Baccano!: Volume 4 (DVD)

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A new character is introduced, Graham Specter, a mechanic who idolizes Ladd Russo's fighting skill and surpasses him in deranged ranting and raving. Graham is up to no good, plots a kidnapping, and comes face to face with the one person who is more insane than he is. A darkly romantic showdown brings the action of "Baccano!" to a climax.

I felt very tired, yet wonderfully satisfied after finishing this series. Watching "Baccano!" is a lot of work, and requires great attention and willingness to be carried along in the fast pace. But it is worth it in the end. All the stories have a satisfying conclusion, yet it is obvious that this really isn't the end for all these wonderful characters.

"Baccano!" is my favorite series released this year. It has a unique look and a quirky style. There are so many things that make this series great. The 1930's America setting is a breath of fresh air amidst all the usual school-life/martial arts/futuristic giant robot anime series out there. The shamelessly cheerful black humor and the devious, seedy characters are a nice change from the youthful and earnest protagonists of so many other series. The complicated network of plots and relationships, the underlying presence of the supernatural, the jazzy soundtrack, and the unrestrained voice acting of the original Japanese cast all combine to put this series on a level above a lot of recent anime releases.


Video:
"Baccano!" is presented in 16:9 anamorphic wide screen. The video quality looks decent. This series has a slightly unsaturated color palette, due, most likely, to the fact that it is a period piece. The muted colors lend to the 1930's historical feel.

Audio:
There are 2 audio tracks included on this disc. The first is a full Dolby Digital 5.1 English track, and the second is serviceable Dolby Stereo 2.0 Japanese track. "Baccano!" has a loud and fun soundtrack. There is always a lot going on, and fun music to back it up.

Extras:
As with the previous volumes in this series, there aren't many extras offered on this disc. "Baccano!" volume 4 includes the same textless opening and ending animations that were on the previous discs, and English dub production commentary on episode 15. Still, the opening animation for "Baccano!" is very important, as it helps viewers keep track of the large cast of characters and their very unusual names, so seeing it without the credits to obscure the action is a big help.

Miscellaneous
The disc comes in a clear keep case that allows the reverse side of the cover to show through. The reverse artwork for this volume has character profiles for Nice Holystone and Jacuzzi Splot, Eve and Dallas Genorard, and Czeslaw Meyer.

Film Value:
I am so sad to see "Baccano!" come to an end. It's such an enjoyable series. I know it is based on a set of novels, and I wish those novels could be released in English as well. I'd love to read them to follow more of the dark, violent, yet hilariously fun adventures of this disreputable cast of characters. I will miss them now that I have finished this anime. Perhaps I will start watching it again from the beginning...

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