BACCANO! Extra Edition: A fascinating side story - review and impressions

Detailed review and recommendation of BACCANO! Bangaihen - BACCANO! Bangaihen

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

Light novel

■ Release date

February 27, 2008 *Included in the packaged version of "BACCANO! Volumes 5, 7, and 8."

■Release and sales

・Distributor: Aniplex

■Frequencies

25 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 3

■Original Story

・Original work: Ryogo Narita ^{"Baccano!" Media Works Dengeki Bunko}

■ Director

・Director: Takahiro Omori

■ Production

Animation Production: Brain's Base Production: Project Baccano! ^{Aniplex, Movic, Brain's Base}

■Works

©Ryohgo Narita・Ascii Media Works/Project Baccano!

■ Story

The year is 1711, and the Atlantic Ocean is the scene. A group of alchemists leave their hometowns and head to new lands, and receive from the devil the "liquor of immortality." Those who drink the liquor and become immortal receive a strange bonus: they can "eat" each other with their right hands.

New York in the 1930s. Various people living in the underworld, such as the young Martillo family member Filo and his boss Myser, the slightly foolish thief couple Isaac and Milia, the three mafia brothers Gandor, the delinquent Dallas and his sister Eve, the over 200-year-old alchemist Cerrado and his assistant Ennis, all lead lives with no connection to each other, each with their own agenda. However, when Cerrado revives the immortal liquor, their fates begin to intertwine in a complicated way.

And the train heading for New York is the transcontinental train Flying Pussyfoot from Chicago. By chance, the train is boarded by revolutionary terrorists Goose and Shane of the "Lemrace," a group of delinquents led by Jacuzzi and Nice, murderer Ladd and his fiancee Lua, Senator Beriam's wife and her daughter Mary, an immortal boy, a mysterious conductor, an informant, and more... But there are more than just "humans" aboard this train! Even the legendary Rail Tracer (a person who traces the shadows of the tracks: a legendary ghost that is said to erase passengers one by one from the rear carriages) appears!

■Explanation

"Baccano!" (Italian for "much agitation") is a novel written by Ryogo Narita and won the Gold Prize at the 9th Dengeki Game Novel Awards. This popular work, which has created a passionate fan base with its thrilling storyline in which numerous characters are intricately intertwined, has made a name for itself and will be made into a long-awaited TV animation in the summer of 2007.

The story is set in the 1930s, during the Prohibition era in America. People living in that underworld get caught up in a number of strange incidents, drawing a spiral of complicated human relationships. With each episode, the mysteries grow and lead to more mysteries, and the story begins to unfold in an unexpected direction. Baccano! is an ensemble drama that combines a variety of elements, including suspense, action, comedy, romance, and even supernatural phenomena!

The director is Omori Takahiro, known for "Hell Girl" and "Alice Academy," the scriptwriter is Takagi Noboru of "Koikaze," the character designer is Kishida Takahiro of "Noein," and animation is by Brain's Base of "Kamichu!" - a powerful team coming together to create a completely new animation full of originality.

Anyone can live happily!
An innovative and daring first-class entertainment ensemble drama - don't miss it!

■Cast

・Isaac/Masaya Onosaka・Milia/Sayaka Aoki・Filo/Hiroyuki Yoshino・Myser/Mitsuru Miyamoto・Ennis/Sanae Kobayashi・Rad/Keiji Fujiwara・Jacuzzi/Daisuke Sakaguchi・Nice/Yu Kobayashi・Donny/Yoshinori Sonobe・Young Conductor/Seiichi Morita・Charne/Ryo Hirohashi・Huey/Susumu Chiba・Young/Tetsuji Ota・Fan/Tsutomu Densaka・Cerrado/Kintaro Arimoto・Goose/Takayuki Sugo・Beriam/Kazuhiro Nakata・Natalie/Miki Ito・Mary/Saori Goto・Chess/Akemi Kanda・Luck/Takehito Koyasu・Belga/Kenta Miyake・Tick/Kappei Yamaguchi・Rua/Eri Yasui・Baltoro/Ryusuke Obayashi・Gustavus/Seiji Sasaki・Gustave/Norio Wakamoto・Eve/Marina Inoue・Shaft/Hatano Wataru Dallas/Atsushi Imaruoka Samatha/Nagasawa Naori Benjamin/Toshitaka Hirano Nicholas/Toru Furusawa Elean/Daisuke Kusunoki Carol/Chiwa Saito Placido/Saburo Kamei Woman in Work Clothes/Shizuo Ito Ronnie/Nobutoshi Kanna Elmer/Shintaro Ohata Sylvie/Ayahi Takagaki Togo/Atsushi Oono Morsa/Katsumi Naga Yaguruma/Masaaki Tsukada President of DD Newspaper Company/Sho Hayami Spike/Riichi Nishimoto Nick/Kunihiro Kawamoto Goulet/Daisuke Namikawa Beg/Nobuaki Kanemitsu Fermate/Ken Narita Nile/Koichi Sakaguchi Randy/Yukito Soma Peccho/Nobuyuki Kobushi Vicky/Tetsuji Ota Burns/Tomoaki Nishimura Dune/Mitsutoshi Okada Tony/Tomohisa Asou Graham/Tomokazu Sugita

