Alternative TitlesEnglish: Black Lagoon Japanese: ブラック・ラグーン
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 12
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 9, 2006 to Jun 25, 2006
Duration:
24 min. per episode Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 8.351 (scored by 23002 users)
Ranked: #1252
Popularity: #47
Members: 35,432
Favorites: 1,456 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
action comedy drama guns |
SynopsisOkajima Rokuro is a Japanese businessman in a town full of Japanese businessmen. His normal day consists of social drinking with clients and being kicked around by his bosses. He finally gets a break though, as he's sent by his company to the tropical seas of Eastern China to deliver a disc. But his boat gets hijacked by a band of mercenaries hired to retrieve the disc. Rock (as he is newly dubbed by his captors) catches the interest of the only female merc Revy as she thinks he's worth a ransom, taking him hostage. However, the disc that was stolen has a terrible secret that's unknown to Rock, which causes massive confusion and chaos for both him and his kidnappers. |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Black Lagoon
Sequel: Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage, Black Lagoon 3
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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tehnominator
75 of 98 people found this review helpful
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12 of 12 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
Forget the eye patches, peg legs, and talking parrots--there's a new breed of pirates sailing the seas.
Black Lagoon is an action packed anime about modern day mercenaries known as the Lagoon Company who smuggle goods and take up other jobs that would be considered highly illegal. You give them a job, they work. Just be sure to pay them and pay well. From the very opening credits alone, you know that Black Lagoon is about money, blood and guns. The story hits you hard and fast when in the first actual scene, you watch a young Japanese business man getting punched in the face and being held at gunpoint by the Lagoon Company. A series of events occur while he's held in captivity in which he decides that he's had it with the boring, thankless job he had back in Japan.
He's done with being helpless, he's sick of nobody giving a damn, he's fed up with himself, his boss, and his empty apartment. He's had it with the nine-to-five life. He wants out, and wants in the Lagoon Company. And they accept. The rest is, as they say, history, as Rock sheds his salaryman lifestyle (though curiously, not his salaryman clothes) and becomes a member of the Lagoon Company alongside Revy, Dutch and Benny.
Black Lagoon's plot is given in arcs. Each arc is set with two or three episodes detailing one of the Lagoon Company's jobs in which they get into tons of scrapes. However, Black Lagoon's storyline is not some pointless shoot 'em up following the fun escapades of pirates. This stuff is scarily real. These people aren't out there to have fun. Their scrapes are constant near-death experiences. They do a dirty job, and they get the dirt that comes with it.
The art for Black Lagoon is extremely good. There are a lot of details in it, even if the character design comes off as simplistic. The area in which the anime is set, Southeast Asia, is beautifully drawn. A significant number of scenes occur in the ocean or in some body of water, and they are illustrated splendidly. You won't get a blue mass that just looks like the artists dumped their paint and called it a day. No, each frame has enough detail in it ranging from the creases in a loose tie to the shimmer of the ocean under the fiercely burning sun. The animation is excellent. There are countless fights, chase scenes and a lot of movement in Black Lagoon and each is carefully animated. The point-of-views and art direction are extremely well done. There are scenes shot at various angles, providing a lot more flair to the action that is seen.
From the tense pop beats of the OP to the weary, melancholy ED, Black Lagoon is littered with a pieces of a score that suits it. The ED theme song especially reflects the true mood and atmosphere of the anime and the characters' feelings as well.
Probably the best thing about Black Lagoon is the cast. The Lagoon Company is an unusual group made up of even more unusual people. There are the Americans, Benny and Dutch. Benny is the series' "smart guy". He's the brain behind Lagoon Company specialising in getting information and technology. He often provides dry wit during the show, and seems to be one of the warmer, less edgy characters. Dutch is the leader of the group, and experiences speaks for itself as he manages to get jobs, deal with clients and provide tactile advice and orders. He is a hard character to crack into, and his history and training shows that like a true leader, weakness is never acceptable. Even if that weakness is being open and letting people know him better.
Rock, who is the protagonist, changes throughout the anime without changing too drastically. You can take a man out of the office, but you can't take dozens of years of living law-abidingly and working hard while following the rules out of a man in one fell swoop. Rock learns his new trade and tries to apply his methods towards it. And while he is a voice of reason for the rest of his teammates, especially Revy, his characterisation isn't that of a preacher, professing the immorality of their methods. For the Lagoon Company, you can call him the PR man. He prefers peaceful ways to conduct illegal business, though his hopes are often dashed when he sees that a gun's barrel makes more noise than a mouth can. It's admirable, though, that he's the sort of guy who doesn't prefer to shut up about things, even if one voice is more powerful and resounding than his.
