Baccano!

"Cast aside the illusion that there is a beginning and end to a story. The story has no beginning, and it has no end. All there is, is a performance of people connecting, living, influencing each other, and departing."

“Baccano!” is a 2007 Brain’s Base crime/action/drama anime (set during the Great Depression) that opened to rave reviews when it first aired, and still collects acclaim to this day. It follows, well, just about everybody you can imagine. Sadistic hit men and the dames they love, mad bombers going boom, monsters going bump, and soul-sucking alchemists bootlegging an elixir of eternal life. Remember, “Baccano!” isn’t about beginnings and ends. It’s about the twists and turns, bub. Paths don’t cross in this story- they collide. Every Dick and Jane plays the lead and it’s going to be a bumpy ride (sorry, but I just had to insert FUNimation’s amazing official description of the series in that last part).

To avoid sounding redundant, I’ll get this out of the way first: “Baccano!” has an amazing soundtrack. I’ve talked a good amount about soundtracks recently, but I really just want to squeeze in one more argument for an OST: it floored me. The music does amazing things for the setting, characters, and chaotic events within; it’s definitely worth listening to on its own.

Though, perhaps the greatest thing about “Baccano!” is the thing you wouldn’t notice immediately; something that would grow over the course of the series. Without me fully explaining why, just know that this series has an incredible sense of style. Maybe it’s because of the well-done animation, amazing music, or large cast of diverse characters; or, perhaps the snappy setting, chaotic events, or constant happenings lend a hand. Whatever it is, it worked greatly to make one of the most immersive and smartly-built worlds I’ve ever had the pleasure of being in.

Ah, you see, but there’s one more thing that needs to be addressed. Interestingly enough, this aspect happens in the last half of the last episode, and it’s something of a wonder. Of course, I’m talking about the show’s final philosophy: beginnings and endings of stories. As mentioned in my FUNimation-quoted synopsis earlier, ‘“Baccano!” isn’t about beginnings and ends. It’s about the twists and turns, bub.’ This perfectly sums up what “Baccano!” is all about: the art of storytelling. As the two most unbreakable characters (a newspaper vice-president and his young assistant) have a casual conversation while walking down an ordinary road, everything pieces together: the story isn’t meant to have an ending. If you couldn’t get that from the conversation, one of them directly states that ‘it’s much more fun to imagine what happens,’ and that couldn’t be more true: stories are just endless interactions of characters, and “Baccano!” embraces that idea with open arms.

9/10- Sleek, snappy, and oh-so-stylish, “Baccano!” is a smart, casually philosophic thrill ride that never ends.