Television series

Baccano!

Name: Baccano!
Genre: Action, Adventure, Anime, Crime
Released: 2007
Cast: Atsushi Imaruoka, Masaya Onosaka, Sayaka Aoki, Akemi Kanda, Sanae Kobayashi

Fantasy
Relentless

Baccano! is a 2007 anime that jumps between 1711, 1930s Chicago, and 1931 New York, weaving together stories of immortals, mobsters, thieves, and alchemists. It's dizzingly plotted but propulsive—a puzzle box where every piece matters. The tone swings from screwball comedy to brutal crime drama. It rewards attention and rewatch.

TVMaze rating

3.7

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy a puzzle-box structure where scattered timelines slowly braid together, and you like crime stories packed with mobsters, thieves and alchemy told with a grin.

Skip it if you want one hero and a tidy linear plot, since the huge cast and jumping timelines can feel scattered, and the bloodshed is frequent.

What it asks of you: Thirteen half-hour episodes, so it's a short commitment, but it wants you alert, since names, dates and timelines shift constantly and it rarely repeats itself.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Durarara!!2010

Another Japanese urban crime puzzle from the same creator, with overlapping storylines, ensemble chaos, and that same knack for making you care about characters who seem minor until suddenly they aren't.

But Slower to build than Baccano!, and some of its social commentary hasn't aged perfectly. Also nearly twice as long if you want the full story.

The Promised Neverland2019

Anime that trusts its audience to piece together a complex plot without hand-holding. Tense, clever, and the early episodes have that same 'wait, what just happened?' energy.

But The second season loses the plot logic that made the first sing. Knowing that might sour the experience even as you're watching the good part.

Cowboy Bebop1998

Genre-switching, character-driven anime where each episode can stand alone but they build into something larger. Jazz-scored coolness with real emotional weight underneath.

But Only 26 episodes and it ends on a note that still divides viewers. Some find it perfect; others feel cheated. You'll likely have feelings either way.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Baccano!

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Pale Flower1964

Both treat the criminal underworld as a subculture with its own logic and beauty. Both ask what it costs to be immortal—whether literally or spiritually.

A 1960s Japanese noir about gamblers and yakuza that has Baccano!'s fascination with underworld codes and the addictive high of living outside society. Hypnotic and ice-cold.

But Black and white, slow-burn, absolutely no anime conventions. If you want Baccano!'s energy level, this will feel like watching paint dry.

91 Days2016

Prohibition-era crime drama told in a tight 12 episodes. Period detail, period music, and a protagonist consumed by revenge in ways that actually have consequences. Genuinely tense.

But Darker and more fatalistic than Baccano!. If you wanted the screwball-thief energy, this is the opposite tone despite the setting.

Michiko e Hatchin2008

Anime about an escaped prisoner and the boy she rescues, following them across Brazil. Character-focused, visually inventive, and structurally daring in how it lets tone and stakes shift.

But Slower and more meditative. The plot is less about intricate mechanics and more about emotional states. Very different rhythm from Baccano!.

Bungou Stray Dogs2016

Ensemble cast where literary figures have superpowers, solving mysteries in a fictionalized Tokyo. Fast-paced, stylish, and the character dynamics actually make the plot twists land.

But Leans harder into anime tropes. The humor is broader, and if you're not invested in the character archetypes, the plot mechanics won't carry you.

Steins;Gate2011

Time-travel thriller that earns its twists through careful plotting. Blends comedy and tragedy, and the payoff actually requires you to have been paying attention.

But First half is deliberately slow. If you're impatient for the plot to kick in, you might bounce before it clicks.

Odd Taxi2021

Anthropomorphic animal crime drama where every background character matters and the plot rewards close viewing. Genuinely clever mystery with heart.

But Anthropomorphic cast is a real sticking point for some viewers. Also less immediately stylish than Baccano!, more grounded and conversational.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend2015

Both use genre fluidity and narrative misdirection to tell a story about people who lie to themselves and others. Both find comedy and tragedy in the same moment.

A musical comedy series where the narrative structure is deliberately misleading, told from an unreliable perspective. Genre-switching episodes. A con artist at its heart. Shockingly moving.

But It's a musical. About a woman. It looks like a rom-com. If you're resistant to any of those things, you won't get past the premise.

Gomorra: La Serie2014

Both are intricate ensemble pieces where minor characters have agency and the cost of crime is paid by actual people. Both ask whether loyalty or survival matters more.

Italian crime series about Naples' Camorra. Brutal, operatic, genuinely inventive storytelling across seasons. It finds tragedy in characters Baccano! would make comic relief.

But Serialized and heavy. No humor, no relief, no immortals or magic—just the weight of consequence. Subtitled. Requires real commitment.