Baccano! – 01 “The Vice-Director Doesn’t Talk About the Possibility of Him Being the Lead Character”
Synopsis: Carole, assistant to Daily Day’s Gustav Saint-Germain investigates about a series of stories that started in November 1930.
Baccano! is Italian for “noise”. According to the author of the novels from which the series was based on, he wanted it to mean “stupid commotion”. True enough, the first episode is dissonant and incoherent. After finishing it you can’t help but ask yourself what it was all about.
Carole is investigating a series of stories. The Vice-Director, asks her why she chose November 1930 as the start of the story. She could have chosen the year 1711 when the ship, Advenna Avis crossed the Atlantic or she could have chosen the tragic event that occurred in the transcontinental train, the Flying Pussyfoot. Carole states that she chose that story because it was the first story they came across.
The Vice-Director then asks her who the lead character(s) of story would be: the robbers Isaac Diant and Miria Harvent, Czeslaw Meyer, the boy who suffers from a cursed destiny, or the intelligent executive of the Gandor family (Luck Gandor, I guess). Carole replies that she chose Firo Prochainezo as the lead of the story and that she chose him because he is lead character-like. The Vice-Director explains to her that whoever she chose as the center of the story would change the story kaleidoscopically. He says that there is one accident, but many stories that could explain it and many people involved in it. Carole says that the story could also start from the mafia families. The Vice-Director then states that it wouldn’t be strange if they were the beginning of the story.
Anyway, lots of characters have been shown already. Here’s what happened to them so far: Firo, together with Luck (who’s supposedly killed by the other mafia family), miraculously survive being shot at the library/bookstore. They meet up with Ennis, Maiza, Keith and Berga to wait for Isaac, Miria and Czeslaw who’ll be arriving on board the Flying Pussyfoot. Jacuzzi and Nice are also on the train. We also see Ladd and Lua about to be captured. Then, there’s Chane who ended up in some body of water. Eve is also seen earlier, looking for Dallas, whom the mafia is also looking for.
One interesting thing is how most of the characters are immortal. Isaac, Firo, Luck, Czeslaw and Maiza too (he was on board Advenna Avis). The Vice-director spoke of an accident, which probably has something to do with the mafia and these immortals.
Baccano! is bloody and a bit confusing, with all the characters thrown together. That makes it bloody confusing. The characters’ names are aweful, and for an anime set in New York, unrealistic. After all, where can you find someone named Jacuzzi? Then again, you can’t find immortals in the real world either. Well, at least Baccano! only has twelve episodes. It makes it easier to watch amidst all the stupid commotion.
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3 comments for “Baccano! – 01 “The Vice-Director Doesn’t Talk About the Possibility of Him Being the Lead Character””
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I thought the first episode of Baccano was a brilliant prologue to the story. Yes, it was confusing, but in a good way that made me think “what the hell was this all about? I gotta find out!”
(Plus, I loved the names. I think they’re appropriately over-the-top.)
It does feel kind of weird, Baccano! being set in New York and all, but I love the way they way they rendered the city. The backgrounds are pretty detailed and gorgeous at points. I know what you mean when you say it’s unrealistic, but there’s something to the craziness that I find attractive.
Okay, so the names are over the top, but the story is interesting and the animation is very fluid (granted, this is only the 1st episode and quality will likely go down soon). Seeing as how there’s little interesting to watch this season, sans the continuations from last season, I’ll be following this one.