Review: Bacccano! (Anime)

I owe Netflix for this one.  Baccano! kept coming up as a suggestion based on all the other anime, good and crappy, that I've watched.  I was very hesitant initally.  So much so, I even started the first episode 3 times but never getting passed the first 5 minutes of it.  I'm glad I forced myself to see a whole episode.  Once I started, I could not stop watching this amazing anime.

It's very hard to describe the plot of Baccano!. I say that beucase there is so much going on.  So many characters, each with a distinct, unique personality, all crammed into only 16 episodes.  Honestly, it's amazing any development happened at all.  I can say this much though - Baccano! follows a group of people, all bound together by a life changing event.

Likes - The story telling was amazing.  I read a previous review, opining that Baccano! is anime's answer to a Tarentino film.  After watching the whole series, I fully agree.  The main reason being the disjointed story telling.  The series follows a huge cast of people, some of which will never cross paths with one another.  This is an anime with absolutely no main character.  I know thats a hefty statement, but you'll understand my words once you watch the series.  With that said, you still see alot of development, both with the story, and the characters.  Another thing I loved was cast and breadth of the characters.  I've rarely seen a set of characters so unique, and so fun.  While some characters are never delved into, there are others whom you come to know and love.  The animation was good.  There was a slight sepia sheen, which goes perfect with the prohibition era.

Dislikes - It was too short!!!  This series could easily have been 26 episodes.  51 episodes even.  Another complaint is the fact the series jumps around so greatly, from character to character, and even throughout time.  It can be quite a daunting task in the beginning to follow the story.  This is one you have to stick with.  In a way, it also makes the series that much more worth watching a second time.  The story makes much more sense the second go-around.

Overall - I love this anime.  It was new, fresh, and very intelligent.  The characters are all so interesting and intriguing, and most of them you come to love.  The replay value on this is extremely high as well.  If you are an anime fan of any degree, watch this one.  Baccano! will show you just how far the medium can be taken! 5 out of 5 stars