Now, it goes without saying that there are a lot of amazing works out there in the Seinen Anime world, but what is an undeniable fact is that Black Lagoon rules them all (according to me at least).
[Story]
In short, we have a group of mercenaries called the Lagoon Company that does anything for money -that's mercenaries for ye! Somewhere in the map of the world, there's the fictional city of Roanapur that hosts the most ruthless criminals and outlaws of the world ruled only by the laws made by the leaders of Mafia, yakuza... Definitely the wrong place for an honest person to be. Much to Rokuro's luck or total misfortune is more like it, he finds himself in the midst of failing negotiations between his superiors and the Lagoon Company, with him being the only hostage and bargaining chip of the trade. Rokuro's misfortunes don't end here; he not only joined the Lagoon Company but now has to act like a pirate in order to survive in the far-cry-environment than the peaceful Japan where he used to live and work as a lowly salaryman.
The story starts out with a bang! putting the characters through trials and challenges all along as the plot develops with a flair of humor and Western Movie references. If there is a moral or lesson to be learned from this show, it's how -when facing what one never thought or even imagined he would have to face, can one change? how his views towards different ideologies and behaviors are affected? and how to adapt to a foreign place with different common sense using only the know-how in one's arsenal?
That, and even though the odds may be against you being the newest member of such a "community" which is more like a corrupt monarchy, to say the least, there is always a side you never thought you had, and you started discovering it alongside people you thought you would never meet much less trust... That's only a fraction of what our main protagonist, Rokuro has to go through in this amazing work of fiction.
[Art/Sound]
For a work that is 13 years old (at the time of writing), I still find it compelling and attractive. Compared to newer shows, it may be lacking in quality, but what it lacks in quality/animation, it makes up with its originality, the attractiveness of its characters, and definitely the awesomeness of the story overall. As for the sound, it is as good as any, but that's just my opinion. Every character has a voice that fits the image and the personality they should depict, the sounds of guns shot, sword fights and stuff getting blown up are what you should expect and the music couldn't get any better (or could it? I'm not sure xD)
[Characters]
Although the story revolves around the Lagoon Company, I think that the main focus character-development-wise is our favorite couple Rokuro and Levy. After you finish an arc, you will feel that they are the characters that have developed the most, or changed the most. That's probably because the boss almost exclusively if not always puts them up as a pair and sends me off with challenging missions where they just have to talk and confront each other.
On the other hand, the author didn't neglect the other characters. If a character doesn't have a background story explaining why they're doing what they're doing, then they probably have a very unique and charismatic personality that makes them the elephant in the room.
[Enjoyment/Overall]
It's probably an exhausting and extremely hard work trying to figure out how a criminal thinks and acts. You'd think they're purely evil, but even then their acts must be based upon some complicated reasons and motivations. One of the best aspects of this show is when you find yourself sympathizing with some of its bloodthirsty characters, and when you try to unveil a hidden plot of some ruthless mastermind with ends unbeknownst to the common rabble. So the enjoyment factor is always at its peak even as new plots unfold!
