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.