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Baccano! Light Novel #2
Baccano!, Vol. 2: The Grand Punk Railroad: Local
The place: America. The year: 1931. The setting: the transcontinental express train known as the "Flying Pussyfoot." Aboard the train are a gang aiming to make some extra cash, a group of revolutionary terrorists trying to recapture their leader, and a pair of thieves looking to meet up with an old friend in New York City. But drunk on the excitement of their departure, none of them are prepared for what awaits them on the rails...
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 9, 2003
41 people are currently reading
336 people want to read
About the author
Ryohgo Narita
348 books383 followersRyohgo Narita (成田 良悟, Narita Ryōgo) is a Japanese light novelist. He won the Gold Prize in the 9th Dengeki Novel Prize for Baccano!, which was made into a TV anime in 2007.[1] His series Durarara!! was also made into a TV anime, which began airing January 2010
There are two traits found in most of Narita's works:
* Narita writes extremely fast, one volume a month if he wishes - with tons of spelling errors and missing words as a tradeoff. The editors like to leave them sometimes just for fun, though.
* His work titles often have an exclamation mark at the end (i.e. Baccano!, Vamp!, Durarara!!, etc.).
Kanji names: 成田 良悟 & 成田良悟.
There are two traits found in most of Narita's works:
* Narita writes extremely fast, one volume a month if he wishes - with tons of spelling errors and missing words as a tradeoff. The editors like to leave them sometimes just for fun, though.
* His work titles often have an exclamation mark at the end (i.e. Baccano!, Vamp!, Durarara!!, etc.).
Kanji names: 成田 良悟 & 成田良悟.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
April 27, 2023
The delightful comic relief duo of the first book, Isaac and Miria, board the transcontinental luxury express train the Flying Pussyfoot to visit their friends in New York. They decide on a whim that they might as well rob the train, so they can buy their friends some presents.
A small gang of delinquent youths led by the cowardly Jacuzzi Splot are also planning to rob the train.
A cult known as the Lemures plans to take the whole train, including a senator’s wife and daughter, hostage. The only thing these guys in black suits care about is the release of their leader, the notorious terrorist Huey Laforet.
Ladd Russo is an absolute psychopath who only cares about killing people. He gathers his friends and boards the train, hoping to kill as many people as possible. He thinks the blood they’re about to spill on their new white suits will make them look cool.
And last but not least, a conductor tells the story of the Rail Tracer. A ghost story about a monster that chases trains and makes the train’s passengers disappear. But that couldn’t possibly be real, could it?
Books 2 and 3 are all about the hijack of the transcontinental express train, the Flying Pussyfoot. Half of this book is pretty much just introducing us to all the characters and making us care about them before they board the train. The Baccano series has a very diverse, well fleshed out and interesting cast, so this is very much appreciated. It’s a rather tense and atmospheric build up, making it clear we’re heading into a very spectacular and epic kind of train ride. And then all hell breaks loose.
This is the story most people fell in love with while watching the anime. With good reason, it’s absolutely batshit crazy. And the fun has only just begun.
A small gang of delinquent youths led by the cowardly Jacuzzi Splot are also planning to rob the train.
A cult known as the Lemures plans to take the whole train, including a senator’s wife and daughter, hostage. The only thing these guys in black suits care about is the release of their leader, the notorious terrorist Huey Laforet.
Ladd Russo is an absolute psychopath who only cares about killing people. He gathers his friends and boards the train, hoping to kill as many people as possible. He thinks the blood they’re about to spill on their new white suits will make them look cool.
And last but not least, a conductor tells the story of the Rail Tracer. A ghost story about a monster that chases trains and makes the train’s passengers disappear. But that couldn’t possibly be real, could it?
Books 2 and 3 are all about the hijack of the transcontinental express train, the Flying Pussyfoot. Half of this book is pretty much just introducing us to all the characters and making us care about them before they board the train. The Baccano series has a very diverse, well fleshed out and interesting cast, so this is very much appreciated. It’s a rather tense and atmospheric build up, making it clear we’re heading into a very spectacular and epic kind of train ride. And then all hell breaks loose.
This is the story most people fell in love with while watching the anime. With good reason, it’s absolutely batshit crazy. And the fun has only just begun.
October 20, 2020
The Flying Pussyfoot (best name ever for a train!) arc was my favourite arc in the anime and it was really exciting to read the source material! I definitely would have had trouble following the plot of this book with so much chaos going on, not to mention the fact that most of the big reveals have been saved for the second half of this arc to be covered in the next volume, so we're still missing a lot of information. This is a series with so much potential rewatch/reread value, I wish that I could experience it for the first time again! (Well, I guess that I will get to experience like 80% of the story for the first time since the anime never made it past Volume 4. Silver lining?)
June 23, 2019
The year is 1931, and the Flying Pussyfoot, a limited express train bound for New York, has just acquired several groups worth of dangerous passengers, nearly all of whom think they'll easily be able to take over the train for their own ends. There's crybaby bootlegger boss Jacuzzi Splot (best name ever) and his misfit band of delinquents, who plan to steal some secret cargo. There's the Lemures group, a bunch of terrorists determined to take some hostages in order to free their leader, the immortal Huey Laforet. There's murder-loving Ladd Russo, the nephew of the head of the Russo mafia family, his bride-to-be Lua, and his group of fellow killers. There's the mysterious monster known as the Rail Tracer. And then there are a few less dangerous passengers, like the thieves Isaac and Miria.
All of these passengers have their own goals and motivations. Only some of them will make it to New York alive.
