Black Lagoon - Review

Duration: 2 Seasons, 12 episodes per (24 mins each)
Genre: Action, Adventure

Once in awhile, there's nothing like pure, mindless, adrenaline-pumping action. Money, cars, girls and guns--what more do you want in your action anime? To be frank, it sounded like I just named the top four things discussed in a rap album, but I digress. Most action/shounen anime are hindered by various filler arcs and a horribly paced storyline. I came across Black Lagoon expecting more of the same, but was thoroughly surprised and impressed with its streamlined action sequences. It's one of those series that will have you enticed from the get go--guns-a-blazin'! Prepare yourselves, you're in for one hell of a ride.

Story

Okajima Rokuro is your day-to-day typical Japanese business man. Nothing more than a cog in machine, he puts up with being verbally abused by his clients and superiors. During a job to deliver a disc overseas in China, his boat gets hijacked by a group of mercenaries hired to retrieve the disc. Taken in as a prospective hostage by the Lagoon Company, yet completely cast off by his bosses at the same time, Rock (a nickname given to him by Revy) decides to take his chances and join Revy & Co in their endeavors in the crime-ridden city of Roanapur. Internal and external conflict occur as Rock struggles with finding his true identity in between his past life as a soulless business man and his current situation in the underground crime scene.

The plot is split up into two to three episode arcs each showcasing the various jobs the Lagoon Company takes on. It's not your run of the mill, shoot-everything-in-sight-and-fetch type of jobs, but ones where death is always a possibility--an uphill battle every time. Some arcs will be more engrossing than others, but each with its own distinct style and approach.

Characters

Okajima "Rock" Rokuro: A supposed pencil-pushing Japanese business man, he naturally doesn't fit with the Lagoon & Co. Often times questioning the methods of Revy and Dutch, it is an ongoing struggle for Rock to uncover his true identity/purpose in the world. To be frank, throwing some People's Elbows could've solved plenty of problems.

Dutch: Not exactly your smiley, potty-mouthed black guy, Dutch is a former American soldier in the Vietnam war. Not much about his past is known, but as the leader of the Lagoon Company, he's respected in my circles. Dutch is second in line behind B.A Baracus in regards to all-time cool black guys.

Revy: A fan favorite and for good reason, Revy's character be summed up fairly quickly--she's a crazy bitch. Most would agree with the characterization; she's brash, hot headed, selfish, foul-mouthed, and takes joy in killing others. A cynic at heart, she does change just bit over the course of the series. She's not just a pair of boobs with guns...ish.

Benny: Compared to the rest of the cast, Benny is a little lacking in character; but his duties as chief mechanic and computer specialist make him a valuable part of the team. He's simply around for Dutch to call him "Benny-boy", which has me entertained.

Not enough can be said about the rest of the supporting cast of Black Lagoon. From the suave Mr. Chang to the power-hungry bitch Balalaika, their charismatic nature is real treat to watch and complement the main cast very well.

Voice Acting/Sound

The voice acting for Black Lagoon is quite interesting to say the least, especially for the original Japanese dub. People who have read my reviews before know I take a personal preference towards original voice acting, but in this case, the English dub gets my nod of approval. Taking into account its setting in the city of Roanapur, the underground crime melting pot; and most of the cast drawing from Western backgrounds, English naturally fits as a universally spoken language.

Voice acting qualms aside, the soundtrack is superb; comprising tracks with a heavy influence of rock and roll. Its rock-heavy set of tracks fit gritty/violent nature of each scene, enhancing its already crisp/fluid stylized animation. Much more can be said about it overall, but I have no complaints whatsoever--excellent.

Loved
Unreal Realism: I was thoroughly impressed with the execution of each action sequence. Each of them was more over the top than the next, but always done with fluid animation. Some aspects of these scenes aren't too plausible including Revy's unfathomable ability to defy death and the bizarre mecha-woman Roberta, but I was enjoying myself too much to care.

Lung Cancer: As much as people would like to deny it, smoking is inherently cool. Sure, people know its definite leading cause of lung cancer and various other problems, but I swear nearly every character (supporting characters included) has at least one shot of him/her smoking. The real truth is, people love to light up.

