"Burakku ragûn" (2006) TV series

Director:

Sunao Katabuchi

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

8 April 2006 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Mystery

Tagline:

A deadly homecoming!

Plot:

A Japanese businessman, captured by modern-day pirates, is written off and left for dead by his company. Tired of the corporate life, he opts to stick with the mercenaries that kidnapped him, becoming part of their gang.

Plot Keywords:

Japanese Businessman | Russian Mafia | Anime | Bar Fight | Cross Dressing

Cast

Megumi Toyoguchi	...	Revy (11 episodes, 2006)
Daisuke Namikawa	...	Rock (11 episodes, 2006)
Tsutomu Isobe	...	Dutch (11 episodes, 2006)
Hiroaki Hirata	...	Benny (11 episodes, 2006)
Louis Chirillo	...	Chin (11 episodes, 2006)
Ross Douglas	...	Kageyama (11 episodes, 2006)
Patricia Drake	...	Balalaika (11 episodes, 2006)
Brian Drummond	...	Benny (11 episodes, 2006)
Maryke Hendrikse	...	Revy (11 episodes, 2006)
Richard Newman	...	Ratchman (11 episodes, 2006)
Dean Redman	...	Dutch (11 episodes, 2006)
Brad Swaile	...	Rock (11 episodes, 2006)
Mami Koyama	...	Balalaika (6 episodes, 2006)
Michie Tomizawa	...	Roberta (6 episodes, 2006)
Jôji Nakata	...	Kageyama (Japanese) / ... (5 episodes, 2006)

Also Known As:

Black Lagoon (International: English title)
Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage (International: English title) (second season title)

Runtime:

Japan:25 min (24 episodes)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | English | Spanish | Russian

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-MA | Australia:M | Canada:18+ (TV rating) | Australia:MA (DVD volume 2) | UK:15

Company:

Black Lagoon Committee

Trivia:

Revy's guns are modified Beretta Model 92F's, nicknamed "Cutlass" because of the skull-and-crossed-swords symbol on the handgrips.

Quotes:

Sister Eda: [Janet Bhai is running away from gangsters while Revy, Rock and Sister Eda keep pace with her in Benny's car] Hey, sis. Jogging this late at night? How hard-working of you.
Janet Bhai: You! You tricked me!
Sister Eda: That's pretty disrespectful. How can you talk that way to your guardian angel?
Janet Bhai: Screw you! I thought I was going to die!
Sister Eda: Oh really? Do you want us to save you? Think hard. If you don't want to hand over the plates, I guess we don't have a choice. You'd better run to a mosque next time. What do you think?
Revy: [to Eda] How low can you go... really?
Janet Bhai: 30,000 dollars!
Sister Eda: Rock, it's almost my bedtime. I'm going back to the church.
Janet Bhai: You monster! 100,000!
Sister Eda: Don't insult me. Look, they're after you.
[...]

Soundtrack:

Don't Look Behind

Two thumbs up for "Two-hands"!

Black Lagoon is one of those action-packed Animes where the blood flows thick and red, the guns and explosions are loud and when somebody dies...they die hard!!!

Along the same lines as "Cowboy Bebop" but more grounded in reality than space, Black Lagoon's frequent pop-culture references help keep the show current and believable in a "this could be happening somewhere" kind of way!

For those of you who enjoy a good story/ plot, the story definitely is there and really is not all that complicated to follow. However, this show is definitely more about the action scenes as they are fast, hard and over-the-top which is great for any action-adrenaline junkie!

The story in a way is just a series of events which links together a whole lot of action scenes but it is the way it is all done which truly makes this anime show brilliant.

The characters are another great point to the show as it really delves into peoples relationships with each other and why it is that they act the way the do or have such a dark view of the world. The interesting thing is that there really is no "good guys" in Black Lagoon. The good guys are in a way just as bad as the bad guys yet still manage to gain sympathy and laughs from the viewer.

Which leads to another great thing about the show, the humour! Brilliant...though very dark, it is still very funny!!!

Each season is short (12 episodes) but each episode runs so well into the next that it is hard not to watch another one straight after just to see what happens next. Same can be said about season 2 as it pretty much just continues right from where season one left off. I don't know the exact details but I'm sure the show must have just been one season that was split into 2 possible for DVD release purposes but I'm not 100% sure of that fact.

I will say that season 2 does take the action to a whole 'nother level and it is a lot more brutal than in the first season. There is also more bad language and adult/sexual themes in season 2 which is great but maybe not for all, especially people who found the first season a little bit much.

All up a great action series for fans of Anime or just action in general.

I hear rumours of a third season on the horizon which I hope is true as I'll be happy to watch another 12 episodes (or more) of Black Lagoon just to get another healthy does of non-stop action, guns, babes and bullets!!!

"Don't bother me, the door is locked!"

- Luke: 11 (apparently).