First, a disclaimer: I have seen (and enjoyed) the anime, which adapted several books in this series, including this one. I suspect it helped my ability to follow along with the characters and story. Normally, I'd suggest watching the anime prior to attempting these light novels, but the anime has gone out of print and, as far as I know, isn't legally streaming anywhere (to anyone who wonders why I still buy so much anime when streaming is an option, this is why).
As far as reading order goes: Although Narita wrote in his afterword that he planned to keep each volume as self-contained as possible, that doesn't mean the books can be read in any order - definitely read Volume 1 before starting this one, even though only a few characters from the first book make appearances in this one. Also, if you make it past Volume 1 and plan on reading Volume 2, you might as well buy Volume 3 as well, because Volume 2 isn't self-contained. It doesn't end in what I'd call a cliffhanger, but it does leave a good chunk of the story untold. Multiple characters show up, only to disappear again, the details of their fates saved for Volume 3.
In my review of the first volume of this series, I wrote that the writing/translation was bad but that this somehow didn't interfere with my enjoyment. That was sadly not the case with Volume 2. I don't know whether it was actually worse than Volume 1 or whether I was just less in the mood, but there were times when the writing literally ground my reading experience to a halt as I tried to figure out what Narita meant. One example:
It would have been simpler to say that, even though she objected to Nick's idea, she still did so politely. Not only is the phrasing incredibly awkward, I'm not sure that "parsed" is the right word here. "Parceled out" might have been more appropriate.
Here's an example that just made me shake my head:
Can we say "redundant"?
As in Volume 1, the writing was almost completely devoid of descriptions. Nearly all of the book's historical and setting details were limited to pages 61 to 62 - otherwise, it was all character introductions, dialogue, and action, pretty much in that order.
It's a sign of how excellent Ladd Russo's English-language voice actor was that I kept hearing him every time I read Ladd's dialogue. Of all of this book's many characters, Ladd and Jacuzzi probably stood out the most. Jacuzzi was a relatively fun and interesting character, a young man who tended to cry and panic about everything but who nonetheless inspired intense loyalty within his group. Ladd, unfortunately, just came across as an excuse for occasional mindless bone-crunching violence.
Isaac and Miria were a disappointment this time around. They continued their role as the series' comic relief, but instead of being oblivious to the violence around them, they were presented as being well aware of what was going on, but so used to it that they were unfazed. Honestly, it made them seem more creepy and disturbing than, say, a more in-your-face monster like Ladd.
I don't expect the series' writing to improve, but I'm hopeful that I'll like Volume 3 more than this one, because all of the fantasy elements that Narita only hinted at in this volume will actually be on-page in that volume. Also, my favorite character from the anime, Claire, will finally get more than just a few vague mentions.
I'll wrap this up with a couple things that made me go WTF. Was the fingernail thing in the anime? I can't remember, but in the book it made me wince. Fingernails don't work like that - I don't care how you shape or cut them, you're not going to be able to saw through multiple ropes with them, and certainly not quickly enough to do any good. Also, if you did arrange to have one of your nails shaped like a tiny saw, you would constantly regret it as you accidentally cut yourself or other people or even just got the nail caught on cloth or whatever. And then there was the thing under Nice's eye patch, which I know was definitely in the anime, although I'd completely forgotten about it. So much wincing. Just a bad, bad idea.
Extras:
Several color illustrations at the front of the book (with text that will likely only confuse readers who haven't yet read the volume and haven't seen the anime), several black-and-white illustrations throughout, and an afterword by the author.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
All of these passengers have their own goals and motivations. Only some of them will make it to New York alive.
First, a disclaimer: I have seen (and enjoyed) the anime, which adapted several books in this series, including this one. I suspect it helped my ability to follow along with the characters and story. Normally, I'd suggest watching the anime prior to attempting these light novels, but the anime has gone out of print and, as far as I know, isn't legally streaming anywhere (to anyone who wonders why I still buy so much anime when streaming is an option, this is why).
As far as reading order goes: Although Narita wrote in his afterword that he planned to keep each volume as self-contained as possible, that doesn't mean the books can be read in any order - definitely read Volume 1 before starting this one, even though only a few characters from the first book make appearances in this one. Also, if you make it past Volume 1 and plan on reading Volume 2, you might as well buy Volume 3 as well, because Volume 2 isn't self-contained. It doesn't end in what I'd call a cliffhanger, but it does leave a good chunk of the story untold. Multiple characters show up, only to disappear again, the details of their fates saved for Volume 3.
In my review of the first volume of this series, I wrote that the writing/translation was bad but that this somehow didn't interfere with my enjoyment. That was sadly not the case with Volume 2. I don't know whether it was actually worse than Volume 1 or whether I was just less in the mood, but there were times when the writing literally ground my reading experience to a halt as I tried to figure out what Narita meant. One example:
"Nice objected to that idea. Since she was talking to Nick, even under the circumstances, she meticulously parsed out casual speech and polite speech to the appropriate listener; Nick received the latter." (147)
It would have been simpler to say that, even though she objected to Nick's idea, she still did so politely. Not only is the phrasing incredibly awkward, I'm not sure that "parsed" is the right word here. "Parceled out" might have been more appropriate.
Here's an example that just made me shake my head:
"Without giving an audible answer to that question, Lua nodded silently." (48)
Can we say "redundant"?
As in Volume 1, the writing was almost completely devoid of descriptions. Nearly all of the book's historical and setting details were limited to pages 61 to 62 - otherwise, it was all character introductions, dialogue, and action, pretty much in that order.
