Rokurou "Rock" Okajima has joined the Lagoon Company, a pirate mercenary group which operates out of Roanapur, Thailand. Despite his initial protests, this filthy slum of depraved souls and merciless criminals now serves as the former salaryman's home. Stranded, with nothing left of his past life but the clothes on his back and his inner morality, Rock is forced to perform jobs alongside the other members of the Lagoon crew. Berated for his lack of spine as he wades through the underbelly of society, he must decide whether to continue on amidst the gunfire and ruthlessness or risk everything he has in an attempt to be free. Whether he chooses the comfort of a familiar land or the freedom of being an outlaw, his decision will have lasting consequences on the crew who gave him a home.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Xinil
Welcome back Rock, Revy and the gang! In this second installment of Black Lagoon, we continue our journey through Roanapur, the city of criminals. It's somewhat sad, but I have to begin with a dissatisfied distaste in my mouth after finishing this season. What's so sad about it? Well, for one thing, the story. I wonder if they simply wrote down a whole bunch of plot ideas on paper, crumbled them up in a ball, put them in a hat and drew at random. Boom, just like that, they came up with two, ridiculously stupid story lines to encompass 12 episodes. Each is so far fetched thatyou can't help but feel like you're watching a terrible D rated movie. Nothing is realistic (not even close), and nothing is even attempted to be explained to you. Flat out horrible.
On the other hand, the animation for these terrible plots was well done. Revy looks great, Rock is his pansy self, and Dutch is still black. Fights are fluid, but who cares with what they gave you to watch.
The music, as far as I can tell, is the same thing from the first season. I can't recall if the opening is different, but it's well done. The ED is slow, tacky, and I skipped it every time. Background music throughout the show is alright, but nothing worth buying.
Let's move on to the characters and their interactions...oh wait, nothing happened. We find out next to nothing else about Rock and Revy. Well wait, we know Rock used to live in Japan now. WOW! 12 episodes and it feels like they've told us nothing more about the characters except one used to live in Japan! Yay?
I'll admit, I enjoyed the season, because who doesn't enjoy seeing Revy kick ass? But seriously, it was a huge let down and I probably won't watch it again. They could have done sooo much more with the characters, their background, and possibly maybe...just maybe throw in a relationship?
Try it out, watch it if you saw the fist season, but don't expect much other than an average anime.
Oh yeah, perhaps one highlight was the nudity they threw in. Yay for dirty animators?
domthebomb
I personally absolutely loved the second season of Black Lagoon! While the storyline is a little short in that it seems like just a bunch of random stories thrown together, the themes remain the same throughout the anime and have a good conclusion to them. It is not only action-wise intense but it poses questions of morality and who is right or wrong in the world, and more importantly which side should you be on. Throughout the anime there is this central conflict, of making choices and determining if they are the right/just ones, with the main character and the ending is satisfying in learning what hisfinal decision is!
The most powerful episodes to me were 13-15,(the twin-arc), which really touchs base with how messed up this world can be!
nx6
I feel kind of weird to be writing a review for Black Lagoon: the Second Barrage after I just wrote the review for the first season. Why? Because I don't really consider them to be two different seasons. It's just a continuation of a series I really didn't expect to be as good as it was the first time around. All 24 episodes are just Black Lagoon to me, and for good reason: Second Barrage keeps up the high octane action that made the first season such a blast. The art is the same, the sound is the same (which is unfortunate we didn't getany new songs added in), and the VA's are the same, thank God. Except something fail happens -- some of them start speaking in English in the last arc, and the pronunciation and grammar are horrible. Actually, the lines were cringeworthy too for Revy, who is supposedly a Chinese American so I would expect better English from her. It was revealed near the end the cast actually speaks English all the time and it's only in Japanese for the audience's sake. Having learned that I'm rather curious how the English dub sounds in some of these later episodes where English, Japanese, and Russian were all used in one conversation. I would have rather they just kept Revy talking in Japanese for the remainder of the show as I saw it, although that makes another character shouting "Hey! Speak in Japanese!" to her seem weird. ;-)
One difference is the story length this time. Last season was a series of 2-3 episode arcs wth a couple one-shot stories added. This season the entire last six episodes are absorbed into a single war between the old guard Japanese mafia and the up and coming Russians of Hotel Moscow, that takes Rock back to his home and to face the past he turned his back on. The "Greenback Jane" arc is easily the weakest of the season (probably both seasons) but is made up for with the first story arc featuring murderous children (yes, deadly lolis) and the epic ending arc.
Like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, this is one show I was disappointed to see end, and it looks like I wont have to yet, as a Third Season has been announced now.
Two-Hands
The second installment of the Black Lagoon Series! If you've watched the first season and liked it, I assume you'd want more right? Well in this second installment you'll see the crew of Black Lagoon in even more misadventures. There's not much to expect except MORE GUNFIGHTS and MORE Revy and Rock antics! XD The great thing about the second season is that it show's the backgrounds of the characters like Eda, Revy and Balalaika's past although it's vague. IT also shows the different sides of the characters like Revy's soft side, Balalaika's value of her comrades as well as her war freak side, Eda inaction!
The focus here is more on Rock and Revy. Dutch and Benny now seem like supporting characters here.
All in all, a good second season. Watch it if you're looking for more Black Lagoon goodness! I guarantee though it may not be great storywise, but it's one hell or a ride! XD
kharaa
This anime is incredible, the second season makes it even more so. It requires a bit of maturity to watch, especially things like the twin arc. It's not for the faint of heart, nor the overly sensitive. or those with strong moral backround. but for those who can look past it, this anime has it all. Action(lots of it) Comedy, and Tragedy; and a great story to go with it. What I don't like about it, which is just a minor nitpick, is while in the second season more of the plot follows Revy and Rock, they don't expand upon their relationship much. And the restof the black lagoon crew is phased out of the season more or less. They also fail to expand upon a few more major characters, unless there is going to be a third season.
This knocks it down a bit, but only to a minor degree for me.