■ Main staff

・Original work: "Baccano!" by Ryogo Narita (MediaWorks Dengeki Bunko)
・Original illustrations: Katsumi Enami・Director: Takahiro Omori・Screenplay, script: Noboru Takagi・Character design: Takahiro Kishida・Art director: Sei Ito・Color design: Ritsuko Utagawa・Director of photography: Yoshihiro Sekiya・Editor: Kazuhiko Seki・Music: Makoto Yoshimori・Sound director: Miwa Iwanami・Producer: Akiko Yokoyama・Animation producer: Yumi Sato・Animation production: Brain's Base・Production: Project Baccano! (Aniplex, Movic, Brain's Base)

■ Main Characters

・Isaac Dian A disguised robber who appears out of nowhere. A cheerful and stupid disguised robber. He and his partner Milia always happen to be in various places together, and always do stupid things.
・Milia Harvent A costumed robber who appears out of nowhere. A costumed robber who is incredibly cheerful and incredibly stupid. She always happens to be in various places with her partner Isaac, and always does something stupid. She loves Isaac.
Filo Proscenzo: A young man with a baby face and a knife. He is a member of the Martillo Family. He has a baby face but is strong. He uses a knife. He is about to be promoted to an executive position.
・An executive of the Myser Avaro family. A cashier of the Martillo family. He has a gentle personality, but also has a dark side. He loves Filo like a younger brother.
Ennis: A woman in a dark suit. Cerrado's driver. She lived in solitude, but eventually she and Filo were drawn to each other.
・Ladd Russo - Murder Enthusiast. He is a vicious man whose hobby is murder, but he is truly in love with his fiancée, Rua.
Jacuzzi Sprott is a crybaby gangster. He is the boss of a gang of delinquents in Chicago. He is a crybaby and a coward, but when it matters, he takes a firm stance even if he is half crying.
Nice Holystone: A bomb maniac with an eyepatch. A member of the gang led by Jacuzzi. He is Jacuzzi's right-hand man and also his lover. A bomb maniac.
A member of the gang led by Donny Jacuzzi. A Mexican who acts as a bodyguard.
A young conductor boarded a transcontinental train... The conductor of a transcontinental train bound for New York from Chicago.
・Charne LaFollette A silent terrorist. A member of the terrorist group "Lemrace". Daughter of Huey LaFollette. A knife user who has lost his voice.
Huey LaFollette: Chanet's father and leader of the Lemrace. Currently held captive by the United States government.
A member of a gang of delinquents led by Young Parnell Jacuzzi. He works as a waiter in a diner on the transcontinental train.
A member of a gang of delinquents led by Fan Linshan Jacuzzi. He works as a cook in the dining hall on the transcontinental railroad.
・Cerrado Quates Immortal alchemist. An immortal alchemist who is over 200 years old. He is obsessed with creating the "liquor of immortality" and will stop at nothing to achieve it.
Goose Perkins: A member of the Lemrace team. A deep believer in Huey.
Manfred Beriam, United States Senator.
Natalie Beriam, wife of Senator Beriam.
-Mary Beriam Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Beriam.
・Czeslaw Meyer: A mysterious boy. Nicknamed Chess. A mysterious boy who boarded a transcontinental train from Chicago to New York.
Luck Gandor The third son of the Gandor brothers. Don of the Gandor family, and the third son of the Gandor brothers. He is childhood friends with Filo. He is refined and gentlemanly.
Berga Gandor: The second son of the three Gandor brothers. Don of the Gandor family, and the second son of the three Gandor brothers. He is childhood friends with Filo. He is hot-blooded and short-tempered.
- Torturer for the Chickandor Family. Tortures with scissors.
Lua Klein: A melancholic woman who wants to be killed. She is the fiancée of the murderer Ladd. She hopes that one day she will be killed by her fiancé Ladd.
Bartolo Runorata: Don of the Tarnorata family. Currently fighting with the Gandor family. He orders Gustavo to find Dallas.
Gustavo Valletta: A member of the Arnorata Family. He is pursuing Dallas.
・Gustave Saint-Germain
Vice President of DD Newspaper.
Eve Genoard: A sister searching for her brother. Daughter of the wealthy Genoard family. She is searching for her missing brother Dallas.
Dallas Genoard: The second son of the Genoard family. Eve's older brother. An unruly delinquent.
・Samasa A maid of the Genoard family.
Benjamin Genoard family butler.
Nicholas Wayne
DD Newspaper desk.
・Elean Doogar
An employee of DD Newspaper.
Assistant to Vice President Gustave Carol.
Placido Russo, Don of the Russo family. Ladd's uncle.
- Woman in Work Clothes A mysterious woman boards a transcontinental train from Chicago to New York.
- Secretary of the Ronnie Martillo family (Chiamatore).
- Morza Martillo: Head of the Martillo family (Capo Sochieta).
・President of DD Newspaper Company
President of DD Newspaper.
-A member of the delinquent group led by Nick Jacuzzi.
- Younger brother of Gret Averromizer. Sylvie's lover.
- A member of the Randy Martillo family.
-An executive of the Pecciomartillo family.
・Vicky Lad's minion.
- He is brewing the "liquor of immortality" under the orders of Burns Cerrado.
-Dunelaad's minion.

