apart from anything that’s been made before or after. To say more of this show would be to ruin its most pleasant surprises, and so I will leave you with Baccano!’s opening, which encompasses everything I’ve talked about here. While it may not be a show you can simply sit and watch without paying attention, it is not something that should be ignored, an eclectic mix of the absurd and the conventional that will most certainly surprise you — one way or another.