Benduski
Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage The second part of Black Lagoon, but it's splitted as a second season for some reason, follows another day in the episodic life of the Black Lagoon gang, another day but focused more on Revy and Rock and less Dutch and Benny. Story The same as the first part, it has episodic stories that are a mess at giving a contundent conclusion and rising questions, just like Eda's identity is revealed i was expecting a story with her, but no, her motives are unknown, the first three episodes are sad, i felt sorry for Hansel and Gretel, it was really sad and tothink that happens in real life too and seeing their fates made me shed some tears, maybe the best eps. of this Second Barrage, those eps. had story behind it, a deep and really really dark one and a dark conclusion; The next eps. are good with another different story but with Eda's identity revealed and in the next ep. nothing about that, a different story again this time in Japan and Revy's clothes changed too, it's refreshing and she looked really good; Rock and Revy gets closer and you can see Revy cares a lot for Rock in her own way (she even gets jealous when Eda flirts with Rock or doesn't want to talk about it when Eda asks Revy if they banged or when he was talking with Yukio) and that story in Japan was good, but it would be better if it had more eps. it ended like a normal ep. like giving you the impression that there's going to be another ep. that was not a good ending. Well after the ending and the ED song, Eda asks her again if she finally banged him because they had a lot of time to do it and Revy said she didn't wanted to talk about it and was ashamed and angry at the question, it was kind of funny because she never tries but acts more kind towards him than before, not getting angry at him like she used to, those stories were good, the first one was great, the second story didn't have a conclusion and the third one felt almost the same, but i was'' so where is the next episode?''.
Art & Animation
Art style is the same, it's very good, great animation and details, more blood than the first part with a liitle more violence, and with great character design.
Sound
Almost the same but i expected more with the music, very good VA but a little clumsy with the english when Rock had to work as Balalaika's translator, i barely understood her, not just her but every one who attempted to speak in english because they didn't know each others languages. The same amazing OP, i got obsessed pausing the video clip at sec. 36 she had something and i was trying to find out why i liked that shot so much, maybe because you won't see her like that in the anime, every episode pausing at that sec. for half an hour... there are three ED the same one from the first part/season and the one that will make you drop a tear the one from ep. 15 and the one from the last ep... in general was very good.
Character
I enjoyed much more Revy on this second barrage, she was less heartless, a little, but she really was better than before and treats Rock better and protects him.
-Rock is better too and he starts to find out who he is and where he stands.
-Mr. Chang is a confirmed badass.
-Shenhua's voice is funny, i love the way she talks, she is a cool character.
-Balalaika is ruthless than ever, she is greedy for war, i liked the addition of Sawyer (she reminded me of the girl from Nazo no Kanojo X) and Ginji, cool character and not to mention the darker characters like Hansel and Gretel with a really dark past, hevy stuff, it was a heavy story and Yukio's end was... she should have stopped, that end wouldn't happened if she... and there's not much of Dutch unfortunately, not Benny neither but he only appears two times and he already has a girlfriend Janet the clumsy Indian girl.
Enjoyment
I enjoyed more this second barrage than the first 12 eps. it was a little better, but the action was much enjoyable, although i feel it should be tagged as supernatural, because c'mon is obvious why, eg, Gretel a girl who wields a heavy machinegun and handles it like a boss without hurting herself, or Roberta in the first part/season is basically terminator... Revy was much ''nicer'' more likeable, more relaxed and badass than before, Revy is quite something unique and sexy, adding the 7 Omakes which were funny and good i got a great enjoyment.
YoungVagabond
The second season of Black Lagoon is really a story of two different anime; the underwhelming, uninspired first six episodes, and the spectacular, engaging last half of the show. The former is a 5, while the latter is very close to a 10. The returning characters and excellent opening are largely the same as the first season (mentioned more in my review of that season), which is a good thing. The art is as stylish, vivid, and colorful as ever, and adds a definite flavor to all the gun battles. Now, there are three different story arcs, each completely independent of one another; the murderous twins, GreenbackJane, and the Yakuza fighting back in Japan.
The series starts off with the Romanian siblings, two eight year olds with white hair carrying a mini-gun and an ax larger than they are themselves. These two little children love to kill, and are so dangerous that they wreak havoc upon Roanapur, killing dozens of high-level, powerful gangsters, including those from Hotel Moscow.
Now, I understand suspension of disbelief, and I realize that the gun-wielding heavies in the Black Lagoon universe are supposed to be bizarre, unorthodox characters, from chain-smoking nuns to chambermaids wearing glasses, but this is absurd.
Even in the Black Lagoon universe, it doesn't make sense for two FRAIL CHILDREN to single-handedly cut through droves of gangsters and expert gunmen like so much confetti. The only way to pull this off is to inject humor, but there is none of that in the first three episodes.
The emotional melisma surrounding the end of this arc is both unnecessary and poorly executed.
Next up is Greenback Jane, a straightforward action arc about a counterfeiter on the run, with all of Roanapur's deadliest criminals after her, and only Eda and the Black Lagoon company around to protect her.
It's mostly action, with several funny scenes, and little character development, an Eda flashback aside. It's decent fare, but I found a few key moments disappointing. Without revealing any spoilers, there are several notorious gangsters fighting against Eda and Revy.
A few of the less important ones die, but the main ones, with significant backstory, curiously survive, only one with serious injuries of any kind. Now, I understand they wanted to save them for Season 3, but it's anti-climactic, a cheap device from the creators.
In the ruthless Black Lagoon universe, when two heavies battle it out, one should die.
Finally, we come to the last six episodes, which cover Hotel Moscow's quest to destroy several Yakuza families in Japan, quality time spent between Revy (fully-clothed even!) and Rock near the latter's home, as we are also introduced to a cute schoolgirl named Yukio and honorable swordsman Ginji, who can slice bullets in half.
This might very well be the best story arc in the entire series, Seasons 1 and 2, and corrects many of the things I disliked about the earlier episodes.
If you read my review for the first season, one of my biggest complaints was the character of Revy, that she was a character with no depth or reality, and was boring and stupid to boot.
