Black Lagoon

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Alternative Titles

English: Black Lagoon

Japanese: BLACK LAGOON

Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 12

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Apr 9, 2006 to Jun 25, 2006

Premiered: Spring 2006

Broadcast: Sundays at 02:35 (JST)

Producers: Geneon Universal Entertainment, Shogakukan

Licensors: Funimation, Geneon Entertainment USA

Studios: Madhouse

Source: Manga

Genres: Action, Seinen

Duration: 24 min. per ep.

Rating: R - 17+ (violence & profanity)

Statistics

Score: 8.05¹ (scored by 335,918 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #480²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #129

Members: 680,678

Favorites: 13,217

8.05

Ranked #480Popularity #129Members 680,678

Spring 2006TVMadhouse

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Episodes: /12

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Synopsis

Within Thailand is Roanapur, a depraved, crime-ridden city where not even the authorities or churches are untouched by the claws of corruption. A haven for convicts and degenerates alike, the city is notorious for being the center of illegal activities and operations, often fueled by local crime syndicates.

Enter Rokurou Okajima, an average Japanese businessman who has been living a dull and monotonous life, when he finally gets his chance for a change of pace with a delivery trip to Southeast Asia. His business trip swiftly goes downhill as Rokurou is captured by a mercenary group operating in Roanapur, called Black Lagoon. The group plans to use him as a bargaining chip in negotiations which ultimately failed. Now abandoned and betrayed by his former employer, Rokurou decides to join Black Lagoon. In order to survive, he must quickly adapt to his new environment and prepare himself for the bloodshed and tribulation to come.

A non-stop, high-octane thriller, Black Lagoon delves into the depths of human morality and virtue. Witness Rokurou struggling to keep his values and philosophies intact as he slowly transforms from businessman to ruthless mercenary.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Black Lagoon
Sequel:	Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage
Alternative setting:	Black Lagoon Omake

Oomori, Akimasa
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Matsuo, Ryouichirou

Producer

Katabuchi, Sunao

Director, Episode Director, Script, Storyboard, Series Composition

Araki, Tetsurou

Episode Director, Storyboard

Nigorikawa, Atsushi

Episode Director

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Opening Theme

"Red Fraction" by MELL

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Ending Theme

"Don't Look Behind" by EDISON

More reviews

Reviews

Sep 16, 2007

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 8

Washi (All reviews)

260 people found this review helpful

One word that keeps propelling itself to the forefront of my head when I go to describe this show is: ‘refreshing’. Generally, I tend to avoid those anime which are blatantly action-oriented, because an action anime series so often means that it will be generically shounen, or be some kind of absurd mecha-combat series; very rarely can I find an action series which does not fall to those and other traps, and Black Lagoon is one of them. From its premise to its execution, the show provides thrilling action sequences, from boat and car chases, to messy fisticuffs and bullet-spamming gunfights, the show covers all typical action bases you could expect from hollywood, but which, for one reason or another, anime rarely delivers. Although its depiction of battle features the usual problems of character shielding and the Stormtrooper effect, overall the show is very much grounded in reality, with no magic or science-fiction elements whatsoever. I found this refreshing because, typically, the only anime you are likely to find set in present-time reality are slice-of-life, revolving around dramatic or romantic themes. So Black Lagoon was a great change of pace; a hollywood style action/adventure shoot ‘em up but with a darker and more thoughtful approach to themes and characters (as is often found in mature anime) - it’s a splendid mix.

The production values for the show are certainly excellent, some of the best to have come out of 2006. It shines during the action scenes, which are very fluid and detailed, but overall has no real flaws other than the occasional lapse in consistency. The character designs are all attractive and original. The music is not something that impressed me; there isn’t a lot of score music in the show (which is slightly refreshing given anime’s habbit of blasting violin and choir over every scene), and what it has is fitting, but not really memorable.

The characters are well defined, although I felt the focus given to the characters was rather strangely distributed; Revy and Rock (the two main characters) aside, the rest of the Black Lagoon barely garnered any attention, and their involvement was so greatly reduced by the end of the series that you had to wonder why the show was even named after the group. I am not kidding that the majority of the villains the group encountered received considerably more character exploration than either Benny or Dutch (the other two Black Lagoon members). I understand the importance of giving depth to the antagonist perspective, but I got the feeling that the original creator just kept falling in love with the antagonists he introduced, and neglected the protagonists in order to delve indulgently into the villain’s pasts and characters. The best example would be Hanzel and Gretel, the goth-loli twins and their arc. They were given so much background, and such a poignant send-off yet had so little effect on any continuing plot, or on the characters.

