Atarashii Prelude

Baccano!

It's pretty hard to describe this show with words alone, so I made the following to better explain what it's all about.

That image sort of sums up what this underrated gem is all about. Set in 1930's America when the Mafia was still active during the Prohibition era, it features a huge cast of characters, each with their own stories, that at first seem unrelated but intertwine with one another later in the story. It's usually hard to have so many characters and yet make them uniquely distinct and likeable, but Baccano! has managed to pull it off. Eccentric robbers Miria and Isaac, up and coming Mafia executive Firo, artificially created homonculus Ennis, psychopathic assassin Ladd and delinquent Jacuzzi are just some of the characters. With such a diverse background, you'd be wondering what these people have in common. Well, all these main characters share one amazing trait, which is immortality.

That's right, despite its realistic setting and cast, it is this one element of the show that make it so intriguingly watchable. While even at this point after watching 5 episodes, I don't really have a clear idea how the story will unfold, other than the fact their actions will affect one another eventually.

As of this point, they are still focusing on each of the character's background story and how these people came about in obtaining their powers as well as showing what is currently happening in the present as most of these people right now are converged together and are on board a train and as shown in the first episode will end in disaster. Being only 13 episodes short, it serves as a nice distraction for those who are waiting for Autumn's shows to start airing, such as myself, although I wish it could have been longer as I've taken a keen interest in it as it is the only anime around with a mafia setting. Oh well, here's to hoping we get a true blue mafia themed anime soon. Shin out.