Well, by the end of Season 2, she has been transformed into a much more understandable and most importantly, FUN individual.
No longer is she hysterical, crazy, nor does she talk as much ridiculous shit. She's far more competent, rational, and even her character is developed, as we see her interacting with children, and she shows genuine compassion and love for Rock.
The overall character development in these last six episodes is excellent. A lot of attention is paid to Miss Balalaika, as she cements her status as the coolest, most competent criminal in the series. Her blend of stoicism with charm, humor, and the ability to do whatever is necessary to crush her enemies is entertaining to watch.
Even the minor characters, like the violent, insane Chaka, with facial piercings, blonde hair, and a purple suit, are well done.
He is a neat reference to Kakihara from "Ichi the Killer", minus the love of sadomasochism.
The story itself drags a little with overly abstract, emotional dialogue, but it's not terrible, and is at least relevant to the central theme, which concerns the transition and choice between criminal or peaceful life.
The last six episodes make up for the beginning of the Second Season, but not enough to propel it into "great" status.
Highly recommended for anyone that enjoys action and a fast pace to one's anime, as well as unusual personalities.
Smithy
Less episodic than the first “Black Lagoon” season, “The Second Barrage” features only three story arcs, the first two are three episodes long each and the final, closing story arc spans six episodes. Filled with crazy gun-toting babes, wild shoot-outs, mob wars and non-stop action “Black Lagoon” as it's a roller-coaster ride that rarely slows down the pace. When it does slow down, it finds time to have the characters take a look at the insane, rotten world they live in, walking a fine line between idolizing and condemning that criminal world, depending on which character's view is being explored. This is an interesting element,as it makes the series more realistic, as for humans, right and wrong still do depend on their personal outlook in life.
Especially the first plot arc, featuring child assassins that were severely abused as children which left them mentally scarred and severely psychotic, handles some very heavy ethic themes. But it does so well, not shying from showing sickening things, they make you stop and think at how such events can affect people and twist their lives and personalities into misery you do not even want to imagine.
Most character development is seen in Revy and Rock, although their personalities and positions at the end of the series may not seem very different than before, they both have changed significantly.
Rock remains an interesting character since he never truly delves into the criminal world of his comrades of the Lagoon crew. This is even a pivotal plot point in the final arc, where he is quite accurately accused of remaining in the twilight, not choosing to either return to a normal life or to fully accept a criminal life like the others.
In the end Rock acknowledges he hasn't chosen a life like Revy's, but he has said goodbye to his past in Japan. He consciously remains in the twilight because he feels it gives him a unique vantage point on everything, a view and insight the others can no longer have because they are lost in the criminal world. So while his position remains roughly the same, Rock does change as he was forced to reflect on his life and the choices he made, motivating them with renewed reasons.
Revy still is as foul mouthed and short tempered as ever, but we see she suffers an internal struggle. She wants to push Rock away and send him back to the normal world because she feels he can not really live in her criminal world. Yet we also see signs of her humanity, wanting to hold onto Rock and perhaps change her own life, to finally escape from the world of death and despair she has always lived in.
Revy also begins to show surprisingly humane and soft expressions around Rock, and it seems being around him has had a positive, soothing influence on her. This may be something she sought herself, as she was the one who originally invited Rock into the Lagoon crew, into her world. No matter how much she may state he doesn't belong there, she was the one who brought him in and Rock choose to stay there.
No matter how much their personalities may be opposites and collide, Rock and Revy's own bond continually grows, showing a deep trust has formed between them.
Even when Revy gets frustrated because she does not understand what Rock is thinking or what he wants to achieve, she eventually tries and comes to understand him, something she would not do for another person. Rock too seems to become better at handling Revy, and while he may never fully understand her, he doesn't pity her because of her past and accepts her for who she is.
We also get some surprising new insights into Balalaika, no doubt to make her look more sympathetic to the viewer's eye or perhaps to make the juxtaposition between her innocent youth years a stark contrast to her blood lust as a capable leader of her former Russian army troops, part of the Russian Mafia group 'Hotel Moscow'.
Only Dutch and Benny do not get much more character development and end up barely appearing in the closing story arc which takes place largely in Japan.
Animation in “Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage” is good, all the characters are distinguishable and well animated in most scenes, this goes for the action as well. However dips in the animation can be seen here and there, but never to the point where it bothered me.
The soundtrack is fine, with typical guitar and fast beats to accentuate the action, though this second season also featured a more mellow ballad for the child assassin arc. The eclectic opener 'Red Faction' by Mell is used this second season as well, which is fine with me as it's a catchy tune with raw guitar chords.
Demi_V
Once again, Black Lagoon has continued to deliver nonstop action! The fighting scenes are more mature and puts more emphasis on the characters’ backgrounds in the second season! There were a few things I disliked unlike in the first season, but the pros greatly outweighed the cons. It’s definitely worth watching, especially if you enjoyed the first season! Story (7) The Lagoon Company is rarely together. There is less of Benny and Dutch, but the scenes are just as exciting with Revy and Rock being separated. The 1st and 2nd arcs took place in the fictional city of Roanapur in southeast Thailand, also known as “gun paradise.” Thefirst arc was extremely gruesome and consisted of merciless new villains, two twisted vampire twins who treated people’s lives as if they had no value. Several mysteries surround the murders and the twins, and the violence within the city is spectacular. Besides the thrilling action the vampire twins brought to the series, the fact that they were called “vampires” is even more mediocre than Twilight. There’s no blood-sucking or burning to ashes in the daylight. The only proofs were their background in Romania and their sharp teeth, which is my complaint about the artwork.
The second arc was my least favorite, besides laughing at practically everyone being stupid. New characters were funny yet annoying during fight scenes, because they talked way too much. Also, some of them claimed to be dangerous and hardcore, but they showed too much emotion and whined over the smallest things in the spur of a fight. However, the excessive talking has an advantage by resulting in some secrets being revealed about the main characters. There are also more weapons besides guns used in fights, which makes the scenes entertaining nonetheless.