Hated
Cringe-inducing Engrish: In the last several episodes, Rock is a Japanese translator for Balalaika in discussions with the Japanese mafia. In these few episodes, hearing Balalaika and Revy's Engrish was borderline unbearable. The English dub is actually pretty well done in comparison; I don't have any qualms about the dub.

You've got Holes in my Plot: For the most part, Black Lagoon does a good job of fleshing out the necessary details to further the respective story arcs along, but I did feel a bit lost at times wondering why the hell some random gang member got killed. Perhaps a second go around would clarify some things.

The Lowdown: If one were to translate the high-octane action packed Hollywood movies into an anime, this would be it. The first several episodes will have you easily hooked looking for more, but the second half leaves a lot to be desired. Several OVAs have been released featuring other characters from the series such as Roberta the batshit-superhuman maid, but unfortunately no full fledged third season has been announced.

Notes: Watched series from beginning to end (Funimation subs) and parts of English dub.

Clannad/After Story - Review

Duration: 2 seasons (23 episodes each) + 2 OVAs
Genre: Harem, Slice-of-Life, Romance, Drama

Despite trying to avoid most harem anime, I inevitably get around to watching them; hoping for an extremely engrossing plot with a diverse cast breaking their stereotypical molds. Some may say I'm crazy because the truth is, harem anime can be considered the antithesis of engaging/complex. My line of thought has been skewed drastically since Clannad was the first harem anime I watched. In retrospect, it's a damned good one to start out with, and perhaps the best one to date.

Story

Okazaki Tomoya is your average, yet wickedly good looking delinquent high school student. Aimlessly plodding through his adolescence, he doesn't have any particular ambitions, desires, goals, etc; most of it caused by teenage angst along with an unhealthy parental relationship with his father. While on a walk to school he passes by a young girl (Furukawa Nagisa) muttering some words to herself. She happens to catch his attention and they walk off to school together. Much to his dismay, Nagisa believes he befriended her. Particularly bored with his life, Tomoya decides to go along with it and learns about Nagisa's desire to restore the theater/drama club. As they both start to hang out more and meet other friends along the way, Tomoya begins to see his life moving in a more positive direction.

Episodes are split up between various character specific story arcs, formatted to feature each girl like in its original visual-novel source material. Recurring themes about family are explored, focusing on issues between parents, siblings, or the family as a whole.

For the purpose of this review, I decided to pair up the two series together as they certainly can't be given a fair analysis on their own. The bonds and friendships formed during the first season are just as integral to the plot as Tomoya and Nagisa's life together after school. Clannad is nothing without its ~After Story~ and vice versa. Quite perhaps one of the best stories ever told in an anime, if not, the most most heart-wrenching for sure. At first glance through the first several episodes, one would disagree with the previous statement, but like any good love story, it genuinely takes time to develop and blossom.

Characters

Okazaki Tomoya: A particularly ambivalent harem protagonist; he's thankfully not dumb as dirt, and a very likable character. Considered a hopeless delinquent by many, most of his actions throughout the series proves otherwise. He currently lives with his dead-beat Dad, but frequents Sunohara's dorm/apartment quite often.

Sunohara Youhei: Tomoya's partner in crime, he's around for comedic relief by means of slapstick humor. Rebellious with his blonde hair class-clown nature, he has the characteristics of a wholesomely good friend. Some say he's annoying, but he gets plenty of beatings from Kyou and Tomoyo to compensate.

Furukawa Nagisa: Tomoya's accidental love interest as I would like to call her. It's hard not to like her since she's so darn adorable with her antennae hair. Despite being fairly timid, and lacking in confidence, she has a big heart and cares for the ones around her. That smile is just contagious.

Fujibayashi Kyou/Ryou: The twins Fujibayashi, they are quite the polar opposites. Kyou is your typical bitchy, headstrong, direct, tsundere sister while Ryou is the docile, timid, more moe one. Unfortunately, their respective story arcs weren't explored in the anime; at least they were featured in one of the Another World OVAs.

Ichinose Kotomi: Your usual aloof, book-smart, twin-tailed girl (above blushing). She has an extreme case of social ineptitude and in some cases tunnel vision. Oblivious to most of her surroundings, she moves at her own pace--she's harmless up until you give her a violin.