It's a sign of how excellent Ladd Russo's English-language voice actor was that I kept hearing him every time I read Ladd's dialogue. Of all of this book's many characters, Ladd and Jacuzzi probably stood out the most. Jacuzzi was a relatively fun and interesting character, a young man who tended to cry and panic about everything but who nonetheless inspired intense loyalty within his group. Ladd, unfortunately, just came across as an excuse for occasional mindless bone-crunching violence.
Isaac and Miria were a disappointment this time around. They continued their role as the series' comic relief, but instead of being oblivious to the violence around them, they were presented as being well aware of what was going on, but so used to it that they were unfazed. Honestly, it made them seem more creepy and disturbing than, say, a more in-your-face monster like Ladd.
I don't expect the series' writing to improve, but I'm hopeful that I'll like Volume 3 more than this one, because all of the fantasy elements that Narita only hinted at in this volume will actually be on-page in that volume. Also, my favorite character from the anime, Claire, will finally get more than just a few vague mentions.
I'll wrap this up with a couple things that made me go WTF. Was the fingernail thing in the anime? I can't remember, but in the book it made me wince. Fingernails don't work like that - I don't care how you shape or cut them, you're not going to be able to saw through multiple ropes with them, and certainly not quickly enough to do any good. Also, if you did arrange to have one of your nails shaped like a tiny saw, you would constantly regret it as you accidentally cut yourself or other people or even just got the nail caught on cloth or whatever. And then there was the thing under Nice's eye patch, which I know was definitely in the anime, although I'd completely forgotten about it. So much wincing. Just a bad, bad idea.
Extras:
Several color illustrations at the front of the book (with text that will likely only confuse readers who haven't yet read the volume and haven't seen the anime), several black-and-white illustrations throughout, and an afterword by the author.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
August 8, 2012
Set one year after the first book, Baccano! volume 2 once again opens with colour pages that only serves to confuse the reader. This book, is about the journey from Chicago to New York on "The Flying Pussycat" - a transcontinental train. The main characters of this book once again involve Isaac and Miria, who are going back to see Ennis, Firo and everyone else. Also on the train is another immortal - an old acquaintance of Maiza's, and a freelance killer known as Vino. On top of that, this train also includes black suited terrorists, white suited homicidal maniacs, and ragged suited delinquents, all whom decides to hijack the train at the same time, leading this story from a series of coincidences to one of chaos and ruckus.
All I can say was that it was confusing. Jaccuzi and Nice's relationship is really cute, and Isaac and Miria are as stupid and idiotic as always. Ladd's character and personality is weird and interesting at the same time, and I wanna know more about Lua. I don't get a lot of what happened in the end, but hey, I've got a feeling that is what "Express Episode" is for. Anyway, it's good to know that even amongst the giant new cast of main characters, the main characters from the previous book still get to be mentioned and appear here and there.
All I can say was that it was confusing. Jaccuzi and Nice's relationship is really cute, and Isaac and Miria are as stupid and idiotic as always. Ladd's character and personality is weird and interesting at the same time, and I wanna know more about Lua. I don't get a lot of what happened in the end, but hey, I've got a feeling that is what "Express Episode" is for. Anyway, it's good to know that even amongst the giant new cast of main characters, the main characters from the previous book still get to be mentioned and appear here and there.
July 1, 2020
"He's not worried about Nick...?"
"Well, the guy's kind of forgettable, y'know."
←→
"You okay, Miz Nice?"
When the man who was kind of forgettable spoke to her, Nice nodded happily
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm enjoying myself, I'm having fun, I'm so incredibly happy to be able to use so much dynamite like this, one after another.
Change of cast for this second book (although Isaac and Miria are here again, and Camorra and co. actually make a small cameo), and this time, the ones that shine most (in my opinion) and Jacuzzi and his gang.
Yeah, Jacuzzi, that's his name. Don't ask. 🙃
Similar atmosphere to the first book.
But also different, as we're on a train this time, so it feels a bit "Murder on the Orient Express" or other such stories.
With very different kinds of people, or as they're introduced at the beginning: black, white and ragtag suits, I was going to say that even the storytelling feels different as it's all about everyone, well, basically trying to kill everyone else? But somehow, the power(?) balance still feels a bit similar to the one we had between all characters involved in the previous book. 🤔
It's not that it is necessarily not as good as the previous book, but some points made so that I didn't quite enjoy it as much as that other one.
— Well first, it doesn't really stand on its own as it goes with volume 3 of the series. So you're kinda left hanging at the end with a bunch of question marks all around. Which makes it all harder to rate.
— Although, having watched the anime, it made all the Rail Tracer story feel quite... well, flat? I mean, the mystery about it is what makes the story, so knowing before hand, it's hard to feel the same tension. 😣
— I didn't like the cast quite as much as the one in book 1. Jacuzzi's gang were good, but white suits or actually Ladd (as he's pretty much the only one doing stuff) is so annoying, and black suits are quite forgettable so far. (Of course, bless Isaac and Miria's comic relief.)
Actually, in terms of tension, I did find the whole "how's everything connected together" mystery part of book 1 a bit more enjoyable than the "rail tracer" mystery part of this book. So, there's that.
Oh, but on the bright side, the illustrations were much more satisfying than in the first book. That was my main negative point in the previous one, but this time... they did actually showcase some of the key scenes, or at least interesting ones. 👏🏻
All in all, it's still a good story to be concluded in book 3 (or so I suppose), which I'm looking forward to read next!
December 20, 2020
I was getting bored right through the middle of the story, but the ending changed everything. I need the next volume!
