(Isis): Greetings and welcome to Project Nitsuj. I am Isis.
(Seras): Hello. Seras here, and welcome back to Project Nitsuj where we’re going to continue taking a look at Black Lagoon.
(Isis): The second half of Black Lagoon also known as Second Barrage came out in the same year as the first season however it debuted three months after the first season ended.
(Seras): While the season was an action-thriller the second half starts to dive deeper into the dark aspects of this series which will intrigue you as well as scare you a little. Let’s reload our guns and take a look at Black Lagoon: Second Barrage.
(Seras): Episodes 13-15 is another arc story focusing on vampire twins (it’s too early to be talking about vampires). Someone is going around and killing people in the city (Isis: Isn’t that a common practice in this city?) and all the people killed belong to Hotel Moscow (Isis: Ohh~ someone’s got a death wish). Chang organizes a meeting between all the mob bosses in the city, the Chinese, Russians, Cartels, and Italian Mafia (Isis: Where’s the American gangsta? (Seras): Better yet, where’s the AI Syndicate?) hoping to form a pact and work together to find the killers but Balalaika says no and that she and Hotel Moscow will deal with the killers themselves, make them pay, and anyone who gets in their way will be taken out as well. As the meeting is failing we see that the assassins are nothing more than twin children (who are hinted to have an incestuous relationship with each other). They attack two Hotel Moscow members leaving one for dead while taking the other one with them back to their apartment so that they can torture him. A bounty is placed on the children and Eda convinces Revy to team up with her and get in on the action. Back with the little assassins we see that their employers are the Italian Mafia who see what they did to the Russian they captured and are disgusted by their acts (scene here: //youtu.be/bPuDpyHt2b8, not gonna lie it’s a pretty messed up scene even for me). With a little help from Rock, Balalaika finds out that the assassins are Romanian and finds out that the twins were used in child pornography under the stage names Hansel and Gretel (//youtu.be/TVYT2OJyhBw?t=2s). The kids were sold on the black market where they were not only forced to have sex with themselves as well as others but were actually forced to kill other children for the enjoyment of the audience (Isis: Someone out there actually gets off to watching children kill other children? (Seras): The world’s a fucked up place). As time went on they slowly started to lose their minds believing that this is the way the world works, it’s either kill or be killed and they choose to be the killers. Balalaika goes to Chang telling him the whole story and he agrees to help her eliminate the twins who later in the episode go to the Italian Mafia headquarters and kill everyone (Isis: Nice going idiots. You just killed your ticket out of this city). They get into a shootout with Chang’s gang but escape where they setup a decoy car to distract the bounty hunters after them who take the bait however Revy and Eda see through their trick and engage them in the back of an ally. We get a gunfight which gets interrupted by Hotel Moscow who fires on both parties (in Soviet Russia party kill you). Hansel and Gretel decide to split up with Gretel capturing Eda after she and Revy decide to call it quits after getting fired on by Hotel Moscow. She wants Eda to find her and her brother a getaway boat (Isis: You would have had one if you didn’t kill the people that hired you) and she points them to Black Lagoon (Isis: And you really think they’ll get involved with the demented child?). While that’s going on Hansel goes to have his showdown with Balalaika in the park where he learns the hard way that you don’t screw with her (scene here: //youtu.be/x93P5c-9xok. (Isis): She might just possibly be the scariest woman I have ever seen in an anime). So with Hansel down that just leaves only Gretel who escaped after hiring the Lagoon Company (Isis: They actually agreed to work with her? (Seras): When your staring down the barrel of a loaded assault rifle it’s hard to say no. (Isis): This is true). While on the boat ride Rock and Gretel develop somewhat of a friendship with each other where she talks about her past, what she endured, and her outlook on life which sickens Rock big time. He vents his frustration out on Benny who tells him that he can’t prevent all the injustice in the world (which is true). After finally reaching their destination Gretel gets off but her story doesn’t end happily (scene here: //youtu.be/zUG0cNVNgSA, she couldn’t follow the bread crumbs home).