Unlike the 1st and 2nd arcs, the 3rd arc took place outside of Roanapur and into Japan. Balalaika’s true colors are revealed in this arc, causing nonstop murders between clans and mafias throughout the rest of the series. Rock shows his annoying side by not facing reality to the new world he’s living in. Also, new characters, including a swordsman, bring on incredibly entertaining fighting skills. A swordsman vs. a gunman is definitely a fight to see!
There were some unanswered questions, including from the 1st season, but they have a chance of being answered in the 3rd season.
Characters (7)
Rock hasn't changed a bit. Despite the year he spent with Black Lagoon, he has yet to show any toughness. He is so annoying, because all he ever does is talk about nonsense. He never cares how dangerous the situation, and it’s like he doesn’t care about dying at all. He’s such a weakling that people continue to use him as a shield, and he always needs to be protected or rescued. No one takes him seriously, and I can’t blame them. However, I’ll give him credit for his honesty and courage to speak in order to avoid meaningless war.
Revy shows more of her soft side. Maybe she’s been hanging around Rock too long. She doesn’t shoot first and ask questions later as usual. Instead, she makes meaningless threats that never follows through. She’s still “Two Hands,” but her shots aren’t nearly as accurate as they should be for someone who’s supposed to be feared by others. Besides that, her hot-headed temper and vulgar language is still there, making some scenes hilarious.
Eda (1st and 2nd arc) is another version of Revy with the same hot-headed temper. She made a short appearance in the 1st season as a nun from the Rip-Off Church. In addition to that role, she’s cool with Revy and appear to have a strange friendship, despite getting on each other’s nerves. She can handle a gun, but she’s greedy and only follow the highest bidder, even if it means jeopardizing her chances of living. Money seems to be her life. Also, she appears hardcore in front of most people, but she actually panics when she nears defeat. She even shows signs of fear, which is why Revy has her beat by a long shot in the toughness category.
Balalaika (1st and 3rd arc), mockingly known as “Fry-Face,” is the scariest and most dangerous character of all. She destroys everything in her path without a care in the world and kills without blinking an eye. Well, what do you expect by the leader of the Russian mafia (Hotel Moscow) and a former military soldier? She’s no longer behind the scenes, and she shows everyone that she means business. Her presence makes the whole series entertaining.
Sound (8)
The characters’ voices fit their personalities precisely. For example, Balalaika has the hardest and fearful voice needed for someone in her ranking. The same OP and ED are present in the 2nd season, but there are two new songs (one from Episode 3 and the other from Episode 12). They are absolutely beautiful and goes perfectly with the episodes’ theme, especially the a capella track called “The World of Midnight” concluding the first arc.
Art (8)
Madhouse has some of the best artwork in my opinion, but the art should have been more detailed in the 1st arc. There were two vampire kids in the 1st arc, but the word “vampire” came from the sight of their teeth. Some other characters, including Revy and Dutch, have sharp teeth drawn the exact same way. If the twins are supposed to be vampires, at least distinguish their teeth from other characters somehow.
Enjoyment/Overall (7)
Although the first season was better in my opinion, the second season brought meaningful stories about the old and new characters. The action is still there, and it’s gotten even better with the different weapons. There are more stories and secrets revealed in the second season, so I highly recommend it!
Last_Chevalier
Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage is as unapologetically violent and foul mouthed as its predecessor, but it also delves deeper into the human psyche than the original and forces us to explore themes of morality, power and what it means to be human. The Second Barrage picks up the story of The Black Lagoon Company, with Rock further settling into his new life in Roanapur. Mysterious assassins have begun picking off members of the different mafia groups running the city, and tensions are at fever pitch. By the time this story arc comes to a close 3 episodes later, you get the distinct feeling that TheSecond Barrage is decidedly more serious than the original, with violence being presented more as a consequence of the depravity of the human condition than the punchline in a series made to shock and awe.
The middle arc with Greenback Jane is more light hearted and reintroduces some favorite characters from the first season, along with a host of new ones that are at turns comical and very very creepy. It showcases perfectly the amorality of the denizens of Roanapur as former allies fluidly become foes at the bat of an eyelid. It is in some ways a stark reminder of just how dangerous the world Rock lives in is, and demonstrates how remarkable the bond of trust forming between Rock and Revy is.
The final arc is far grander, but also the most problematic. We get to see a lot of more the mysterious and powerful leader of Hotel Moscow, Balalaika. Set mostly in Japan, the story continually juxtaposes Rock's old life and setting in Japan against the criminal underworld he has now chosen to inhabit. Revy demonstrates a surprisingly soft side in this arc, constantly fretting over whether or not Rock is better off returning to his old life. It's not the "get out of here, I don't need you" routine we're used to seeing, but rather, a softer examination of what is best for the man who has been part of her crew for the better part of the last year. It's very well done. Pasts are revealed as situations complicate themselves. There's a very existential reflection on choices and superb monologues on accepting our lot in life. What is right or wrong is hard to determine as the philosophical backgrounds of the opposing positions is sound, but if anything, this central conflict serves as a reminder that this season is far more than characters toting guns and blasting their enemies into oblivion.
Overall the series is superbly animated. For a series released in 2006 I believe, the art work, animation of vehicles and such is absolutely outstanding. The opening theme is particularly suiting, until you realize the words are in English, and then you simply cannot get over the pronunciations. Which brings me to my biggest gripe with the series, now, I ended up watching the subtitled version and I believe this is a mistake. There is much and more that is lost in translation this way, and certain lines simply do not make sense in the overall context of some conversations, or simply do not carry the same weight they do in the English dub. Moreover, the issue of language becomes particularly problematic in the final story arc because the characters all speak in Japanese, but are supposed to be in a setting where the fact that they do not speak Japanese is key to many of the plot points. It's definitely distracting ... and Revy being Chinese American, the show's attempt to make her speak English in certain scenarios in the sub are simply .. well, I would say hilarious if it wasn't so frustrating. It's hard to believe that a series that did such a good job everywhere else, would drop the ball so badly in this department. I would definitely DEFINITELY recommend watching the dub to avoid these issues.
