Baccano!, Vol. 1 (light novel): The Rolling Bootlegs

Baccano v1 had a slow start but ended up picking up steam fast. The various perspectives offered, often making it hard to figure out who the protagonists was, actually helped to make it a very compelling and addicting read. I did have issues whenever it switched to Miria and Isaac, who both consistently felt a bit too intrusive in ruining suspenseful and serious moments, but I think they two did help to make it a compelling read.The aspect of the chasing the immortality elixir and seeing who would end up with it in the end was a blast. I especially liked the conclusion and how it played out, especially with all the shocks about it and the point at which the big moment happened. Narita once again proved to have excellent writing and excellent surprises.I wonder how the series can continue, the ending ended everything so definitively.-Hardcover wise, excellent cover and excellent color pages. The art pages were nice too. I do wish there were more extras, only an afterward was a bit disappointing.

$10 is a bit pricey, especially for a Kindle e-book, but it *is* a translation. I'm just happy I can buy a legitimate copy in English.That said, I was impressed by the quality of the translation. The word choices seem appropriate to the characters and the era, and there aren't random Japanese phrases thrown in for lack of a direct translation (this is an unfortunate, yet common problem with translating Japanese to English).As for the story itself, I loved it. For people who have watched, or tried to watch, the anime--these novels make a whole lot more sense than the anime did. The anime jumped around in time and introduced way too many characters at once; this focuses on just one of the timelines covered by the anime.It's an interesting frame story, starting in 1st person and proceeding to tell the main story in 3rd person. The 1st person portion is set in modern times, while the main story is set in the 1930's. The characters are a bit over-the-top in the style of a light novel, but in a way that's humorous and grabs your attention. All in all, this is a really great read.

I was a big fan of the Baccano anime and began reading the book series online with fan translations. I am so glad the books are now officially published in English. This first book is a solid start to the franchise but the story really gets rolling (pun intended) with the second book "The Grand Punk Railroad - Local".Still this introduction book into the Baccano universe involves the major players and tells a fun story about the immortality elixir. Seriously, if you want to read a story that feels like The Untouchables and has a cast of crazy characters interacting in surprising ways, you should give this story a try. From the perspective of story structure, I love the way Narita structures his stories and jumps between scenes and settings. He's a talented writer.

When I discovered the anime series years ago, I sought out translations of the novels and was immediately hooked, to the point where I bought the novels along with a bunch of books on learning Japanese. Needless to say, I can't provide a fully objective view here. That said, I am fully convinced that this outstanding series deserves to become popular worldwide, and I'm thrilled that it's becoming available to new audiences.The story is about the alchemical elixir of immortality falling into the hands of a Depression-era organized crime syndicate, and the ruckus that ensues. The author, Ryohgo Narita, is fond of stories about criminals and of fantasy elements in urban settings, and this is no exception, combining the setting and tropes of gangster films with alchemy. If you have seen the anime, you'll know most of the events, but there's still plenty of additional depth to the characters and setting to make the book worth reading. For a first novel, it's remarkable how well it holds up. All the characteristics that have made the series and author successful are in evidence here: a bevy of entertaining characters, an intriguing setting, and intricate plotting. I don't want to go beyond the scope of this review too much, but I have to say that as the series goes on, it maintains plot momentum and logical coherence in a way that almost never happens in a series this long and with so many characters.While the novel would be worth a recommendation regardless of translation, the excellent English rendition adds to the appeal. One obstacle to light novels becoming popular in English-speaking countries is that the writing often doesn't translate well. I haven't read enough 'regular' novels translated from Japanese to say if this is due to the language itself or the style used in light novels, but most translations have a stilted tone, narration that tells rather than shows too often, and generally unremarkable prose. However, great translators are able to produce writing that can stand on its own, and this version does that quite well. The effort put into period-appropriate language and terminology shows, and combines with the setting to produce a novel that feels like it could have come from an English-speaking author. The anime series was sometimes said to be a good 'gateway' series for American fans, and the books similarly should appeal even to those with no background with anime or manga.One downside is that the art, unlike the writing, suffers from 'first episode' weirdness. The quality is notably lower than in future volumes, and the characters designs are somewhat different. The quality would improve significantly with the second/third novels, and by the fourth would reach maturity.This is one of the finest series of fiction I've ever read, and it's been translated wonderfully. Highest possible recommendation.

I've been a huge fan of this series since watching the anime five years ago; I own and have read the entire series of novels in Japanese. So I was delighted to hear that Yen Press would be bringing the novels to the English fandom, and this translation of Rolling Bootlegs does not disappoint! The language is delightful (if occasionally over-indulgent in period-appropriate slang) and makes for an easy, fast-paced read. The story's many twists and turns are full of surprises, even for those who've watched the anime. And there's no beating Narita for complex, fascinating, lovable characters. I recommend this book, and this series, wholeheartedly.

Enjoyable read and follows the same spirit of the anime (which of course is based on this book rather than the other way around). The book introduces several interesting characters and follows their interactions as fate brings them together. In a way the appeal of Baccano! is figuring out the plot and who people are so I won't say too much on that. Although some of the plot and characterizations were changed for the anime, the original is also great and so this book is well worth reading.

Very well written, the story is both interesting and funny. If you're a fan of the anime the novelisation has a few differences as expected and also a lot more detailed in some areas. Definitely recommended!

Love the story and characters - Isaac and Miria are hilarious! I'm a fan of Durarara and this is by the same author so it has a similar tone.

Great novel, I bought this after watching the anime but I still enjoyed it as there were more details in the actual book of the events and such. The translation reads very naturally as well. Already preordered the next translated volume!

Very pleased with this purchase! I gave it to my brother as a Christmas gift, and being a big fan of the anime Baccano he loved it!