Black Lagoon

Watched the English Dubbed. The anime revolves around a harbor city Ronanapur- center for drugs trade so we have the Triad,Italian mafia, South American drug lords , Russian mafia in the form of X-military paratroopers and of curse Uncle Sam in the form of CIA operatives. Our protagonist- The Black Lagoon company is a group of 4 doing the transportation/pirate/mercenaries business. Took me time to get the hang of the anime, the starting was too fast for me. Wasn't sure where they were going with the story, add the many American/pop culture reference, as a non-American i wasn't getting the hang of the dialogs.Ones the new recruit Rock settled in among the crew of Black Lagoon i really started enjoying. Ones i got the hang of the pace, i really started enjoying the dialogs. They are intelligent, funny and critical - very realistic. The main characters Rock and Revy change there attitude from having fun to being depressed, from being nice guys to being bad without remorse. Loved all the different characters and there are loads of them. This anime has many complicated bad-ass characters who have the presence of being the main protagonist. The detail going into each scene was awesome. One of the few animation were even the background seemed to be worked upon. Work was done on everything making them look very realistic and stylish. The Action is mind blowing and artistic. Its macho and all done by girls. Girls with balls of steel. Really enjoyed roberta's arc in the end,total bad-ass,although the last episode 29 was a bit of disappointment.

Will love some historical arcs on any of the elite citizen of Ronanapur.

When it comes to Japanese anime there is always a question what exactly given show is trying to achieve and what genre it fits in - one obviously can't watch most anime shows as entertainment for kids. Judging by western genre conventions "Black Lagoon" is closest to action movies from 90s or to franchises like "Transporter" or "Expendables". It is full of improbable and highly entertaining action sequences and awesome characters written entirely as Rule of Cool instantiations. The plot can be shallow and at times is only an excuse for staging another shootout. And the whole show can be really cheesy. But instead of coming from western action movie formulas much of this cheesiness is of Japanese origin. As a result, if someone is not accustomed to anime quirks (e.g. underage gender-ambiguous incestuous insane killer twins! I'm not kidding..) one may find them quite refreshing.

But there are some differences which in my opinion make "Black Lagoon" a little bit better than standard action flicks. Firstly, it's the overwhelming atmosphere of moral ambiguity which pervades the whole show - the anime doesn't try to whitewash actions of the protagonists, it portrays them essentially as villains fighting other villains. Likable villains, one must give them that, but villains anyway. And, in contrast to many other similar movies, protagonists are often not even slightly more ethical than their enemies. As a result antagonists of the show tend to be better developed and much more interesting than expected (aforementioned twins and certain yakuza clan particularly shine here).

The world of the show is dark, nihilistic place inhabited by violent beings, fighting for money in criminal underworld. It happens all the time in all kind of shows, but here the series is aware to some point of its own shallow nihilism and manages to criticize it. Quite a feat for an action series, I'd say.

The other strong point of Black Lagoon is the duo of its main characters - Revy and Rock. Revy seems to be walking "chick with guns" stereotype. It's quite easy to overlook certain degree of complexity behind her sheer awesomeness and battle prowess. Below the surface she is much more flawed than typical action anti-hero which definitely makes her that much more interesting. Rock, on the other hand, as a stranger in the world of wickedness who was put there by accident, acts as a link of a viewer to the series' dark underworld and represents fading ethical ideals which contrast starkly with the place he was thrown into. The relationship between the two and its development fuels much of the series. OK one can see it through as some kind of Japanese male yuppies' collective escape fantasy. But it's really interesting fantasy, contains some serious traps and it's not as trivial as one can think.

Speaking of fantasies - one massive pitfall of the show is strongly sexualized portrayal of Revy. I wouldn't mind if she was strongly sexualized sometimes or even on a regular basis - it would be somehow justified by her character. But she is sexualized virtually always. Maybe it's just me but I really can't stand mild erotic fantasies pressed upon my face all the time. It's all the more frustrating when you notice that show is actually quite restrained when it comes to gratuitous nudity. OK, restrained at least relative to its setting.

The other flaws - the story can be at times confusing and sometimes doesn't make much sense - it concerns especially the plot of the longest arc of the show (concerning certain Latin maidservant). Additionally, some characters and events cross the border of ridiculousness by too many steps. I'm personally inclined to forgive the latter, however.

If you like action-packed movies and series but you find them formulaic and boring and you can tolerate small amount of anime peculiarities "Black Lagoon" is the ideal show for you. Exoticness and reasonable depth in both characters' development and antagonists' portrayal will come as a bonus.

I just recently picked up this anime because I heard good things about it from some friends, and I am glad they told me about it. Its about a group of mercenaries, that remind me of modern day pirates. They take jobs from various organizations, including the Russian mob. Some of these tasks include robbery, and other mischievous things. The animation is very crisp and clean, and the gun fights are awesome. It makes numerous pop-culture references, which I found amusing, and it also has a touch of comedy, granted its dark comedy. The characters are all very interesting, with the main character,Rock, who joins the group out of circumstance. He is a very likable character and doesn't care for violence. Revy, the main female character is another favorite and a total opposite of Rock. She is tough, enjoys killing people, drinks, smokes and cusses more then anyone else in the show. Dutch who is a large African-American Vietnam veteran and the commander of their small boat, and Benny, a computer geek, and a non-violent person, much like Rock. Over all, if you want some anime with action, interesting characters, and a good plot, you should check it out.

You can find Black Lagoon on Netflix and I'd easily recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good adult oriented anime. I've recently watched through episodes once more and I think even after almost 15 years it holds up perfectly.

The animation is really well done and I also enjoy the story lines a lot as well as the characters. The main cast is very likable even with their flaws. And quite often you can even feel sympathy for the antagonists.

Within the various stories you'll always find the dark themes of loss and tragedy. At the same time the show keeps it entertaining by adding amazing action scenes. They are quite often over the top in terms of what should be possible, but the show keeps it at a level where even though it is ridiculous it's still somewhat believable and also highly entertaining.

Most important lesson of this show - Don't mess with maids!

Black Lagoon probably the most American-like anime to ever come out in Japan and for an anime fan with an undying passion for old school action movies and director Quentin Tarantino like me this series is a freaking goldmine and the best example of how a seinen anime should be. Every single episode feel like a fast paced action movie with unapologetic action scenes and dialogue, not to mention the memorable characters especially the female ones because they are no doubt the most baddest and the most dangerous woman I've come across in an anime. The animation may dated for today standard and the engrish skills of the VA kind of hard to get through but if you a newcomer to the world of anime and want to watch something hit close to home before you explore the more weirder side then Black Lagoon is the perfect choice