Baccano! Specials

The Good:
- It was a joy to see many of the characters is a more casual setting.
- Production quality was retained.
- Rail Tracer!

The Bad:
- The eccentric nature of the new antagonist is tiresome, especially compared to Ladd.
- There's really no story; just more insight into the lives of some of the characters.
- A good portion of the characters had only minor roles.
- The ending.
...
Conclusion:
I gave Baccano (the series) an 8, and it just wouldn't be fair to give the OVA the same score because the series was so much better. If you loved Baccano, however, the OVA is a must-see.

Title: Baccano! OVA

Anime: The Baccano! OVA was produced by Brains Base (who also produced Natsume Yuujin-Chou and the Kimi ga Nozomu Eien ~Next Season~ OVA) and was directed by Takahiro Omori (director for Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori and Natsume Yuujin-Chou). The three episodes were released on DVDs 5 (released February 27th, 2008), 7 (released April 23rd, 2008), and 8 (released May 28th, 2008) as bonus episodes in Japan; it is unclear if, in Funimation's licensing of the series Stateside, the OVA is included in what was licensed.

The Baccano! OVA picks up on some of the plot lines from the series that, despite being wrapped up, ... weren't quite complete and needed some more explaining, and also introduces some new characters.

I watched Baccano! almost a year ago now, and watching this reminded me of why I liked the series so much. There's an amazing amount of detail in this production, especially in the story and backstories of the characters, and how things in the past and future dovetail into each other to bring things full circle and fill out and finish the last of the plot lines that weren't quite perfect. The new characters also make their entrances nicely within all this, fitting in perfectly.

Art style is pretty much unchanged from the original series; still a great amount of detail given to the character designs, which is where it matters most, and the animation in general is smooth and well-done.

Music is still mostly jazz-based and good, while the OP and ED stays the same as from the series.

The seiyuu all returned for the OVA, and Tomokazu Sugita (famous for his roles as Mayama in Honey and Clover and Soldier Blue in Toward the Terra) makes an appearance as the new OVA-exclusive character Graham Spector.

The length was pretty good on this, though I would've liked to have this expanded into a second season. There's a rather metatastic moment at the end of this, though, and it very much leaves the possibility for a continuation open, and I would hope that they pick up on this.

All in all, an excellent OVA, though not quite as good as the series itself, that expands and brings the series full-circle while leaving the possibility for continuation more than open.

Story: 9/10
Art: 9/10
Music: 8/10
Seiyuu: 8/10
Length: 8/10

Overall: 42/50; 84% (B)

"All there is is a performance of people connecting, living, influencing each other, and departing."

Not much to talk about, these specials close the anime, as well as its history, if there is one end (reference).
The special introduces an additional character with a strong personality and features!
Other characters are highlighted, which is wonderful!
Watching Baccano and these 3 special episodes is a wonderful and unique experience!
The dialogues here can be more tiring, the antagonist's reflections can be long and exhausting, but that's a good point, since he's a well-built character, and that's 3 episodes deep.
The old antagonist gains even greater prominence by showing his dilemmas and motivations out of what he was before!

Pros: Adds new details to the Baccano! universe and wraps things up wonderfully, better than the main series.

Cons: Graham Specter dances on my last nerve.

Bottom line: Watch this after you are done enjoying Baccano!

The ending to this mini series is so much better than the original I honestly don't think you are done watching Baccano! til you've checked out this. The quality of the art/music is the same as the original series, so these short episodes just finish wrapping up certain details and fleshing out certain characters, like Claire and Chane's relationship.

Characters in Baccano! are loveable and here ... its more of the same with one caveat: Graham Specter has got to be one of my least favorite characters of all time. He is so pointless and ridiculous and does not shut up! A lot of people do like him though (and he has way more fanart than most other characters!) so this is just a matter of taste.

Perfectly wraps up the original episodes. It could be viewed merely as extra episodes to tie down all the loose ends. It is enjoyable, introduces new aspects, and does a lot with a little time. There was nothing in particular that I didn't like, it just wasn't any more amazing than the original show itself.

