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[WhateverItTakes]

On the recommendation of a friend, I checked out this series, sold to me as 'Prohibition gangsters with some supernatural stuff'. It was way more than that.

The key part of the series is that it just throws you straight in. It's a little jarring, but you get thrown through time periods in a non-linear fashion, meeting many new faces in pretty much every scene and saying goodbye just as quickly. The wonderful intro gentle reminds you as you keep watching who's who and even helpfully throws in the relevant plot threads which are gonna be explored in the episodes.

So with the plot being elaborate and chaotic, the characters need to be good to keep you hooked as invest you in the story; boy, are they ever! You get assorted gangsters from different families, each with their own styles and flair, mysterious strangers that only come into play towards the end of the series, minor characters that turn out to be incredibly important to what's happening, and people who just get sucked into the whirlwind. Like Miria and Isaac, who are THE BEST.

The dub is great, although, I really like New Yoik gansta accents

Spoiler

thanks Labrys

so I might be biased. Dialogue is decently written/translated, as well, though it still has that anime problem where characters can witter on well beyond what would be necessary for the scene, even in terms of psychopathic ranting. The animation itself is good in general, great in most of the fight scenes, but there were moments where some people's proportions and/or facial expressions were pretty wack.

At the start it seems like you're following three stories at once, which then multiply into different strands, but it becomes so satisfying as the bigger picture becomes clearer and clearer, and everything converges into a hugely enjoyable maelstrom. The show does a good job of peeling it's mystery back in layers, and most of the stories are satisfying.

I say most, the last three episodes kinda drop off a cliff quality wise. Apparently they were put straight to DVD so maybe that's the reason? In any case they kinda have the job of wrapping up a couple of the weaker plot threads, which to me felt like unnecessary fat, but then again, the characters that were part of those stories were well worth their inclusion. At the very it they are good for seeing what happens to a few of the characters.

Not that they should stop you. It's always more fun to be left to imagine your own outcome.

So GAF, if you want to watch a fun series this summer, this is a great option. Or we can talk about how cool all the characters are cus' they're so great. Or you can inform me that I have trash opinions and this show sucks, that works too!

 

[Savitar]

The manga is still going on or continued for a while beyond the anime right?

The anime was very well done in English and so freaking charming, the show oozed charm from it's opening to the very end of the episodes. You want to know more and more. Everything coming together the way it did was certainly a treat. I still adore a lot of the characters due to how likable they are.

 

[TheGreatLugia]

It's a fantastic series.

And yeah, the last three episodes were DVD extras. I want to say the team thought they would get more episodes since they teased storylines from later books but never got to adapt them.

That being said, the original books just started releasing in English. I read the first volume a few months ago and it's easily up to par with the show. If you want to know how the story continues, those novels are worth keeping an eye on.

The manga is still going on or continued for a while beyond the anime right?

The original series consists of light novels. A new volume was just recently announced in Japan.

 

[Sifl]

Deserves another season, and probably more after that assuming there's enough material to adapt.

 

[CielTynave]

Definitely enjoyed what I saw of the show but I never finished it. I'd be more likely to get the novels if they weren't $20 each...

I also found this comment about how much of the novels were covered by the anime:

Spoiler

Book 1: Rolling Bootlegs (1930) - Reasonably faithful but was condensed (also, instead of starting in 2002 with the story being told to a tourist in the Alvaere, it starts in 1935 with Gustav and Carol looking over their information of the events of 1930-1932. And the events happen differently in the novels though the end result is the same, though it does change Firo's character interpretation. In the novels, he's actually a HUGE dick, almost as bad as Dallas, the only people he shows any respect to are his Martillo superiors, his childhood friends, and Ennis and later Czes. Whereas in the anime he's got more of a shonen hero vibe going on). It also left out the fact that the mugger in the first episode was probably the most important character of the 1930 plotline (and his encounter with Firo was moved to 1932, where as in the novel it happens right at the beginning of the 1930 story, just before Firo goes to buy his hat with Maiza). Also Firo's saving of Ennis was MUCH more involved and took approximately 3 hours. He had to make a small sample of the imperfect elixir using Szilard's memories and then use it to reset her default state using his own cells to replace the genetic information Szilard had withdrawn (she is biologically his daughter following her revival).

