When I say none are the hero, I mean it the cast inhabits the morally-ambiguous underbelly of Chicago and New York in the Prohibition era, and nearly all of them are attached to organized crime in one way or another. On the contrary, there are a half-dozen different people who you're likely to get attached to, and the majority of the remainder are interesting in one way or another. The lack of focus doesn't make the huge cast any less intriguing. They're also even more clueless than the poor viewer as to what's happening (to hilarious effect).
#Baccano english dub episode 7 series
Somewhat surprisingly-again, as the series says explicitly-the main-est of them are probably the comic relief duo Issac and Miria, who through chance and luck just happen to be around during almost every major event. Several could be, but Baccano! staunchly refuses to give anyone enough focus or screen time to rise too far above the rest. None of them, as the series states in no uncertain terms, is the main character, or the hero. Not even mentioning the three crime families, two cults, and several other shady groups with their hands in things. Those aren't just single-episode faces, either-most of them appear in every episode at least briefly. You'll see no less than seventeen named people in the intro, and a montage of twenty three during the end credits, and that still doesn't include everyone. Exciting, hilarious, twistedly romantic, you name it.Īs if keeping track of when and where the scene is weren't enough, the number of characters is staggering. Believe me, it doesn't-not only does it all fit meticulously, the end is flat-out spectacular on multiple levels. That's the only problem with the series-it starts out in such narrative chaos that you just have to trust that it's going to come together eventually, and won't betray you by falling apart at the end. You will, in fact, have seen about half of the epilogue by the end of the first episode, though you will have no idea that's what it was, who any of the characters are, what's going on, or what events lead up to that point until nearly the end. The reason being that Baccano! consists entirely of a dense knot of interrelated plot threads scattered across several years of time, and it constantly cuts-without segue-from one person, place, and time to another. Nor will you until about halfway through the series (when it finally offers a single episode of background). (It is, incidentally, the only episode with any exposition-they're about the only characters who aren't in almost every episode.) No, it's because you won't have the foggiest idea what's going on. Not because of the overdramatic narrator explaining to his young pupil, and indirectly the audience, that there is no single main character or hero in the story. Unlike most shows this good, the first episode is the weakest by far. It's frustrating at first, but fitting them together is fun, it's satisfying to see the finished picture come together, and it turns out the picture is awesome. Watching Baccano! is like getting doled out handfuls of puzzle pieces with no box to use for reference. If Baccano were a question, the answer would be a resounding Bacca- yes. You probably won't have any idea what's going on until it's half over, but it's about as much fun as you can have watching anime. More than anything, though, it is fantastically entertaining. Trust me when I say taking the time to let it get going is worth your while-put simply, shows like this are why you own a TV.īaccano! (appropriately, "ruckus" in Italian) is a lot of things: Character-dense, fiercely non-linear, unflinchingly violent, challenging to piece together, and confusing to put it mildly. The character animation is fantastic, the beautiful art captures abundant Prohibition-era flavor, and the huge ensemble cast gives life and energy to all of it.īaccano! effortlessly weaves together character-driven comedy, a dark, multi-layered story, rip-roaring adventure, merciless violence, and twisted romance to create something entirely unique and, above all else, massively entertaining from the first scene to the post-credits parting shot. Have faith: It not only fits together at the end, the result is as entertaining as anime can be. Like a pile of jumbled puzzle pieces without the box to look to for a hint, you be halfway through the series before you have any idea what the overall picture looks like. Baccano! (appropriately, "ruckus" in Italian) is a lot of things: Character-dense, fiercely non-linear, unflinchingly violent, challenging to piece together, darkly tragic, flat-out hilarious, and confusing to put it mildly.