Baccano! Vol. #01 Manga Review

A welcome addition to the Baccano family.

Creative Staff
Story: Ryohgo Narita
Art: Shinta Fujimoto
Character designs: Katsumi Enami
Translation/Adaptation: Taylor Engel

What They Say
New York, 1927. In a corrupt city where crime rules the streets, Firo Prochainezo is Camorra, an Italian criminal syndicate distinct from the mafia. A member of the relatively small Martillo family, Firo’s nevertheless got big ambitions and is determined to make his mark. But while the Martillos may not be the biggest bad guys on the block, they’ve got some distinct advantages working in their favor. Does Firo have what it takes to become a made man? Let the crazy ruckus begin!

Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
When it was announced that this manga adaptation was starting I didn’t really look into it, despite being a huge Baccano! fan. Mostly because I figured that this would be a straight-up retelling of the first volume of the long-running light novel series and I had just finally read that volume when it became available in English. However, the Rolling Bootlegs takes place in 1930 and this volume clearly states its date as 1927. Yes, this volume actually predates the story I was expecting. I really should have been paying more attention!

This story does indeed focus on events leading up to the incident in New York between the Martillo family, the Gandors, and one dark alchemist. Firo was always likable but ultimately a dry sort of character. A young easygoing man who by the time we meet him in the anime and light novel already seems confident. This fills in who he is as a person and what drove him to join with the Martillos when he grew up with the Gandors.

Firo isn’t the only character we get to see more of here. Claire is along for most of the ride, arguably one of the more fascinating characters in the series. It turns out he was always something of an odd kid. The Gandor brothers too get a bit more meat on their bones as we see how they earned their spot in the criminal underworld. There’s also the dark side of Maiza which is shown a little, and that’s fun too.

This volume tells a closed short mystery involving a threat that the local syndicates have to deal with during the feast of San Gennaro. (Hey, that’s a real thing that still happens!) The legend of the saint happens to match very well to the creepy goings-on of the alchemist working down the street. I should note that Narita did pen the story for this volume, which may explain the painstaking research. I don’t know if this part of the story was told in any other supplemental material, but it fits with the overall storyline quite well.

Fujimoto doesn’t quite reach the same level of pert, sketchy quirkiness that exists in Enami’s original designs, but it’s a good middle ground for a longer work. Everyone is instantly recognizable and the clothing, backgrounds, and all of the other accouterments look accurate to the time and place of the story. Although I do think the Gandor brothers as kids look super silly, especially Berga.

I have a few quibbles with some of the slang the translator used in this book. It’s probably a holdover of my expectations from back when Funimation did their dub of the anime, but I expected period-appropriate slang and instead got a mish-mash of language that was delivered appropriately but occasionally tossed in an odd anachronism. (Seriously, you can’t call someone a narc in 1927, it pulls me right out of the story.)

There are only a couple of extras in this volume. A short ‘cut’ scene between the Gandor brothers (about Keith’s future wife) and a note from Carol. Yen included the opening color page spread for this volume.

In Summary
This newest addition to the Baccano! story isn’t so much of a retelling as it is an addition to the story that most of us English readers know. It’s a fantastic exploration of Firo and the Gandor brothers that really expands upon their history, especially for those only familiar with them from the anime. Expanding upon the set-up for the Rolling Bootlegs story of the first volume of the light novels, we’re given a deeper understanding of the dynamic between the Martillo family and the Gandors. It even introduces a new dastardly challenge for Firo and Claire to confront which is a harrowing mini-mystery of its own. Baccano lovers should definitely pick this up.

Content Grade: B +
Art Grade: A –
Packaging Grade: B +
Text/Translation Grade: B

Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: January 30th, 2018
MSRP: $13.00

Kate O'Neil

http://www.fandompost.com/author/sonicbug/

Kate has a long history of leaving pieces of herself all over the internet, alighting upon fandom after fandom to briefly taste of its nectar before flitting away. She has accrued a collection of manga so large she believes her home may now have structural integrity issues. She also watches anime, plays video games, and occasionally writes and draws. You can also listen to her on the Fandom Post Radio podcast, available wherever fine podcasts are streamed.

See author's posts