Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
GrapeGoose
Baccano! really needed someone to tell the writers to calm down. Simply put, Baccano! is non-linear storytelling done wrong.
Normally, when you take the events of a story out of order, you do it for a reason. For this show, it felt like they tossed 4+ plot lines into a pot, mixed it up cauldron style, spread it out onto a sheet, vomited backstory and context all over the front half, and only remembered to add the special sauce to the back third. Remember, all our plot lines are mixed; this means that past/present/future (a vital element for understanding the story) is all out of order as well. Analogy aside, I truly had no clue what the relative order of events was until I was almost done with the show. Another issue with the non-linear storytelling is that the pacing is gutted. The show…
Read at the sourceRickyGgG
This show got me locked the fuck in. So many enjoyable characters just thrown at you in such a thrilling story. Actually a 3 part story told in a story, how crazy does that sound. It's also set in 1930s Chicago which makes it even better because hearing the DUB accents just sounds even better. The supernatural twist gives the stories more flavor too.
I can understand how edgy this show can get. Some guys are hell-bent in murder, others in just to enjoy inflicting pain and Mafia. It's your typical young adult dream depiction of a really cool powerful show but actually it does the job way more than that. There's a lot of philosophical ideas thrown on here and the comedy is super overlooked. The characters are also very memorable especially Ladd, Isaac, Miria... I could go on. It's just amaz…
Read at the sourceValencapo2
ENGLISH:
I wouldn't recommend this anime to practically anyone. For some reason, I've seen it referred to as a “cult anime,” but the story is really boring and everything is relatively predictable. There are some interesting interactions and moments of slight tension that I enjoyed for a while, but overall, the series never completely hooked me.
The story constantly switches between characters. With so many stories happening at the same time, we can see up to five different plots in a single episode. I guess some people will like that, but for me it was a pretty big downside. Especially considering that I find half of the characters in this series very bland and shallow.
The anime isn't terrible, but it definitely doesn't deserve the high ratings that many people give it. I think a 5 is…
Read at the sourcegrr_mal
A show with a lot of potential that sadly was wasted by some bad aspects.
The story is a wacky fun mix of mystery and superhero/supervillain clash that could've worked reasonably well if it were told properly, but for some reason its authors decided to randomly cut and shuffle it into a mess that has zero logic and adds nothing at all, only annoys the viewer.
After you've finally reassembled the pieces it's nothing too revolutionary. Perhaps the most important question - the source of the guys' superpower - ends up with the most boring "deus-ex-ritual" nonanswer. To top it off, a lot of the characters actually don't have said superpower but act more brazenly and get away with much more unlikely events than the ones that do, downgrading its significance to just a casual side shtick instead…
Read at the sourceBaronBrrrett
I was introduced to this anime in college and, at first, saw this as nothing more than a jumbled mess. Everything seemed all over the place. But as the anime progressed, we are able to see how these stories with diverse characters from different walks of life come together and intertwine with one another. By the time the anime wrapped up, I came to the conclusion that what I witnessed was a masterpiece of anime.
As previously stated, the story seems a bit confusing at first, as you are given all of these characters from different time periods and different parts of the world. Eventually though, you start to solve the jigsaw puzzle that sits in front of you and deduce what is happening and how X event relates to Y event, and so on and so forth. Baccano was ultimately very well-written, es…
Read at the sourceleaveb2alone
[EN/PT-BR]
[EN]
For those who enjoy a more vintage aesthetic, you'll love this.
The story is told in a different way, alternating between 1930, 1931, and 1932. We see the events of the main plot (set in 1932 on the "Flying PussyFoot") through various points of view—belonging to the characters presented who are relevant to the work—which can be confusing and make it difficult to understand the chronological order of events, since the focus is constantly shifting to another character. However, as the story unfolds, the events begin to fit together and make sense. Another narrative is also presented about Eve, Dallas's sister (set later, after the events on the train). This narrative coexists with the main plot, as both stories alternate in the anime's focus, and although it's not as large…
Read at the sourceShishiku-kun
Here’s a MAL-ready review tuned to what you liked—soundtrack, art, and the narrative delivery.
Baccano!
Overall: 9.5/10
Story: 9 | Art: 9 | Sound: 10 | Character: 9 | Enjoyment: 9.5
Baccano! is an ensemble caper told like a jazz set—nonlinear, overlapping, and effortlessly cool. The show trusts the audience: it scrambles chronology across trains, speakeasies, and laboratories, then lets you stitch the mosaic together. Instead of hand-holding, it delivers payoffs via pattern recognition—faces, motifs, and cause ↔ effect beats that click three episodes later.
