Search - Black Lagoon: Complete Series Box Set (Season One) on DVD

Not too shabby.

trashcanman | Hanford, CA United States | 01/19/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"
"Black Lagoon" is a pretty typical anime action series in a lot of ways, not especially outstanding in comparison to some of the shows that have come before it, but it's a series that does almost everything right. Cowboy Bebop on water pretty much sums it up. .The show follows the adventures of a rag-tag crew (is there any other kind?) of modern pirates as they pull off jobs and capers for various crime bosses. The protagonist is a jaded businessman who becomes known as "Rock" after he is kidnapped by said pirates and eventually winds up joining them after he turns out to be more resourceful than one might expect.

Rock may be the protagonist but make no mistake, the star of the show is sociopathic she-pirate Levi (Revi if you prefer the Japanese pronunciation), a one-woman wrecking crew with bad attitude to spare. This girl in the best thing this series has going for it as she is a true-blue anti-heroine; mean-spirited, apathetic, and often beyond psychotic. This is rather surprising since the female leads in these shows are typically rather sensitive and heroic types inside of their harsh exteriors, but Levi is bad to the bone and she never lets you forget it for long. Her clashes with the level-headed newcomer Rock make up much of the first half of the show and believe me, it gets ugly. Rounding out the crew are Dutch, the captain of their torpedo boat, and Benny who appears to be the tech guy but frankly, he doesn't do much which is disappointing.

Most of the missions are split between two or three episode arcs and consist of such glamorous fare as salvaging a sunken Nazi U-boat or kidnapping a rich brat. Of course there's always a catch such as a battleship full of neo-nazis coming to reclaim their artifacts, or a nanny/housemaid (complete with fetishistic outfit) that gives Levi more than a run for her money in some gunbattles that would make John Woo envious. These kind of fringe characters are another reason that "Black Lagoon" is such a success. My favorite is a rather vain blademistress in a Chinese dress who teams up with Levi during the last arc of the series. The scene where the two of them are being pursued in a car and fighting with each other over who gets to stand up through the sunroof and engage the pursuers is a riot. Also of note is the crew's primary employer, a Russian mafiosa with badly scarred skin named Balalaika (say THAT three times fast!) who shows up often as the consummate crooked businesswoman.

The series is a too-short 12 episodes with no larger story to tell. Levi's past is hinted at or glimpsed several times, but never truly explored, though the second season gives us more along those lines and a third is forthcoming. "Black Lagoon" is a fun show with fantastic action sequences, great animation, and plenty of colorful characters. Well worth a viewing. If you worship at the altar of "Cowboy Bebop", consider this series a must, though newcomers to anime and casual fans should also find a lot to like here. Also, if you've ever wondered the best way to go about torpedoing an in-flight helicopter, check this show out for sure."

Great action and lots of dark humor

J. Stewart | Mobile, AL United States | 05/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off, I was really impressed with the production values. The animation and sound was top notch. There was none of that cost saving corner cutting, which really adds to the overall feel of the show.

Secondly it's a really smart script with complex characters and tightly written plots.

Third lots of nifty violence, but with a black comedy twist.

Don't go in expecting Cowboy Bebop, although there are similarities Black Lagoon is a lot darker. You might like both. Cowboy Bebop is one of my all time favs too. However I find the two shows to have distinctly different flavors.

One thing that appealed to my inner philosophy major was that underlying theme of the whole anime is nihilism(Revy) v existentialism(Rock), which philosophy is more realistic--but without a single descent into academic angst or mention of a philosophical term. It was all fast paced action with a few comic turns on the surface, and can be appreciated on just that level, but there was heavy epistomological debate going on underneath. Personally, I thought that was pretty cool."

Classic

solarisgears | 06/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This show is just awesome. A truly classic anime like cowboy bebop. It has amazing over the top action with a mix of great storytelling. A must even if you are not a anime fan."

Looking for a complex action anime? You found it!

Sebastian Fernandez | Tampa, Florida United States | 06/20/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was really lucky to come across this series and after watching it I am perplexed as to why it is not much more popular than what it is. I know I am probably going to get creamed for this, but with it is hard for me to understand that Cowboy Bebop Remix, Volume 1 is super popular and Black Lagoon is as obscure as it is. Don't get me wrong, I really like Cowboy Bebop, but this is at least as good, and in my humble opinion, even better.

The series is based on a straight-forward concept. An office worker is kidnapped by a band of modern pirates and ends up joining them and becoming an outlaw himself. But then, this simple idea is complemented by an rich set of characters, interesting relationships, fine humor and a lot, and I really mean a lot, of action.

I really wish more people would get exposed to this series, since this shows how much can be done with anime, and also because it deserves to be successful. For my part, I'll add my grain of sand by recommending it without reservations."