Revy was certainly an interesting character. I’ve seen the hardened, indifferent criminal stereotype before, but Black Lagoon takes Revy to the next level and actually glorifies her as colourfully maniacal. It makes the show fun to watch because you never know how to feel about Revy; sometimes you’ll side with her and cheer her on, or feel sorry for her, but then the next moment she’s slaughtering innocent people for enjoyment. Essentially she’s a juxtaposition of ‘cool’ and ‘reprehensible’. Rock is a character who is much easier to make a connection with, in fact I like to see him as being the representative for the audiences perspective on the show as it traverses the challenging lands of immorality. He is described in the show as being ‘in the twilight’, neither living under explicitly righteous terms, nor wholly endorsing the injustice of the underworld. This allows him to be constantly critical of the actions of those around him, but from an intelligent objective position (ie he does not decry their actions through blind morality). His criticisms of the actions Revy and others around him take make for the most profound and thematically crucial dialogue in the show, and despite his outwardly plain personality, also make him a fascinating and important presence in the show.

This brings me to the real crux of the matter: the show is really about the criminal mind, and the life of crime in all its forms. It paints an alluring portrait of the attraction to such a life, but never forgets to challenge that attraction by showing the kind of sacrifices one has to make of their humanity. It shows crime as a dangerously beautiful thing, and also shows it at its most sickening. All the exciting action is secondary to this. In conclusion, Black Lagoon should be watched by all action fans, but is a step above most shounen series due to its challenging and, at times, risqué foray into the heart of the criminal world. It is for mature audiences, because, despite having such character and being so colourful about murder, it is also very dark at times. There are flaws in the way it is paced, and the way some of the characters are neglected, but it has some very sharp dialogue, and is regardlessly entertaining thrill

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Apr 18, 2011

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 8

artist-retired (All reviews)

161 people found this review helpful

"This is way more entertaining than Hollywood is ever going going to be!" truer words like that have barely been spoken in anime in my opinion, and with the shit that's out now, I'm inclined to believe them.

STORY: Enter Rokuro Okajima, a typical meek japanese office worker of a large corperation who's the epitome of ordinary with a life so boring, bland, and not so envious with complains such as his boss kicking his ass, but his bleak life style comes to an end when a business trip cruise to South East Asia turns into hell as a group of modern day pirates take him read more

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Feb 14, 2007

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 8

infinity (All reviews)

151 people found this review helpful

- - - - - [ 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 read more

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Aug 7, 2013

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 9

GonzoLewd (All reviews)

129 people found this review helpful

With a genre that deals with a lot of action set-pieces, a show of this specific genre is usually bogged down into mindless entertainment territory with absolutely no substance to it at all. There have been in the past many action films, and TV shows that have shown to become competent in the history of film-making, examples in mind are the works of John Woo, Michael Mann, and Quentin Tarantino. But what if I told you that there is an anime show that encompasses everything that is great about those three directors and succeeds on every possible level? The show in question is Black Lagoon, a show that showcases a blend of mindless Hollywood action and juvenile humor in the best possible sense of the word juvenile.

Black Lagoon's story is mainly focused on our four main characters and their adventures together through plot arcs that tie in together through the chemistry that helps make them grow with each other. There isn't much of a deep, complex plot to behold in the show; it's about as cliché as any Seinen action show in the past decade. That may seem like a negative when you put it that way, but sometimes clichés are used to good effect when you have competent writing to flesh out your characters and set-pieces. Black Lagoon is a definite exception to this rule; it manages to pull off even the most ridiculous plot arcs that could easily be looked at with eye rolls and as a laughable premise. One glorious example is just how dark and witty the dialogue writing is that it hits the mark on every scene it creates within the framework of the show. It gives Black Lagoon a spark of creativity in its witty black humor that creates its unique personality to deviate itself from other shows like it, in terms of writing. It never gets old because it's not repetitive in how it's delivered by the characters sparingly and not done on almost every scene in each episode, it makes the jokes work more effectively with clarity and sensibility.

Now when you talk about the characters in Black Lagoon, the one character you must acknowledge the most is the one and only Revy. She's the prototypical "girl with guns" character that spouts off adolescent language and a dark past that shadows over the overall tone of the show to not only to become a dark comedy but a dark one altogether. So how is Revy different from any other female character in a "girls with guns" show? She does have similar characteristics that could be pointed out as being standard or generic from other characters like her. But it's because Revy is Black Lagoon. Her presence in the world of the show is very charismatic and alluring that demands your attention by not only her design, which is by far one of the sexiest I've seen in a long time, but by her character background and her hilarious dialogue. As I said before about the writing, the writers give Revy a ton of material for her to shine on-screen when she is either going into these well put together action scenes and her funny, snarky remarks at any of the characters. There is even a Tarantino kind of quality to her where she is this sick woman who only cares for money and violence, but she's also portrayed in a sympathetic light when she explains why her mentality is the way it is from her troubled past. They don't necessarily go in too much further in this season, but regardless it is a high starting point to a fantastic character.

