Common Name: Baccano!
Score: 9/10, 5/5
Length: 13 episodes, 3 OVAs
Genre: Action, Comedy, Mystery, Supernatural
Summary: A series of murders aboard a famous transcontinental train, a pair of Chicago gangs troubled by a sudden change in their lives, and a ship that has brought a dark secret to the shores of America in 1711, are all somehow linked. Few know what that link is, but many lives are claimed and changed forever when all these stories finally converge into a single clamorous, nonlinear tale of love, life, and liberty.
Review: Over the years, I've heard a number of people call Baccano! perfect and a masterpiece, and I don't disagree with the latter. Baccano, the Italian word for "ruckus," is in essence precisely what the name implies, a great amount of noise and action that make little sense until it is concluded. It is wonderfully told series of nonlinear stories that catch glimpses into the characters at different points in their lives, engaging the audience with a mystery that spans a couple centuries. What makes Baccano! a masterpiece is its ability to tell these stories that eventually converge in such a way that it doesn't feel confusing or convoluted, and instead presents itself as a fun and easy to digest journey filled with intrigue enough to keep the audience engaged when it jumps between stories and characters that are both funny and fun to watch. It is because of the characters though that I think Baccano! isn't perfect. While they are enjoyable and many, Baccano!'s cast lacks a certain depth to them. Perhaps it was because there were so many to cover, but no cast member got the attention or acted in a manner that would infer anything deeper than what is seen on the surface. While it's true that some of the characters hide their identities or are generally enigmatic, the essence of who they are never changes. They all have defining, unyielding traits that serve as their foundation and there is little else besides that. While it might be petty to deny "perfection" on that factor alone, it is a blemish for an otherwise fantastic show that deserves all the praise and accolades its received over the years.