June 8, 2025
i generally enjoy LNs of adaptations more but damn the anime REALLY elevates the whole experience for this particular work. it will probably be more enjoyable when I have nothing to compare it to after the next part
Read
November 7, 2025The many prologues are freaking great, and the first half is really, really fun. My main problem with it is the fact that the entire book is basically set up for a lot of surprises in the next book, so a lot of the action feels disjointed. However, as a reader who knows all the plot twists and surprises in the next one, I'm very much looking forward to reading the next one because some of the tricks this book pulls are absolutely cruel!
October 27, 2024
Man, I love Baccano!
July 20, 2022
1,5 stars, I guess?
By the end, I was so bored, I just wanted it to be over.
I loved the Baccano anime, but even their, the train arc wasn't my favourite. And while I thought the first Baccano novel was fun, this book, not so much.
It suffers many of the same issues I had with the first book. It lacks a clear plot, has many characters that barely get any development, and it's just kinda repetitive and kinda boring.
The first book had many characters, but they were defined and interesting. This book follows three groups, the white suits, the black suits and the terrorists. Apparently the translations use another "suit" for the terrorists but the Japanese version just calls them terrorists, but never goes into what makes them terrorists. They feel no different from our mafia groups in terms of what they do.
The only group that has some actual people we get to know is the terrorist group. Their names are awful, as are most names in this book, but hey, we knew that. The parts following Jacuzzi and Nice (Pronounced Neith, (or Nee-su)) were the only parts that were kinda interesting.
Our characters from the first volume make cameos but play no real part in this book. Which makes this feel less like a continuation but more of a stand-alone. Except it doesn't really work as a stand-alone either, because there's no plot. Oh, but apparently the next volume is basically this book, but from different povs which will give us answers to our questions, so I can read this boring book again, yay.I'm not going to put myself through that, thank you very much.
Miria and Isaac were actually some of the better characters in this book, and this was the first time I actually liked them.
This whole book is "we have three groups on a train and they all try and kill each other/ murder people for fun." It reads like an action film without a plot. The descriptions with the most details are all about which guns/weapons the people use, not about who those people are and definitely not about their motivations, because we only care about guns and fighting. There is also the "railtracer" mystery, but it's very lackluster and never actually felt like a mystery at all.
The fact that this book continues into the next makes this book feel very incomplete. Characters get introduced and disappear, never get introduced at all, plot points are brought up and seemingly forgotten etc. It feels like Narita had a story and thought taking parts of it for this volume and parts of it for the next (rather than just cutting it in half through the middle) would make for an interesting, quirky volume, but really it just feels badly thought out and full of plot holes.
Like the first book, this book doesn't feel like it fits in the setting. The first book focussed excessively on how only Japanese people were polite and how Americans were never polite. Which made it double weird to read about everyone bowing to each other in this book. Because this author knows there's a culture difference, but apparently is completely mistaken about what those culture differences are. Admittedly, this is common in Japan, but still, I would have liked him to do some research. Because guess what, polite and rude people are everywhere. But bowing to thank or appologize is kind of an Asian thing. It still reads like everything is in Japan and everyone acts Japanese.
The names are as awful as in the first book.
There's also some really weird abbreviations in this book that make no sense in the American context. Like calling dynamite "mite." Mites are insects...
The misoginy is still there, but less so than in the previous book. Maybe because we had even less focus on female characters. Our only "main" character would be Nice, who seems capable enough until her cry-baby boyfriend/boss has to save her and she suddenly is a damsel in distress. Also, reading that Jacuzzi and Nice have been dating for ten years and then learning that Jacuzzi is 19 made me go O_o. So they've been dating since he was 9? Can you even really call that dating??
Also we have another immigrant who speaks in broken sentences. May I remind you that the Japanese immigrant was the only immigrant who spoke without an accent, and all other immigrants are portrayed as accented?And all Italian-Americans in the first book prefering to speak Japanese among themselves, it just has this Japan/Japanese is superior vibe I'm not there for.
The art was better in this volume, as in, it portrayed slightly better scenes. They were still not the most interesting ones, but definitely an improvement of the first.
By the end, I was so bored, I just wanted it to be over.
I loved the Baccano anime, but even their, the train arc wasn't my favourite. And while I thought the first Baccano novel was fun, this book, not so much.
It suffers many of the same issues I had with the first book. It lacks a clear plot, has many characters that barely get any development, and it's just kinda repetitive and kinda boring.
The first book had many characters, but they were defined and interesting. This book follows three groups, the white suits, the black suits and the terrorists. Apparently the translations use another "suit" for the terrorists but the Japanese version just calls them terrorists, but never goes into what makes them terrorists. They feel no different from our mafia groups in terms of what they do.
The only group that has some actual people we get to know is the terrorist group. Their names are awful, as are most names in this book, but hey, we knew that. The parts following Jacuzzi and Nice (Pronounced Neith, (or Nee-su)) were the only parts that were kinda interesting.
Our characters from the first volume make cameos but play no real part in this book. Which makes this feel less like a continuation but more of a stand-alone. Except it doesn't really work as a stand-alone either, because there's no plot. Oh, but apparently the next volume is basically this book, but from different povs which will give us answers to our questions, so I can read this boring book again, yay.
Miria and Isaac were actually some of the better characters in this book, and this was the first time I actually liked them.
This whole book is "we have three groups on a train and they all try and kill each other/ murder people for fun." It reads like an action film without a plot. The descriptions with the most details are all about which guns/weapons the people use, not about who those people are and definitely not about their motivations, because we only care about guns and fighting. There is also the "railtracer" mystery, but it's very lackluster and never actually felt like a mystery at all.
