Story - 8/10
You can't tell because of the eight, but this is the weakest part of the anime. Let's say, you were to split an arc into three. The first is slow and sluggish, and throws some decent amount of exposition. The second part is half the first one, and the second part of it is where they build up the action. And the third part is where the action is, aka the best part. That is basically the entire series. I have to admit, the story was pretty good, if not for the pattern I mentioned earlier. Honestly, the story does a pretty good job when it comes to character development and showing the dark gritty side of Roanapur, I mean, after all it IS a Crime anime, so I guess that fits well. But if ther's one thing I can clarify, two words-
GUN PORN. As you can tell from said two words, the series glorifies guns, and boy OH BOY, they glorify to the nth degree!
I guess another has to be the narration. The main protagonist does a real good job of describing the world around him in a pretty well-done fashion, like your listening to someone reading a book. Not that modern anime does this anymore...SEE, THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS.
Art - 9/10
I have to give it a solid A okay. The environment is very breath-taking, portraying the lush scenery, the deep seas, and the bloody glory of someone's head getting blown up, it does that job pretty well. Roanapur is no stranger to this treatment, by day, it looks like your regular run of the mill market place, with occasional gunshots heard in the distant background. By night, the market closes and the brothels light up to show it's true colors. And did I mention the guns, MAN you gotta love those smooth, sleek details. You can tell from the attention to detail alone, that these people, REALLY love their guns.
Sound - 8/10
If you make a trailer, make sure that whatever you show in the trailer is well worth , well executed and well delivered. In the early promotion trailer, Mel's 'Red fraction' was played in the background. No surprise when they made it into an opening. It was awesome, and definitely got you ready for the chaos that will ensue. Even going far as telling the inner workings of Revy's mind. However, the first part of the arc, might bog down that euphoria. The ending was pretty solid. Nothing beats ending an episode like playing some slow melancholic music and then end on a rocking note. That ED I mentioned, was 'Never look back' by EDISON.
Now for this review, I watched it dubbed. And let me tell you, it was BEAUTIFUL! We have Brad Swaile did a really solid job of voice casting as Rock, the main protagonist, who is thrown into the gritty world of crime, of his free will. The same goes for Maryke Hendrikse, who voiced the badass Revy, complete with 'FUNKY FRESH' swears and profanity. but the gold medal goes to Dean Redman as Dutch. DAAAAMN SON! That voice, that authenticity, this is THE ideal voice of a mercenary who will KICK your ass! I mean, we are looking at a Hollywood actor who trained in martial arts and weaponry, thus adding to the authenticity. DAAMN! I haven't listened to a dub this good since 'Cowboy Bebop'. Speaking of which....
Character - 9/10
If there's one thing I love about this series, it's the characters. If you liked how the characters were executed in 'Cowboy Bebop', then you'll like the crew of the Lagoon Co. There's Rock, the new recruit of the Lagoon Co., who joined of his own free will, like I mentioned earlier. He is basically the Devil's Advocate of the series, joining the dark side to see their side of the argument, and is loving it! We also have Benny the hacker, whose job is to navigate and crack codes, Dutch, the cool black guy (I'm Sorry, if I insulted any African-American by saying the word black), and then there's Revy. Revy, Revy, Revy. This HAS to be the BEST character in my opinion. She is the foul-mouthed, gun-toting, ass-kicking, Bullet Hell incarnate that acts as the Nuke of the Lagoon Co. Nowhere else will you find a female character portrayed so well in any anime, EVER! The rest of the cast NEVER gets side-tracked. From the leader of Hotel Moscow, Balalaika, to the 'Maid-at-arms' Roberta. Everyone has their time to shine and show their character, no matter how little the time may be.
Enjoyment - 9/10
YOU DARE ASK ME, if I enjoyed this anime? FUCK YEAH, I did!!! The lush scenery, the bloody showdowns, and raining bullets should be enough to tell you, HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS SHOW. Honestly though, this may get 9, but the second season, 'Second Barrage' gets a solid 10. Something tells me that the studio behind the series knew of the weaknesses and leveled up the awesome factor to the 1000*nth dimensional degree.
Overall - 9.25/10
Do I recommend 'Black Lagoon'? HELL YES. Now if you can excuse me, I have to make a phone call.
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Me - Yes, is this Lagoon Co.? Hotel Moscow? Oh, looks like I got the wrong number.
- Are you, by chance, looking for someone to deal with your rival problems?
- Oh, don't worry, I'm a professional. I can be a demolition expert as a cover.
- Let's just say, I have a high affinity for guns and explosions.
- Yes, THAT Tim.
