Black Lagoon

Black Lagoon (12 episodes, 2006)
Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage (12 episodes, 2006)
Black Lagoon: [Third Season] (TBA)

Synopsis

Black Lagoon doesn't really have a consistent story, as the storyline is made up of a handful of 2-to-3-episode arcs, most of which have no particular relation to the others. The reason for this being that the story revolves around a group known as the Lagoon Company. They call themselves a "trading company," but are basically mercenaries/pirates working for whoever's willing to pay. (They have a close relationship with the Russian crime syndicate known as Hotel Moscow, however, so the Lagoon Company is often hired by them.) The company is originally composed of three people, at the start of the series: a Chinese-American named Revy, the sharpshooter of the company, handling most gunfights; Dutch, the African-American leader of the group and captain of their ship, the Black Lagoon; and Benny, the American technical expert of the company. However, after the events of the first two episodes, they recruit a former hostage, a Japanese businessman named Rokurō Okajima. From that point, the series follows the company through various missions they take on.

Main Characters (click names for images)

• Rock: Rokurō Okajima, a Japanese businessman who became a hostage of the Lagoon Company during one of their missions for Hotel Moscow. Abandoned by his job and society, he found himself joining the Lagoon Company after the incident, under the nickname of Rock.


• Revy: A skilled shooter, Revy (full name: Rebecca) is an ill-tempered American of Chinese descent, and the Lagoon Company's primary gunman. Revy tends to be fairly calm, but that can change very quickly if she is provoked, usually resulting in her provoker being held at gunpoint.


• Dutch: Dutch is the African-American leader of the Lagoon Company, and captain of their ship, the Black Lagoon. Thanks to his previous military service (Marines) in the Vietnam War, Dutch is a capable gunman, but doesn't usually get involved in fights unless he has to. Instead, he tends to stay behind lines and give orders as the leader of the group. Outside of battle, Dutch is usually a laid-back, nice guy, despite his intimidating muscular exterior.


• Benny: A former post-graduate from Florida, Benny was recruited by the Lagoon Company after getting in trouble with the FBI and mafia, and now serves as their computer specialist. Like Rock, he doesn't like fighting, and avoids getting involved in it, but is willing to turn a blind eye to Revy and Dutch's methods to get the job done.

Other Notes

• Adult Content: Just in case it matters to anybody, the series has a ton of explicit language. (For example...) There's also nudity in a scene or two, but nothing else major.


• English Dub: When I originally watched this series, I had to watch half dubbed, and half subbed, so I got a bit of both. I must say, however, that the dub is done fairly well. Maybe not outstanding, but most of the characters' voices are alright, and the delivery of lines was overall pretty well done. The characters' attitudes came through, mostly without sounding unnatural. One of the most impressive details about the dub, I find, is that they actually tried to match up accents for most of the characters, and did a pretty good job with many of them. Leigharch is a good example.


• Third Season: At the moment, only two seasons are out, but a third season has been announced. I've seen something about August 2009, but haven't really looked into it much for confirmation. I'll update this whenever I know more about it. In the meantime, keep an eye out for season three!

Conclusion

Due to what I pointed out above, concerning the plot of the series, there isn't much else for me to add about the story. However, if you don't mind that, the series should be plenty enjoyable. The main characters get a pretty nice amount of development, as do some of the less major ones, and many of them should be likable to various kinds of viewers. Some of the action may be a bit over-the-top for some, but if you're into that kind of action, then Black Lagoon should suit you just fine. The series may also be a nice break from fantasy, offering a much more realistic setting and cast, as opposed to many other series out there these days. Either way, it's a great action/adventure series, with plenty of comedy mixed in, so it should easily appeal to many.

Ergo Proxy

Ergo Proxy (23 episodes, 2006)

Synopsis

Fast-forward some unknown number of years into the future. A pretty bleak future, at that. The world has all but been completely destroyed, leaving humans, accompanied by robotic servants called AutoReivs, to live in domed cities protected from the harsh conditions of the outside world. This is the general setting of Ergo Proxy.

Re-l Mayer, daughter of Romdo City's Regent, Donov Mayer, is an inspector of the Citizen Intelligence Bureau, assigned with the task of investigating a series of murders committed by AutoReivs infected with what's known as the "Cogito virus." Re-l feels rather bored with her life, and the city, until one day when she encounters a strange monster running loose in the city, and discovers a top secret project being conducted by the government.