The fact that this book continues into the next makes this book feel very incomplete. Characters get introduced and disappear, never get introduced at all, plot points are brought up and seemingly forgotten etc. It feels like Narita had a story and thought taking parts of it for this volume and parts of it for the next (rather than just cutting it in half through the middle) would make for an interesting, quirky volume, but really it just feels badly thought out and full of plot holes.
Like the first book, this book doesn't feel like it fits in the setting. The first book focussed excessively on how only Japanese people were polite and how Americans were never polite. Which made it double weird to read about everyone bowing to each other in this book. Because this author knows there's a culture difference, but apparently is completely mistaken about what those culture differences are. Admittedly, this is common in Japan, but still, I would have liked him to do some research. Because guess what, polite and rude people are everywhere. But bowing to thank or appologize is kind of an Asian thing. It still reads like everything is in Japan and everyone acts Japanese.
The names are as awful as in the first book.
There's also some really weird abbreviations in this book that make no sense in the American context. Like calling dynamite "mite." Mites are insects...
The misoginy is still there, but less so than in the previous book. Maybe because we had even less focus on female characters. Our only "main" character would be Nice, who seems capable enough until her cry-baby boyfriend/boss has to save her and she suddenly is a damsel in distress. Also, reading that Jacuzzi and Nice have been dating for ten years and then learning that Jacuzzi is 19 made me go O_o. So they've been dating since he was 9? Can you even really call that dating??
Also we have another immigrant who speaks in broken sentences. May I remind you that the Japanese immigrant was the only immigrant who spoke without an accent, and all other immigrants are portrayed as accented?
The art was better in this volume, as in, it portrayed slightly better scenes. They were still not the most interesting ones, but definitely an improvement of the first.
October 10, 2017
Baccano #2 starts off around a year after the first Baccano left off, introducing new characters and organizations. The first couple of chapters are dedicated to introducing or reintroducing characters.
Isaac and Miria are "reformed" costumed bandits who're coming back to reunite with their friends from the first book (and if you read the first book, you'll know they're also immortal) but not before they make a train robbery.
Jacuzzi Splot is a young bootlegger with a gang of friends just trying to make some money in a mafia dominating business. After some of his friends were killed by the Russo Mafia, he went on a rampage destroyed numerous Russo establishments. His next goal is to steal explosive cargo on a train heading for New York.
Ladd Russo is a hitman for the Russo Mafia, and quite good at his job too. He's so good at his job that he actually finds joy in killing. He thinks it'd be fun to go on this train heading for New York and maybe kill half the passengers and hold the others hostage. You know?-for fun!
Goose Perkins is the leader of a terrorist organization/cult known as the Lemurés, "people who were so afraid of death, that they became ghosts", it went something like that anyway. Anyway, their immortal master, Huey Laforet, has been incarcerated and the Lemurés plan on taking the train hostage in hopes of getting their master freed!
Later on, some minor characters get introduced or at least hinted at but don't get an entire chapter dedicated to them.
So what happens when these characters cross paths? And what will happen when these characters come across the Mythical monster known as the Rail Tracer, a being that's said to consume everyone on the train and make the whole thing vanish!
Anyway, enough hype.
The premise of the story sort of makes it seem like it's mass chaos for the whole book, but there are some instances where the characters have downtime and I just kinda hoped that something would happen.
Characters like Jacuzzi kinda don't seem realistic in my eyes, some 18-20 year old guy who cries over just about anything isn't something I'd ever see in the real world, but at the same time, I have to remember that this is anime...
Ladd Russo is my favorite character in this book. His reasoning for killing the people is realistic in the sense that he's a sociopath and just enjoys killing only certain kinds of people... unlike Mr. Crybaby.
He disappears half way through the book and makes me think that Either Ryohgo Narita planned on having him in the next book or just straight up forgot about him.
I had no problems with the Lemurés but whenever it jumped to their perspective, I kinda just read for the sake of moving on and not to take in their story.
Although Chané Laforet's story was somewhat interesting.
I recommend this book to just about anyone who loves ridiculous action and anime. It being a light novel makes it stand out from all the other ones made in Japan because it isn't about some High School guy with no personality getting a bunch of girls enamored with him.
I don't find this next detail bad but some other people might. Ryohgo Narita goes into detail on how some characters are killed, and they get killed rather violently.
and uhhh yeah
Isaac and Miria are "reformed" costumed bandits who're coming back to reunite with their friends from the first book (and if you read the first book, you'll know they're also immortal) but not before they make a train robbery.
Jacuzzi Splot is a young bootlegger with a gang of friends just trying to make some money in a mafia dominating business. After some of his friends were killed by the Russo Mafia, he went on a rampage destroyed numerous Russo establishments. His next goal is to steal explosive cargo on a train heading for New York.
Ladd Russo is a hitman for the Russo Mafia, and quite good at his job too. He's so good at his job that he actually finds joy in killing. He thinks it'd be fun to go on this train heading for New York and maybe kill half the passengers and hold the others hostage. You know?-for fun!
Goose Perkins is the leader of a terrorist organization/cult known as the Lemurés, "people who were so afraid of death, that they became ghosts", it went something like that anyway. Anyway, their immortal master, Huey Laforet, has been incarcerated and the Lemurés plan on taking the train hostage in hopes of getting their master freed!
Later on, some minor characters get introduced or at least hinted at but don't get an entire chapter dedicated to them.
So what happens when these characters cross paths? And what will happen when these characters come across the Mythical monster known as the Rail Tracer, a being that's said to consume everyone on the train and make the whole thing vanish!
Anyway, enough hype.
The premise of the story sort of makes it seem like it's mass chaos for the whole book, but there are some instances where the characters have downtime and I just kinda hoped that something would happen.
