Love the show, and a good review
Black Lagoon tv Review
Businessman Rokuro Okajima is kidnapped by a group of bounty hunters, and reluctantly joins their group when his boss tells him his life is meaningless. Rokuro abandons his old name and adopts the nickname "Rock." The rest of the group consists of the boss-man, Dutch, Benny the mechanic, and the trigger-happy Revy, a.k.a. Two Hands. Rock makes himself useful by serving as the group's negotiator and translator. The crew of the torpedo boat, The Black Lagoon, do various jobs for many mafias around the port of Roanapo in Thailand.
By: xdiamondxdecayx
Story & Characters
Rock is a low end collar worker who has the task of delivering a top secret disk. As a result, he soon finds himself hostage of the mercenary group, Black Lagoon. Rock expects to be saved by his company, but is soon tossed aside and left for dead. After being abandoned by his company, Rock resolves to give up his past and join as a member of the Black Lagoon company. It is comprised of Dutch, the ever cool and calm leader of the crew, Revy aka "Two-Hands," the foul-mouthed dual gun wielding femme fatale who does most of the fighting for the BL crew, and Benny, the technology expert. When Rock joins the group, we find him to be a mild mannered yet determined man who believes in using words rather than guns. The series follows this mercenary group and their missions connected to the city of Roanapur, battling through mercenaries, crime syndicates, assassins and the like.
The story sounds really simple. And in a way, it is. But it isn't the story that makes the strong point for Black Lagoon; it's the action, in-depth characterization and development. The series has some of the best action scenes I've seen in a while. Think crazy ass gunfighting akin to a John Woo film starring Chow Yun-Fat; except maybe even better. Battle scenes involve heavy bullet fire and fast paced action. Add in the occasional throwing knives, sword vs gun play, fist fighting, and other unconventional weaponry. That, along with the hard rock music, truly gets the adrenaline pumping.
The series is intertwined through a string of mini-arcs. The story does a GREAT job in exploring pasts, themes, mindsets, and beliefs of different characters. Whether it's from Rock trying to find his own beliefs in a world corrupted by violence, to Revy's seemingly hard rock exterior, Black Lagoon has realistic personalities that the viewers can relate to. This adds for some interesting interaction between different characters. The relationship between Rock and Revy, two seemingly contrasting personalities, is especially dynamic.
Rating:
Art
The art was great. The quality remained clean and consistent through out the whole series. The action scenes were done superbly, mixing the fast movements of the fights and flashing exchange of bullets. It looked really fluid. Even scenes following the BL away from battle retain the same attractive quality.
The character designs were really no different. All the character designs fit their personalities well. Rock, a tight, clean and organized person, retains his business get-up through out the whole series. Revy, a more wild and gung-ho woman, wears a tight shirt, and high cut shorts that accentuate her... "curvy features." The heavily scarred Balalaika, boss of the Russian crime syndicate "Hotel Moscow," is adorned with a professional business suit, over set with a long overcoat that deems commanding authority. The other character designs follow the same. Also, I'd be lying if I didn't say all the women of Black Lagoon look highly appealing. Every women is "easy on the eyes" for a series that is heavily focused on action; and this makes it doubly good to look at. Overall, the art for Black Lagoon was of high quality.
Rating:
Sound
The sound was spot on. With a gun action oriented series, you would expect no less. Black Lagoon is able to give a natural feeling of battle; bullets being fired sound piercing, empty bullet shells hitting the floor, the subtle patter of steps dodging and moving, all set with heavy rock BGM that really gets the viewer racing. The series is able to transition into more sad, heartfelt scenes with soothing, yet melancholy music that brings about a peaceful aura. The BGM in Black Lagoon definitely adds to the atmosphere pertaining to the scenes.
The voice-acting for the characters were highly exceptional. Rock's voice is soft spoken, yet firm and resolute when called for. Revy's voice was perfect. A deep, yet womanly voice that exemplifies Revy's tomboy-ish feminine character. Dutch's voice was deep, calm, cool, and collective, exactly what he is. The intro music nicely sets the tone for the series, while the ED music is more dramatic. The sound for Black Lagoon is worthy of praise.
Rating:
Presentation
Black Lagoon's presentation was very good. It is able to balance out action, humor, and drama quite well. A lot of the character interaction is highly amusing (ie. Rock/Revy, Revy/Eda, etc). The series also pays homage to cultural references, ie. Terminator, "Heireken (a play on Heineken beer)," which add to the slick humor found through out Black Lagoon. The concept is simple, but the presentation is great. So if you're looking for a good action series with style and slickness brought out by in-depth badass characters, Black Lagoon is the series for you. I can only hope for a third season.
Rating:
Final Verdict
8.5000 (very good)
Reviewed by friedricebomber, May 04, 2007
Comments
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Khest May 08, 2007
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jaderabbit May 16, 2007
Nice detail in ur review i just finished this anime 2 days ago, i say u made one hell of a review ^_^
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SchRita Jan 15, 2010
Thanks for the review!
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