Review of Black Lagoon

It's no secret in anime over the last decade plus that barbaric violence and over the top comedy have been joined at the hip; therefore it's almost a guarantee that viewers will be treated to a title that wants to appeal to multiple audiences. While this is fine for a majority of anime fans, there are some whom simply loathe this artistic approach and will brush it off as genre clashes. Black Lagoon is one of the very few around this time period that manages to go against the grain on some level. It doesn't rely too much on gimmicks to drive its story, butthe ones it does fall back on are actually pretty entertaining to watch at times. This is one of the rare modern titles I come back to.

Black Lagoon is still just as entertaining as I remember it, perhaps even more so. I have a soft spot for these characters since they feel quite believable, and the writing dabbles in heavy themes the likes of existentialism and strong atheist beliefs. The series handles these themes in ways I can relate to which adds to my personal enjoyment. Now the character development here isn't the greatest, but viewers will get to know Revy and Rock especially. The first several episodes develops their shaky relationship as they come from two different backgrounds. Revy's life was apparently very rough from the get-go, so her mentality is a heavy shade of black to the point where grave-robbing is far from beneath her. While Rock actually lived a decent life where his biggest complaint was kissing up to his bosses, so he doesn't get her at all. The writing is pretty solid bringing these two to an understanding, and it's actually easier for me to watch now. I feel the chemistry between these two, and some people will probably be hoping to see them get somewhere.

Black Lagoon is plot less for the most part with Revy and Rock's budding relationship being the only consistent plot thread. However, the series maintains a fresh feel through several stand alone tales and even a two or three parter here and there. The Black Lagoon company will go against Neo-Nazi's, crime lords attempting to rise in power, and even a near indestructible assassin. Make no mistake, the series is action-packed full of gun battles either on foot or in the sea.

While the series has a consistent flow from one arc to the other, and it does not follow the monster of the week formula. It's pretty far from flawless though; the writers have their moments where they can run the comedy smoothly, and the jokes along with insults can creep up on you hitting that funny bone. Unfortunately, you can also see when it's trying very hard to be funny, it also tries hard to be stylish too on some occasions when it didn't really need to be. It did a far better job letting these elements run naturally. The action scenes are very cool, but I still roll my eyes to some degree as they can feel a bit too corny pushing Revy's psychotic side. At times, I kind of think her cool factor is quite over-rated in comparison to her boss Dutch, whom doesn't need this over the top action to be cool at all.

Visually the anime isn't very impressive but it carries the action well enough. The vehicle and gun battles are very entertaining blanketed with plenty of shot bodies and explosions. When characters are shot with powerful weaponry, they're asses are sent twirling in the air. My only problem is that there are plenty of short cuts taken with the action; there's very little choreography with characters barely moving in which they try to cleverly work this into Revy's character, and it just comes off cheesy sometimes. Now I like the character designs as they have a mature look which abandons the usual chibi, big eyed look for everyone. The designs match their personality very well with the Russian Mafia crime lord Balalaika, along with Dutch, Benny, and Revy really standing out. The backgrounds are pretty nice in regards to the landscapes; the bright yet dull light shining on buildings, the night time atmosphere, it all looks very nice and even the CG blends in well enough. The only weakness I can think of are the background stills for the populace. This is something I will always take jabs at, because it renders everything lifeless due to the lack of movement. When I see a bunch of people crowded I want to see some activity.

The voice acting for the English dub deserves the biggest nod for its no nonsense and bold delivery. There is loads of profanity here and offensive content going around, and it fits very well with the characters personalities and design. The music gets the mood going for sure, with the opening theme Red Fraction which feels like a cross between rock and electronica leading the way. Unfortunately outside of that nothing really stood out as something memorable.

Overall, this first half of Black Lagoon is pretty entertaining with some good action and decent characters. It doesn't suffer from a huge amount of tonal whiplash either which will always be a plus with me. The high level of profanity, sexual references, and offensive content will more than likely bother some people though, so you're being warned on who this anime is not aimed for. In any case, even if you don't like anime at all, this is something you can probably get into. If you're an anime fan and didn't see this, well you don't need to add it to the top of your list but check it out someday.

Highs: Some stylish action and some type of character development, stellar voice-work

Lows: Action can feel corny, will be offensive to some