And then there's Revy.
She's a Chinese woman who has a bad mouth, a bad attitude--you can't help but falling in love with everything she says and does. Watching her is like watching poetry in motion. If that poem is about killing people, of course. She is probably the deepest character in the anime, having warped but realistic philosophies about the world around her. Life has never been easy and it has never been pretty for her. All she knows is violence and death. So why not turn it into a profession? She is the muscle for the Lagoon Company, recklessly though skilfully wielding her weapons and getting the job done. But she isn't just some tough talking gunner with no heart. In fact, the reason she is comes across coldly is due to an embittered mentality and her wanting not to just be left to die without a cause. She lives knowing that someday, she could die from doing what she does. And if that's how it will be, then it should be doing something she's good at with people who she actually can tolerate being around.
Lots of shoot-outs, explosions, fights--this anime is bursting with enough energy to make you feel exhausted just by watching. From the most intense game of 'chicken' ever seen to fighting Neo-Nazis to deadly servants, Black Lagoon is truly an excellent anime with a lot of well-crafted action scenes and consistently complex characters. It also has a lot of detail that many anime ignore, ranging from little extras in terms of the artwork to scenes with deeper meaning, such as the silent smoking of cigarettes between comrades.
This has been probably the most enjoyable action series I've seen to date. There's dark humour, great fights, characters who you'd just want to get a beer with.
Black Lagoon is a great series. Don't pass it up. read more
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infinity
92 of 132 people found this review helpful
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12 episodes
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
- - - - - [ Black Lagoon Season 1 :: Ep-12 ] - - - - -
- [ Intro ] -
Black Lagoon. That's a name that easily caught my eye. After reading the brief review, I said "why not?". And so I found a great anime that would get me hooked for quite a long time! And it definitely deserves rewatch! On with the review!
- [ Animation: Good quality and well-detailed -> 9 ] -
Let's set things clear now. Black Lagoon (BL) has one of the best animations i've ever seen! If you pay attention to details, you will like BL. The animators have invested great effort in creating detailed backgrounds and characters. OMG! You can even see the demin texture on Revy's short sometimes! Now, another thing that amazed me is that both the characters and background are animated at the same time. I know, this sounds simple but no! These two are almost independent of each other but even them, you will see the characters interacting with the backgrounds in a number of ways. When the characters are being shot at, notice the number of bullet-holes on the walls increasing. Notice the gun smoke that dissipates when the characters walk. All these details make BL's animation great and lively.
The character motions are smooth and natural, even during the very fast-paced action scenes. Even then, the background does not lose its details. On one scene on a ship, you can see the rivets as Revy is fighting! Quite a number of details to watch out for. The play on lights and atmosphere renders a great effect too. The animators definitely knew what they were doing.
- [ Sound: Suits situations and fast-paced -> 9 ] -
As usual, I don't pay much attention to sound. NOPE! Here, it got my full attention! The Opening (OP) and Ending (ED) credits music is very good, specially the OP. It really suits the mood of the series in my opinion. Now for the ending, you will notice that the music starts within the episode, starting at a very low hum to gradually attain its normal level as the episode ends. It's a superb blend. It's the first anime I know that uses this technique and I can say I'm impressed. It was a good idea.
Next, the in-series music is nonetheless amazing! It really enlivens the scenes to their respective paces. In dramatic situations, you will get the appropriate music. In fast-paced scenes, expect hard rock or similar. It was a good choice of music for the series. For once, the sound of an anime caught my attention. I am looking foreward to a Black Lagoon OST.
- [ Story: No real plotline ->7 ] -
Story? Don't expect any in BL! There is none. BL is a collection of short stories, pieced together to show you the lives of the characters at a point in time. There is no plot, not even in the second season (Second Barrage) of Black Lagoon.
However, the short stories are very good and definitely deserves watching if you enjoy action and gun-fights. They place the main characters in a variety of situations in which their work places them.