Book 2: Grand Punk Railroad (1931) - Local Edition - Was mostly faithful but condensed (and left out a somewhat important insight into Ladd's true character). It also cut out Jacuzzi vs the Rail Tracer. It does however make one change, by merging Chane with some aspects of her sister, namely the implied telepathy and conspicuous use of birds in said scenes. Chane herself is a completely normal human, while her sister possesses the above mentioned traits as a result of being used in an experiment using information Huey stole from Szilard's research into creating a true homunculus, as opposed to failures like Ennis.

Book 3: Grand Punk Railroad (1931) - Express Edition - Was reasonably faithful in what was shown but left out about 2/3 of the book, including Rachel's encounter with the corrupt train executive and her final encounter with the Rail Tracer, 97% of Claire's side of the story (the parts it does show are from other people's perspectives and as a result you learn nothing about Claire's personality which makes seeing his true self in the OVAs much more jarring), Lua's story, and Fred the Doctor. Since Jacuzzi never fought the Rail Tracer in the anime, his side of the event showing what happened in the aftermath was also left out.

The out-of-place scene in the first episode (with the blonde girl with the spear) is during the climax of book 6, The Slash - Cloudy to Rainy (1933).

The 1932 plotline was VERY loosely based on the events of book 4, Drugs and Dominoes (1932), but has no resemblance to the source material after about episode 2. Eve searching for her brother was a minor plot point that only served to get her to New York and was resolved immediately on their first visit to the Daily Days. It's pretty much all filler after that, with only the beginning and very end showing any actual resemblance to anything from the book. (It also completely contradicts the source material in several places and merges several characters.)

The OVAs cover about 1/3 of Book 14, Another Punk Railroad (1930-1934), which is mostly a background book to fill in some of the gaps left in the previous books (it is extremely faithful aside from the parts involving Elmer which were actually based on events from book 5. Also Rachel's backstory was supposed to be told in book 3 from her to the rail tracer during their last encounter on the train. And the domino scene is from book 4.). (The train ride Gustav St. Germain asks Carol to remember in the very first episode of the series also happens in book 14). The stinger of the OVAs is the beginning of Book 6, The Slash - Cloudy to Rainy.

The stinger for episode 13 is actually the beginning of Book 5, Children of the Bottle (2001). Most of the content from episode 7 is taken from a flashback arc in Book 5. Rolling Bootleg only gave a VERY abridged version of what happened on the ship and did so immediately at the beginning of the story.

There're also little bits of information taken from books 1-14 that are too numerous or minor to be worth mentioning.

 

[CrimsonN0]

The manga is still going on or continued for a while beyond the anime right?

It was originally a light novel and yeah, its still going on.
The anime covered around 5 or so novels with some things/characters cut out. I think the 22nd? novel comes out this year(in Japan).

The anime was pretty well put together.
It was surprising to learn when reading the light novels that the three timelines(Szilard stuff, train stuff, Eve stuff) were actually different novels and didn't switch back and forth like the anime.

 

[WhateverItTakes]

Definitely enjoyed what I saw of the show but I never finished it. I'd be more likely to get the novels if they weren't $20 each...

I also found this comment about how much of the novels were covered by the anime:

Wow, so there's a whole lot more to it, huh? I was almost like you, for some reason I stopped watching halfway through the series like a month ago. Finished the rest over the last few days. Wasn't even like the story got dull I just sorta stopped.

Deserves another season, and probably more after that assuming there's enough material to adapt.

Certainly sounds like the material is there, but it's been so long since the last that I can't imagine all of the original cast returning for the dub, which would be a shame...