Sakagami Tomoyo: Not to be confused with Tomoya (our harem protagonist), Tomoyo is perhaps the anime equivalent of Street Fighter's maiden Chun-Li, the strongest woman in the world; and for very good reason. Interested yet? Her hobbies include sports, volunteering, and beating up random gang members.

Although the series comprises archetypal characters, they are just well rounded enough for one to care why they exist in the grand scheme of things. The bonds made between characters are very real and emotions are illustrated naturally--nothing too forced.

Voice Acting/Sound

The original voice Japanese voice actors in Clannad deserve an award. Everyone casted did an exceptional job with their respective roles. Some special praise needs to be given to Nakahara Mai's role as Nagisa; I was thoroughly impressed with her, always delivering the right voice for the right moment. Unfortunately I have not gotten around to exploring the English dub, but in regards to the Japanese voice acting--top notch.

Just like the voice acting, the soundtrack deserves some praise. At first it seems as though many of the tracks are recycled, but they've been remixed different times to fit different scenarios; the variety is certainly there. Notable tracks comprise mostly of the piano/flute variety. No track really does seem out of place except for maybe one or two tracks. Regardless, the soundtrack is nothing short of spectacular. If one is looking for BGM to sample for a depressingly dramatic montage, look no further.

Loved
Alternate Universes: Each season ended with special OVA featuring an alternate world if Tomoya were to pick a girl other than Nagisa; true to its original visual novel concept. Despite being one episode for each (Tomoyo, Kyou), a lot occurs and captures the romance/drama lacking in some of the character arcs. Despite feeling a little rushed and probably too condensed, the episodes are surprisingly deep and worth a watch.

Fuuko: After her character arc to start off the series, she shows up at random times to "help" out Tomoya and the rest during various incidents, with absolutely zero percent success rate, but one hundred percent random comedic gold--starfish can only solve so many problems.

Hated
"Torch" Ending: Like I said above, there really isn't any track that seemed out of place, animation and sound coalescing to make a masterpiece, until you hear the ending track from ~After Story~. It's not a bad track by any means, it just immediately sounds out of place. They were probably going for a change of pace to lighten the mood after a drama heavy episode, but that's the absolute last thing I want when I'm absorbed into dramatic incident.

Loose Ends: Depicted at the beginning of several episodes is a mysterious illusionary world devoid of any identifiable life other than a girl and a robot she made out of garbage. This world does have its purpose in the long run, but became a stretch in terms of linking it to the main story. It's fair to say that some elements of Clannad heavily depend on themes of fantasy and the unknown, but it took awhile for me to grasp what the writers were going for in this case.

The Lowdown: Upon reflection, there isn't anything too special about the first season of Clannad. Some might go and kill me, but it's fairly mediocre harem anime if you take out the Fuuko and Kotomi arcs. That being said, if one sticks with the series up until the last several episodes of ~After Story~, be prepared to be treated to some of the most powerful/dramatic scenes in anime. It will surely leave you in tears and pulling at your heart strings.

Notes: Watched entire series beginning to end in addition to the respective OVAs (SS-Eclipse Subs)

Outlaw Star - Review

Duration: 26 episodes (24 mins each)
Genre: Adventure, Action, Sci-Fi (space)

If one were to participate in a simple word association exercise only related to anime, generally, these words would associate with the following anime:

• nine thousand - Dragonball Z
• dog - Inuyasha
• boxing - Hajime no Ippo
• Toyota - Initial D
• god - Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

But what anime does one associate with when the words "space" and "bounty hunters" are raised? Most would say Cowboy Bebop, the crazy popular anime about the misadventures of Spike, Jet, Faye Valentine, and Edward. Needless to say, Cowboy Bebop is one of those anime that is part of one's rite of passage to anime bliss. A diverse and extremely unique soundtrack, enticing stories/subplots, and a cast of very memorable characters--you can't go wrong with the space cowboys. Often times overlooked or just forgotten is the other anime about bounty hunters in space, Outlaw Star. Make the distinction here, they're outlaws, not cowboys.

