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.