Spoiler warning for the entire series.
Baccano! sets the tone and characters perfectly from the beginning. The choice to start by revealing all the characters and showing the mysterious circumstances they have ended up in sounds like it would remove the tension at first. However it was a one that benefits the plot greatly. Instead of relying on a weak twist later, we get to see the events that lead up to these events. Soon, the three interlocking stories are established. The 1931 story of the Flying Pussyfoot is strong throughout, with the rail tracer being a scarily powerful being that creates some exciting moments of recklessness and bravery in the characters. The visually pleasing action around the train creates a great atmosphere and gives it a lot of energy. I especially liked the battle between Jacuzzi and Goose. The pacing suffers however when it comes to the next plotlines. The 1930 elixir story becomes compelling after seeing the strange resurrections of Luck and Firo, but they are seemingly put on the backburner as for the next few episodes we are shown a much less interesting backstory of a wild goose chase around the city to find the elixir. It's not until episode 7 when we receive a massive info dump about Maiza and the immortals with little foreshadowing, which is a little jarring. I feel like it should've had more foreshadowing as to how important the stakes really are, however it does make up for a lot of this with a strong focus in the second half. Quates is also a serviceable villain despite info not being known about him until later, and it's clear to see how his obsession with knowledge drives him mad. Even weaker is the third story, about Eve's search for her brother Dallas in 1932. Dallas rarely seems like a complex character, is more of an unlikable and sadistic goon for a lot of his scenes. Eve's character is solely driven by finding him however, and it's hard for me to connect with her when it seems the only reason she has to find him is because they are related. This is not only the sole driver of Eve but the entire plotline, with little connection to the other two. It also ends in a disappointing fashion and kind of bleakly as Dallas has been forced to live out his life in a barrel at the bottom of the Hudson River by the Gandors. Despite Dallas being unlikable this is pretty depressing and considering we spent a large portion of the series watch Eve look for him, it's a very low impact conclusion to this arc. The show has a strong conclusion, as it feels satisfying to see the immortals come to terms with the past and move towards the future. It's a bit strange that being immortal goes from something considered to be a bit of a cursed existence to something the characters celebrate, but it's satisfying enough for dramatic purposes. Overall the plot is pretty thrilling, and I rarely felt bored or like it was going nowhere even when that is what ended up happening sometimes.
#The Passengers of Baccano!
Right off the exciting opening, I knew the characters would a strong focus and they didn't disappoint. Isaac and Miria would be the standouts for me. They seem obnoxious at first but seeing how their ridiculous attitudes towards helping people pan out is satisfying. It was cool to see them as immortals and it seems fitting that they perform these silly acts throughout history like some sort of omnipotents. It's a nice showing of how something as simple as spreading absurd joy can inspire and change others like Jacuzzi and Ennis. Speaking of Jacuzzi, him and Nice are also incredibly likable and their relationship is cute. Jacuzzi finding reason to defend his loved ones is especially inspiring. Czeslaw has realistic motives for being scared of immortals and it has a logical conclusion with him coming to find real family. The relationships between Ennis and Firo, and Chane and Claire are a little rushed and the latter two characters still make me question their motives and what their arcs really are. My problems with Eve and Dallas are the same as previously mentioned. I also wish the Gandor brothers were not given so much attention at first because of the weak characterization they ended up having. Ladd Russo greatly annoyed me at first but it was satisfying to see him show a real love for Lua and jumping off the train to save her (he may have concealed it under wanting to kill her but it's obvious he wants to protect her). It's a little sad to think about how Firo and Ennis will live forever but Jacuzzi and Nice won't, something makes me wish they had either made all of them immortal or none. Finally, as said before, all the immortals had satisfying conclusions especially Maiza and Czeslaw.
#Miscellanous
#Summary
Despite shitting on the plot a little too much, I genuinely think they did a great job at balancing so many characters and storylines. Seeing how the actions in 1711 affect these characters are fascinating and creates a spiderweb of connections that all satisfyingly conclude. The pacing problems are frustrating though, while they may be inevitable with such a complex story there was a lot of fat that could have been trimmed from the show without much loss to the Train or Elixir storylines. The writing is still interesting with good production clearly being placed in it. The characters are not perfect but the best ones will stick in my head for a while. The intrigue and mystery of the plot was tantalizing and I hope to read the LN to get the full experience and maybe a better conclusion to the story. From what I've read it would seemingly have benefitted from a longer anime series which is saddening. For now I can say the Baccano! anime was an very solid series on it's own, despite some weak writing, that I would recommend for a good mystery/action anime.
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