With the end of the confusing at first but eventually fun ride which is Baccano these three special episodes serve to further polish the story

The Story picks up right after the events in Baccano giving it an new short plot to keep you ... interested while at the same time adding more details to the story from each timeline


Each Character gets a kind of resolution to their story and you would think adding an extra character to the already big cast of character would be wrong but I enjoyed the character so much that I felt he should have been introduced to the original series which of made it even more fun to watch

The animation and music is the same and it gives the same vibe as the original series did very well

in the end this OVA shouldn't be judge as a stand alone or rather a continuation which made the original series even better, a must watch if you liked BACCANO

I liked the main Baccano series. It had some great pacing, comedic relief, and emotional baggage along with it.

The Baccano Specials had almost none of that. Of course, some things I can forgive because they are specials, but the matter of fact is that the specials feel kind of lost. They serve no real purpose. Comedy? Not much. Additional story? Sure there is some additional story but I feel like the whole kidnapping arc should have been included in the main series.

In reality the first and last special episodes were good. I enjoyed them. Solid 3 and 2/3's on them.

The second one I ... have main issue with. The second episode jumps all over the place. It is quite distracting. We end up in jail in a scene.

This is supposed to "close" the chapters of many characters but in reality all it does is open more questions about them.

For a true conclusion, if you are an avid fan of Baccano but want more, just read the manga. It is worth much more rather than watching the specials.

That does not mean I hate the specials. Hell seeing the couple again just warms my heart. The couple is the best part of the show and I loved seeing them as soon as I opened the specials.

Literally the couple deserve their own show. I'd pay to see that.

Thats all
6/10
Thanks!
-CyanCheetah

"Put aside the illusion that there is a beginning and ending to a tale"

Baccano! Specials is a good show. While it does not exceed its prequel in terms of what it depicts, it is certainly a very good sequel, and wraps up the story in an interesting manner. It follows in its predecessor's footsteps in the fact that it maintains its trait of having a large cast and balancing it well. The 3-episode sequel seemingly wraps up most plot points covered in the main show.

While Baccano! was largely non-linear, Baccano! Specials is much more focused on one overarching story, with some alternative plot wrap-ups sprinkled ... in. At the centre of this overarching plot is Claire Stanfield, a previously unexplored character. Claire was present for a lot of the first season, not much of his own life was told till the last few episodes, and even then, it mostly felt like an information dump rather than personifying exposition. This season provided a much needed exploration of Stanfield, as well as other characters like Rachel, Elmer and Ronnie. Some minor mysteries from the show are also covered, though they do not impact the show majorly.

The "villain", Graham Specter, is largely comical, as he is just supposed to be an underling of Ladd Russo. Just like its predecessor, there is no clear-cut "villain" in this show, just an antagonist (and the two are quite different). Ladd is shown ocassionally, but is not explored too much since he served his purpose in the original show.

There is no noticeable drop in quality : the animation, art style, performances and music are all just like the previous season. This, if nothing else, is a good continuation and a satisfying conclusion, even though it does not conclusively end the show.

There is no difference. There is only... a DVD!

The Baccano! specials should be considered part of the original anime. Seemingly, the only reason why these three episodes were moved onto DVD is because anime episodes always come in multiples of 13.

Actually, my first sentence is a lie. There is a difference... the plot has been mostly explicated in full, so the viewer can now follow the jumbled story-telling style of Baccano!. Whereas with the first episodes, viewers are likely to get confused by the ruckus of unknown events and unknown characters. Now, everything is clear.

Therefore, I enjoyed the last three episodes of Baccano more than ... the first three. If anything, watching Baccano! is much like a jigsaw puzzle: At first, putting all the pieces together is a frustrating task. However, when the last pieces are fit into place, looking at the complete picture is quite fulfilling.

