Manga: Baccano 3

Baccano! Vol 3
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy! 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Firo's big day has come, and everyone's enjoying the celebration--Isaac and Miria so much so that they've had a bit of a change of heart! If one criminal syndicate is just too nice to rob, then surely another will do...Meanwhile, Szilard learns that the object of his search is right under his nose. Soon nothing will stand between him and ultimate knowledge...! 

The day is finally here, Firo has his ceremony and becomes an Executive, so there's celebrations all round, including Miria and Isaac....and me. Unfortunately Dallas and co are after Firo, and the Gandor brothers return to see the damage...and they aren't happy. 

There's ominous undertones to the story from the start, thanks to the voice over/narrations added in. It's all to do with that box, and every time I saw it, or a piece fell in to place, I could start to form an image of what was going to happen and my brain was screaming NO, fora large part of the volume. Everything really starts to converge in this volume and come together. 

I have to say, I want to shake Ennis so bad. I wanted to like her, but she's on the wrong side and she's kind of an idiot, like I get why she is, but she was so frustrating for me! My hatred for Szilard literally knows no bounds with this volume. 

Miria and Isaac have grown on me so freaking much, and actually really love them! So I was screaming at them not to go to a certain place! They're just funny, and bless them...they really do try and do the right thing and try to help their new friends. 

This volume moves quickly and there's a lot of tension and action throughout. There's some heart breaking and heart stopping moments but in the end everything is wrapped up nicely! I have to say it's a satisfying end for the characters, and one I kind of didn't see coming so I shrieked a lot when I read certain chapters! 

Manga: Baccano 2

Baccano Vol 2
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

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! 

I completely and utterly loved the first volume of Baccano, and it threw me some curve balls with the supernatural twist and got me plenty intrigued with the mysteries. As we start this volume we're hit with a time jump of three years from the end of last volume, which I thought was an interesting development and again....I wasn't expecting it! 

We're now in 1930, post stock market crash! The full colour page immediately grabbed my attention and I was so ready to dive in to this volume...plus it's chunkier than the previous one which had me all excited too! 

Firo gets promoted to Executive in the Camorra, something I was expecting to see him struggle towards throughout the coming volumes, and I'm intrigued to see what path this will take as it keeps blind siding me every single volume! 

Edward, an Inspector and seeming nemesis of Firo and co appears at the start, along with two new characters. Miriam and Isaac...and I can't even. They're all "We're gonna rob people. We need to keep a low profile." and then being kind of idiotic and bumbly and then trying to be all tough and scary. They're kinda funny and mostly harmless...I think. I actually quite like them, I think! I'm hoping they'll be a permanent fixture. They took us quite the interesting journey as we got to know them and finally figured out what their motivation is, bless them. 

We also meet Dallas, who's a new bad guy going against the Gandors and the Mafia in general by the looks of it. I was actually feeling quite bad for him at one point but by the end of the volume I was like "okay dude...dig your own grave, I'm out". I think he'll be sticking around for a little while, so I'm basically assuming that the new characters introduced in this volume are our permanent cast for the coming volumes after the time jump. I'm kind of looking at Volume 1 as a prologue at this stage! 

Ennis....I felt kind of sad for her. I didn't actually realise she was a she until Firo pointed it out. All thanks to the deceptive art work! She provided a shock twist with who and what she is! She works for Szilard, who's returned to the city after three years...duh. The liquor of immortality is nearly complete, or rather...is complete until disaster strikes. Curious as I am about Maiza...he cracks me up and I love his interactions and relationship with Firo! 

We get plenty more background on Szilard and Maiza and what went down on that ship in 1711. Alchemists and alchemy, which I was so not expecting from a manga that I thought was all about the mafia! There's some interesting information/lore on how it all works, and I'm a sucker for the details in this series! 

I love the Gandors, Luck in particular! Their friendship with Firo is cute and hilarious at the same time, and I like how they switch their personalities depending on the occasion. I'm so excited we're getting to see them in this volume as I wasn't sure if things may have changed in the three year gap! Although things aren't looking good for them at the end of the volume! 

The historical detail, including slang in the dialogue is genuinely amazing and I'm living for all the various different kind of details in this volume, both historical and otherwise! My one gripe is...where  is Claire?! 

As we head towards the end of the volume, things really start to kick off and to quote the volume....the stage is set! There's certainly going to be a lot of chaos coming up, and I'm excited to see all of these various different, yet interesting characters all working together or against each other or whatever! Upon completing this volume...it becomes clear that we should treat vol 1 as a prologue, introducing us to the characters, while this volume really kicks off the story! 

Manga: Baccano!

Baccano! 
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

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!

So....I anticipated one thing from this, and ended up getting blown away because it was even better than I expected, I mean...prohibition era New York....Mafia...mobsters....and supernatural elements?! So unexpected but so freaking awesome! I'm already eagerly anticipating the next volume of this manga, I'm not going to lie! 

Firo is a loveable badass with sticky fingers, and I'm already rooting for him to work his way up like he wants to. Bless him, all he wants is to be an exec in the family aka higher ranked than he is. He wants to join the Mafia gang his childhood friends are in without using connections...which is actually really admirable. He wants to work his way up to the top. I'm also incredibly curious about Firo because there's something going on with him...something with a supernatural bent to it I think. His friend Claire too! I'm so interested in him! He's a lot of fun, running over rooftops and so on. 

Maiza is another intriguing character, I felt like there was something off about him right from the start, and I wanted to know what his deal was. Then towards the end of the volume, there's a reveal about him that completely blew my mind because I was reading like "wait...this isn't a supernatural manga so what the hell?" and then I was like "Oh...okay, we're going all supernatural, I see" I was genuinely pleasantly surprised. I need more information on Maiza though! 

This is an excellent first volume, there's a surprise supernatural element that I wasn't expecting, but it only added to the fun! This first volume is fun, introducing you to the characters and setting up some interesting plot elements! There's a showdown in a casino, a shadowy phantom murderer, and a supernatural mystery element introduced at the end! I'm excited to see more!