 

[TheGreatLugia]

Deserves another season, and probably more after that assuming there's enough material to adapt.

If the Durarara!! adaptation is any indication, you probably don't want another season...

 

[lazybones18]

Top 5 show for me. Glad some of GAF recommended it

 

[Geist-]

The only Anime to rival Cowboy Bebop's OP.

Spoiler

(Just my opinion bro)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Msg8ypnLqaw

 

[Guess Who]

Possibly the best anime dub of all time.

 

[WhateverItTakes]

The only Anime to rival Cowboy Bebop's OP.

Spoiler

(Just my opinion bro)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Msg8ypnLqaw

Baccano's wins. Bebop's is 'cooler' sure but Baccano sets everything up so perfectly. Smooth as hell and endlessly rewatchable.

Bebop's end credits are so much better though. Man after watching a fun show why am I seeing the most depressing rail tracks ever with what looks like a funeral slideshow of all the characters, I mean really?

 

[SalvaPot]

I remember it was a great ride, but if you ask me now what the plot was about I'll just scratch my head and make a excuse to leave the room.

 

[Zelenogorsk]

Ladd Russo is the best.

 

[BaraSailey]

I remember it was a great ride, but if you ask me now what the plot was about I'll just scratch my head and make a excuse to leave the room.

Same here, haha. I loved it when I watched it but I can't for the life of me remember much about the plot except for the fact that it involved

Spoiler

immortals

and some of it took place on a train.

 

[ShinRPGamer]

I'm around half way in the series right now (excluding the OVA's). It's very enjoyable and like the OP said, the dub is great.

Another show I'd recommend to you if you haven't seen it OP is Durarara. It's by the same author and unlike Baccano, has had the entire series adapted and dubbed.

 

[WickedLaharl]

Baccano is one of the best. Great cast/story/pacing/visuals fuck man it's just one of the all time greats.

 

[WhateverItTakes]

Ladd Russo is the best.

Yeah, I love how he starts off as a mildly eccentric gangster then he starts literally playing around in blood. They were never completely clear what his deal with Lua was but it sounds like another thing that slipped through the fingers of the adaptation...

 

[cj_iwakura]

Good show. Durarara feels like a spiritual successor, but it gets really messy in the third season(X2).

 

[Voror]

Always bummed this never got another season as I honestly like it more than Durarara by a fair bit. Only thing I can think of for a criticism is that the changes I've read about for the Drugs and Dominoes make it sounds more interesting, though until seeing that post above I wasn't aware of the other changes.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised though. I don't really know any adaptation of a light novel that follows the source material to the letter. Mostly since doing so would require a lot more episodes then they have to work with.

 

[Squalor]

Baccano! is easily top-five all time.

 

[sasliquid]

THE GOAT

Seriously wish there were more ways to experience the characters either with more seasons or official English translations of the books

 

[batbeg]

This is definitely my favorite anime ever. I've been in love with it since watching it before it was even dubbed, which improved it further.

I forgot I was meaning to start buying the light novels. D'oh!

 

[Fandangox]

This one is one of my favorites, really well done, the soundtrack is great, and the over the top, yet "grounded" chaos that ensues during the story is very funny.

Would always recommend.

 

[WhateverItTakes]

THE GOAT

Seriously wish there were more ways to experience the characters either with more seasons or official English translations of the books

There's always fanfic...

Spoiler

Some can be pretty high quality if you know how to filter out the shit. Not that I've dived into any for this series yet but I think I'll crumble soon

 

[metsallica]

I enjoyed this but liked Durarara!! a ton more. Well, the first season of Durarara!! anyway...

 

[CrimsonN0]

There's always fanfic...

Spoiler

Some can be pretty high quality if you know how to filter out the shit. Not that I've dived into any for this series yet but I think I'll crumble soon

Don't go down such a road.

Spoiler

Like 99% of it is slash and Baccano is one of the few series where there are actual official couples.