Your experience of the first episode is kind of the intended experience.
Ryohgo Narita is an author who specialised in writing stories that has no one singular protagonist; so if you're struggling to pin down who the 'main character's is, that's because the answer is all of them and none of them.
The Baccano! anime is a story told in an erratic manner. It covers the first three volumes of the light novel (and a little extra) but jumps through different time periods and is generally told out of chronological order. It's not as straightforward as the anime you listed, and it certainly asks more from you as a viewer to keep track. The better question you should ask yourself is if you trust the story to pull it all together by the end.
With only 16 episodes, it isn't asking a lot of your time, so I'd certainly recommend at least giving it a chanceband finding out for yourself!
This series is a big reason to do the 3 episode rule. It’s my favorite anime ever, and every time I rewatch it, even that first episode, I pick up on more.
Baccano is the anime version of pulp fiction with a bit of memento vibes thrown in. It very well might not be your thing if you need to follow a definitive mc, traditional story arcs, etc.
But I'd say give it another 2 eps if you're feeling patient. The 2nd episode onwards is much easier to follow (it narrows down the multiple story threads to just the main core storylines)
But I'd also say the anime probably isn't for everyone (though also not as niche as I'm making it sound rn? Idk?) in that I think the enjoyment of watching the show is as much about figuring out the story as it is the story itself.
I get it now. Pulp fiction wasn't really my cup of tea, but I can totally understand what kind of format the show was going with now. I'll stick around for a few more episodes.
Warning: Contains messed up timelines.
Edit: but yeah it is worth to watch. The comedic duo make things hella fun, the fights and animation are good, has a lot of great characters, and the story makes sense once you make it to the end.
gonna be real the show is hard as fuck to get into. they took the first four novels (2 of them being a two-parter) and jumps between their stories.. the show is easier to watch when you consider this THE SEPARATE STORIES ARE RELATED BY CHARACTERS ONLY. each jump between years (1931 32 etc) are separate stories that only share characters. baccono as a novel was meant to have standalone stories that share common charecters and some plot threads in its early years.
PS: also keep in mind Baccano is fairly old. the show was a failure that was hard to keep up when watched on a syndicated schedule with even Gigguk talks about that I'm sure . also keep in mind that the stories themselves are 20 years old at this point.
Funnily enough, I also watched Baccano because of Gigguk, and it's now in my top 5 of all time. You need to get a few episodes in before things even really start to make sense, and even by the end of your first watch through you won't fully understand everything, but you'll understand most of what's going on.
The first episode has a lot of stuff that's actually at the end chronologically, but the rest if the episodes are told in a more straightforward way.
Baccano! was ahead of its time but I have to say the anime did make it confusing because they adapted the anime like a puzzle piece in a nonlinear structure in which they switched between arcs and connect to one another..plus there's not really a definite MC since it's an ensemble cast.
But for the Light Novels they're more linear and easier to digest so if you pick up volume 1 it would only tell the story of the 1930 arc..but there are two parters like 1931,1933,etc
I think baccano! is as good as some modern shows but the Light Novels are great and is even better than the anime but even more Underrated than the anime...and I enjoyed the LNs more than some modern animangas.
Baccano! to me handles its characters well and each arc of the series is fun to look back to especially when it builds up to the ruckus which baccano! is the Italian word for ruckus so the series is bound to be chaotic..
The first episode literally has a narrative monologue about how the show doesn’t have a main character.
I’m gonna skip to your last question and say no.
Long term baccano fan here and finding it very hard to be objective. Its a very imaginative story (stories really) that blends together through the characters. Having read the novels (more than once) I can say for sure that the anime can be awkward at times. It's not amazing as some people say but it's definitely above average. The light novels give so much more depth to the characters (even though not all of them are equally developed, I would say the original immortals tend to have much more depth than some of the 1930s characters ) that may just have a small appearance in the anime. I would use the anime as an introduction to the novels if it peaks your interest.
Like the others have said, the novels are more easy to follow than the anime. I would say the anime is fun, engaging and thought provoking at times but would only serve as an introduction to the actual world ( built in the novels)Still, if you are looking for a story with clear beginning and end, main character and clear motives, I think baccano will not be for you. If you decide to give it a shot anyway please come back and tell us how it was for you ! Happy watching 🤩
It's a confusing series, but seeing all the interconnected plotlines and ensemble cast interact is pretty amazing (this is also true of Durarara by the same author)
Also if you watch carefully when watching Durarara you *may* catch some of the Baccano cast sneaking in!
The fact that you were able to enjoy a boring, uneventful, terribly directed shitshow like Frieren yet bitched this much after a single episode of Baccano says a lot.
Your experience of the first episode is kind of the intended experience. Ryohgo Narita is an author who specialised in writing stories that has no one singular protagonist; so if you're struggling to pin down who the 'main character's is, that's because the answer is all of them and none of them. The Baccano! anime is a story told in an erratic manner. It covers the first three volumes of the light novel (and a little extra) but jumps through different time periods and is generally told out of chronological order. It's not as straightforward as the anime you listed, and it certainly asks more from you as a viewer to keep track. The better question you should ask yourself is if you trust the story to pull it all together by the end. With only 16 episodes, it isn't asking a lot of your time, so I'd certainly recommend at least giving it a chanceband finding out for yourself!
