Baccano!

access: Gun's & Roses
approved in Sept. 2007
anime/manga/novel series
in good shape

I have a genuine love for historical fiction, and Baccano! is my favorite series in said genre. I didn't expect to ever fall in love with a west-oriented book until Baccano! intruded my life, and in a way it helped me appreciate the Norch American culture a little more than before - even if the series is mainly about Mafia and the like.

Baccano! is great for capturing almost every theme I would love to see in a historical fiction: light and warm human drama, characters who are unique beyond belief (think about Claire and Chane), plenty of good action, close reference to historical events and real life, etc. On top of all, each novel in Baccano! series is linked in a way that you simply have to read every release. Sometimes I wonder how can Narita remember all his characters and plot bunnies...

Overall, this is a series I recommend to every young adult and beyond. My little shrine offers English translations of the first few Baccano! novels so please drop by if you're interested in Baccano!'s original script: I believe most people here heard about this series through its anime adaptation, which was great but had to cut a lot of details from the original novels due to lack of space.