A world where you and I don't belong to.
Black Lagoon was recently on my watched anime series list. For someone who are used to watching the mecha and sci-fi genre, watching Black Lagoon was like traveling to another dimension for me XD
To start off with, Black Lagoon is nothing near Gundam Double O, Code Geass or Macross Frontier. Not only is it not in the mecha genre, but the focus of the story is completely different. That's something to clarify first, since this anime series doesn't really seem to fit the nature of characteristic of this blog. ^^;
Also, Black Lagoon received certifications of M, TV-MA and 18+ in countries like the U.S. and Canada. M for mature of course, so if you're not 18 and above, this is probably not suitable for your eyes. ^^; The rating given was due to content involving mafia groups, pirates, mercenary killers, police bribery and plenty of violence featuring guns (most of the time), knifes, ax, chainsaw, flamethrower and so on. And not forgetting, tons of cigarettes, cigars, and hard drinks too.
For those who haven't watch the anime, are you starting to get the picture? ^^;
Now, onto the anime:
The title, Black Lagoon actually refers to the name of a torpedo ship which belonged to a delivery company called Lagoon. Not the ordinary delivery company that send ordered Gunplas to your doorsteps, ^^; Lagoon company accepts all sorts of jobs from different clients and brushes against the law from time to time. Before the second episode, their crew consist of Dutch, the tough but smart boss with his sunglasses never taken off before (even at night) XD, Revy "Two Hand" the one-woman army and Benny the technician.
The story started off with an unlucky Japanese businessman, Okajima Rokuro being kidnapped by the crew of Lagoon Company. The kidnap wasn't exactly according to plan, as the sole objective was to obtain a confidential disc from him only. Revy was complaining that the money paid for the original job was too little, so Rokuro was in for the convenience of having some extra money (his ransom). ^^;
Unfortunately for Rokuro, his company in Japan had no intention of saving him. Instead, a mercenary group was dispatched to silence him, along with Lagoon Company and the robbed disc. His fate deteriorated to the bitter point of having to escape a heavily armed helicopter gunship along with his kidnappers. At the most dreaded moment, Rokuro snapped and showed that he was no ordinary office man, by offering an unthinkable plan of defeating (not escaping) the enemy, which was deemed crazy even by the tough crew of Lagoon Company.
Rokuro's plan worked, and Lagoon Company survived to deliver the disc to their client, Balalaika, the head of a Russian Mafia, who used it to strike a deal with the Rokuro's company. Being declared dead and had nothing left, Rokuro joined Lagoon Company as their fourth crew, and took the name Rock given by Dutch. The episodes that followed tell the 'adventures' of Rock with his new friends, as well as the stories of many other characters in the same 'alternate' world they live in.
When Lagoon Company isn't on a job, the story takes place in a fictional city called Roanapur, most probably situated in Thailand (although the country's name was never being explicitly mentioned). The city is the worst place for you to put on your to-visit list, as it's the place where a few mafia groups fight for power, and with plenty of villains turning it upside down everyday. Watching how the person closest to our life, Rock adjusting and adapting to the life in Roanapur is another interesting point to watch in Black Lagoon.
Revy and Rock are the main characters, although there are so many others in the anime as well. Among the crowd, they are the ones with the most character development. Rock is a person we can all relate to, but not with Revy. Although her background was being revealed bits by bits through the episodes, we never really get to know how Revy becomes the killing machine as she is. She doesn't look any older than Rock, but she seems to be walking the line for a very long time before Rock boards the Black Lagoon. Also, it's easy to see that the writer wanted the two to develop a love relationship for each others. But unfortunately, given the tough characteristic of Revy, it's hard to guess in some moments whether she was trying, or she was being sarcastic ^^;
Rock on the other hand, keeps on wandering between his original world and Roanapur.
to be continued tomorrow...
