Wolfe reporting.
Just finished Baccano! last weekend, and it's actually been about a week without anime for me. Real life got busy. Sadface. Fortunately, I have a history of anime, so I'll be able to keep pumping out reviews, even if at a slower pace than before (closer to the weekly deal until life slows down a bit). The word Baccano is Italian for a "racket" or "ruckus", which, in and of itself, is a pretty decent description of the anime. The genre is, in my opinion: action, comedy, dark, adventure. I'm also introducing a brief section on "OP" (Over-Powered) which will not contribute towards the overall grading. So, let's get started!
I give it a 12.5 / 13! (=96%)
Concept: Well, the setting is back in the 1900's, but when it comes to the actual underlying concepts... {WARNING: SPOILERS} Oddly enough, the viewer doesn't really catch onto the actual underlying concept for a few episodes. If a certain elixir is drunk, one becomes immortal-- they stop aging, and, if harmed, take only a handful of seconds to recover fully. They can still be killed, but only temporarily. The only way they can truly be killed is if they are "eaten" or "devoured" by one of their fellow immortals, in a ritualistic act. Also: if an immortal is within earshot, other immortals have to use their real names (so as to be identifiable to each other). That's about it for the concept, in all honesty. It's the plot that's got more things going for it.
Introduction Sequence: 2 / 2. I thought the introduction was a bit long, but it was spoiler-free, and the song was (I guess) catchy. During the introduction sequence, they generally do a few brief clips from previous episodes, so as to remind the viewer that [x] and [y] happened previously. All the characters shown in the sequence are major characters, if this gives you some idea as to what I'll be talking about under "Plot". Link: Opening Sequence.
Animation Style: 2 / 2. I liked this animation style; it was very Steins;Gate-ish.
Examples:
Music: 1 / 1. I didn't necessarily dig the music, but I know there are loads of fans for this type. It often fit the mood well enough (to my disdain), with a cheery upbeat sensation to it. Link: Baccano! OST.
Plot: 3.5 / 4. Does this anime probably deserve a 4? In the eyes of most (being a popular anime, apparently), it probably does. I agree that it is well-done, indeed, but I found the introduction too slow-paced, the ending leaving a bad taste, and the progression either too simplistic or too complex. The plot itself is a complicated matter, definitely, most of the anime (episodes 1-13) revolving around what happened during a train ride. Each of the characters have a backstory, and each backstory is investigated with varying degrees of precision. You start off completely disoriented, and, piece by piece, work out exactly what happened where, with who and why. It is my opinion that the first episode was very poorly done, which is why I mark it down half a point in this category; the second episode (and beyond) was far an improvement. Episodes 14-16 were a bit odd to me, and I can't help but wonder if they weren't added in afterthought (as I would have been content with the climactic ending to Episode 13).
Characters: 4 / 4. I really, really disliked two of the characters (comic relief) for a majority of this anime, slowly desensitizing to them and eventually almost enjoying their screen time. But, I am not a fan of comic relief. (Side note: best as I can tell, it is solely because of these two characters that the anime was so well-received). However, character development was ever-present, each character thoroughly thought-out and displayed well, unique and with their own characteristics and backstory. In the introduction sequence, each character you see is a major character. In this particular anime, Characters and Plot cannot be untangled, for each has an arm around the other-- it was an interesting feel, quite unusual. However, whether or not I liked the characters, they were well-put-together and deserve credit as such (*cough* Roxas *cough* S;G *cough*).
OP: Good grief, some of these characters were OP. If you read past my spoiler warning under Concept, you'd understand only a small portion of how OP other (shall I say "normal") characters are. There's bullet deflection, physically-impossible feats, and some people took wounds far better than they really could've. Ladd Russo is my main example, although... AGH! I can't say the name of the other one without spoiling anything, apologies. There are others as well, of course, but those two especially.
If you like anime with a '90s feel to it, with comedy relief, action, adventure, and, yes, darkness (and by that I mean blood), then you'll enjoy Baccano! immensely. It's well-made.
Wallpapers:
AMV's:
These are some of the best AMV's I've had the pleasure of viewing!!
"Miss Murder" - EPIC!
"Ugly is Beautiful" - Great lip work!
"Rumble in New York" - Excellent newspaper work!
"Give Me More" - Decent!
"Don't Stop Me Now" - Ladd Russo Tribute
Where's everyone else? It's nice and lonely.
Next time: Dunno! We'll see what I feel like reviewing next.