I have not introduced the story yet! Sorry. So, Black Lagoon is about a man, Okajima Rokuro, who is entrusted the mission of delivering a data disk to some people by his company. The man is travelling on a ship when the latter is attacked by pirates (not really pirates but anyway..). After some time, we are told that the pirates are after the data disk carried by Rokuro. The pirates, a man-and-woman team will eventually get the disk, but also take Rokuro as hostage to get some ransom from his company. However, the data disk contains sensitive data about the company, and merceneries are sent after the pirates to destroy them. The demand for ransom is immediately ignored and Rokuro is considered dead. Here begins the life of Rock, formerly Rokuro, as a delivery agent on the Black Lagoon speedboat, together with gun-slinger Revy, captain Dutch and computer whiz Benny.
As you can see, the plot is fairly interesting. You will soon see that delivering goods, specially illegal stuff, is not a safe business. Often, the characters are put in life-threatening situations and major gunfights resulting, specially with battle-maniac Revy around. Rock is sort of the negociator for Black Lagoon Company, negociating terms of business and often toning down conflicts. We are also presented with the clients of BLC, namely the Russian Mafia boss Miss Balalaika and Mr Chan, leader of the triads or even the Church of Violence.
The short stories are definitely worth watching, and seldom offers time for boredom. Watch if you need something fast-paced and energetic. There were no nudity, although some exposure was shown. Violence? BL is filled of it. Bad language? Same. Humour? Yes. Crude jokes and black humour is there for you. So, it's not an anime for young people.
- [ Characters: Development & Variety ->9 ] -
This is where the fun lies in BL, the characters. Each of them is so very unique in their own way that you feel that they really possess emotions. They fight for their own causes, have their own motivations which sound very heroic or plausible. They have their own strengths and weaknesses and can each be liked or hated by the viewer. The main characters of BL are each well-developed, this being one of the great parts of BL. The main characters are:
Revy: She is the gun of Lagoon Company who gets everybody out of trouble. Apparently she does not like Rock, but what she hates is his attitude. In fact, she will often go out of her way to help others and specially Rock. She is an expert when it comes to fighting techniques, who can single-handedly eliminate every enemy, armed with her twin-guns, Cutlass. Sometimes, she is so addicted to fights that she would go berserk. No one is spared then, not even her crew, as Rock saw for himself in an episode.
Dutch: He is the captain of the Lagoon speedboat. Tactial, he never does things rashly. He seems to be African, something rare in Japanese animes. He is equally talented when it comes to guns. However, he prefers to avoid fights when possible.
Benny: The computer genius of Lagoon. Not much is known about him. He never fights but is an expert getaway driver.
Rock: The newest member of Lagoon. Although he never fights, he is an expert in negotiations and at pacifying Revy, often at the cost of blows! He always try to hold back Revy and has a strong sense of justice. He will try to protect anyone and everyone, something which exasperates Revy.
Balalaika: The woman who controls Hotel Moscow. She was an ex-millitary and is very proficient when it comes to wars of any sort. She also commands a small army which often comes in play in BL.
As you can see, the characters of BL are varied. You have to see for yourself to enjoy BL. I can't say more.
- [ Value and Enjoyment: Very good -> 9 ] -
If you want action, and specially fast-paced action, BL is for you. But since there is no real plot, many viewers will be turned away. I, for my part, really enjoyed BL and even rewatched the whole series a couple of times, just for the action and butt-kicking. It kinda pumps up the adrenalin, if you see what I mean. The series, being short, is easy to rewatch without severe boredom. The small stories furthur eliminate boredom, and plotholes.
- [ Conclusion ] -
If you are looking for something good to watch, check out Black Lagoon. If you like it, there is a second season with 12 episodes called Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage. The situation is nearly same for Second Barrage. It's not really a continuation but just more short stories. There is no ending to BL, and I don't even know if there would be a real story. Some people have been speculating that the real Black Lagoon has not yet started and that we were merely watching the prequel. That would be the longest prequel I've ever seen, with 24 episodes! :S
I've got nothing more to say. Just go watch BL. The lack of a plotline made me give BL an overall 8. Apart from that, there are no major flaws. You won't regret it, in my opinion. And thanks for reading! read more
Recommendations
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bounty hunting, guns, great characters
Pretty laid back, lots of fighting. All in all very similar to Bebop.
both have some great gun fights,the dark backgrounds of the main characters
Black Lagoon is just a down to earth copy of the true classic Cowboy Bebop.