Characters like Jacuzzi kinda don't seem realistic in my eyes, some 18-20 year old guy who cries over just about anything isn't something I'd ever see in the real world, but at the same time, I have to remember that this is anime...
Ladd Russo is my favorite character in this book. His reasoning for killing the people is realistic in the sense that he's a sociopath and just enjoys killing only certain kinds of people... unlike Mr. Crybaby.
He disappears half way through the book and makes me think that Either Ryohgo Narita planned on having him in the next book or just straight up forgot about him.
I had no problems with the Lemurés but whenever it jumped to their perspective, I kinda just read for the sake of moving on and not to take in their story.
Although Chané Laforet's story was somewhat interesting.
I recommend this book to just about anyone who loves ridiculous action and anime. It being a light novel makes it stand out from all the other ones made in Japan because it isn't about some High School guy with no personality getting a bunch of girls enamored with him.
I don't find this next detail bad but some other people might. Ryohgo Narita goes into detail on how some characters are killed, and they get killed rather violently.
and uhhh yeah
December 29, 2016
The best Baccano plot line in its original novel format. What more could I ask for?
In classic Baccano style, this book in the series has little connection to the previous one. The bright side of this is that you can pick it up without having read anything else in the series!
This book revolves around a 1931 luxury train, The Flying Pussyfoot, and the three different groups who plan on robbing it. First, there's the "Black Suits", on a mission to save their boss by holding the train's passengers hostage. Second are the "White Suits", a sadistic gang led by Ladd Russo who enjoy killing purely for fun. And last but not least is "Jacuzzi's Gang, a gang of ragtag robbers who want to steal the train's cargo. Needless to say, the chaos that erupts on this train is hilarious and very, very violent.
The characters are very enjoyable, possibly even more so than the first novel. Outside of a couple of brief scenes involving Firo, Ennis, Maiza and the Gandor brothers, the only characters who return from the previous novel are Isaac and Miria, and their lovely comedic timing is very welcome in the otherwise rather grim situation. Our new characters include Chane, a silent but deadly killer who just wants to save her dad, Ladd, a sadistic, crazy sociopath whose love of violence never gets boring, Jacuzzi, a crybaby leader with a tattoo of a sword on half of his face, and Nice (pronounced niece), Jacuzzi's kind but intimidating bomber girlfriend. The rest of the characters are either dead or essentially unimportant by the novel's end, but our main cast is so entertaining and funny that it doesn't bother me all that much.
There are really only three things that bother me about this book, enough to knock off basically half a star. First, the supernatural elements in this book aren't explained very well, making it confusing and a bit unsettling to read. Second is that the ending isn't very resolute, and seeing that it's Baccano that I'm talking about, I doubt we really will get all of our desired answers. Third is how different it was from the anime. The anime added plenty of scenes to fix the first two problems, and I felt it was more concrete than the novel. Other than that, the book really was fun.
In the end, I really did enjoy the ride this book offered me, probably more than the first one. If you're looking for an uptempo crime caper with a lot of violence, humor, and heart, look no further. Baccano is exactly what you want.
In classic Baccano style, this book in the series has little connection to the previous one. The bright side of this is that you can pick it up without having read anything else in the series!
This book revolves around a 1931 luxury train, The Flying Pussyfoot, and the three different groups who plan on robbing it. First, there's the "Black Suits", on a mission to save their boss by holding the train's passengers hostage. Second are the "White Suits", a sadistic gang led by Ladd Russo who enjoy killing purely for fun. And last but not least is "Jacuzzi's Gang, a gang of ragtag robbers who want to steal the train's cargo. Needless to say, the chaos that erupts on this train is hilarious and very, very violent.
The characters are very enjoyable, possibly even more so than the first novel. Outside of a couple of brief scenes involving Firo, Ennis, Maiza and the Gandor brothers, the only characters who return from the previous novel are Isaac and Miria, and their lovely comedic timing is very welcome in the otherwise rather grim situation. Our new characters include Chane, a silent but deadly killer who just wants to save her dad, Ladd, a sadistic, crazy sociopath whose love of violence never gets boring, Jacuzzi, a crybaby leader with a tattoo of a sword on half of his face, and Nice (pronounced niece), Jacuzzi's kind but intimidating bomber girlfriend. The rest of the characters are either dead or essentially unimportant by the novel's end, but our main cast is so entertaining and funny that it doesn't bother me all that much.
There are really only three things that bother me about this book, enough to knock off basically half a star. First, the supernatural elements in this book aren't explained very well, making it confusing and a bit unsettling to read. Second is that the ending isn't very resolute, and seeing that it's Baccano that I'm talking about, I doubt we really will get all of our desired answers. Third is how different it was from the anime. The anime added plenty of scenes to fix the first two problems, and I felt it was more concrete than the novel. Other than that, the book really was fun.
In the end, I really did enjoy the ride this book offered me, probably more than the first one. If you're looking for an uptempo crime caper with a lot of violence, humor, and heart, look no further. Baccano is exactly what you want.
October 25, 2019
Finally reached the end of this volume! The evening trip from Chicago to New York has come to an end on Dec 31 1931 at 2pm. This story covered only some perspectives during this train ride & I can't wait to see what Volume 3 has in store. The "Rail Tracer" is still a mystery & what happened to those in the remaining white suits? The remaining terrorists?
What I really enjoy about this series in general is the large cast of characters, where each is treated as a main character! Multiple points-of-view and seemingly minor characters, who play major roles in the story. We mostly follow the delinquents in the latter half of this novel, but they all get their moments to shine. This volume ends at 2pm on December 31, 1931. Mafia family (Martillo) executive Firo, Ennis, and Martillo family contaiuolo (notary)/ immortal Maiza Avaro, wait for their friends at the train terminal.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel and series because of the fast paced action scenes and flow of the story. However, because of this, the world does not feel as descriptive only major locations. Otherwise it's an action packed story with interesting characters, and an even more intricate plot behind the scenes! Excited to read volume 3!