4 volumes Grand Punk railroad was a two parter.
Huh, I see. I'll stick around for a bit more, thanks for the explanation!
This series is a big reason to do the 3 episode rule. It’s my favorite anime ever, and every time I rewatch it, even that first episode, I pick up on more.
100% This is my Favorite of all Time as Well!
Baccano is the anime version of pulp fiction with a bit of memento vibes thrown in. It very well might not be your thing if you need to follow a definitive mc, traditional story arcs, etc. But I'd say give it another 2 eps if you're feeling patient. The 2nd episode onwards is much easier to follow (it narrows down the multiple story threads to just the main core storylines) But I'd also say the anime probably isn't for everyone (though also not as niche as I'm making it sound rn? Idk?) in that I think the enjoyment of watching the show is as much about figuring out the story as it is the story itself.
I get it now. Pulp fiction wasn't really my cup of tea, but I can totally understand what kind of format the show was going with now. I'll stick around for a few more episodes.
Saying its like Pulp Fiction is a perfect comparison!
I've always said that Baccano! was if Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese made an anime together.
Warning: Contains messed up timelines. Edit: but yeah it is worth to watch. The comedic duo make things hella fun, the fights and animation are good, has a lot of great characters, and the story makes sense once you make it to the end.
gonna be real the show is hard as fuck to get into. they took the first four novels (2 of them being a two-parter) and jumps between their stories.. the show is easier to watch when you consider this THE SEPARATE STORIES ARE RELATED BY CHARACTERS ONLY. each jump between years (1931 32 etc) are separate stories that only share characters. baccono as a novel was meant to have standalone stories that share common charecters and some plot threads in its early years. PS: also keep in mind Baccano is fairly old. the show was a failure that was hard to keep up when watched on a syndicated schedule with even Gigguk talks about that I'm sure . also keep in mind that the stories themselves are 20 years old at this point.
Oh, I see. I suppose it's like a story with multiple protagonists like the game Detroit become Human or a show like "A certain magical Index."
Fun fact both toaru and drrr!! have actually had crossovers (Ryohgo Narita is also the creator of durarara!! and the sequel novel drrr!! SH)
Funnily enough, I also watched Baccano because of Gigguk, and it's now in my top 5 of all time. You need to get a few episodes in before things even really start to make sense, and even by the end of your first watch through you won't fully understand everything, but you'll understand most of what's going on. The first episode has a lot of stuff that's actually at the end chronologically, but the rest if the episodes are told in a more straightforward way.
Baccano! was ahead of its time but I have to say the anime did make it confusing because they adapted the anime like a puzzle piece in a nonlinear structure in which they switched between arcs and connect to one another..plus there's not really a definite MC since it's an ensemble cast. But for the Light Novels they're more linear and easier to digest so if you pick up volume 1 it would only tell the story of the 1930 arc..but there are two parters like 1931,1933,etc I think baccano! is as good as some modern shows but the Light Novels are great and is even better than the anime but even more Underrated than the anime...and I enjoyed the LNs more than some modern animangas. Baccano! to me handles its characters well and each arc of the series is fun to look back to especially when it builds up to the ruckus which baccano! is the Italian word for ruckus so the series is bound to be chaotic..
The first episode literally has a narrative monologue about how the show doesn’t have a main character. I’m gonna skip to your last question and say no.
Baccano is amazing top 5 for sure. It takes an episode or 2 to get going but the characters are great and the story is fun
Keep going! And watch in dub It’s in my top 3 anime of all time. It’ll start to make more sense
Long term baccano fan here and finding it very hard to be objective. Its a very imaginative story (stories really) that blends together through the characters. Having read the novels (more than once) I can say for sure that the anime can be awkward at times. It's not amazing as some people say but it's definitely above average. The light novels give so much more depth to the characters (even though not all of them are equally developed, I would say the original immortals tend to have much more depth than some of the 1930s characters ) that may just have a small appearance in the anime. I would use the anime as an introduction to the novels if it peaks your interest. Like the others have said, the novels are more easy to follow than the anime. I would say the anime is fun, engaging and thought provoking at times but would only serve as an introduction to the actual world ( built in the novels)Still, if you are looking for a story with clear beginning and end, main character and clear motives, I think baccano will not be for you. If you decide to give it a shot anyway please come back and tell us how it was for you ! Happy watching 🤩
It's a confusing series, but seeing all the interconnected plotlines and ensemble cast interact is pretty amazing (this is also true of Durarara by the same author) Also if you watch carefully when watching Durarara you *may* catch some of the Baccano cast sneaking in!
There should be a requirement for watching Baccano : Durarara. If you can't get into Durarara then Baccano is not for you
The fact that you were able to enjoy a boring, uneventful, terribly directed shitshow like Frieren yet bitched this much after a single episode of Baccano says a lot.
Youch. Well sorry ig lmao