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!