What I really enjoy about this series in general is the large cast of characters, where each is treated as a main character! Multiple points-of-view and seemingly minor characters, who play major roles in the story. We mostly follow the delinquents in the latter half of this novel, but they all get their moments to shine. This volume ends at 2pm on December 31, 1931. Mafia family (Martillo) executive Firo, Ennis, and Martillo family contaiuolo (notary)/ immortal Maiza Avaro, wait for their friends at the train terminal.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel and series because of the fast paced action scenes and flow of the story. However, because of this, the world does not feel as descriptive only major locations. Otherwise it's an action packed story with interesting characters, and an even more intricate plot behind the scenes! Excited to read volume 3!
April 15, 2023
Imagine a Tarantino ensemble hyperviolent character drama but written by a man obsessed with Miike movies (Ryohgo literally namedrops Dead or Alive in the afterword) and set entirely in a 1930s train (if you dont include the epilogue that starts the book and the FIVE prologues) filled with the most fun psychopathic mob son and his crew who just want to kill everyone for the fun of it, a gang of delinquent bootleggers who want to steal a bomb, a group of terrorists who want to use the passengers as hostages to negotiate the release of their cult leader's freedom from the government, immortals (not surprising if you've read the first book) and an unknown entity known as the Rail Tracer who is slowly picking off people left and right from the shadows (like Batman) and absolutely fucking mutilating them (unlike Batman).
If you've already watched the anime, I can guarantee that reading this feels EXACTLY as hype as watching it did.
Can't wait to read Vol. 3 which I assume covers the same incident but from Vino's point of view.
If you've already watched the anime, I can guarantee that reading this feels EXACTLY as hype as watching it did.
Can't wait to read Vol. 3 which I assume covers the same incident but from Vino's point of view.
October 14, 2020
While in the Baccano world this book has nearly nothing to do with the original set of characters. There are some brief moments from some of them and our favorite pair of costumed thieves are around much of it, but the rest are not a big part of this story. Is that a problem? Not exactly, we just are introduced to another whole set of groups large as (or larger) than in volume 1 so the cast of characters is pretty big. Each group has something they want to do on the express train from Chicago to New York and of course they all get in each other's way. Only to end on a "To be continued".
Apparently volume 3 will be the same events from different perspectives/characters. After a 3-star rating will I keep going? Yes, because I want to know the conclusion and I'm interested in the world that Narita has imagined.
Verdict: It wasn't quite as interesting to me as volume 1, but is also only half the story here so give it a go, just know you'll need volume 3 to finish it off.
Apparently volume 3 will be the same events from different perspectives/characters. After a 3-star rating will I keep going? Yes, because I want to know the conclusion and I'm interested in the world that Narita has imagined.
Verdict: It wasn't quite as interesting to me as volume 1, but is also only half the story here so give it a go, just know you'll need volume 3 to finish it off.
July 1, 2021
As the anime is one of my favourite shows, I was really excited to read the original series, and so far it does not disappoint!
There's something very unique and charming about the writing style, adding an extra insight into character's thoughts or funny asides during already memorable scenes which I recognise which make reading these worth the while. I laughed out loud many times while reading this, which is uncommon for me, but unsurprising given how enjoyable this book is.
Besides that, it's a joy to revisit these characters, since every one is enjoyable and well thought out, with a lovable cast like this the story is elevated even further. The dialogue is also very well written.
I can't wait to read the next volume, where the best reveals of this arc, as well as my favourite character, are waiting! I'm pleased to say these are firmly some of my favourite books, as well as a beloved tv series.
There's something very unique and charming about the writing style, adding an extra insight into character's thoughts or funny asides during already memorable scenes which I recognise which make reading these worth the while. I laughed out loud many times while reading this, which is uncommon for me, but unsurprising given how enjoyable this book is.
Besides that, it's a joy to revisit these characters, since every one is enjoyable and well thought out, with a lovable cast like this the story is elevated even further. The dialogue is also very well written.
I can't wait to read the next volume, where the best reveals of this arc, as well as my favourite character, are waiting! I'm pleased to say these are firmly some of my favourite books, as well as a beloved tv series.
January 15, 2018
This is my second time reading this book and I really like this book because it has an interesting plot. In this book three different groups plan to use a train to further their goals. One group called the Lemures plan to use the trains passengers as hostages so they can get their leader from police custody. They are mostly referred to as the black suits. Another group is the white suits who plan on murdering everybody on the train after they get money from the train company for hostages. The final group is a ragtag group of thugs who want to steal the cargo from the train but end up stopping the other groups from doing what they want. They end up in conflict and people start dying to a monster called the Rail Tracer who ripped people limb from limb. This book is really funny and I would suggest it to anybody looking for something interesting.
July 20, 2018
The Baccano! anime makes a lot more sense to me now that I know it was basically three or four book stories packed into one continuous anime one. This book wasn't as strong as The Rolling Bootlegs, stacking the deck a little too high with its characters and parallel storylines. Even with the uniting theme of them all happening aboard the train The Flying Pussyfoot, it was difficult to follow at times who was who and which sides they were on (particularly with minor characters who didn't appear in the anime). Still, it's highly enjoyable, the characters (especially the ever-reliable Isaac and Miria) were a lot of fun, and I felt like I got a deeper appreciation of characters who felt underexplored in the adaptation (especially Jacuzzi, Nice and their gang). It has all the caustic, referencey wit that makes Narita's work so entertaining.