I have the biggest grin on my face right now. *Warning, spoilers*

Ahhhh, what a masterpiece! I loved Baccano! the 'original' series when I saw it a few years ago; recently I re-watched and stumbled upon the additional 3 episodes. What a find! It was exactly what I needed as an answer to what happens to the characters who had made me laugh and feel so much in such a short period of time. And although the story didn't really 'end' but instead left us at a cliff hanger, I don't feel like scrounging the internet looking for answers like I normally do with most series. ... Nor am I upset that the manga doesn't go further. As a couple of the characters say at the end "(Chara 1) Where did this story begin, and when does it end?...(Chara 2) Put aside the illusion that there is a beginning and an ending to a tale. The only thing that exists is the way people relate, interact and affect each other, and how that expands throughout the world. There should never be an ending to a tale." I couldn't have said it better.

These short, hilarious, emotional episodes were just the cream on the top of an already amazing, intelligent series. Baccano! is an anime that you have to really sit down and do nothing else but watch. There are bunch of characters and plots and sometimes it can get a big confusing if you can't remember what happened when or who did what. But thats part of its charm. It really requires you to think and things will just 'click'. But the characters are so unique and refreshing with their craziness that you are completely drawn in and can't focus on anything but the show anyway!

For me the best part of the additional 3 is that I got to see what happens with Clare/Vino and Chase...God (through someones imagination) did create a perfect man and his name is Clare! (unfortunately he's animated lol).

All in all, you MUST watch this series and the special. If you just watch the series (13 eps) then you will be going mad wondering what happens next, but if you complete it with these final 3 (total of 16) you'll be very pleasantly sated.

Expanding on its highly praised and successful prequel, Baccano! Specials give us something new but still remain quite as nostalgic and familiar, satisfying our hunger for knowing more about the beloved rich characters and making even more sense of the prequel. What we wanted from a sequel was delivered in a mere 3 episodes (approximately 30 minutes each) of content, and nobody's complaining.

- Story (8.0/10):
These animations tend to dive more into the characters, giving them more depth and backstories, driving their motives out, and even giving them more treats and characteristics we never knew they had.
The specials follow the same path as their ancestor, jumping ... back and forth between timelines and places, but this time around as we already know the parent story, it's not as hard to keep up with, the thing that made it really good to invest in.
In addition to the main timelines, 1711, 1930, 1931, and 1932, other time periods were added in a purpose of presenting certain important and influential past events that made a lot of sense of other stuff. It's undoubtedly the pairing and ships that were the focus of this specials, while they went through telling how the couples made up after the events of the main story, while also shading some light on other initial immortals that we never got to see more about them.


- Art (7.5/10):
The animation was decent, or a better rephrase, above average, nothing to complain about. I would argue that the main show did it best with better quality, but the fast-paced moments also retained their flashiness.

- Sound (8.5/10):
They went back at it again with the perfect accent of the era, you can't help but blend in with the characters just focusing on their voice alone, the music was amazing as always, you can never get fed up with the classic jazz soundtracks that kick in every now and then.

- Character (10.0/10):
Baccano! has always managed this on itself with no backing up, the characters were always interesting and engaging, you can help but side with both the good and bad people. but with this specials, they had a lot more to them to show, there was the focus on Chane, Nice, and Jacuzzi, now she got those burn marks and how he got his tattoo and what for, stuff like this really make the interactions worth it.
There was a yet astonishing maniac introduced that compliments perfectly Ladd, it makes you wish he was present on the Flying Pussyfoot and lead the action.

- Enjoyment (9.0/10):
I enjoyed this more than I accounted for, I signed in for a sketchy watch, thinking I would just be lost in a great mess again, but it really was easy on the mind this time around, feeling like having the ultimate experience.

- Overall (8.6/10):
I bet if you enjoyed the parent series, and actually understood the story, that would be all the assurance that you have several affections to multiple characters, these specials where like an expansion pack with the greatest features you could think off to your favorite game, why miss on it if you have the time and energy?

Considering my opinion of the main series, I have mixed feelings about these three additional episodes.

On one hand, there are those who want a bit more closure and have come to love the characters. These specials could be just what they need, as the episodes delve further into some of the people from the main anime and attempt to tie up a few loose ends.

