Sadly Over-hyped

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Don't Believe the Hype

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

When it comes to Japanese anime there is always a question what exactly given show is trying to achieve and what genre it fits in - one obviously can't watch most anime shows as entertainment for kids. Judging by western genre conventions "Black Lagoon" is closest to action movies from 90s or to franchises like "Transporter" or "Expendables". It is full of improbable and highly entertaining action sequences and awesome characters written entirely as Rule of Cool instantiations. The plot can be shallow and at times is only an excuse for staging another shootout. And the whole show can be really cheesy. But instead of coming from western action movie formulas much of this cheesiness is of Japanese origin. As a result, if someone is not accustomed to anime quirks (e.g. underage gender-ambiguous incestuous insane killer twins! I'm not kidding..) one may find them quite refreshing. But there are some differences which in my opinion make "Black Lagoon" a little bit better than standard action flicks. Firstly, it's the overwhelming atmosphere of moral ambiguity which pervades the whole show - the anime doesn't try to whitewash actions of the protagonists, it portrays them essentially as villains fighting other villains. Likable villains, one must give them that, but villains anyway. And, in contrast to many other similar movies, protagonists are often not even slightly more ethical than their enemies. As a result antagonists of the show tend to be better developed and much more interesting than expected (aforementioned twins and certain yakuza clan particularly shine here).The world of the show is dark, nihilistic place inhabited by violent beings, fighting for money in criminal underworld. It happens all the time in all kind of shows, but here the series is aware to some point of its own shallow nihilism and manages to criticize it. Quite a feat for an action series, I'd say.The other strong point of Black Lagoon is the duo of its main characters - Revy and Rock. Revy seems to be walking "chick with guns" stereotype. It's quite easy to overlook certain degree of complexity behind her sheer awesomeness and battle prowess. Below the surface she is much more flawed than typical action anti-hero which definitely makes her that much more interesting. Rock, on the other hand, as a stranger in the world of wickedness who was put there by accident, acts as a link of a viewer to the series' dark underworld and represents fading ethical ideals which contrast starkly with the place he was thrown into. The relationship between the two and its development fuels much of the series. OK one can see it through as some kind of Japanese male yuppies' collective escape fantasy. But it's really interesting fantasy, contains some serious traps and it's not as trivial as one can think.Speaking of fantasies - one massive pitfall of the show is strongly sexualized portrayal of Revy. I wouldn't mind if she was strongly sexualized sometimes or even on a regular basis - it would be somehow justified by her character. But she is sexualized virtually always. Maybe it's just me but I really can't stand mild erotic fantasies pressed upon my face all the time. It's all the more frustrating when you notice that show is actually quite restrained when it comes to gratuitous nudity. OK, restrained at least relative to its setting.The other flaws - the story can be at times confusing and sometimes doesn't make much sense - it concerns especially the plot of the longest arc of the show (concerning certain Latin maidservant). Additionally, some characters and events cross the border of ridiculousness by too many steps. I'm personally inclined to forgive the latter, however. If you like action-packed movies and series but you find them formulaic and boring and you can tolerate small amount of anime peculiarities "Black Lagoon" is the ideal show for you. Exoticness and reasonable depth in both characters' development and antagonists' portrayal will come as a bonus.

Originally I've found this anime years ago but i never gave it a chance, i saw a half naked girl for the cover and figured it was gonna be some stupid anime with lots of ass and boobs with no decent story line or plot. But this year i saw it went on toonami and gave it a chance, best thing i could of done! This show has so much action, violence, and action!! with the very subtlest of romance(it does have boobs n ass but theirs a lot more to it). If you like real life guns that look exactly like they were thrown into your TV screen from your lap then this could be something you'd like. To the contrary to the normal anime or TV series where the hero beats the villain and everything is all good and happy, then this will be a nice change for you. I don't want to spoil anything for but if you like things like the mafia, gangs, and money then this is a must. The main characters just pull you in and leave you wanting more, unlike most series where the back story of every character is just thrown at you one episode after another, Black Lagoon slowly gives you bits and pieces of everyone back story's leaving you to just wonder more and more in suspense!Overall point: If you like action, guns, money, and violence, and detailed characters that make you learn to love there twisted ways, then this anime is definitely worth a watch! I enjoyed it very much.

Watched the English Dubbed. The anime revolves around a harbor city Ronanapur- center for drugs trade so we have the Triad,Italian mafia, South American drug lords , Russian mafia in the form of X-military paratroopers and of curse Uncle Sam in the form of CIA operatives. Our protagonist- The Black Lagoon company is a group of 4 doing the transportation/pirate/mercenaries business. Took me time to get the hang of the anime, the starting was too fast for me. Wasn't sure where they were going with the story, add the many American/pop culture reference, as a non-American i wasn't getting the hang of the dialogs.Ones the new recruit Rock settled in among the crew of Black Lagoon i really started enjoying. Ones i got the hang of the pace, i really started enjoying the dialogs. They are intelligent, funny and critical - very realistic. The main characters Rock and Revy change there attitude from having fun to being depressed, from being nice guys to being bad without remorse. Loved all the different characters and there are loads of them. This anime has many complicated bad-ass characters who have the presence of being the main protagonist. The detail going into each scene was awesome. One of the few animation were even the background seemed to be worked upon. Work was done on everything making them look very realistic and stylish. The Action is mind blowing and artistic. Its macho and all done by girls. Girls with balls of steel. Really enjoyed roberta's arc in the end,total bad-ass,although the last episode 29 was a bit of disappointment. Will love some historical arcs on any of the elite citizen of Ronanapur.

This series follows Rokuro Okajima; a Japanese salaryman who finds himself taken hostage by a trio of pirates aboard an old torpedo boat. When he learns that his boss has no real interest in him he joins the pirates. The crew consists of Dutch the captain; Benny, a computer and communications expert and Revy, a woman with a bad temper and two guns that she uses expertly. Revy soon dubs Rokuro 'Rock' and this new name sticks. They are based in the lawless city of Roanapur where there must work with and fight against a number of dangerous organisations most notably 'Hotel Moscow' a Russian Mafia run by a woman called Balalaika. Over the course of the series they will have many scrapes and in every one the bullets will fly!I've seen quite a few anime series and think this is one of the best of them. Rock is a great character to introduce the murky world of Rainapur; in many ways he represents the audience; an ordinary person taken into a world he struggles to come to terms with. Rock may bring us into this world but it is Revy who is the real protagonist; she is a great antihero… she is nearly always angry and never ducks out of the opportunity for a fight. As you might have guessed there is a lot of action in this series and it is all pretty exciting; giving us a sense that the protagonists could be harmed. Inevitably this leads to a few downbeat moments including a couple of real tear-jerking moments. It isn't all bleakness though; there are some laughs to be had; especially in scenes between Revy and a gunslinging 'nun' from the Ripoff Church. This series isn't suitable for younger viewers because of the levels of violence, swearing and one case of extreme, but not graphic, sexual threat but older viewers who like plenty of action should love this.These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.