Story

In the future where people have abandoned earth and began colonizing other planets, on a planet called Centinel 3, Gene Starwind and Jim Hawking run their own freelance business. Gene tends to do a bit of bounty hunting on the side as the business isn't as lucrative as he had hoped. One day they receive a job providing some personal protection to a fairly suspicious woman; but is an Outlaw in disguise. The events following lead Gene and Jim down a spiraling road of trouble as they encounter pirates, other bounty hunters, a prototype spaceship, and a mysterious bio-android girl.

The entire series, similarly formatted like Cowboy Bebop, comprise stories of episodic nature. This formula works well as different scenarios and circumstances are presented to the characters in a fashion where they can develop. Despite the episodic nature, it follows a fairly linear style with a hint of filler to break up more intense episodes.

Characters

Gene Starwind: The main protagonist with his crimson red hair and numerous battle scars, he's the target of many booty calls. He's simple-minded and an ass at times, but is loyal and sensitive when need be.

Jim Hawking: Son of renown computer hacker, he handles the busy/tech work for Gene. He's the epitome of sidekick in every way; covering for Gene's shortcomings. It surprises me that he's only eleven--crazy child prodigies.

Melfina: the bio-android girl Gene and Jim discover during their protection "job". Unaware of why she was created, she is mild-mannered and curious of her surroundings.

Aisha Clanclan: part of the Ctarl-Ctarl empire. A mix between a human and a tiger, she is very proud of her race; often times announcing it nearly every opportunity she gets to. Possessing super human strength and tolerance for extreme conditions in her humanoid form, she can also transform into a beast (similar to wild cats)--furries rejoice.

"Twilight" Suzuka: A woman of very few words and also a super-class assassin, no one should be messing with her. Like Melfina, her past is unknown for the most part, but she has very distinct motives for sticking around with Gene. Don't worry, she's not related to any vampires or werewolves.

Voice Acting/Sound

I was originally introduced to Outlaw Star on Toonami's old afternoon schedule so I have some bias towards the English voice actors here, and for good reason; they're voiced very well. I also managed to catch the entire series with the original voice acting, and is very good as well--no complaints. Basically you can't go wrong with either.

Outlaw Star's soundtrack could never possibly compare to Cowboy Bebop's, but there are quite a few memorable tracks. I do have some reservations in regard to the translation of Melfina's song (first ed) into English; a prime example in which the original trumps the dub. One could write an entire dissertation on this issue refuting my unproven point, but a simple youtube search of each will have you agreeing with my point. Regardless, the two ending tracks from Akino Arai left me awestruck; perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit, but they're not to be overlooked.

Loved
Fred Luo: Gene Starwind's personal benefactor. He's always around to help Gene out in his time of need for weapons and supplies. The first time I watched the series, the notion of him being homosexual completely flew over my head. Perhaps I wasn't paying attention, but I just thought he was a super good friend. Since watching this the second/third time through, I finally get it...

Poorman's Life: For those who have watched Cowboy Bebop, the life of a bounty hunter isn't easy as funds will often times be an issue, Outlaw Star is no different. You'll be seeing Gene and Jim penny pinching and looking to cut on costs whenever they can along with their continual badgering of their friend Fred for monetary help.

Hated
Inconsistent Animation: Over the course of the series, one will start to notice some inconsistencies with nearly all the characters. Facial expressions will seem off along with torsos and limbs looking slimmer than usual (especially with Gene). This is not to dismiss the animation altogether; most action scenes involving the ships are fluid and well done.

Episode 23: If anyone remembers the original Toonami airing of the series, the plot seemed to make an abrupt jump towards the last few episodes. This episode was purely a fanservice episode showcasing the ladies of Outlaw Star (especially Aisha) on a . Despite it being as such, the episode did offer information about the caster shell types and the aftereffects of the ones Gene received. Again, I'm not a big fan of random nudity tossed in for it ultimately alienates a set audience.

The Lowdown: Nostalgia is a strong factor in my recommendation of Outlaw Star. Again, those expecting it to be as great as Cowboy Bebop might be a little disappointed, but anyone looking for a wholesome sci-fi adventure should look no further.

Notes: Watched 26 episode series in its entirety (Bandai English dub and GP fansub)