Then there's the issue with the pacing of character development. Ok, so Rock and Revy go on some introspective journeys together, and although subtle you can see Revy's attitude towards Rock change a bit, but the issue here is that not only is this not very much development in a 12 episode arc, or overall from the first season, but the series spends most of its time focusing on these two at the expense of the other members of the Black Lagoon Company, who basically get shafted. I'm willing to trade on screen time for those two, if we were given more out of Rock and Revy's on screen time, but there's precious little here and most of the "development" you would have to insinuate yourself. In one scene for instance, Revy attacks another character and says "If you ever tease him (Rock) like that again, I'll kill you" but we never really find out what this means in the larger context of her relationship with Rock. We do know it doesn't take much to get her to pull a trigger ... now I'm not expecting a love story here, but I would have liked to see something solid to indicate how Revy really feels about having Rock around and vice versa. Sadly, it seems to be mostly business with these two, and the only thing we know for sure is that they have mostly accepted each other as inevitable objects in the other's existence.
This aside, The Second Barrage is an absolute delight. There are not many anime's that manage to thoroughly entertain while disturbing your perceptions of morality so effortlessly. The show certainly revels in it's goriness, but for those paying attention, there are deeper issues being tackled here. I highly recommend this series, watch the dub if you can, as you will most certainly get more out of it than the sub, and I for one am eagerly looking forward to the more adventures from Rock, Revy and the rest of the Black Lagoon Crew.
LoliM
What makes a good anime? Plot....characters...and perhaps an excessive bit of violence ^^. Though Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage isn't quite different from the first season there is viewer joy to be found in the second season... Most memorable (and perhaps the highlight) is the first three episodes of Second Barrage. The debut of Hansel and Gretel hurls us into the story and by the end of Swan Song At Dawn you'll wish you could replay it (at least I did ^^). But either than that this season moves in a more serious direction with Mafia fights, sad pasts and a whole lot of trigger happyladies. Well what do you expect from an action anime? Even so I was surprised by the realism some of the topics held and the after thoughts I had.
All in all Black Lagoon with it's great visuals and exceptional voice acting (lol, Rock sounds like Light Yagami :D) this is a great anime if you're tired of the usual sword fights and random fan service (can that be?!). Enjoy it! ^^
Seabury
(I'm treating this as a comprehensive review of both seasons, because the two seasons of this anime are more or less the same) Who would have thought that a stereotyped crime drama would become a philosophy showcase? Guns, murder, mafia wars, and the like are all tied in to Nietzsche, Kirkegaard, Sartre, and Heidigger. It made the show a bit uncomfortable to be honest, with a shoot-em-up bang bang action thriller confronting itself, and ourselves in the process. The show casts aside morals, but unlike most shows where we justify it with an “oh, it's just the enemy” sleight-of-mind, this show rubs its amorality in ourface. Bloodbaths are taken just a little too far, outside acceptable hollywood. The characters were such interesting characters, never falling to the temptation of merely being either a philosophical model or a stock anime character, but always having a life, conflicts, and past that complicate and interest. None of the characters are meant to be all that likable (except maybe the protagonist), and despite this I found myself completely attached to them. The style was brilliant too, being a direct homage to Quentin Tarentino and all others in his lineage, and it had a kick ass opening song. Despite such a great opening song (and a good closing), the sound suffers from terrible accents when the characters try to speak english. Black Lagoon is a strange out-of-nowhere flash of brilliance, a intellectually sophisticated mainstream action show, but little surprises like this are why I consider anime to be more than a time waster.
HybridMedia
(This review covers both seasons of Black Lagoon.) For the time worth watching this, people have been describing this as the younger sister of “Cowboy Bebop”, being the anime equivalent to the big action blockbuster Hollywood movie (The Rock, Bad Boys, any 80s’ action flick you can think of) with the many details of graphic violence, excessive cursing and language, sexuality thrown in there and a bit of inspiration some such filmmakers as Quentin Tarantino & John Woo, although the former did a bit of anime in his venture (yes, you should know what I’m talking about). The story follows a team of pirates/mercenaries known asLagoon Company, which smuggles goods in and around the seas of Southeast Asia in the early to mid-1990s. Their base of operations is located in the fictional harbor city of Roanapur in southeast Thailand (somewhere in the Amphoe Mueang Trat district, likely on the mainland north/northeast of the Ko Chang island or on the island itself). They transport goods in the 80-foot (24 m) Elco-type PT boat Black Lagoon. Lagoon Company does business with various clients, but has a particularly friendly relationship with the Russian crime syndicate Hotel Moscow. The team takes on a variety of missions—which may involve violent firefights, hand-to-hand combat, and nautical battles—in various Southeast Asian locations, even going as far as Phu Quoc island of Vietnam and when not doing much, the members of the Lagoon Company spend much of their down time at The Yellow Flag, a bar in Roanapur which is often destroyed in firefights.
Now for the characters of the show, it does have a very vast range of characters but sometimes that showcase as little as they can. Rokuro Okajima, or Rock, is the main protagonist of the show as the Japanese salary man who is so bored and displeased with his daily life and no one exactly gave a shit about him. Actually, when the company he worked for send him out to deliver a package and he gotten captured, they just abandoned him as he was expendable to them. Aside from being captured, Rock manages to keep his mild-mannered and humble attitude throughout the whole show, which is in contrast to our next character, Revy, also known as “Two Hands” (at least she didn’t swing chains). She is one of the most foul-mouthed, merciless, sadistic and fatal characters of the show and that really got the show in drive. Hell, most of the opening sequence is practically her being showcased in action and while she often gets irritated by Rock in the first season but she is protective of him as the series goes along.
The other members of the Lagoon Company include Dutch, the black leader of the company, who is more of the easygoing and relaxed members and last, there’s Benny, the tech specialist member who in his past gotten into the mafia and would’ve ended up dead if Revy didn’t saved him. Now, I would like these characters to have backstory in the show but unfortunately, it’s being taken up by the former two characters of the series, which really disappointed me considering they seemed like interesting characters to know…maybe they might be in the manga, though.
