Review of Black Lagoon
Guns are blazing and bodies start to drop like flies left and right. Hollywood action is back in town, it is called Black Lagoon! Black Lagoon is a story that is set in a real world but actual realism is thrown away as expected. It offers nothing but flashy and bloody gunfights. As a fan of action movies and stuff, it is safe to say that this show made a fine job in general. My favorite action scene in the anime was in the second episode, where our lovely mercenaries manages to make their boat fly and shoot the enemy helicopter in mid-air. That onemade me laugh out loud. I wish there were more ridiculous scenes like that. Also, I'd love to see some more hand-to-hand combat, it is always fun to watch close combat scenes.
When it comes to the story, it is a mixed bag. I like the episodic structure of the show, it suits the non-chalant nature of the anime. It doesn't take itself seriously that much most of the time. There is no full-fledged story in here and that's fine. Basically, what happens is our crew have some gigs from various clients and complete them in one or two episodes. The problem is all these small stories kind of feels the same. They don't really stick with you that much. The only one I liked was the one with Roberta in it. That one had different dynamics and was fun to watch.
The cast of the show looks quite versatile on surface. All these badass characters with different ethnicites must be fun to watch for sure. However, I think there are some wasted potential in here. Anime focuses on our fun duo, Revy and Rock. Both characters end up in the same shitty business but their perspectives are quite the opposite. Their ideals and philosophies clash several times in the show and I appreciate that. We get to know these two fairly enough but that's it. There are more good characters like Balalaika, Benny and my personal favorite Dutch. I personally prefer Balalaika over Revy any day. She's a veteran boss-lady in the business and I'm sure she'd kick Revy's ass when it comes to being a badass. Dutch is also a great character. He's the calm and collected captain of the crew with experience. He prefers diplomacy over violence unlike Revy but when gunfight is inevitable, he's almost skilled as Revy. Also, Dutch is black, it means he is extra cool. The show fails the explore these characters properly unfortunately, it is a missed opportunity without a doubt.
In short, Black Lagoon is a stylish Hollywood-esque action flick with a colorful cast. It is a fun experience but it fails to give a lasting impression at the end of the day. There is some wasted potential for sure.