BLACK LAGOON
A word of warning, mate: once you get a taste, you’ll only want more
Review by: Craig “Arrrrrrrrr” Norris
Length: 24 episodes
Genre: Action, drama
Watched: All, subbed
So, you think pirates are all about rum, eyeliner, and vital organs in boxes? Well, me hearties, prepare to hoist the mainsail of misconception and get ready to meet the scurviest scalawags to sail the seven seas! If anyone can beat those ninjas, it’s this bunch of pirates right here!
Plot synopsis: While on a business trip to the South Seas transporting a disk with important information, Rokuro Okajima’s ship is hijacked by pirates, and he is taken hostage. In order to save face, Rokuro’s company vows to get the disk back, and disavow all knowledge of Rokuro’s existence. Rokuro, his life destroyed, has no choice but to join up with the very pirates that kidnapped him. Now, “Rock,” as he comes to be called, teams up with the shady Lagoon Company, rubbing elbows with some of the most miserable criminals in the world while trying to make a quick buck, and simply survive.
Artwork: The art is top-notch for a contemporary television series. There’s not too much in the way of CG, and what is used is done subtly. Action scenes are smooth and intensely animated, becoming virtual ballets of violent movement, blood spray, and fire flashes. Character designs are distinctive when it comes to main characters, but they are well grounded in reality. Facial expressions are particularly well done, as the characters can express almost all their emotions without the need to say much.
Music: The soundtrack is pretty impressive, with the music matching the action very well, and yet not taking over the production. The opening song would be pretty good if you can forgive some extremely horrible Engrish (which I can’t). Instead of over-the-top rock tracks like what one might expect from such an action-oriented series, the music is far from cheesy and overbearing, and is a nice blend of intensity and modesty.
Characters: In a lot of ways, the main characters are similar to other motley bunches of ne’er-do-wells that have distinguished themselves in other series. No doubt the cast of Black Lagoon will evoke memories of some of your favorite hooligans from series gone by. First is the cool-headed leader, Dutch. He lines up jobs and is the main pilot of their boat. He keeps everyone in line and prevents situations from getting out-of-hand among his employees. Revy is the hot-tempered gun nut who provides most of the firepower. Her skill with her dual “Cutlass” pistols is sublime and frightening, and she is known and feared throughout the underworld as “Two Hands.” She is constantly pissed off and bored, and takes out her aggression on her unsuspecting enemies. Benny is the tech geek, responsible for the electronic systems aboard the ship, as well as anything else that may require the use of a computer. He’s not the violent mercenary type, and rarely engages in any of the dirty work that Dutch and Revy immerse themselves in. Rock is a classic fish out of water, being transplanted from his salaryman life in urban Japan, and place in a den of thieves and criminals who think nothing of killing each other to get what they want. He wishes to find some sort of life there, but fears that in doing so he will lose his humanity, so he constantly straddles the line between doing the right thing and doing what he is told. The principal client of Lagoon Company is Balalaika, a high-ranking official in the Russian crime syndicate Hotel Moscow. She and her subordinates are ex-military, and approached organized crime as if it were an all-out war. She is ruthless, and only has loyalty towards her own men. Along the way Lagoon Company crosses paths with all sorts of gun-toting miscreants, including arms-dealing nuns, Nazis, a mercenary maid, and a schoolgirl turned mafia boss. This all ensures that, in the world of Lagoon Company, there is no such thing as “easy money.”
Plot: Several plots are spaced out over a few episodes each, and are mostly self-contained. Of course, there is the obligatory character development, mostly focusing on Rock and Revy, two people who grew up very differently, but still managed to work side-by-side. However, for a change the character development becomes ancillary to the story arcs, as the people and situations Lagoon Company has to deal with are far more interesting. In the end the series is better off with the character development, but that’s not what I was paying attention to.
CHICKS!: Okay, so there are a few hot chicks to be had. The main problem is, they all want to kill indiscriminately. Revy is rude, argumentative, and hot-tempered, and that’s on a good day. When she loses it and goes on a killing spree, she will kill everyone and everything that stands before her, and will most likely enjoy it. Balalaika is what one would expect from an ex-military mafia head: cold, vengeful, and black-hearted. Her face has been severely scarred by military service, but war has twisted her heart the most. Therefore, it is not expected that one would be in for a quiet evening (or even a pleasant one) if he found himself alone with one of these ladies.
Overall: Fans of action and general badass-ery shall find a sumptuous feast in this anime. Even more than that, however, it devotes some time to exploring the human side of what it means to be a criminal. Not that I’m making it sound more profound than what it is, but it is certainly more than blood, bullets, and babes. Even with just those three, however, you know you’re in for a wild ride!
IN A NUTSHELL
+ Badass
+ Just deep enough to avoid being trivial
+ Excellent look and sound
Rating: 9/10