Like I said, there was a wide variety of characters in the show that will probably be too many to mention and name drop like Balalaika, the boss of Hotel Moscow, one of the many gangs that are mentioned in the show and not only she is very skilled at what she does but practically a character that makes her presence to be feared. There is also the Hong Kong Triads lead by Mr. Chang and his top assassin Shenhua; The Colombian Cartel, The Church of Violence, The Aryan Socialist Union (Neo Nazis.) and The Washimine Group (Japanese Yakuza), who are more heavily-involved towards the end of the show.
The show is total 24 episodes, with the first and the second season called “The Second Barrage”, and I will say that the second season has more of a storyline while the first is just random missions with little storyline aside from the main one and yet for some characters like Roberta and her arc makes me crave for more of her (luckily, there is an option for that) but the vampire incestuous twins Hansel and Gretel didn’t feel organic to the series or even to most of the plot. They could’ve been thrown out of the show entirely and not much of a difference would have been made.
As for the animation, the credit all goes to Madhouse for the many use of blood, detailed fight scenes and gun battles, chase scenes, beautiful scenery, and for the opening and ending sequences, which the music for both worked well. The OP theme, “Red Faction” by MELL will get your blood pumping as the show begins, although singing it….I would not suggest if you get the lyrics and the ending music….yeah, music, it’s not much of a theme but many people complained about it being slow, depressing, and drags down the tone of the series…..maybe it does but most of the time when the show have its serious moments, it’s appropriate to rather end on that note rather than just generic hard-driving rock music. The ending music for episode 15 was actually one of my favorites but the last ending theme music was more of a “meh” to me.
Now, as for the dub from Geneon/Ocean, it is a bit 50/50, on the one hand, the dub fits more naturally than the sub, considering its flair is more international and some characters speak English naturally, performances from Brad Swaile, Maryke Hendrikse, Brian Drummond & Dean Redman, which from him I will say this: “Finally, a black character in an anime is voiced by an actual black guy.” This is a good thing, people. But, unfortunately, some of the voices either irritated or creeped me out like the voice of Hansel and Gretel really had me freaking out a bit, considering I heard them before on a show that in a conscience that I’m not telling you….well, one of the actresses was the voice of Nurse Witch Komugi. Garcia just seems annoying and grating whenever he speaks and whoever voiced Shenhua has the worst and slightly offensive Chinese voice I have ever heard. It sounds like that fake accent most people would put in a black-owned hair salon and that’s about as Chinese as the Panda Express.
FINAL VERDICT: By all means, Black Lagoon is worth seeing and definitely worth buying. This could be one of the few anime that I see Western culture getting into, maybe not as much or iconic as Bebop but still. It has a very in-your-face tone mixed with dark comedy and sometimes even darker drama once it gets more storyline driven. Your friends will love this but I wouldn’t recommended seeing this with family or kids…..unless they into that, too.
berserkersoul
Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage puts a really interesting spin on the atmosphere from the first season. The gore and the cursing still there and the season was still as enjoyable as the first but it had it's share of disappointments. The art (9/10), and sound (9/10) don't change and they are really good!! The characters are also enjoyable because they dont drastically change from one season to the next but they do focus on other characters than the Black Lagoon crew like they did in the first season. The story (8/10) is pretty good as well. its something you would expect any other mafia woulddo; Hotel Moscow is trying to gain territory in japan, terrorizing japan's biggest mafias (taking out all leaders that done comply with Hotel Moscow's demands) and uses the Rock to translate and brings Revy along to guard him while they are there. there are still explosions, car chases and awesome fight scenes and shoot outs but the second series takes a more personal and secluded path than the first. It really focuses on Revy and Rock and their relationship verses Rock getting to know the whole crew in the first season which was somewhat a downer because Benny was my favorite character and we really never got to see him or Dutch. It was really focuses around Revy, Rock, and Ms. Balalaika. We explore the pasts of all three of these characters and watch as they try to connect with each other. the second season is basically watching Balalaika, Revy and Rock try to understand each other better by looking into each other's pasts. It also gives the audience some closure which was nice because we really never got that in the first season.
Overall (8/10) is was pretty good. I still really enjoyed watching it because it still had all of the plot twists the first season had but i really wish it wasnt in japan and wish we got to see just a little bit more of the Black Lagoon crew together because that IS what the show is about after all. It was really interesting to see their take on Revy and Rock and i really liked the character development.
Bishounen_Hunter
I've always had my own personal philosophy when it comes to anything anime: “If it's anime, it can't be all bad.” So as much as I disliked Black Lagoon, it really wasn't such a bad show in itself as much as it just wasn't my cup of tea. However, it's also my opinion that this show does not live up to the hype and buzz it's been receiving in the media and all these comparisons to Cowboy Bebop, because Bebop was epic compared to this which really at the core is tantamount to only two words: Fan Service. ANIMATION Great art. I can't complain aboutthis; great looking characters, glossy scenery. This is one slick piece of work, from the appearance of the characters and the vehicles they drive to the seedy towns, cramped bases and sprawling compounds. This series is most definitely not lacking in the visual appeal department. Since there are many, many gun-fights, car chases and destruction galore much more importance is given to relaying the story visually, so we the viewer see lot of fast cars swerving, guns blazing, glass shatterings and metal crunching...and it's all done to a slick perfection.
But also creatively speaking, I don't think this animation and drawing style completely befits the show....it was too slick and too CLEAN at times which made the whole “Roanapur is the scummiest, vilest place on earth” seem a little disingenuous. If anything it seemed to lack or not reflect the so called “GRIT” message of the show.