Vincent Law, an immigrant from Mosko, now living in Romdo, works for the AutoReiv Control Division, searching for infected AutoReivs and disposing of them. Vincent strongly desires to be a Model Citizen in Romdo, but fails to do so when he finds himself hunted by the Security Bureau, for reasons unknown to him. In a desperate attempt to escape, he leaves Romdo. However, in doing so, Vincent discovers the truth of his past, and becomes entangled in the mystery of the beings known as "Proxies."

Characters (click names for images)

Main Characters

• Re-l Mayer: Re-l is an investigator of the Citizen Intelligence Bureau, as well as the daughter of the Regent of Romdo, Donov Mayer. Re-l becomes involved in the affairs of the beings known as Proxies after being assaulted by one and then searching for the truth that is concealed by the Romdo government. In her search, she finds herself following Vincent Law, who seems to be connected to the events somehow.


• Vincent Law: Vincent is a submissive citizen of Romdo, originally from the Mosko Dome, giving him the label of an immigrant. In spite of the persecution he receives as an immigrant, Vincent strives to become a Model Citizen. He works for the AutoReiv Control Division, keeping a check on AutoReivs infected with the Cogito virus. His casual life is disturbed, however, when he finds himself being targeted by some strange monster, and then by the Citizen Security Bureau. With nowhere else to run, Vincent abandons his goal of becoming a Model Citizen and leaves Romdo in search of salvation.

Other Recurring Characters

• Iggy: Iggy is Re-l's Entourage-type AutoReiv, designed to assist her with her job as a member of the Intelligence Bureau, protect her from harm, and also act as a companion.


• Pino: Pino is a Companion-type AutoReiv, originally belonging to the family of Raul Creed. However, Pino becomes infected with the Cogito virus and leaves the Creeds' home on her own accord. In her travels through the city, she encounters Vincent, and decides to follow him from that point onward.


• Raul Creed: Raul is the Director-General of the Citizen Security Bureau of Romdo. Raul reports directly to the Regent, and carries out his duties with much efficiency and loyalty. However, as he gradually discovers the truths hidden by the Romdo government, his loyalty begins to falter, as does his ego.


• Kristeva: Kristeva is Raul Creed's Entourage-type AutoReiv, assisting him with his duties in the Security Bureau, including his reports to the Regent.


• Daedalus Yumeno: Daedalus is given several roles. He is the Director of the Division of Health and Welfare, the Chief Physician of the Proxy Research Team, as well as Re-l's personal doctor. Although he is unaware of many details concerning the Proxies, he still knows much more than most others in the city, due to his role in the research of them.

Other Notes

• References: The series is loaded with references to mythology, philosophy, and other subjects. There is a direct reference to French philosopher René Descartes' "Cogito ergo sum" ("I think, therefore I am"), and the Cogito virus is also a reference to this. Each episode being referred to as a "meditatio" (meditation) is also a reference to Descartes. The "Turing application," referred to in the first episode, is a reference to Alan Turing, a British mathematician/logician/cryptanalyst/computer scientist. Donov's and Daedalus' Entourages are named after philosophers. (Furthermore, the statues that represent Donov's Entourages are based on works of Michelangelo.) Daedalus and a later event involving him are references to the Greek myth of Daedalus.
  Of course, there are several others, as well.


• Soundtrack: Divided into two discs (labeled as Opus 01 and Opus 02), the original soundtrack of Ergo Proxy mostly consists of dark, ambient music and electronica-/synth-based tracks. Given the setting of the show, this works very much in its favor, providing atmospheric background music throughout. Complimenting the cyberpunk theme of the series, the ending theme is Radiohead's "Paranoid Android."


• English Dub: If you ask me, the English dub for Ergo Proxy is practically flawless when it comes to the delivery of dialogue. The show's got a great cast of voice actors and actresses, including Megan Hollingshead (credited as Karen Thompson) as Re-l Mayer, Liam O'Brien as Vincent Law (an actor and role I'm especially fond of), Patrick Seitz as Raul Creed, and Yuri Lowenthal as Daedalus Yumeno. Kudos to the casting director.

Conclusion

Ergo Proxy is a great series with overall excellent production, and a bit of a cinematic feel to it. The story is rather deep -- to the point that I'm sure I'm still missing out on significances to this day -- and only continues to get more intriguing as the series continues. (Though, admittedly, episodes 16 and 19 are exceptions, since not much of significance occurs in them.) The art style is generally quite pleasing to the eye, accompanied by some well-animated scenes and an appropriate soundtrack to fit the themes of the show. It all compounds to form a masterfully delivered story of mystery and suspense, plus a slight psychological touch. Spanning 23 episodes, a pretty standard duration, Ergo Proxy is something I'd highly recommend to just about anyone, as it offers a fair balance of action and drama, with a handful of interesting characters, and it's a reasonable length.