■ Main robot items

・Immortal Wine is a liquid that grants immortality when drunk. In 1711, on board the Advena Avis, which was heading for the New World, it was given to the alchemists on board by the devil. There are "finished products" and "failed products," and the "finished products" grant immortality. On the other hand, the "failed products" grant immortality but not age.
・Immortals: Those who have drunk the "liquor of immortality" and become immortal.
Definition of Immortal:
(1) They never age, and no matter how much their body is injured, it can completely regenerate, especially their head.
(2) The only exception is when two immortals kill each other. In this case, if you grab the other person's head with your right hand and wish to eat them, they will be absorbed into your right hand and die.
(3) The person who absorbs can make all of the knowledge that the other person possesses his or her own.
(4) Immortals cannot use false names for other immortals or public registrations. The Flying Pussyfoot is a transcontinental express steam locomotive that travels from Chicago to New York, manufactured by Nebraska. It has an overly decorated and unique design. The first and second class passenger compartments are decorated with marble, and the first class compartment, which is usually located at the back, has a unique shape in which it is located at the front. It is sometimes derided as being in bad taste. "Pussyfoot" means "to walk stealthily like a cat." There is also a non-alcoholic cocktail named "Pussyfoot."
・Rail Tracer (Those who trace the shadows of the railroad tracks)
A legendary monster that transforms into various objects and chases after trains. When it catches up with the train, passengers disappear from the back of the train, and in the end, the train itself disappears.
The Great Depression of 1929 "Black Thursday"
A worldwide depression began with the stock market crash on Wall Street in New York on Thursday, October 24, 1929. Over the next four years, more than 4,500 banks went bankrupt, and by 1933 the number of unemployed people had risen to 13 million.
-Mafia: A general term for criminal organisations that originated in Sicily, Italy.
The Camorra is an organization based mainly in Naples, unlike the Mafia, which originated in Sicily. In the United States, it is often equated with the Mafia.
Prohibition
A law that was enacted across the United States in 1920 and repealed in 1933, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol. Because drinking alcohol itself was not prohibited, the sale and trade of moonshine and the operation of speakeasies were rampant, providing a huge source of funding for criminal organizations. Many real-life mafia members, such as Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, made their fortunes through the sale and trade of moonshine.
・Speakeasy: A bar that operated clandestinely during the Prohibition era in the United States. The origin of the name comes from the idea of ​​"secretly ordering alcohol."

