Black Lagoon: The Complete Series Box Set, Season One
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DVD details
Brand: FunimationDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Japanese (Original Language); English (Original Language)
Format: Anamorphic, Box set, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 330 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-12-30
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Funimation
DVD Reviews of Black Lagoon: The Complete Series Box Set, Season One
DVD Review: Pirates Ahoy!
Summary: 5 Stars
My husband and I bought the Black Lagoon box set on a whim - the price was right, the back cover showed an interesting story, and anything that shows a woman with a gun on the cover seems to be interesting on its own merit (yes, we can be that shallow at times).
Animation
I am pretty sure I have done reviews for other Anime shows. If I have not, let me lay this out: my husband and I are big Otaku. Adding this to our extensive collection was only done after a review of the back cover and consideration for the quality of the animation. Most Japanese Anime seems to fall into two categories (to our opinions) really good, detailed animation, or lack of detailed, lazy animation. When we review an anime that we have not heard of (this being one of them), we tend to look at the quality of the drawings. If they are detailed, at least to our minds, the story tends to be better.
Black Lagoon has wonderful animation. The details are impeccable, from the environments (which range from a deprived city to the high seas), the mechanical aspects (the gunboat the pirates use is wonderfully drawn and very believable), and the characters themselves. Each has a distinct costume, and the facial expressions are varied. While there is a slight tendency for the wide-eyed cliche anime females, by-and-large the drawings are realistic and accurate.
That is to say, of course, that most of the females are, erm... well endowed, and in some situations, it would be physically impossible for the movement and/or way they are held up (I am sorry, things that large are never that perky). The series does tend to categorize the women into either a highly sexualized depiction (Revy, the main female protagonist in the series, saunters around in a tight tank top and short shorts), or as prude-like as possible (a nun, a businesswoman, or a maid in a very conservative uniform). Even with these somewhat sexist depictions, the characters themselves more than make up for the drawings.
Plot
The story for Black Lagoon starts out with action and ends with a shootout. The crew of the Black Lagoon have been tasked with boarding a vessel to obtain certain files from an employee of a Japanese organization. They end up kidnapping the employee, and amid the loud vulgarities uttered by the pirates, the soft-spoken demeanor of the businessman seems comical.
From here, the story takes off. Business intrigue, high-speed shootouts, Neo-Nazi subplots, and lots and lots of cursing. The characters themselves are modern-day pirates, and they acquire jobs from a variety of sources in their homebase, a city filled with the scum of the Earth. The police are corrupt, and various gangs are in control. It is the leaders of these gangs that give the jobs to the crew of Black Lagoon.
Now what about that employee? Well, he ends up joining the crew, and becomes the straight-laced booknerd member. I could tell you how he joins, but it would give away the plot of the first couple episodes.
Some other reviews say there is no discernable plot to the series, and in terms of an overall plot, this statement is true. The series breaks down individual stories into several plots throughout the course of the season. If there is any overall plot, it would be the background stories of the crew, or the slight sexual tension between the new guy and Revy (the lone female member, who carries two handguns and is the best shot in town).
The story, overall, is edgy, funny, and full of action. Fights, explosions, chases on the high seas, dark crime stories, and interesting dialogue litter the series. There are several veiled political comments made (the Neo Nazi plot, for instance, is one), and some vague historical allusions, which may or may not be accurate (I didn't research them, I'll be honest). Some of the plots may offend some people (if you do not like bloodshed and the Neo Nazi depictions, don't get this DVD), and the series has tons of cursing. I would not recommend watching this in front of children.
Music and Voice Acting
The music in the series is top notch, with maybe the exception of the theme song (a weird rock/techno/J-pop song that makes no sense, lyrics-wise). Most of the action sequences have a rock song playing, and combined with the excellent animation, you will stay glued to your screen. The music suits the atmosphere, and unlike some anime series, fits the content perfectly. I intend to look up the soundtrack!
The voiceacting is wonderful, also. The tones and emotions conveyed by the voiceactors is well done, and the lip-syncing is top-notch. Each character has a very distinct voice, from the rough voice of Revy, the softspoken businessman, or the baritone captain. Characters with cultural accents also have excellent portrayals without being cliche.
Overall
If you want an action-packed series that is a bit unconventional (there is no grand plot, rather, a series of smaller, defined plots), this is for you. Lots of cursing may turn off some, and some of the touchy subject matter will offend others. The great animation, voiceacting, music, and colorful characters, make this worth owning.
Description of Black Lagoon: The Complete Series Box Set, Season One
BLACK LAGOON SEASON 1:COMPLETE BOX SE - DVD MovieThe action-adventure series Black Lagoon (2006) exemplifies the continuing confluence of Japanese and American filmmaking. Rokura Okajima, a minor flunkey in a powerful corporation, thinks his life is over when he's kidnapped by pirates. It's only his business career that ends: he joins the pirates as "Rock." The trio of Dutch, the understated leader; happy-go-lucky techie Benny; and trigger-happy Revy becomes a quartet, although Rock struggles to find a place in their shady underworld. They're less pirates than soldiers of fortune, ready to do anything if the price is right. Dutch, Benny, and Rock are fairly typical anime types and form a credible team. But murderous, potty-mouthed Revy has all the appeal of a rattlesnake in an Easter basket. This less-than-jolly crew pursues adventures involving treasure aboard a sunken WWII U-Boat, pornographers, drug and arms dealing nuns, kidnappings, and a terrorist plot to blow up US embassies. Bullets, blood and four-letter words fly, but it doesn't add up to much. The gun battles, car chases, knife fights, and explosions take up so much screen time, there's none left for character development or a coherent narrative. Although it's based on a manga by Rei Hiroe, Black Lagoon feels like a cartoon version of a Hollywood blockbuster. Extremely violent and profane, Black Lagoon is not for the squeamish or easily offended. (Unrated appropriate for viewers over 17: graphic violence, violence against women, extensive profanity, grotesque imagery, alcohol and tobacco use, racial slurs, offensive ethnic stereotypes, Nazi imagery, offensive religious imagery) --Charles Solomon
(1. The Black Lagoon, 2. Mangrove Heaven, 3. Ring-Ding Ship Chase, 4. Die Rückkehr des Adlers, 5. Eagle Hunting and Hunting Eagle, 6. Moonlit Hunting Ground, 7. Calm Down, Two Men, 8. Rasta Blasta, 9. Maid to Kill, 10. The Unstoppable Chambermaid, 11. Lock'n Load Revolution, 12. Guerrillas in the Jungle)
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