Episodes 16-18 is another arc this time focusing on a girl named Jane working for the Florida crime syndicate. She angers her bosses by failing to meet a deadline and out of anger they shoot her tech guy bringing her production of the counterfeit money to a halt. The next day she makes a run for it with the plates and goes to the church of violence for help where we get hands down the best scene in the series for the amount of sheer badass and how needlessly over the top it is (scene here: //youtu.be/TOKYD7ua0sY, (Isis): That was so awesome. I would have joined in as well). So Jane tells them her situation and while they don’t offer to help her because she refuses to pay their fee Eda does tell her about a motel where she can duck down low and stay safe. Meanwhile Russel a cowboy and member of the syndicate gathers up all the bounty hunters in the city (he has no idea of the bomb he’s about to set off) which include Shenhua (Isis: Oh no the bad Taiwanese accent is back), a new character named Sawyer the cleaner (scene here: //youtu.be/mmRgU2ltK30) and this new guy named Lotton the Wizard who’s all about the flash of being an assassin (scene here: //youtu.be/90NX-Z958fY). After Russel tells the bounty hunters what he wants they head out to get Jane since they already know where she’s hiding thanks to Eda who tipped them off. Why? Because it’s all a part of her plan to get Jane running to her, Revy, and Rock (yeah he got roped into this as well) for help. The plan works as Jane has no choice but to ask them for help and they help her escape where Russel tries to get them to go after them but they want more money since the job became harder and when Russel doesn’t listen to them because he’s not from around here Shenhua is the one that puts him in his place (scene here: //youtu.be/tpD9vaGLuAs. (Isis): And for the first time her speech is enjoyable to my ears). Rock’s group heads to Lagoon’s dock where they hope to use the Black Lagoon to escape but Dutch and Benny are out on a job and are forced to wait in the dock house for them to return where they get attacked by the bounty hunters from all directions. At first it seems like Revy and Eda have things under control (Isis: If you count getting shot at by multiple gunman under control) but once Shenhua, Sawyer, and that religious guy show up things take a turn for the worse. The place gets set on fire (Dutch is so going to be pissed) and Rock and Jane are forced onto the roof where they run into Sawyer (scene here: //youtu.be/3T67pMwTwG4). Revy and Eda take down Shenhua and rush to Rock and Jane where we see that Sawyer had a mental breakdown because she dropped her voice synthesizer. The building finally collapses and as they fall Revy takes out the wizard (scene here: //youtu.be/JHbIs1pZ1m8). He survives the shot and goes to check on Shenhua who also survived her gunfire from Eda earlier however she’s in critical condition and might not survive. Dutch and Benny finally make it back to port where the others hop on (Seras and Isis: Get to the boat~) with a bunch of other bounty hunters who hopped on. Dutch uses some maneuvers to toss some of the hunters off and Revy finishes off the others except for Russel who managed to sneak into the engine room where he’s confronted by Eda who recognizes her as a member of the CIA (how she go from the CIA to being a nun that kills?). She kills him easily finishing up the hunters and Benny is able to hack the code on Jane’s counterfeit files where she kisses him and even admits that watching him hack files turns her on (Isis: This is probably the only time you will see a girl admit that). So they escape and get Jane to safety ending on a good note (Isis: Well with the way the last arc ended we could use an ending where they win in the end).
