The main story behind Black Lagoon for those unfamiliar is like this; the series follows the Lagoon Company which is made up of four members: Dutch, Revy, Benny, and Rock. They operate as something like a mercenary group making deliveries and some times work as escorts. They reside in the city of Roanapur, which happens to be about as lawless as a city can get. Rock is clearly a man out of place and spends his time attempting to adjust to his new surroundings and tries to hold on to his ideals, but this becomes tougher as he delves deeper into the world of criminals. This third season also follows Rock's steady decline towards giving in to his negative surroundings.
The main plot of the story follows Roberta; she was introduced in the first season as a near unstoppable killer whom people compared with the Terminator. She was definitely among the cooler characters as she was just armed to the teeth, and began taking out anyone crazy enough to cross her. This time around the gloves are off and she's more vicious than ever.
Fans of the first two seasons must be warned that this portion of the series runs a bit differently. The first season did its job in building up the characters and it was more action oriented. The second season did contain quite a bit of action, but it also focused heavily on the series' themes which were introduced in the first season. The latter portion of the second season was more cerebral and used its characters to push things such as existential beliefs, isolation, and consequences for one's actions. This season does the same and it's a bit more dialog heavy, but I enjoyed it a great deal mainly due to the well development of its characters: Rock, Roberta, Garcia, Fabiola, and Revy. They carry the narrative very well through some very engaging and interesting interactions. While the plot does have its pacing issues, there is so much going on to keep more patient viewers gripped.
The plot follows Roberta as she hunts down Diego's killers whom happens to be an American special forces unit. However, the story is much thicker than that; Roberta's killing of top ranked officials along with bringing her showdown against the U.S. to Roanapur threatens the outlaw lifestyle of the city, which forces the Mafia families to step in against her. There is plenty going on and it all wraps up in an action packed finale. The characters continue to impress in one way or another, as even the American troops whom are painted as bad guys, prove they're far from that title as they display hearts of gold. It's hard to root against them at times, and I found myself conflicted on whether I wanted them to kill Roberta or not. The small war involves plenty of people, and characters from the previous seasons make unexpected appearances.
It's difficult to point out any real highlight in this season. The action can be spectacular but the characters are every bit attention worthy. The writing is delivered very well, and it's kind of tough watching some of these people try to cling on to ideals in a city that destroys ideals. Roanapur brings out the worst in a lot of people and the writing continues to excel in developing this cesspool of a city. In regards to Rock, this is where it becomes very important to watch at least the second season, because it puts his entire experience in perspective. If there's any issue I have with this season, then perhaps it's small cases with the writing as it marches towards being heavy-handed. There is a lot of dialog on some occasions and there's a feeling that it's just eating up time.
The production values are solid all around; the animation is gorgeous with its detailed night time backgrounds, lit up towns, and camera work detailing the action. There are no shortcuts in the action here folks. The shootouts are intense, the close range stabbings and chainsaw ripping combat deliver the bloody goods, and there's very little to no overly cheap fan service. I love my anime like this.
The sound effects are also worth noting and this show should be played loud. The gunfire is cool to hear and this also goes for the rifle silencers; and as usual the soundtrack is rocking which adds to the intensity of the action, and it's used at the right times as well. The voice acting for the English dub is once again wire tight working well for dramatic and hair raising moments alike. The profanity is rolled on thick as usual too. Brad Swaile as Rock stands out again having good chemistry with everyone from the gun toting Revy played by Maryke Hendrikse, to the capoeria fighter Fabiola played by Shannon Chan-Kent.
Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail is definitely worth an anime fan's time. If you saw the previous seasons then give this a shot as well, but expect something a bit different yet not very much. If you haven't seen any of the series I suggest starting from the beginning.
Highs: Well developed story line and outstanding visuals
Lows: More dialog heavy than previous seasons, pacing issues for some
