Review of Black Lagoon

If there's one way to describe Black Lagoon it would that it's a exhilarating ride with surprisingly smart moments. Story: The story is surprisingly well-developed with a nice sense of pacing that manages to have both slow-down philosophical chats mixed with visceral action. The dialogue is fantastic with a real sense of sardonic wit that would seem like something created by Tarantino. In a weird way, Black Lagoon can function as a social commentary given how major characters like Rock, Balalaika, and Roberta have backstories that aren't too dissimilar from those of non-Western citizens from the 90s. Japan was languishing from a financial depression, the SovietUnion has collapsed, Vietnam War vets were disavowed, and Cold War militants are struggling to find purpose. If anything, the cynical tone of the series really reflects on the social anxieties and uncertainties in the tumultuous post-cold war scenario.

Art:
The animation is fantastic and channels a strong sense of atmosphere. The whole city has a really eerie and gritty feel to it whether it be day or night. Not only that, the weapons, character models, and vehicles appear very accurate to the time period.

Sound:
This series just sounds exhilarating from the music to the sound effects to the voice acting. The heavy metal rock pumps one up for the action while the more somber tunes make one ponder about the morality and future of being a gangster. All the gunfire and explosions sound so realistic and heavy-hitting. As for subbing vs dubbing, the English dub is probably better for this show if anything because it feels natural. In the English dub, Revy actually comes off as more aggressive and emotive. Likewise Dutch sounds more like an African American while also more distinctly expresses anger and friendliness even when speaking in the same monotone. Plus the English dubbing has more profanity which really enhances the whole black comedy aesthetic.

Characters:
The characters are rather well-developed and likable even though nearly everyone is more or less a gangster. Rock works very well as voice of reason and as an audience surrogate. While he does start out as a terrified coward, he does man up and bests his opponents with his wits even though he isn't a fighter. Revy's also a surprisingly admirable female character given how her tragic past is well articulated and isn't just slapped on as a weak excuse for her sociopathy. Even though Black Lagoon can be considered a "guy show", it does a good job of portraying female characters by giving them fleshed-out backstories and agency.

Enjoyment:
It's a blast with characters, story, and action straight out of a Tarantino/John Woo flick. It's really worth your time.