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.

Casshern Sins

Casshern Sins (24 episodes, 2008-2009)

Casshern Sins is actually a sort of reboot of the 1970's classic animation, Neo-Human Casshern. (There was also an OVA, titled Casshan: Robot Hunter, or simply Casshern in Japanese, and a live-action film also titled Casshern.) All of these adaptations follow fairly different storylines, even with some recurring characters/names, though Sins is perhaps the most unique of them.

Synopsis

The setting of Casshern Sins is on a post-apocalyptic Earth, sometime after humans have been overthrown and removed from the planet by the robots that once served them. The main character and protagonist, Casshern, has no recollection of his past, and finds himself fending off robot assailants intent on his destruction. Through fighting, Casshern comes to the realization that he is immortal, for reasons unknown to him. It's not until one of his assailants, a girl named Lyuze, approaches him and informs him of the cause of the world's state of ruin, that Casshern gains the knowledge that he was that very cause, by killing someone called Luna. Lyuze decides not to kill Casshern until he acknowledges what he brought upon the world and accepts responsibility for it, but she keeps an eye on him from afar. Upon discovering this, Casshern sets off in search of the truth of his past, curious about this information Lyuze passed on to him.

Characters (click names for images)

Main Characters

• Casshern: The main character of the series. Casshern is unsure if he is a human, a robot, or something else, but he seems to be immortal, recovering any wounds he recieves almost immediately. Finding himself constantly attacked by robots, and with a lack of control over his own body at times, Casshern is left with little choice but to destroy nearly everything he comes into contact with, whether he wishes to or not. This, however, is just one of the many mysteries which he is in search of explanations for.
  
  
• Lyuze: A girl who blames Casshern for the deaths of Luna and her own sister, as well as the Ruin that has spanned across the world. Lyuze is determined to kill Casshern, as vengeance for her sister, but not until Casshern regains his memories and accepts responsibility.
  
  
• Ringo: Ringo is a small girl who encounters Casshern while he is thinking about his disposition alone. Seemingly oblivious to the threat that Casshern's existence poses, Ringo befriends Casshern, and believes that he is a good person -- not the evil existence that most others believe him to be.
  
  
• Ōji: Caretaker of the young girl, Ringo, not much else is known about Ōji. He is very cautious around Casshern, for he feels Casshern is a threat not only to his own life, but to Ringo, whom he cares for as if she was his daughter.
  
  
• Friender: Friender is a companion robot in the form of a dog. Seemingly unphased by the Ruin, Friender is left in Casshern's care by his previous owners. After a turn of events, Friender decides to follow Casshern on his own, and seems to keep him in check when Casshern loses control of himself.

Other Recurring Characters

• Luna: Known as "the sun called the moon," Luna is an important figure who was supposedly killed by Casshern, despite the rumors of her immortality. Her death is claimed to be the cause of the Ruin.


• ???: A mysterious cloaked man who appears numerous times throughout the series,and seems to know a lot about Casshern.


• Dio: A man who greatly resembles Casshern, Dio first appears before Casshern in episode 5. Whenever the two cross paths, Dio is hellbent on defeating Casshern.


• Leda: First appearing in episode 6, Leda is a woman who appears to be similar to Casshern and Dio. Leda and Dio work together to raise an army of robots to destroy Casshern and take the position of the new rulers of the world.


• Dune: Not seen until ten episodes into the series, Dune is the former bodyguard of Luna. Known as the "God of Death," Dune is a mighty warrior, but is left in despair when he fails to protect Luna. He wanders the world in search of Luna, as well as her killer, Casshern, to exact revenge on him.

Conclusion

Although I must warn that the story moves rather slowly, I've found it to be an enjoyable experience. One of the most interesting aspects of the show, I found, was watching as the robots, who previously had unending lives, gradually become more like the very humans they wiped from the face of the planet, now that they have limited lifespans thanks to the Ruin. Accompanying this theme is the theme of defining "life," whether it is better to have an endless -- and to some, meaningless -- life, or to have a limited life with which you are left to live to the fullest before it ends.

There are a handful of intense fight scenes (which are generally well animated), but the show's not exactly "action-packed." With the despair that the world is left in after the death of Luna, the series can actually be a bit sad, and even downright depressing at times. If you ask me, though, I think it's admirable that the creators managed to get that feeling across as well as they did. You really get to feel some sympathy for these characters, the majority of whom aren't even human. In the end, I think the series has a fair balance of action and drama, among other things.

If you don't mind a slowly progressing story, I'd recommend giving this series a chance. It's got some pretty slick (and fairly unique, in my opinion) art and animation, with an appropriate soundtrack accompanying it, and an interesting story and characters to tie it all together.