(Isis): Episodes 19-24 is the final arc of the season and it’s a big one. The Russian mafia want to expand their influence into Japan so they send Hotel Moscow to help setup base there (Seras: You’re sending Balalaika? That bitch is crazy? She’ll start a whole international war). Balalaika hires Rock to act as her translator and Revy joins him on the trip as his bodyguard (and because she obviously loves him). Balalaika negotiates with the Washimine Group, a yakuza group fallen on hard times (Seras: Really? I heard the games were doing good) and want to team up with Hotel Moscow to destroy the Kosa council another yakuza group who mistreat the Washimine. Hotel Moscow makes their presence known by destroying one of the Kosa council’s clubs (this isn’t establishing presence this is establishing war). After the negotiations Rock and Revy go to a temple festival where Revy of all people convinces Rock to go and see his parents since he’s in town (wow. Who are you and what have you done with the real Revy?). While at the temple they meet Ginji a former yakuza who is the guardian of this girl named Yukio who is the heir to the Washimine clan. The next day Bando the current leader of the Washimine clan tries to get Ginji to pick up his sword again but he says no. Meanwhile Rock goes to visit his parents while Revy plays in the park with some kids (scene here: //youtu.be/cTnXxUuWR3Y, okay seriously who is this woman?). His parents weren’t home so they decide to leave. Balalaika and her men go a little overboard with the killing of the Kosa Council (that’s what happens when you send a mad woman to do your dirty work for you). The plan originally was for Balalaika to cause a disturbance that would allow the Washimine clan to negotiate with the Kosa Council and it’s hard to do that when she’s killing everyone in sight. Bando arranges a meeting and tries to get her to stop but she says no and that she’ll be doing things the way she sees fit. While at the meeting Rock gets beaten by this young yakuza named Chaka (Seras: His part is small but trust me his death will be sweet to you. Mock my words). Sensing danger on the horizon (Seras: Oh you mean the all-out war? Yeah I felt that coming too) Rock asks Benny to send him Revy’s guns. While getting them he runs once again into Yukio where they get coffee, she quotes Jean-Paul Sartre about life (scene here: //youtu.be/75esJtmefpA) and Rock finds out she’s the heir to the Washimine clan (which means she’s going to die. (Seras): Probably). Bando realizing there’s no way to get the Russians to stop decides to take matters into his own hands and tries to kill Balalaika (Seras: Yeah that’s a really dumb plan). He fails and winds up dead at the hands of Balalaika (well that’s embarrassing). Once Yukio hears about this she agrees to become the new heir of her clan (and her death has been confirmed). She gathers up all the members of her clan and orders a counterstrike led by Ginji who has picked up his sword again for the girl he loves (Seras: I’m pretty sure he’s old enough to be her father). When Rock hears about this he convinces Revy to help him talk her out of it (what? No! She chose this path herself. If she dies she dies). They go to her house to find out she’s been kidnapped by Chaka who decides to be an idiot (Seras: Dumbass) and stages his own revolt using street thugs. Ginji and Revy team up and raid their base which is a bowling alley where they kill all of Chaka’s men as well as him (scenes here: //youtu.be/G53lW9LDfio and //youtu.be/g_kzBjDhUu8. Holy crap he cut the bullet with his sword. (Seras): I am so hot for him right now). While that’s going on Rock and Yukio talk with him trying get her to quit going down the path of Revy and Ginji but instead gets criticized by her for living in the twilight which she’s right. Yukio chose this path and cut all ties with her former life fully aware and prepared for the world that awaits her. Rock on the other hand hasn’t given up either of his lives. He still clings onto his life in Japan while also clinging on to his life in Roanapur thinking that if things don’t work out with Revy and the others he can go back to his life in Japan. Rock is making the same mistake as he did with Revy in the first season, trying to dictate to others how life should be lived when he himself doesn’t know what life he wants to live (Seras: It’s enough to piss off anybody). The only difference this time is Yukio calls him out on his BS and totally owns him as he has no retort for her (wow, she read him like an open book. (Seras): Damn, he just got owned by a high school girl). After saving her both parties go their separate ways and the war continues with Balalaika reducing the manpower of the Washimine to about a third of their power. Yukio tells her men to abandon their strongholds to avoid death and even starts to get into her new lifestyle by joking about going to Roanapur and starting a gang there herself. She even robs a bank in order