Just finished Baccano! last weekend, and it's actually been about a week without anime for me. Real life got busy. Sadface. Fortunately, I have a history of anime, so I'll be able to keep pumping out reviews, even if at a slower pace than before (closer to the weekly deal until life slows down a bit). The word Baccano is Italian for a "racket" or "ruckus", which, in and of itself, is a pretty decent description of the anime. The genre is, in my opinion: action, comedy, dark, adventure. I'm also introducing a brief section on "OP" (Over-Powered) which will not contribute towards the overall grading. So, let's get started!
I give it a 12.5 / 13! (=96%)
Concept: Well, the setting is back in the 1900's, but when it comes to the actual underlying concepts... {WARNING: SPOILERS} Oddly enough, the viewer doesn't really catch onto the actual underlying concept for a few episodes. If a certain elixir is drunk, one becomes immortal-- they stop aging, and, if harmed, take only a handful of seconds to recover fully. They can still be killed, but only temporarily. The only way they can truly be killed is if they are "eaten" or "devoured" by one of their fellow immortals, in a ritualistic act. Also: if an immortal is within earshot, other immortals have to use their real names (so as to be identifiable to each other). That's about it for the concept, in all honesty. It's the plot that's got more things going for it.
Introduction Sequence: 2 / 2. I thought the introduction was a bit long, but it was spoiler-free, and the song was (I guess) catchy. During the introduction sequence, they generally do a few brief clips from previous episodes, so as to remind the viewer that [x] and [y] happened previously. All the characters shown in the sequence are major characters, if this gives you some idea as to what I'll be talking about under "Plot". Link: Opening Sequence.
Animation Style: 2 / 2. I liked this animation style; it was very Steins;Gate-ish.
Examples:
 |
| http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/Ensuing/Baccano_1-1.jpg |
 |
| http://www.animeclick.it/prove/serie/Baccano/Baccano21.jpg |
Music: 1 / 1. I didn't necessarily dig the music, but I know there are loads of fans for this type. It often fit the mood well enough (to my disdain), with a cheery upbeat sensation to it. Link: Baccano! OST.
Plot: 3.5 / 4. Does this anime probably deserve a 4? In the eyes of most (being a popular anime, apparently), it probably does. I agree that it is well-done, indeed, but I found the introduction too slow-paced, the ending leaving a bad taste, and the progression either too simplistic or too complex. The plot itself is a complicated matter, definitely, most of the anime (episodes 1-13) revolving around what happened during a train ride. Each of the characters have a backstory, and each backstory is investigated with varying degrees of precision. You start off completely disoriented, and, piece by piece, work out exactly what happened where, with who and why. It is my opinion that the first episode was very poorly done, which is why I mark it down half a point in this category; the second episode (and beyond) was far an improvement. Episodes 14-16 were a bit odd to me, and I can't help but wonder if they weren't added in afterthought (as I would have been content with the climactic ending to Episode 13).
Characters: 4 / 4. I really, really disliked two of the characters (comic relief) for a majority of this anime, slowly desensitizing to them and eventually almost enjoying their screen time. But, I am not a fan of comic relief. (Side note: best as I can tell, it is solely because of these two characters that the anime was so well-received). However, character development was ever-present, each character thoroughly thought-out and displayed well, unique and with their own characteristics and backstory. In the introduction sequence, each character you see is a major character. In this particular anime, Characters and Plot cannot be untangled, for each has an arm around the other-- it was an interesting feel, quite unusual. However, whether or not I liked the characters, they were well-put-together and deserve credit as such (*cough* Roxas *cough* S;G *cough*).
OP: Good grief, some of these characters were OP. If you read past my spoiler warning under Concept, you'd understand only a small portion of how OP other (shall I say "normal") characters are. There's bullet deflection, physically-impossible feats, and some people took wounds far better than they really could've. Ladd Russo is my main example, although... AGH! I can't say the name of the other one without spoiling anything, apologies. There are others as well, of course, but those two especially.
If you like anime with a '90s feel to it, with comedy relief, action, adventure, and, yes, darkness (and by that I mean blood), then you'll enjoy Baccano! immensely. It's well-made.
Wallpapers:
 |
| http://gallery.minitokyo.net/download/344748 |
 |
| http://gallery.minitokyo.net/download/460114 |
 |
| http://www.wallcg.com/download/99040/baccano-high-quality-and-resolution-original/ |
AMV's:
These are some of the best AMV's I've had the pleasure of viewing!!
"Miss Murder" - EPIC!
"Ugly is Beautiful" - Great lip work!
"Rumble in New York" - Excellent newspaper work!
"Give Me More" - Decent!
"Don't Stop Me Now" - Ladd Russo Tribute
Where's everyone else? It's nice and lonely.
Next time: Dunno! We'll see what I feel like reviewing next.
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