On the other hand, you have people like me, who enjoy Baccano! because of its seeming ambiguity and lack of a beginning and end. To me, it is not the actual content of the story or the characters that ... stand out in the original anime, it is the structure of said story and the way it’s broken down and put together. It’s about what that structure says about the nature of stories and storytelling. Because of this, I’m okay with the characters originally being, at best, functional yet distinctive. I don’t mind that they don’t have backstories, as that would just slow down the pace of the anime, especially since it’s just 13 episodes. The introduction of the specials creates, I think, a certain tonal disjointedness.

The bottom line is I see the main anime as a finished product and the specials as an addendum of sorts. To me, they’re an addendum that’s unnecessary and does not fit in with the nature of the original anime. But to some, they’re an addendum that has added value. Where you lie in this spectrum is up to you.

Regardless of the fact that this is purely bonus content for fans of Baccano!, which is a fine series and franchise, these 3 episodes tend to feel more like a weight pulling it down rather than something to lift it up.

While this does indeed give us more information about the characters, and maybe ties up a loose plot line or two for the few people that actually cared about them, we still have to ask ourselves why these three episodes exist, who they are for, and what do we do now that we have watched them. As far as I can tell, this was ... made concurrently with the main series which is why it looks and sounds exactly the same, so when they realized that the plot was very neatly concluded after the 13th episode, they decided to use their remaining resources on... this.

This is a direct sequel to the Baccano! anime, and it shows us just a little bit more after the events of the series. The problem is that for the most part it shows us very, very little. Honestly it feels like the story just wants to continue on, which of course it does in the original visual novel form, but this is just 3 episodes.

In fact, these three episodes do have the potential to make the original series worse in retrospect because it just muddies the waters a bit. It ties one or two plot lines together but then just leaves so much undone and even sets up things that we will never, ever see. Not in a way that is interesting like, "Oh there they go again", but more like "I'm about to do something really awesome, sure would be a shame to miss what I'm about to do next" and then it ends. The emotional climax definitely happened in the 13th episode of the main series, and it felt really good the way it ended.

Worst of all, compared to the other Baccano! series, these episodes are boring. Most people will probably watch this thinking it's part of the main series because they are usually listed as Episode 14, 15 and 16. While the main series is full of violent interactions between insane personalities, these three episodes are almost entirely devoid of violence, interactions, or personality. I know it seems like I'm being hard on a mini OVA but it's because this is tacked onto the main series in a way that will make the viewing experience worse for most people.

Truly content for Baccano! fans only, and you should only watch this after you've taken a break from the series. Maybe a few months after watching the 13 episode series, if you feel like you have some itch to play the visual novels or read the manga or play the DS game, maybe THEN you should watch these 3 episodes just to get your toes wet in the larger lore before jumping in. That's why overall it's a 4/10 and just a Bad Anime because it only exists to try and push you out of watching anime and into the rest of the franchise content.

It's the deserts you get after a five star meal.

Baccano was my real introduction to Anime. It was the first time i was captivated to watch a show from start to the end. Not gonna lie, since watching it in the very start of 2024, I am in love... very much in love... and depressed cuz this show is from 2007-2008... :(
I tried many, many, MANY times to get into anime by trying to watch Miss Kobayashi or Demon slayer and i just could not get into the medium, despite being into the Anitube sphere. That was, until one beautiful day when i found myself ... bored and i remembered this existed so i went through illegal means of watching this cuz Crunchyroll sucks huge dick (Fuck that app. Srsly.) and then... I just kept watching this through many, many nights...

However, i won't talk much about the main series here. Since this is only for the specials, i should just voice my opinion on them. To be honest, it's alright. A lot of the praise Baccano gets in the main series won't apply here but you can enjoy it just as much. It depends on how much you enjoy Baccano by the time you get into the specials in my point of view. I didn't really like the different antagonist the specials featured, but seeing the main cast in a more casual setting, post the events of the main series, is a joy.

Overall, you should not be dying to see this after the main series, you should suffer from depression because you will never get any more of this meal... I am so glad i was not an anime fan at the ages of 2-3 when this was airing... ANYWAYS, ENJOY THE DESERTS!