to get the police to track Hotel Moscow’s trucks which they’ve been using as a cover to launch attacks (Seras: She’s adapting well). Rock decides to still play hero (Seras: Idiot. Let it go. She’s going to die whether you like it or not) and tries to convince Balalaika to stop the assaults claiming that she’s already won. Her response to this is holding Rock at gunpoint on the hood of a car for overstepping his boundaries and for using the word justice as a crummy excuse to seek the death of others without using his own strength to change the situation. She lets him go however after Rock makes the argument that he’s just like her a villain with a hobby of helping people (no offence but you need to find a new hobby). Finding this amusing she lets him go (Seras: Only because it’s so pathetic it’s funny) and Revy reprimands Rock for his actions and he decides to go and visit his folks’ home again. Revy thinks he’s going to decide to stay in Japan but in truth he’s going to cut his ties with them. In fact, that’s the whole reason he went on this trip in the first place to cut his ties with his former life in Japan (Seras: So you’ve decided to live the life of blood and death as opposed to the boring everyday life. Good for you). While talking in the park, those kids from earlier ask to see more of Revy’s gun skills so she gives them what they want (scene here: //youtu.be/EI7ga41HglQ, now that’s the Revy we know and love). They go to meet up with Balalaika who’s about to have a meeting with the Kosa Council where Rock asks her to completely destroy the Washimine clan so Yukio can live a normal life (Seras: Were you not listening dumbass!? She can’t go back to a normal life because she’s going to die. God, how do get dress in the morning? All by yourself?). At the meeting Balalaika kills the leader of the Kosa Council, tells Rock the attacks on the Washimine clan will stop since they’ve accomplished their goals and then leaves without a care in the world (scene here: //youtu.be/g4iezJnLMsw?t=10m58s). Rock gets saved by Revy on a motorcycle where they get rammed into by Yukio and Ginji. They capture Rock (really? He got captured by a high school girl? Man what does Revy see in that guy?) and want him to lead them to Hotel Moscow so they can exact their revenge (Seras: Fat chance little girl. These guys are trained soldiers who are ready to fight in WWIII. You fight these guys and death is sure to follow) but before they can do that they have to fight Revy who steals a truck and forces them to stop. We then get our fight between Revy and Ginji which leads to an interesting ending (scenes here: //youtu.be/tcQsl4vQmrQ and //youtu.be/3OLXkuMLoVY, (Seras): And the prophecy has been fulfilled). So after this they all return to Roanapur (no place like home) where Rock decides to keep watching Roanapur from his twilight and Revy ends the series with a bang for us (a good shout out to Cowboy Bebop. (Seras): See you around space cowgirl).
Final Thoughts
(Seras): Refreshing. That’s one of the many words you can use to describe Black Lagoon and one of the words I think sums up Black Lagoon perfectly.
(Isis): I couldn’t agree more. Coming out at a time with most action thrillers were either generic shounen stories and mecha anime, Black Lagoon comes along and gives us an action anime that’s not only thrilling but deep, philosophical, exciting, a little fun, and a joy to watch. I have to admit I was a little hesitant about this series but after watching it I can see why everyone gives this anime so much praise.
(Seras): The action is amazing throughout the series. I love the variety of fighting styles we get from gun battles to swordfights the action is sure to leave satisfied with this series.
(Isis): The multiple stories and arcs presented in this anime are great with each one being different and displaying a new aspect of the characters as well as diving a little into their past. Some of the stories and arcs of them trying to make quick cash while others are deep and dark stories about coming terms with the hardships and evil of the world and realizing that there are somethings you can’t do and things you can do and you have to accept them whether you like it or not.
(Seras): The music for this series is alright. There were a few tracks that I liked but it’s not really that memorable. The music is rock music so if you’re a fan of rock music you won’t be disappointed with the soundtrack but I said before it’s really not that memorable. The animation is great. Is a Madhouse anime so you can always expect to see great animation work from them on any of their animes. Even for its time the animation looks great here and still holds up to this day. The character designs are spot on although I will say the cartoon expressions were unneeded in the grand scheme of things. The anime does a good job capturing the essence of the 90s as we barely see anybody use technology and rather fire off their guns first to solve their problems.
