Review of Black Lagoon

For every two things I liked about this series, there was one thing I didn't like. That's a compliment; for the most part, I found "Black Lagoon" very refreshing. "Black Lagoon" is a story about an ordinary, boring Japanese businessman named Rokuro who is kidnapped by pirates, and, realizing his previous life existed at the mercy of cold, impersonal business executives, decides to change his life path. He joins the pirates. While most series would take at least five episodes to explain this, without even diving into the main part of the story, "Black Lagoon" takes just two. From the very instant one begins watching the series,there is no waste of time, and the episodes have a maniac, crazy energy and pace to them.

Rarely is there a second wasted, as every moment of the series is devoted to either character or plot development. Combined with the ridiculously cool, sexy intro, and some amazing gunplay and action scenes, the anime built up a lot of goodwill with me already.

However, it gets better; there is a subtle undertone of comedy, with all the dangerous, powerful characters being women in ridiculous costumes, whether it be traditional Chinese dress, a nun's habit, a chambermaid's clothes, or the attire of a secretary/businesswoman.

The main character, "Rock", is both relatable and interesting. The temptation to turn him into a gun-wielding badass as soon as he joins the crew would be too easy, and is a trap the director avoids. Instead, he gradually becomes a tougher and more impressive individual throughout the twelve episodes, but never competently handles any weaponry.

The captain of the ship, "Dutch", is another character type I'd like to see more of in action animes; calm, funny, great at his job, and tough, who, just when you think you have him figured out, does something unexpected.

There are only three reasons why I give this legitimately excellent anime an 8 instead of a 10;

1. The character of Revy. This is the biggest one to me. There are two problems with her; the first being that she is entirely unsympathetic. There is just nothing likable about her. She is a crazy, hysterical maniac who kills innocent people, including women and children with no mercy, and likes it.

And that's fine. Mugen from "Samurai Champloo", one of my favorite anime characters ever, was similar.

Here's the reason why I like Mugen and hate Revy; there is nothing funny, interesting, or even REAL about Revy.

Throughout the series, she is humorless, boring, and predictable. She gets angry at criticism. She goes on psychotic killing sprees for no apparent reason. She kills innocent people. She talks a lot of shit. She enjoys it.

A cold-blooded, ruthless killer needs something to make them engaging, whether it be humor, or a viewer's ability to relate to their emotions. Otherwise, what's the point?

At least make them unpredictable, as Mugen was. At least don't make them talk stupid shit all the time. As Mugen would say after his opponent gave a long speech, "I didn't understand a word of that. You talk too fucking much. Let's fight!" Revy, meanwhile, loves spewing dumb quotes which, instead of making her look tough, make her look weak and foolish.

The worst part is her lack of reality. I can relate to Benny. I can relate to Rock. I can relate to Dutch. I can even relate to Balalaika, the Russian crime boss who aids the pirates.

I cannot relate to Revy, nor have I ever known anyone remotely similar to her. If she were interesting or funny, that would be excused. Since she's nothing but a loud-mouthed bitch, it isn't.

It almost feels like the director wasn't quite sure what to do with the character of Revy. At times she's strong. At others she's weak. Sometimes, she talks like an idiot. Other times, she finally shuts the hell up. Too bad she's an annoying character ALL the time.

2. Repetition and an underwhelming ending. I only really felt this during the last two episodes of the series, but it seemed like the writers wasted too many of the cool ideas early on. Without giving anything away, the story with the Fake Nazis, the killer maid Roberta, and even their initial predicament are all a lot more exciting and inventive than their race against the terrorists.

3. The contradictions. While all anime series blend fantasy and reality, the universe they create should try to remain as internally consistent as possible. Unfortunately, that's not always the case in "Black Lagoon".

A particularly head-scratching moment was Revy's showdown with Roberta. Roberta is seen as practically invincible, easily handling Dutch, all the pirates, and even an entire Colombian drug cartel.

Revy, meanwhile, was shown as being physically weaker than Dutch, not much stronger than Rock, fails to kill Rock at a key moment, and not vastly overwhelming against Dutch even with guns.

Yet, her fight with Roberta is mostly equal, with perhaps a small edge to the latter. There are several other instances of this in the series, and in each case, they draw the viewer out of the exciting world of "Black Lagoon" to a large extent.

My nit-picking and criticism aside (the only reason this series isn't a 10 for me), the 12 episodes were still incredibly enjoyable, and I recommend the show to anyone, even for those who aren't action fans.