Kita ze Inbou! - キタぜ陰謀!

[ Episode 13: Both those who are immortal and those who are not enjoy life equally ]

What a great way to end an awesome series! Like always a ton of things happened and a few things that, while predictable, were still very well written.

Seeing Ladd and Lua at the beginning shows us just how they ended up in the state that they were in back in the first episode (how they got there and why Ladd had a missing arm). Surprisingly enough though after Rail Tracer was done with those two he proposed to Chane out of no where! I didn’t see that coming but it all adds up now. Things such as how Chane ended up in the river and who the person was in the first episode in the shadows. The shadow guy was Rail Tracer who was looking for Chane!

The Jacuzzi fight was done very well too. I was almost expecting a clean victory but this is Baccano of course and he had to get a few scratches (and gunshots) here and there. The reunion between him and Nice was absolutely adorable though. They have to be one of the cutest couples in Baccano, right up there with Isaac and Miria. Speaking of those two, I’ll get back to them at the end.

The events of 1930 turned out very good. Firo, Luck, the rest of the Gandors, and the mafia itself are all Immortals after having drank the sake that Isaac and Miria were passing around earlier. I loved the way Firo owned that bastard Szilard! Slicing up his right arm and eating him while he was burning alive! It doesn’t get any better than that! I’m glad that Ennis is still alive thanks to Firo now having Szilard’s knowledge to restore her life-force. Those two are obviously going to be a great couple.

As for the Dallas bit, I laughed so hard at how Luck and the other Gandor brothers pretty much sentenced him to half a century of eternal drowning. Still though, at least Eve will get to see him again after the guys looking for him dig him up for research purposes.

Czeslaw turned out pretty interesting in the end as well. He only really wanted to be accepted and safe from the thought of being eaten by another Immortal and he finally found that peace after meeting with Maiza. Good to see it turn out well for him.

Lastly, there remains the two are arguably the best characters and couple in Baccano. None other than the awesome Isaac and Miria. These two have been on an interesting ride ever since the start of the show. Baccano is pretty much their story and of the people that they meet. I think I said it before but if there were ever two people who deserved to be together forever, it is Isaac and Miria. They are the most hilarious couple I’ve ever come across and while they didn’t need to do it to prove how loyal they are to each other I really would’ve liked to see them kiss at least once. Oh well, there’s always the light novels and the DVD-only episodes to come. I’m really looking forward to more Baccano! no matter how small or big.

[ Final Thoughts ]

Baccano! is one of those shows that doesn’t come around too often. I can’t really remember why I was so excited to watch this in the beginning but I’m glad that I was because this show turned out to be among the very best anime the year 2007 had to offer.

The story is one of the most unique around and hardly anything present is cliched. You’d think that the concept of Immortality would be cheap and just tacked onto the story but Baccano! and its creators more than proved those preconceptions wrong. With such a huge cast they crafted a story that wove each of their lives together centering around the Immortality elixir and the Flying Pussyfoot. Not only that but they had to do so across three different timelines, switching back and forth strategically! Seriously, when it comes to the scripting/writing, Baccano! stands above the vast majority of stuff that aired in 2007.

As far as production values went, I think they were great. The animation was slick and the character designs were all done excellently. With a huge cast of characters in Baccano! that’s no easy feat, especially since every character had their own unique style. Hell, even the side characters weren’t just given generic appearances. The music is really lovable as well as the viewer’s ears are treated to countless Jazz tunes that are both catchy and appropriate for so many of the scenes, especially the action ones.

The characters are all very well written, though some more than others. There will be some you love and some you don’t. It’s just impossible to not have at least one favorite character out of such a huge cast. The seiyuu do their characters justice as well which is evident in such characters as Isaac, Miria, Rail Tracer, and Ladd. Their voices are some of the most topnotch in the show.

As for as the bad points go, I really can’t find any that can stick. I suppose that the first episode was pretty confusing and might turn some people off but it was just one piece of the puzzle that would have started to make sense in second and third episodes. Other than that I really can’t think of anything else that could be seen as a bad point.

In the end, it goes without saying that I’d recommend Baccano! to anyone and everyone. Seriously, it comes highly recommended. It’s a shame that this show went under the radars of most people but as of late it has been gaining recognition. A series like this doesn’t come around all the time and it’d be a real pity to miss this jewel.

[Overall series review: 97/100]