With Revy out-of-the-way, the other characters may not have as much depth or even characterization as our larger than life heroine, but that certainly does not mean that they are wrong in any way shape or form. Our main hero, nicknamed Rock, does have some of the same levels of charisma as Revy and how he doesn't come across as a weak-willed character as most characters of his archetype typically are. It isn't as if Revy's presence overshadows his own because he doesn't have much of a personality, Rock carries the show by himself quite well and even together with Revy. The chemistry between the two is pretty unique in how they always are at odds with each other because of how different they follow life, but in the end, they still view each as part of a team whether they want to or not. No scene involves them immediately becoming friends overnight, the show takes it's time to build them up as a team that has to trust each other, or they might end up in a bad situation, and it's written intelligently by this very fact. The two other people in the group named Dutch and Benny aren't given much to go around as complex characters, but this does not automatically make them evil characters, what little background they bring on the table for them is still much appreciated in how they even offer some great scenes with each other.

The antagonists are hit and miss in how little depth some of them have when they seem. One, in particular, involves an army of Aryan neo-nazis that look more like just fodder characters that don't get a lot of deep characterization that, while I can forgive it, given how it's portrayed in an action show, it would've been more than what it already was. For the one that does hit the mark is oddly enough a Roberta maid who is given some context for her intentions on being who she is. The show handles it very well despite her strange terminator-like persona that wasn't given much explanation. Then again the show is nutty enough to let it pass as just another Black Lagoon style of logic put in for good measure.

For the style of animation that Madhouse put together back their swell days, it still definitely holds up as a great visual treat. The action scenes are done with absolutely great visual flair and technicality that are inspired by the works of John Woo, as I've mentioned in the beginning. Although not perfectly seamless in how slick the characters move, it is nonetheless spectacular to see how the animators put their hearts and souls to not cut any corners whatsoever in detailing every aspect of Revy and the rest of the environment on the sights of her gun. The violence and carnage in Black Lagoon are not necessarily as gory or blood-splattering as many would argue; there is no question that it celebrates its carnage, but it's not done in a way that is so blatant or in-your-face where it gets tedious or loses its momentum in how effective each shot counts. There are some that do fit in that class, but for the most part, it handles its violence with nice precision and intelligence that make every scene brimming with fascinating acts of carnage that is more exciting to watch than just rolling your eyes in boredom. There are even some elements of neo-noir in the case of how it handles the violence how it cuts immediately away from Revy shooting a man in the head at close range; not to mention the show has some great camera angles that make the scenes have some profound impact to them.

The music is about what you would expect out of an action show like Black Lagoon. Standard rock and metal music that isn't very memorable to even try to buy an album for since it's just there to fill up the show's audio production and nothing more, not to mention the shooting and the characters shouting over the music doesn't help either. It does its job well to create a fun dark humorous vibe to the action scenes. The voice acting, however, is what makes the dialogue spice up to new heights. I've only listened to the Japanese voice actors in Black Lagoon, and they all own their roles. The one to mention out the rest is Megumi Toyoguchi who does a helluva performance as Revy by giving her a tremendous sarcastic essence to her voice that makes her so alluring and almost sexual. It fits the design of Revy so perfectly that Megumi almost becomes Revy just through her voice alone. Daisuke Namikawa, as usual, does an excellent job voicing Rock and doesn't seem like a novice compared to Megumi's performance, as do the rest of the cast members with some that aren't noteworthy to discuss.

For what it's worth, Black Lagoon is about as silly and stupid as one could get out of an action show that would even make Steven Seagal blush, not that Black Lagoon quality-wise is comparable to his films, just from a contextual point-of-view. Stupid is usually used to describe something without context or substance when relating a story or character in any medium, but if the show is self-aware of the fact that it is and takes advantage of this aspect. It is clear that there are some genuinely serious moments found in Black Lagoon, even though they are effective in achieving the dark tone that it is known for. Even with that said, it doesn't seem out-of-place or distracting from the humor of the show because of how greatly paced the narrative of all the arcs. All of these are what make Black Lagoon easily one of the most entertaining and hard-hitting action shows that treats its audience as grown adults and creates some of the most well-choreographed action courtesy of Madhouse; one terrible aiming bad guy at a time.

Grade: A

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