November 14, 2018
The second volume covers the stuff on the Flying Pussifoot out of the perspective of the autonomous terrorist group that wants to free Huey LaForet, the white suits, Isaac and Miria and Jacuzzis group. All of these people basically want to abduct that poor train for their own reasons and it becomes completely chaotic and shit goes horribly wrong because they start to attack each other. And both the terrorist group and the white suit group get viciously attacked but a mysterious and damn creepy monster that just appears and seems to devour the people...
Quote from Goose
Things didn't go as planned. We started out with a group of around thirty people and now only six are left
Ladd Russo and his group killed like four people, Rachel kicked two out of the window... Rail Tracer, what the **** did you do?
Quote from Goose
Things didn't go as planned. We started out with a group of around thirty people and now only six are left
Ladd Russo and his group killed like four people, Rachel kicked two out of the window... Rail Tracer, what the **** did you do?
December 13, 2021
So this book isn't even a continuation of the first book and the THRID book is just a retelling of THIS book. So what's the point?
Anyways lots of characters are thrown at you all at once and you don't really get to know them all that well. THen there's just blood and killing and death until the end of the book and it's over.
Women once again are talked up to be "badass" and are easily depowered and taken down and don't really get to do much.
Reading the afterword the author is into Miike and Miike is just bloody boring violent films that are of course touted as "GREAT STORYTELLING" because all the people who say these things are dudes with the minds of 12yos.
I think I have one more book I bought thinking this was a good series which is just THIS story again :|
Anyways lots of characters are thrown at you all at once and you don't really get to know them all that well. THen there's just blood and killing and death until the end of the book and it's over.
Women once again are talked up to be "badass" and are easily depowered and taken down and don't really get to do much.
Reading the afterword the author is into Miike and Miike is just bloody boring violent films that are of course touted as "GREAT STORYTELLING" because all the people who say these things are dudes with the minds of 12yos.
I think I have one more book I bought thinking this was a good series which is just THIS story again :|
May 20, 2018
I am an absolute fan of Ryohgo Narita's writting style. This one started slow, and had me wondering for a while as there were very few references to all the great characters introduced in volume 1. So, with an all new cast, a new story unfolds... and it wasn't what I expected.
What I did not expect was that this would be a horror like thriller. On the same train, we've got 3 different terrorist groups, 2 or 3 killers, different objectives, limited space and a bunch of hostages. This one is set in 1931, on a train from Chicago to New York.
I really enjoyed this book, and if book 1 grabbed my attention, book 2 made me a fan!
What I did not expect was that this would be a horror like thriller. On the same train, we've got 3 different terrorist groups, 2 or 3 killers, different objectives, limited space and a bunch of hostages. This one is set in 1931, on a train from Chicago to New York.
I really enjoyed this book, and if book 1 grabbed my attention, book 2 made me a fan!
March 29, 2018
Es increíble la calidad magistral que tiene Narita para narrar una historia. Muchos gustan de Durarara!!, pero para mí Baccano! ha sido y sigue siendo su Magnum Opus. La calidad y variedad de personajes, la interrelación entre todos ellos (incluso aquellos que creerías no tienen nada que ver), y las múltiples tramas manejadas de forma simultánea, no hacen más que demostrar las cualidades de Narita como escritor. Lectura amena, ligera, que cumple a la perfección con lo que promete: simple entretenimiento.
February 18, 2023
Some of the most fun I've had reading a book.
Chaos is the middle name of Baccano! and Narita works arm, legs, head, tooth, and nail to make every paragraph, every passage, every page, every chapter propel the plot forward with his many characters. His aesthetics continue to be strong and his characterization unmatched in the realms of novels (to be honest). Baccano! is here to shake you up and leave you breathless.
Chaos is the middle name of Baccano! and Narita works arm, legs, head, tooth, and nail to make every paragraph, every passage, every page, every chapter propel the plot forward with his many characters. His aesthetics continue to be strong and his characterization unmatched in the realms of novels (to be honest). Baccano! is here to shake you up and leave you breathless.
March 19, 2017
I think almost every paragraph ends with something ridiculous happening. There is little to no downtime at all and any character development happens in the midst of gunfire and chaos. Can't wait for part 3!
June 1, 2022
Thảm sát, như truyện kinh dị hài hước.
Nếu ko xem bản anime trước thì ko chắc là mình có thể theo kịp được số lượng nhân vật mới được giới thiệu đồ sộ cùng 1 lúc.
Khúc giữa truyện nhịp điệu khá chậm làm mình chững lại mạch đọc khá lâu.
Nhưng khúc cuối đẩy nhanh mạch truyện đọc khá cuốn.
Nếu ko xem bản anime trước thì ko chắc là mình có thể theo kịp được số lượng nhân vật mới được giới thiệu đồ sộ cùng 1 lúc.
Khúc giữa truyện nhịp điệu khá chậm làm mình chững lại mạch đọc khá lâu.
Nhưng khúc cuối đẩy nhanh mạch truyện đọc khá cuốn.
September 4, 2018
The volume was really fun. It still didn’t make me like Jacuzzi but that’s more of me not liking his personality.
June 3, 2021
La primera parte de dos novelas, siendo en su conjunto la 2da historia de Baccano, donde todo transcurre en un tren. Nose, lean baccano la puta que los pario, no se van a arrepentir
August 8, 2021
I took WAY too long to finish this, but damn I love this series so much! Fast paced action with unique characters 🔥🔥
January 21, 2022
Soooo good
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