Review of Black Lagoon

You watch the way Revy handles her two, Beretta 92FS pistols with a 5.9 inch barrel and you say to yourself: “those jeans are way too suggestive for me not to imagine her holding my pistol.” But then you remember the talk you had with HR regarding this matter, and wisely choose not to watch bawdy anime at work. Let alone masturbate to it. Resulting in numerous complaints from fellow coworkers who can’t keep their damn mouths shut. Prudish bourgeoisie mores aside, Black Lagoon is an exhilarating show. One that all too often becomes ridiculously absurd. Like when theLagoon Company hurtled their boat into the air to jettison their torpedo (underwater missile, my ass) to pulverize a helicopter. Or when Revy leaped from boat to boat — at full speed, mind you — to defeat a bunch of incompetent gangsters. But if the viewer is willing to lift their suspension of disbelief, then there are fun times to be had. Unlike a preponderance of action-oriented shows that are rather dull these days.

In opposition to the diverting action sequences, the characters are written rather poorly. Rock is a spineless schlub who grows hair on his testicles when the situation demands it to circumvent impossible odds. In addition, he often finds himself on the receiving end of a considerable amount of luck. To the point that even Frane Selak would blush in envy (YouTube that mofo, shit’s crazy!). Rock also serves as the moral voice of reason. Often questioning the sensibilities of the other crew members as they commit numerous abhorrent acts. This dichotomy of view points aims to juxtapose the “evil” intentions of the pirate mercenaries (Revy, Dutch, and Benny) with the sensibilities of a “normal” person. That being said, however, long expositions concerning morality often become simulated philosophical lectures to feign intellectual depth.

Dutch and Benny, the token black guy and computer geek (respectively), are hardly fleshed out. Dutch is the casual, pragmatic captain who maintains a level head despite the chaotic profession he has adopted. Also, he looks like he hits the gym a lot. The aforementioned computer genius, Benny, is a computer genius, of sorts. I’m not entirely sure what other personality traits he brings to the table, but the glasses and Hawaiian shirt paint a picture of genuine nerd. Both of their characters leave much to be desired.

Aside from the skank tats, Revy is a boner-fide sex-bomb. Explosion!—in my pants. Her choleric, nihilistic personality serves as an effective lure for the viewer to become absorbed by her cryptic past. The scattered, bread crumb insights, slowly paint a larger narrative about her impecunious upbringing that involved physical, verbal, and sexual abuses. Accordingly, her addiction to power is reasonable, given the harsh environmental factors she endured; thus, making her a complex character with various layers of depth. Despite this, she frequently acts like an edge-lord to appeal to teenagers with Tyler Durden infatuations. Her speech in the Nazi U-boat regarding “things” is vaguely reminiscent of the “all singing, all dancing crap of this world” assertion. Consequently, her candid declarations are vacuous. Perhaps if I were younger, and more impressionable, I would have found her cynicism to be quite refreshing. But not at this stage in my life.

In terms of the OST, the contrast between the energetic, rock-based OP and the somber, melancholic ED accentuate the themes of the series quite nicely. The rule-of-cool atmosphere, along with the beautiful aesthetics of Madhouse, give the viewer plenty of eye-candy to ogle over. And the character designs are relatively distinct, except for Rock (who looked like any other male protagonist). So if the viewer can appreciate Black Lagoon for what it is, rather than holding it up to a high cinematic standard, then it’s a pleasurable experience. Just make sure to watch this one half-drunk.

I’m feeling quite charitable today. 6/10