In this special episode for my birthday, I’ve decided to cover a favorite anime of mine (though, I’ve already covered four favorites this year, kind of being easy on myself), Brain Base’s Baccano!, based on a series of Japanese light novels written by Ryohgo Narita. I also did a bunch of difficult production flourishes and animations for this one, so I’d appreciate feedback (read: praise). What happens when a bunch of gangsters, thieves, and psychos vie for control of a train? Well, find out! It’s the show that skips around in time but is always compelling, and I think you’ll be satisfied by what you see.
Baccano
ANIME TOP TEN (LIST #1) – #7: Baccano! (2007)
Director(s): Takahiro Omori Screenplay: Noboru Takagi Music: Makoto Yoshimori Wow, what fun Baccano! is. It’s just an extremely, undefinably compelling romp through a world of colorful characters. I have to admit, at first I wasn’t so sure about the series. It wasn’t until a few episodes in that I really got the hang of things, but once I did, I was blown away. The narrative skips in time on regular basis, but there are clearly three different arcs (a fourth in the direct-to-video episodes) that have their own heartbeat. I get a full glee high watching Ladd Russo (Keiji Fujiwara) or Claire Stanfield (Masakazu Morita) brutalize, Isaac (Masaya Onosaka) and Miria (Sayaka Aoki) bumble, or Jacuzzi (Daisuke Sakaguchi) and his gang get swept up in the thick of things. In this show you’ll find Prohibition-era gangsters, sadistic immortals, crafty informants, and one hell of a train ride! The English-dubbed version is excellent, as well, one of my favorites (especially Bryan Massey as Ladd). I like pretty much every aspect of the show from the themes of friendship to the twisted philosophies of its denizens. It’s a must-watch.