Review of Black Lagoon

**SPOILER FREE REVIEW OF BOTH SEASONS** Usually, anime whose only two genre classifications are "action" and "seinen" are pretty open-and-shut. The vast majority of them are mindless action scenes with cardboard cut-out characters at best and unwatchable nonsense at worst. Black Lagoon, however, is different. Don't get me wrong, it's undoubtedly an action-first show with little plot substance, but Black Lagoon stands out among the rest thanks to its awesome characters and stellar animation that make the show an absolute blast to watch. This anime knows how balance itself between hardcore action and lighthearted comedy just as well as other action animes like Fullmetal Alchemistand Darker than Black, and those shows are VERY good at finding that balance. Black Lagoon is one of those pure-fun, turn-your-brain off anime that everyone needs to watch every once in a while, and a very good one at that.

Plot: 6/10
All you need to know about the plot is that it follows a small underground transport company stationed in the dangerous city of Roanapur, Thailand named Black Lagoon and the various hijinks they get into in their line of work.

As previously mentioned, there really isn't much substance to the plot, seeing as the plot isn't the reason you should watch this kind of anime. There is not a single cohesive storyline, but rather a series of separate and largely unrelated story arcs that last about 4 episodes each. Some of the arcs are relatively interesting, some of them average, and the vast majority of them are generic. The plot to Black Lagoon serves as more of a set-up to the driving forces of the show instead being a driving force itself. There isn't much else to say about it; it's just classic over-the-top action with the exception of one or two unique and original arcs.

Art: 9/10
Anyone who likes to pay attention to detail will love Black Lagoon's animation. The backgrounds and settings are animated with outstanding detail that creates an awesome atmosphere. It also has some of my favorite character designs in anime. Black Lagoon's animation is fluent, detailed, visually appealing, and simply awesome.

Sound:8/10
Black Lagoon's OST is about what you would expect from an action-seinen; standard metal and rock music for the actions scenes; nothing special. The reason it gets such a high score is for two reasons; one is the awesome opening, and the other is the stellar voice acting. It doesn't matter if you watch the dub or the sub; the voice actors absolutely KILLED their roles. As someone who prefers dubs to subs when they are done well, Funimation really has outdone themselves as Black Lagoon is one of the best English dubs in anime.

Characters: 9/10
Like I said before; the characters of Black Lagoon ARE Black Lagoon. They are what make this anime worth watching. The characters all have distinctive and/or likeable personalities, and unlike the vast majority of action-seinens, the characters actually receive a fair amount of development that make them more likeable and realteable.

Let's start with the most well-known character in the show: Revy. Revy, in my opinion, is the best character in the entire action-seinen genre. She is a delight to watch every second she is on screen, whether it be her hilarious humor, her over-the-top action scenes, or occasionally, her tragic backstory. I never got tired of her, and her character design is among the best (and sexiest) I've seen to date. If you've seen Black Lagoon, you love Revy. Period. End of story.

Rock, who comes across as a generic protagonist at first, turns out to be not generic at all. He doesn't do much fighting, but he is a very likeable character with a relatable personality and he receives quite a bit of character development. I could watch the scene where he gets into fight with Revy in episode 7 all day; Rock doesn't get mad often, but when he does, he is an absolute badass. The chemistry between him and Revy is one of the driving forces of the show. I like Rock quite a bit.

There are way too many notable side characters to go over; from the other two members of Lagoon (Dutch and Benny) to some of the more episodic characters (my favorite being "Chinglish", who is laugh-out-loud HILLARIOUS if you are watching the dub), the side characters in Black Lagoon can be funny, badass, unique, or any combination of the three. The vast majority of them are brilliantly written.

Overall: 8/10
In conclusion, if you are looking for a good action-seinen, put Black Lagoon at the top of your list. The plot is relatively standard, but the combination of the amazing characters, stellar animation, and fantastic voice acting create an awesome experience that is definitely worth watching. If you are a fan of the genre, you have no excuse for not watching Black Lagoon. If you are not a fan of the genre, it's still worth a watch in my opinion; everyone can use a mindless action show every now and then.