SOUNDS
The OP Theme I loved! Rough, gritty, feminine rock which was very fitting for the female lead. The ED Theme I wasn't too thrilled about and at first it didn't make much sense to me but after a few times it made sense... tho I still don't like it as an ED theme
The Japanese voice acting was good right up until they tried to speak English. I don't have a problem with Jap-English when it's portrayed as a Japanese not understanding English or trying to speak it....but when it's used to illustrate a person as FLUENTLY bi-lingual, then I have issues with it. Those voices are way too rushed, flat, monotone and just to phonetically horrible to be perceived as a fluent speaker....to be honest it sounded computer-ish and was very distracting.
STORY
I don't think there's a REAL story as in an overall story so it may not necessarily be sequential and I would hardly call it a serial. It's really just a collections of missions or excursions. The original synopsis is pretty trivial: Nerdy white-collar schmuck finds himself [both literally and figuratively] within a degenerate society where everyone is “Bad-Ass”and so everyone carries a gun and likes to shoot various things and people.
Personally I think it's just a thinly veiled premise to create another anime where big-breasted girls with guns run around wearing skimpy clothes....Fan Service. Fan Service all of it; gratuitous violence, excessive destruction, oceans of blood, big breasted girls with guns in skimpy clothes in all sorts of provocative poses.
But then by then end, a miracle happened....the show got good! They just kinda of turned it around, the whole “T & A” Showcase was toned down a bit and they focused on content. Of course this all happened by the second half of the show or “Second Barrage” with the whole Vampire Kids bit. By then the viewer gets to understand that this is not just fun, it's not just “hey, let's shoot everything!” The viewer gets to see real depth and real sadness, the real harshness that is the world.
CHARACTERS
The characters aren't really too deep or complex. It's really all just about the different levels of interaction between the various gangs from different races and mafia sects. The only real character of conscience is Rock, who fluctuates between being good-guy with a heavy dose of cynicism or a bad-guy with too soft a heart. I tended to like the side-characters more because we, the viewer, we allowed to delve a little bit into their pasts and psyche which we aren't really allowed to with the main characters...except Rock. They were drawn really well, but if they were supposed to be of different races I couldn't easily tell......the only exception of course, being, the black guy.
ENJOYMENT
I don't totally dislike fan service nor do I frown upon it like most seem to, however, I would like a little “heads up” as to what I'm watching so that I'm prepared to watch, assess, evaluate and even enjoy the program more because I'll know what to expect. To be honest and to give credit to the show they did “tone it down” a little bit by the second half [The second Barrage] The heroine was no longer in those horrendous “Daisy Dukes” shorts.
It's good to watch maybe on web-broadcasts/podcasts, on TV or OnDemand to while away the time doing homework or just @ work, but it's hardly a collector's item....and they should just end it as it is at the second season.
PakiUSA
STORY: 6/10 CHARACTER: 8/10 ART: 10/10 SOUND: 9/10 ENJOYMENT: 9/10 OVERALL: 7/10 !!Since there’s only a short gap between S1 and S2 of Black Lagoon, I am going to be reviewing both seasons here so Warning beforehand for any Accidental Spoilers!! ‘Black Lagoon’ captured my attention from Revy on the poster to good word of mouth. Not knowing what to make of the title or the poster, I was very surprised at what this anime turned out to be. Often criticized for copying ‘Cowboy Bebop’, I was a little concerned at first but this anime distinguishes itself with its world building and characters. Set to a dark yet realistic, cruel, cold, violentand brutal crime infested town that perfectly captures the last place you want to be in this R-rated world. This anime superbly holds nothing back and you get a load of hot girls wielding big guns and firing at everything and everyone! In fact, this anime is all about tits, ass, guns, explosions, cursing and badass chicks! You start with Okajima, leading a boring life who then gets kidnapped by the Lagoon company on a business trip. Upon realizing he’s been abandoned by his own company, he decides to join this group of renegades and gets the nickname ‘Rock’. Even though the anime lacks in story and the plot is pretty much the group doing different missions, it never bothers anyone since what you get is very entertaining to watch! This has some of the best Action scenes, so good that you can’t take your eyes off them! I mean why would I care about Story when I can get Revy killing a bunch of Nazi’s on a ship! The anime also doesn’t shy away from clichés like generic character traits or plot armour for the main characters during battle but it doesn’t matter! ‘Black Lagoon’ totally owns it by delivering non-stop Awesome Action and helps you forget the unrealism of it all.
This is also one of those rare shows where the Female characters not only KICK ASS but completely steal the show! You get a little bit of everything from the characters, with the weak MC who later grow balls to a Computer Geek, Samurai, Mafia, Cartels, Russians, Nazis, Crazy maids and nuns! I had a lot of fun with most of the characters but the Stand out is Revy by a large margin. This foul mouthed, gun blazing, sexy yet deadly Chinese version of Lara Croft is the most interesting character on the show. She’s the kind of woman who will kill anyone that gets in her way and then later drink at a bar as if nothing happened! Her use of the word ‘F***’ was always fun to hear and her ‘No Shit Given’ attitude propels her to the top of many people’s list of Badass female characters. Revy also comes across very sexy regardless of displaying no forms of seductiveness, I mean she rarely shows any sort of attraction to anyone! But those poses she takes while shooting just makes her unbelievably attractive and I for one couldn’t get her out of my head for a while! She’s also involved in a lively relationship with Rock that’s never clearly defined yet both display great chemistry with one another. In fact, Rock becomes more interesting after his interactions with Revy cause otherwise he’s the one who holds back, being the one with morals and integrity. He’s heavily overshadowed by Revy but I enjoyed him a lot too cause he showed tons of resilience for an amateur and even stared down the badass Revy by speaking his mind. Even under the threat of a gun, he was able to hold his ground. We even later see him starting to fit in with the rest of the group which was also to my liking. There are so many great supporting characters here so it’s hard to pick a favourite! You get the nuns from the church, Eda stands out due to her relationship with Revy. Then you have the freaking female terminator maid Roberta who’s insanely good with killing and tracking! Balalaika was another stand out female character, with her connections to the Russian military and the cold and smart demeanour with which she ran the place. She and her crew are responsible for some cool action scenes and I thoroughly enjoyed her arc in S2. Let’s not forget about Chang who’s a male badass in the show but unfortunately, we get very little of him. One nit-pick from my side is that the ladies go through their own tragic backstories, further developing their characters while guys were put to the side. The OVA even shed a glimpse into the past of Revy and you can then understand why she is the way she is but we get nothing for Dutch or Benny.