Story (9):
Immortality, greed, and dumb luck collide in Prohibition-era America. The narrative is a deck shuffle—multiple POVs, time jumps, and interlocked incidents—yet consequences still track. The frame device winks at authorship…
Read at the sourceYamiLoon
First of all, I have to say that even though this anime is pretty old, it doesn’t suffer from one of the biggest problems a lot of shows from its era have: slow pacing. The storytelling could’ve been a little cleaner, but overall the flow was solid and kept things moving.
For its time, the animation holds up really well, with excellent voice acting and a soundtrack that perfectly fits the chaotic, mafia-driven atmosphere. The story is exciting and fast-paced, keeping you engaged almost all the time. That said, the constant tension combined with the frequent time jumps can get a little confusing, I often had to pause and piece together exactly what just happened.
The characters are fun, memorable, and easy to connect with, though I felt some of them could’ve been fleshed out more. Isaac a…
Read at the sourceFansty909
Style with very little substance.
A flashy anime with chaotic story telling. By episode 5 I was still hoping the series would come together by the end but it just doesn't land.
I really feel like this is the worst case scenario of game of thrones level of characters and intrigue mixed with full metal alchemist trappings. I wasn't connected to any characters, as they all feel like caricatures vs people I want to invest time in.
Baccano is like a salad that on first glance looks gorgeous and delicious. But after 3 bites you realize there's olives, chicken, croutons, cheese, raisins, pistachios, carrots, tomatoes and beats and cucumber and and and and. There's just too much here and no bite is satisfying. It's all just a mish mash of ideas that dont coalesce.
Give me a salad with 5 dif…
Read at the sourceOrangzer
Introduction:
Funny how timing works. I had been meaning to watch Baccano! for a long time, but I finally got around to it right after finishing Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Both of those explore the idea of immortality and the search for some kind of elixir of life. Hell’s Paradise has "tan," and FMA has the Philosopher’s Stone. They’re not the same thing, but the theme is definitely similar—trying to overcome death and dealing with the consequences.
What really caught me off guard was how much Baccano! had in common with Fullmetal Alchemist. It’s not just the immortality, but also the use of alchemy and the presence of homunculus-like characters. Whether it was a coincidence or not, watching these shows one after the other made Baccano! land in a re…
Read at the sourcesillyfunnybug
baccano has a really interesting and unique story, there is no denying that. i didn't hate watching it! but i didn't really like it either. like Durarara, there are a LOT of characters that are all fundamental to the story. but the characters in this are way more boring and one-dimensional. i don't even remember a lot of them. the female characters are so incredibly one-note and boring that they might as well all have been one character. ennis, chare(? i don't remember her name lol), eve, nice, and lua are all the same person basically. emotionless, cold, quiet, submissive women whose whole existence in the plot is to serve a male character. rachel at least did something, but she acted in the exact same way as the other women, if not even less distinct. milia is the only exception, and i k…
Read at the sourceCollingswoodkm
When I first watched Baccano, the first episode made me think this anime was one of those shows with a slow start. It was uninteresting, but the potential was there. Usually, with this typa thing, I would guess episode 3-5 would be where the show starts to get good, especially considering Baccano is only 13 episodes.
By the time I finished episode 6, the show was still unappealing to me. I began to seriously consider dropping it, as I was just so uninterested and didn’t wanna watch the rest of it because of how boring I found it. However for some weird reason, every few days or so, I would decide to watch one more episode — just because.
When I watched episode 7, I began to think the show might finally be starting to pick up, as things were starting to come together more and more.
Wa…
Read at the sourceYunice
I don't have a tendency to want to finish an anime too fast usually, but with Baccano!, i just feel that if I have to drag it on much longer, I might end up breaking a lot of things. The voice acting for Miria was not bad, but the voice for the character itself drove me insane. The constant jumping to and fro between time lines in a show did not sit well with me either. Only the soundtrack appealed to me.
The hype on this animation seemed to be very overrated. Not recommended unless you enjoy ear piercing voices and erratic scenes.
Read at the sourceBaselessFall
The worst thing about watching an anime you love for the first time is that you can never watch it for the first time again.
