Issac and Miria are here, now it’s a party!
Creative Staff
Story: Ryohgo Narita
Art: Shinta Fujimoto
Character designs: Katsumi Enami
Translation/Adaptation: Taylor Engel
What They Say
NEW YORK, 1930
Three years after the Phantom Father incident, Firo is about to get a promotion within the Martillo Family. But the intricate web of fate has other plans in store for him as the elixir of immortality nears its completion, setting off a chain of events that brings together gangsters, alchemists, and everyone in between!
Let the crazy ruckus continue!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The first volume of the Baccano manga adaptation took me by surprise by adding a lot of backstory to Firo and the Gandor brothers. While this second volume starts the story arc that we’re familiar with from the novels and anime, it continues to provide more depth for certain characters as well as letting it all play out at a normal pace. The anime was known for being maybe a bit too jumpy with its timeline and very punchy with its action.
Firo is at a crossroads with the Camorra, but in a good way. He’s moved up in the organization and is about to graduate to an executive. He’s no longer just some underling, and he’s earned his place at the table. All he has to do is keep his nose clean and get through the swearing-in ceremony. This event just happens to occur at the same time that Barnes is completing the immortality elixir project for Szilard Quates, an immortal alchemist who has been hunting down his fellow immortals.
The first volume of this manga really fleshed out Firo, and this volume takes steps to bolster Ennis, the homunculus assistant of her creator Szilard. We get to see her inner thoughts at working for Szilard and how she feels trapped by her creator. Narita tends to write rather complex characters and his women tend to be both physically tough while still having their own hang-ups and desires. Ennis may be quiet but she’s not empty, and she’s on the verge of really understanding what it means to be a person with their own desires and needs, and especially wants.
The story also smoothly works in the backstory about the alchemists and Maiza, and also introduces Ronny far earlier than I remember from the novel or anime. While there aren’t as many characters being thrown at the reader in quick succession as the anime did, there are plenty of other new faces in this volume if this is your first exposure to Baccano. The dynamic thief duo of Issac and Miria arrive on the scene and weasel their way into the plot in this volume, getting mixed up with Dallas and his goons, who get mixed up with Quates men and substantially Firo. The situation builds and builds on itself, setting up a caper which will go down in the third volume.
The art in this adaptation is very good. Everyone is crisp and clean and look like you remember from the anime and novel illustrations. My only real complaint is that the manga artist seems to have forgotten at one point with Ennis that bowing isn’t a thing in America. As for the translation, I did pick up on one anachronism in the slang being used once again, but after the artwork had Ennis bowing I’m going to cut them some slack since later in the same volume the slang seems to be back to 1930’s levels.
There are no extras for this volume beyond a couple of color pages and one page with Carol making notes for her boss.
In Summary
The manga adaptation of the first Baccano light novel begins in this second volume. That means we get to see the grand entrance of Issac and Miria to the story. It presents a richer version of the story than what was shown in the anime, told in the linear fashion of the novels and focusing in on Firo and Ennis more than the show had time to. The additions make it a worthwhile pick-up for fans of the anime. Even if you’ve read the novels and the events are familiar the art in this adaptation is great. It’s also not a bad introduction to the Baccano universe overall.
Content Grade: B +
Art Grade: A –
Packaging Grade: B +
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: April 10, 2018
MSRP: $13.00 US / $17.00 CAN