Lot's of high energy action. The cast are pirates instead of bounty hunters.
Black Lagoon is similar to Cowboy Bebop in that both series have a crew of characters who go from job to job trying to make ends meet, they both have at least 1 or more characters who come to terms with their past in some way shape or form and they both are full of action packed gun blasting fun that will leave you saying "Wow, how awesome was that!"
A little bit of a warning though, there is ALOT of swearing in Black Lagoon so watch with care. Go ahead and give it a shot.
The similarities between these two anime are not so apparent, however they do share quite a bit in common. Both shows are about a rag tag bunch of pirates (or bounty hunters, same thing, right?) who make their living dong dangerous things. Both shows are episodic in nature, and are very character driven. While not on the same par as Bebop, Black Lagoon is no slouch when it comes to character development, which is a bit of a surprise from a show whose immediate goal is to deliver as much blood, action, and gunplay as possible (which Bebop also has quite a bit of). Revy, BL's resident badass, has her own distinctive charm, much like Spike. While Bebop is easily the better show (well, it's better than most anime, so it's not really fair to compare), Black Lagoon is entertaining in its own right and is worth a look from Bebop fans.
Same gun-toting badassery, same motley-crew antics, same moments of, "holy crap, that's actually well-done characterization."
Stylish and gritty violence. Both share a lot of gunfight.
Similarities are overwhelming. Crude comedy, a bald leader of the group who used to be in the civil service, a hot girl with a bad attitude, a technical genius, and a ship hideaway. Also similar are the violent scenes, and guns, guns, guns.
Both have interesting episodic plots and doing jobs for money with guns and action.
Black Lagoon is a story about a band of modern pirates who do their dirty jobs to survive in a very harsh world. The characters in this series are amazing and just like in Cowboy Bebop, they are rich with both positive and negative traits which make them so alive. The story is also laid out in a similar way: the series is split into short adventures which are gently connected by the main storyline and you find out more about the main characters as you go along.
Its pretty obvious at times that Black Lagoon had gotten some inspiration from Cowboy Bebop, BL even has a similar feel to CB as well.
So if you seen CB or BL and you are looking for more some the same action awesomeness, this series is a great pick. Highly recommended!
Two great show's about freelancer's. The character's are rich and contrast well. And both are filled with great stories and ton's of action. You'll be curious about each event episode by episode while trying to figure out the character's involved over the entire show.
Guns, Bounties, Mercenaries, Hot Chicks, Bad Ass Buff Guys, what else do you look for in shonen Anime?
Amazing, exciting, and gritty anime which focus on a crew composed of 4 people (bounty hunters in CB, modern pirates in BL) and their adventures and jobs at the edge of legality.
The main characters are quite similar: there’s the hot and dangerous beauty (Faye/Revy), the computer genius (Ed/Benny), and the ship’s owner/leader (Jet/Dutch).
Both anime have large amounts of action, badassery, guns, violence, black humour, mafia, plus awesome characters, great animation, and good music.
Also, both anime have an episodic nature: most of the episodes have a different story with several characters joining it, but without forgetting the protagonists' past and troubles.
If you love one, you’ll adore the other.
Same cybern-western atmosphere and action.
Bounty hunter themed with action, comedy, and seriousness.
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Both are action-packed mafia-related series with great characters.
If you liked the non-stop action and eccentric/intriguing cast of characters in Baccano! I have a feeling you'd definitely like Black Lagoon. Sure, it doesn't have quite the focused storyline Baccano! had, but it is well worth watching nonetheless.
Say it with me, guys: Lots! Of! Violence!
Besides that, both of these anime have a similar feeling about them. And they both deal with characters who don't exactly have the best of morals...
Bad guys fighting other bad guys... mafia.. xD
High levels of action. Lovable rogues.
Both involve extreme blood and violence.
Both have sadistic characters and mafia.
In both there are non japanese characters.
Mafia, violence, guns, black humor. In both you’ll find great and crazy characters, torture, blood, badass females.
Both are action packed anime, and have great music and animation.
Also, in both anime there is a majority of non-japanese people (the series itself are not set in Japan, after all), and basically no one in these anime can be considered “the good guy”.
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Opening Theme"Red Fraction" by MELL
Ending Theme"Don't Look Behind" by EDISON
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