This, somehow, ended up being the first anime i actually ended up finishing. Usually i liked spending my time, seeing weebs talk about their favourite type of media and arguing about it, but i always struggled to get into this kind of shit myself. Even now, i can't really say that i like anime. I just need a place to just throw my thoughts out, since my friends won't watch it >:(
This is the first time i fell in love with something from this type of media. Baccano is amazing! It features a wide set of characters, all related to a series of incidents that happened around America on the 1930's. The anime focuses on a incident which ocurred on a train called "The Flyi…
Read at the sourceLatooq
The only new thing I can say about Baccano is that it still holds up in 2024. If I go any deeper than that, my review will be no different from others. People who like this show praise the storytelling: carnage between 2 mafia clans involving some mythical creature occurs on the train, and the rest of the story explains the context behind the train accident. Even though the storytelling is chaotic, everything eventually clicks into place. Aside from the story, there is good animation, amazing music, and great voice acting. Combining all of that together creates the esthetic of 1930s America.
But everyone likes different things in different shows and if figuring out how unrelated story pieces are coming together does not interest you, the rest of the story may be disappointing. The charact…
Read at the sourcePrivateJoe
I don't understand why others consider Baccano an underappreciated anime. Its non-linear storytelling is hard to follow. Having just finished the series, I find it difficult to remember much. I'm left scratching my head, wondering, 'Who are these characters, and what is happening?'
Moreover, the characters themselves are forgettable. I can't recall any of their names, and there are simply too many to keep track of. Nearly all of them are violent and goofy, which I found to be quite annoying, contrary to my expectations.
Perhaps my disappointment stems from expecting a serious tone, only to find a cartoonishly goofy show with fantasy superpowers. I believe it should be listed under comedy and fantasy genres, which would better reflect its nature.
Read at the sourcenurBeL_xelA
This has always been a personal favorite of mine and one that I always recommend to first time anime viewers. Now as much as I would love to talk about this show, I don't wanna spoil it for people who haven't seen it. Because as it stands, this show is just really solid.
Without giving too much away the show is kinda similar to Sin City, where it revolves around a few individual stories that connect and tie into one another. And it’s all done in a nonlinear order like I’m watching Momento. And you might think that sounds confusing, but this show is very well edited and paced. And there are excessive amounts of Italian accents and violence. I mean there are gangsters in it so I was expecting a lot of violence, but this show is really fucking violent and it’s awesome! It’s a little silly at…
Read at the sourceLainsbearsuit
Baccano! is a thirteen episode adaptation of a light novel series written by Ryōgo Narita, who is also the writer of Durarara!! (I guess he really likes exclamation points!!!!) The story centers around Prohibition Era (1930s) USA, specifically New York City, and the perspectives and settings, including both the times and the places, frequently switch between many different characters. The non-linear structure of this show is the lens through which we come to understand the story and characters, and whether you like it or not will probably determine how you feel about the series as a whole.
Some might say that a non-linear story with frequently changing perspectives allows us to focus in on key themes and keep the pace of the narrative as fast or slow as the moment desires, leading to a mo…
Read at the sourceSiaksx
Please be ready, cause this will be a long one!
BACCANO is INSANE in the best way possible! It's got everything – wild storylines about humanity, (in)justice, and life-changing lessons (if you want to look at it this way), all tangled up with crazy amounts of blood, action, and spiced (cursive) up with a lot of dark humor. It's such a wild mix but it totally works.
Let's talk characters because Miria and Isaac completely stole my heart. These two, as Jacuzzi clearly put it, are self-centered dup who bring a much-needed touch of humor and absurdity to the otherwise dark and terrifying scenes. Episode 8 is hands down my favorite. Meh, to be honest, every scene with them is my FAVORITE. And let's not forget the growth and depth of Maiza and the other immortals (as well as other living ordin…
Read at the source-AlexL-
Baccano! is an anime that isn't afraid to challenge conventional storytelling methods, adopting a non-linear narrative comparable to Pulp Fiction's approach. Set in America during the prohibition era, it unfolds primarily in the years 1930, 1931, and 1932, following a vast group of characters whose stories are interconnected in one way or another. While this approach might initially make the story seem confusing, as the narrative progresses, the pieces start falling into place, making the storytelling more coherent. This unique way of storytelling captivated me and, I believe, makes the anime more intriguing.
Baccano! is less of a 'story' and more of a sequence of scenes and mysteries, loosely connected by the interactions among the large ensemble cast, rewarding attentive and patient vie…
Read at the source