(Isis): But the best factor in this anime are the characters. You will watch this anime and instantly find yourself liking just about every character to come across in this anime. Everyone has their own personality and they’re given enough screentime for us to get them, who they are, what they’re like, and what they’re philosophies on life are. We see that Dutch is a fair business trying to do business in one of the worst places on Earth and while he’s not afraid to take out a gun and shoot someone to defend himself he hasn’t lost himself completely in the bloodshed and still holds on to some shred of sanity. Benny is the tech guy who has nowhere else to go and even if he did chances are he wouldn’t be safe for very long. Next to Rock he’s the one guy who seems to have most of his sanity intact and hasn’t become a part of Roanapur’s lifestyle but accepts the life that he is in and tries to live each day trying to survive while trying to make a living in it.
(Seras): But the two best characters are our two leading characters Rock and Revy who are like two sides of a coin. Rock grew up in a society that was peaceful but where he was mistreated by various people and just considered a replaceable puppet should the time come. Fed up with that life he chose to stay in Roanapur bringing along his philosophies of life into a city that pretty much thinks his ideals are BS and have no place in the world that they live in. Revy comes from the other side of the tracks as opposed to Rock. She’s seen the dark side of humanity and as a result of that has molded into a person who lives for herself killing and fighting anyone just to survive in the world because that’s what she’s been doing her whole life. That’s all she knows how to do and it’s the only thing she’s got which is why she clashes with Rock so much. Rock doesn’t understand her world and she can’t understand his world however the two slowly start to come and respect the world and life philosophies of each other. While they probably don’t agree with each other they do respect each other because whether they realize it or not they’re both the same. Clinging on to their philosophies of life and following them because it’s the only they have left.
(Isis): You can also tell that Revy has obvious feelings for Rock. She won’t show it but her feelings are obvious for him. In Revy’s heart and mind there’s got to be a little child still inside of her crying out for help and wanting to have a sense of a normal life free of bloodshed and pain and Rock is that person she believes can give her that sense of normalcy she’s been secretly searching for. He makes her question her way of life and makes her believe that there’s a better life out there besides the one she’s currently living. At the beginning of the series she was practically voided of human emotions such as sympathy and care for others but with Rock she’s always willing to jump in and help him. Whether he’s kidnap or about to do something stupid or reckless she’s usually the first person to save him. In a way Rock has become her rock of stability in Roanapur and the person she can let her guard down against and feel safe.
Final Score
(Seras): My final score for Black Lagoon is a 9/10. It’s a wonderful anime with great themes, characters, story, thrills, and action. It delivers on all fronts and is an anime I highly recommend checking out.
(Isis): I give the anime an 8/10. The first half of the anime was my favorite but I felt that the second half of the anime was a little bit scattered storywise. I was hoping for more stories arc similar to the first half as well as going more into the philosophical aspects of our two main characters and their interactions. While exploring other characters, meeting new ones, and seeing more dark and twisted stories was good I really did want the anime to keep their focus on Rock and Revy.
(Seras): So the final score for this anime is an 8.5/10 with a must watch stamp of approval. If you’re looking for a good action thriller with great characters, story, and themes check this anime out. It is a breath of fresh air from all the other generic action animes that have come out over the years and one that hope makes a return in the future.
(Isis): Well that’ll do it for us. Thanks for reading and we’ll see you-
(Chibi Isis): Nee-chan! Se-chan! We got trouble!
(Isis): Chibi! What’s going on.
(Chibi Isis): Those AI lookalikes are back.
(Seras): So what? It’s just one or two of them, we can take them anytime.
(Mira): It’s not just one or two. It’s a whole army of them.
*Mira opens up a screen into the system to show Isis and Seras an army of the AI assassins that look like them*
(Seras): Holy shit!
(Mira): It gets worse. They’re heading our way.
(Isis): Ready the defenses and gather up everyone. We’re going to war.
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