The OP is as badass as the anime itself, perfectly setting the mood for some hardcore action. For such a standard track, it doesn't warrant you singing along or anything but it definitely gets its job done by pumping up the action scenes. The good use of sound effects for the car chases and explosions further improved the overall effect of those set pieces. And then the dubbing, which is some top-notch stuff. I loved, loved and loved Hendrikse’s portrayal of Revy!!! She so perfectly embodied Revy’s voice with her masterful give and take choice of words and tone that puts the subs to shame! Plus, the characters of the show themselves aren’t Asian so the dubs gave an International feeling to the show which was required. Aside from great characters, we were also nursed with great dialogues, uncensored with profanity and energy! Finally, the animation here is excellent in both the character design and art work. The characters all have a uniqueness to them which’s strongly displayed throughout the show. I never felt like I was watching a generic villain of the week with a different hairstyle or clothing, they really felt different from one another. The highly-distinguished artwork on Revy mannerisms, movements and expressions is further proof of the amount of quality work that went into this anime. And let’s not forget about those action scenes! We have tons of them, ranging from fights on boats to ships to underwater submarine, car chases, bomb blasts and tons of gun battles! Despite so much variety of action, you are never bored with any of them for they are well choregraphed no matter how long they get!
If there’s any anime that can easily be turned into a live action movie, it’s this one! And Quentin Tarantino should direct it if the casting is well done. S1 focuses on the entire team doing many jobs, basically an intro to all characters while S2 dives deep into the politics and power play of the city and its players. Not a bad direction to venture off to but it came at the expense of the Lagoon team for we only get Rock and Revy. Also in S2 I didn’t like the changes with Revy at first. She’s a total badass in S1 but then she changes in S2, showing a cuter side of herself. She lost that edge of gun blazing insanity streak to her and started smiling more, she even started wearing a skirt and i felt like it was just fan service! I was also afraid they were going to just stick her into a girlfriend role with Rock in S2 but thankfully they further played upon the platonic relationship between those two. You could clearly see a more humane side to Revy, realizing theirs’s a sensitive side deep inside her despite all her ruthlessness. It’s also totally believable since Rock is slowly wearing her defences down and Revy is finding herself more relaxed and comfortable around Rock.
In conclusion, the anime has an unsatisfying ending! The story conveniently wraps up but we get NO Resolution from the characters which really pissed me off! I still enjoyed this violent and gritty take on crime mafia and the badass characters that run this city though I would have wished for a more complete ending. It’s still worth your time so check it out!
Jamil
In Short: If you are an action fan & love fighting, shooting & hard talks, this is a good anime for you. In brief: Black Lagoon Second barrage continues after the 1st series & has plenty of action & enjoyment just like in the 1st series. If you liked the 1st season then definitely U"ll like the 2nd season too. Plot is quite similar to the 1st series.Picking up random missions & completing them. Full of Action, blood & gore. Difference is now Rock(the main protagonist) is considered as a trusty team member & is needed in many jobs.Also this time the focus is more on Rock, Revy, & Balalaika. Story: Thestory seems more harsh in the 2nd series, showing some of the unspoken truths about Mafia world, Sorrowful ending of the enemies.
Also the words used this time are more powerful & strikes in mind. Humans being lead to the Dark world without having any choices--is one of the main theme of this series.
Characters:
The characters are very well developed & the dubbed voice is fantastic & completely matches with the characters.
Background of the characters are though vague but shown in good manner & shows the reason of their attachment to the dark world.
Art/Animation:
I don't know much about art, so cant really explain. To me the art seemed great.
Music:
The OP & ED songs have the same lyrics as the 1st series. But they are sung differently
Ending:
The ending is sorrowful but spectacular. In short The only way to give peace to those of the dark world is to end their sorrowful life
Enjoyment:
Similar to the 1st season It's a very good anime to watch. There is not a single boring part & is filled with Action & hard talks.
Also the story & the characters are interesting & will cling you on to your seats until you finish the series.
Downside:
Some things are over exaggerated. Also few things are way unbelievable. Tries too hard darken the characters.
Overall:
It's a must watch for any action fan.And If you watched the 1st season & liked it, then it's a crime not to watch the 2nd season.
At least I can guarantee that you will not be bored.
Nightscream
The visual quality is as great as the first season and a little more of character development takes place. I expected a little more of story to at least cover the holes that are evident, but we are left with nothing but assumptions of the motives of each one and their real goals. As with the first season, there are a few episodes that are a bit to hard to the eye because of the story itself (it is focused in the worst of human nature, from kidnapping, torture, pornografy, blackmailing and of course killing) but if you have the guts then is a goodchoice.
The music is somehow the right choice for this show but I found it repetitive at a long term.
As with the first season, the best aspect of this anime is the way it shows the "twisted" nature of human beings. It focuses on the worst aspects of the human psyche (not a bad thing) and it is that difference which makes you want to see it. As I said before just watch it if you really want to witness the wickedness of the human beings.
Even though theres a lot of action through every episode, the most interesting thing is the relationship between Revy and Rock.In this second season you get to see more changes with every episode as you get to see a change of heart from both of them.
Almost every other character has less to no importance at the long run, and most characters only make an appearance for a few episodes before being forgotten.
mistah-manila
This series is deep yet simple. The show takes on a very dark reality of the world, showing the darker side of business in the world, and throwing a regular person into the mix. And of course through out the story, there is the confusing connection between the main girl and main guy (yes, yes, very predictable), but nothing is really said. Anyways, although the story is deep, it's only a compilation of several different stories. Over all, an 8/10, but people be forewarned. Although I gave this a light review, there is a lot of fast paced violence and plenty of gore for you actionjunkies.
PS This applies to the first season as well
