Reviews

Jan 23, 2017
If you have a crippling fear of women, this is probably not the best anime for you.

Story:
A harmless Japanese businessman ends up being hired by a transport company that deals with all kinds of illegal stuff. While Black Lagoon makes it very clear that it glorifies its violence, a big part of this anime deals with the harsh realities of living in the Underground. Every time we get a glimpse of somebody’s past or background, this show gets incredibly grim. The job Rock took on a whim (more or less) is not as easy or safe as he might have thought. Black Lagoon walks a thin line and it walks it very well, the thin line between being a gangster flick action bloodfest on one hand and being a dark character study on the other. Normally these two don’t mix well together (of course there are exceptions to this), often feeling like two different stories being told parallel to each other. Here however, they build a unit, one half can’t exist without the other and they play off each other’s strengths. This is only logical if you think about it. Life isn’t just black and white, no matter who you are, what you do or where you stand. Black Lagoon is also one of the few cases where I have read the manga prior to watching the anime. As an adaption, this show is great. There is nothing left out nor are there any fillers. I can’t even point my finger on my usual criticism about how this anime has no real ending, since the second season started airing only three months later. Black Lagoon does many, many things right, but could have benefitted from being a longer running show, though this is hardly the anime’s fault, the source material goes on multi-year breaks all the time. There is also the fact that it has no general story arc besides the character relationships, but that is probably on purpose. After all, they take a job, finish it and get another. That’s their routine.
9/10

Art:
The art is close to the more realistic styles of the pre-2000s, though it benefits from the modern possibilities in terms of effects. The action sequences look really good, something that many action-oriented adaptations fail to deliver (this is why I like shounen manga but mostly stay away from shounen anime). During the quieter moments we get to take a closer look at the character design. The animators did a good job visualizing emotions via facial expressions without going overboard a la “THIS IS MY ANGRY FACE” kind of nonsense. You can see the stuff beneath the skin, much like in real life, by looking into somebody’s eyes. Speaking of skin, unlike many other anime, Black Lagoon portrays the racial diversity of its cast visually. I don’t want to open that door (you know the one) , but I always scratch my head when in an anime people are pointed out as obviously foreigners even though they look pretty much like anybody else. This feels very refreshing, especially since it doesn’t go into the other, slightly racist cartoonish direction either.
9/10

Sound:
Black Lagoon uses music sparsely. This is a good thing, since it gives much more of an impact when they do. There are two prominent tracks, the first being Roberta’s theme (please forgive me for not looking up the name right now), a melancholic piece that beautifully grasps the inner conflict of the character. The other is Don’t Look Behind which doubles as ending theme of the whole show. This has to be one of the most impressive pieces of music I’ve ever heard in an anime. While there is always a latent darkness underneath the coolness, this song emphasizes it and expresses the inevitable doom that is hanging over everybody’s heads. The way it fades in while the episode is still running is just plain awesome. Sadly, the same cannot be said about the opening. It’s not that bad and does a good enough job hyping the show, but the English lyrics are inane and cringe worthy. The voice acting is solid, there are no breathtaking performances though.
8/10

Characters:
There is a general theme that describes the cast as a whole. The celebration of the outlaw lifestyle as coping mechanism for their broken personalities. That’s the word that fits the characters best: broken. You can see it every time their past is mentioned and even when they’re on a killing spree. Look into Revy’s eyes when she is slaughtering dozens and you will see a big emptiness. These people may appear incredibly cool (and they are), but there is a reason they have become what they are. The best example of this duality is Roberta. She is easily the most cold-hearted killer of the whole bunch, yet there is an honest, warm kindness to her. It all depends on which trigger you pull. The only one who doesn’t seem to fit into this category is Rock. He lacks the tragic or miserable background the others have, even though what happened to him wasn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows, it’s still far from what the rest experienced and suffered through. He still has morals left and is rightfully shocked at some of the crimes his comrades commit. This brings me to our main couple (pun may or may not be intended), consisting of Rock and Revy. It’s painfully obvious she has a soft spot for him, though to which extend is unclear. Maybe it’s because he keeps reminding her of what could have been had she not taken the wrong turn in her life. Or maybe (though that’s just my personal theory) she subconsciously sees him as a last straw to escape this miserable life of hers. One thing you could criticize is the lack of character buildup for many others, like Dutch or Benny. But in the end, most of them keep a low profile for one reason or another. It takes quite some time till we get Revy’s backstory too (and it doesn’t happen in this season).
10/10

Enjoyment:
Black Lagoon has been one of my all-time favorite manga since the day I read the very first volume and it has just gotten better and better. So few manga or anime have managed to create a gangster epic to such a degree. The anime adaptation just adds to this with the extra layer of sound to give off an even better experience. This is an easy recommendation for anybody who is into action or for those who love classic gangster movies or even those, who used to like shounen but feel like they’ve outgrown the genre and in general for anyone who just wants something else but fantasy worlds and high schools. However, as much as I may have praised this anime, I’ll only give it a 9 out of ten, simply because I know that the best is yet to come. Look forward to child porn actors gone wild, best girl Sawyer and World War III in Roanapur.
9/10

Overall:
9.0/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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