■Subtitle

・Extra Edition: Graham Spector's Love and Peace (2008/02/27)
・Extra Episode 2: The delinquent boys who arrived in the high-class residential area are still the same as usual (2008/04/23)
・Extra Episode 2: Carol realizes that a story should never end (2008/05/28)

■ Related works

・BACCANO! Baccano!

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Gun's & Roses
・Composition: Akane Noguchi ・Performance: Paradise Lunch

・ED1
・Calling
Lyrics: Yuki Kajiura Music: Yuki Kajiura Singer: Kaori Oda

■Detailed evaluation

"BACCANO! Extra Edition" is an OVA based on the light novel "Baccano!" by Narita Ryogo, and was released in 2008. This extra edition delves deeper into the appeal of the original work, making it a must-see for fans. Below, we will provide a detailed review of the work from various perspectives, including story, characters, production, and music.

story

"BACCANO! Spin-off" continues the worldview of the original work, but develops the story from a new perspective. The legend of the "immortal liquor" that began on the Atlantic Ocean in 1711 moves to New York in the 1930s, depicting an ensemble drama in which various characters intersect. In particular, the spin-off is fascinating in that the story progresses from Graham Spector's point of view, allowing us to see the events from a different perspective than the original work.

Graham's episode emphasizes his pursuit of "love and peace" and features many humorous scenes to entertain viewers. In the episode about delinquent boys who end up in an upscale residential area, the ordinary and extraordinary intersect, depicting the growth and change of the characters. Carol's episode makes viewers think deeply about the end of the story, allowing viewers to enjoy the world of Baccano! from multiple perspectives throughout the series.

character

In "BACCANO! Spin-off", not only the main characters from the original work but also many characters unique to the spin-off appear. Graham Spector in particular leaves a strong impression on viewers as his unique character is emphasized. His attitude in pursuit of "love and peace" is humorous yet contains deep themes, making it a thought-provoking experience for viewers.

In addition, the episodes about the delinquent boys depict their growth and change, adding depth to the characters. Carol's episode delves into her inner life, making viewers think deeply about the ending of the story. The portrayal of these characters is enjoyable not only for fans of the original work, but also for new viewers.

Production

"BACCANO! Extra Edition" was produced by Brain's Base. Brain's Base is a studio known for works such as "Kamichu!", and their unique style matches the worldview of "Baccano!". In particular, the quality of the character designs and background art is high, and the visuals draw the viewer in.

Director Omori Takahiro is a talented director known for works such as "Hell Girl" and "Alice Academy," and his direction brings out the best in "Baccano!". Screenwriter Takagi Noboru is also a talented director known for works such as "Koikaze," and his storytelling helps the story unfold smoothly. The combined efforts of these staff members ensure that "Baccano! Spin-off" is of high quality.

music

Yoshimori Makoto was in charge of the music for "BACCANO! Extra Edition." His music not only enhances the atmosphere of the story, but is also an important element in portraying the emotions of the characters. In particular, the opening theme "Gun's & Roses," performed by Paradise Lunch, is a song that foreshadows the thrilling developments of the story. Additionally, the ending theme "Calling," written and composed by Kajiura Yuki and sung by Oda Kaori, is a beautiful song that symbolizes the end of the story. These pieces of music further enhance the appeal of "BACCANO! Extra Edition."

■Recommendation

"BACCANO! Extra Edition" is a work that can be enjoyed not only by fans of the original work, but also by new viewers. It is especially recommended for those who like elements such as ensemble dramas, suspense, action, comedy, and romance. It is also enjoyable for those who like stories that depict the growth and change of characters.

Furthermore, the "BACCANO! Extra" delves deeper into the world of the original work, making it a must-see for fans of the original. The story progresses from Graham Spector's point of view, and the events are seen from a different perspective than in the original. The episodes about the delinquent boys and Carol also add depth to the characters.

"BACCANO! Extra Edition" realizes visuals and atmosphere that draw viewers in thanks to the high production quality of Brain's Base and music by Yoshimori Makoto. In particular, the opening theme "Gun's & Roses" and the ending theme "Calling" are beautiful songs that symbolize the thrilling development and ending of the story. These elements combine to make "BACCANO! Extra Edition" a work that can be enjoyed not only by fans of the original work, but also by new viewers.