Series Synopsis
The streets
of Roanapur remain as corrupt and as dangerous as ever. The many crime
syndicates remain in constant struggle for power. Death is the norm and when
you have a job that needs to get done, look no further than the Lagoon Shipping
Company.
Rokuro
“Rock” Okajima (voiced by Daisuke Namikawa) is trying to adapted to new outlaw
life style and it’s hard to tell if things are getting easier or harder.
Regardless, he's built quite the reputation and is a true member of the
infamous Black Lagoon. Alongside captain Dutch (voiced by Tsutomu Isobe),
computer expert Benny (voiced by Hiroaki Hirata), and the dangerous gunslinger
Revy (voiced by Megumi Toyoguchi).
If the price
is right, the Black Lagoon will take on any job. Too bad the door swings both
ways. This group finds themselves against some of the world’s most dangerous
and deranged assassins. Though they have partners in high places, there's no
one they can call an ally.
If goals
align, the Black Lagoon is a symbol of lawlessness in one of the world's
bloodiest cities.
Series Positives
Having aired
a mere three months after season one, how much different could Second Barrage be? If anything it
should’ve been more of the same; a possibility I was completely fine with. As
it turns out though, it could be quite different.
Damn near
immediately, season two made it clear it was going in a different direction.
The same dark humor remained, but there was no mistaking the city of Roanapur.
It is a place filled with dangerous people.
There were a
lot more holy s@#$ moments then there were laugh out loud ones. Yet, this was
still Black Lagoon, so it was still
awesome.
Intensity
Yeah this
season didn’t f@#$ around. While there were silly and humorous elements, but definitely took a back seat. There was a lot more grit to the second that
just wasn’t in the first.
Black Lagoon never shied away from blood. Throughout the entire
series a lot of people got shot, blown up, or perished in some gruesome manner.
In season one the violence and killing happened during firefights. Making
many of the deaths feel more like survival. In other words, the impact wasn’t
as strong. Because of this, it allowed season one to be more over the top and
inventive with its action scenes.
The action
in season two was again exciting and intense, but for its own reasons. This
time, everything felt more personal. When someone died, it was always sudden
and out of nowhere. Deaths got fueled with emotion rather than necessity. When
someone killed someone, it was a deliberate choice. 
Oh and these
weren’t pity killings. They weren’t unfortunate turns of events. These were
products of revenge, assassinations, hits, and even straight up executions.
Some for business, some for power, and some for pleasure.
In the
opening arc, the main threat were two young twins. I’m talking no more than
twelve years old. By the time they appeared in the show, they had endured some
horrific s@#$. Their minds weren't human anymore. They were bloodthirsty
monsters. Not only did they kill, not only did they torture, it was much worse.
The implication was that they ate their victims and they loved every second of
it.
The higher
ups in the city knew these kids got dealt an awful hand. What happened to them
was beyond unfair, but all that was in the past. They needed to be punished for
their deeds all the same.
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| Eda |
The twins
were smart and managed to rack up a high body count. Too bad their true targets
were people with decades of experience over them. They didn’t stand a chance.
Once cornered, it wasn’t pretty.
Shows like
Higurashi had no qualms about doing f@#$ed up things to kids. But, it was
always, to an extent, off camera. You never saw the up close coup de grâce and
you for sure never saw a bullet go through a child’s skull.
So yeah,
season two was intense to say the least. It latched on quick and didn’t let go.
It might be because I'm screwed in the head, but damn it was it fascinating.
The Characters
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| Balalaika |
Season two
introduced more side character. Unlike season one though, they were around a
lot longer. They played a much more important role to what was going on and
their lasting impact was stronger.
What Second Barrage needed was more time with
the side character introduced last season. There were a few, for example Chang
(voiced by Toshiyuki Morikawa), who I would've liked to see more of. But the
ones we did get a better glimpse of…wow.
On a much
smaller scale, but I have to mention it, Benny got more attention. It turns out
he’s more of a dick than I thought he was. For the better, it was funny. He got
away with it because the person he was being an ass to could not only take it,
but return it. Due to this, Benny got himself a girl and I’m not going to lie
they made a cute couple.
On a more
impressive note, we got to see more of Eda (voiced by Jun Karasawa). I think
she only got a single scene in the first season. She was just as hot headed as
Revy. Just as skilled as Revy. The two women were both bitter rivals and
friends, even though they would never admit it.
It was great
to finally see Eda throw down. Her banter with Revy was a lot of fun. It didn’t
matter if they were sitting around drinking or in the middle of a gun battle.
Yet as was the running theme of the season, she didn't understand the term
mercy.
At the end
of a fight, Eda had an opponent at gun point with no chance of being able to
retaliate. Could she have let this person go; yes. Instead, Eda chose to tell
this unarmed man enough information to ensure a bullet to the head.
That was an
upgrade if ever I saw one. But, it wasn't the best.
A person
rose to become my favorite of the series. Beating out Revy, Dutch, and a slew
of other brilliant characters. It was Balalaika (voiced by Mami Koyama). I even
said in my season one review I expected her to play a bigger role. I didn’t
think she was going to get taken to this level.
Not only was
she beyond bad ass, she was terrifying. In season one Balalaika came off as the big
sister type who would help out a friend with a smile. That’s all well and good, but
this a person you don’t f@#$ with.
Her most frightening
moment came when Rock pushed his luck way to far. He said something that
challenged her and in response, she put a gun to his temple.
Rock had
been in a similar position with Revy. It’s true that with Revy there was
genuine possibility that she would've shot him. There was also an equal chance
that Rock could talk his way out of it. Not with Balalaika. If he didn’t say
the right words in the right order he would have died.
Revy summed
it up best. There were two reasons why Rock didn't die. One was because of an
act of God. The second was because Balalaika, for some reason, chose to not
pull the trigger. There were a
few episodes left in the series and I thought Rock was not going to see them.
Balalaika exuded an air around her that left no question who was the most dangerous
person in this show.
Series Negatives
This is
going to sound like a weird question. What language were the characters
speaking to each other in?
I watched
the show in Japanese, so I assumed that’s what everyone was speaking. I guess I
was wrong because the show ended up in Japan and Rock had to be a translator.
Without
warning, Revy, Balalaika, and Rock would be speaking English to each other. The
two women couldn't understand the Japanese around them. Plus, it was that cringe
inducing anime English that makes me want to rip my ears out. 
It made it
real fun when everyone switched back to Japanese. Even though they were around
Japanese characters. And still no one could understand each other.
I get what
was happening and I understand what the show was trying to do. It would be a
pain in the ass to have characters speak another language the entire time. Also
I wasn’t against it because it meant I didn’t have to listen to that awful
robotic English anymore.
Yet the
point remains, it took a while to get used to.
A Reversal
In an odd
twist, season one didn’t spend much time getting to know the side characters.
Yet, season two didn’t seem to care about the main characters. The season
might be called Black Lagoon, but the
crew was kind of inconsequential.
Rock and
Revy maintained a strong presence; Revy more than Rock. Yet there were plenty
of times when they were backseat-ed. This allowed other characters to take up
the spot light, like Balalaika. But Rock and Revy were the soul of the first
season.
This wasn’t
a big issue since Revy was a major player in the second arc and the third arc.
Plus, Rock was never unnecessary. The same can’t not true for Benny or Dutch.
Benny had
his moment, his one moment. We never more got more information about him.
Dutch...I have no idea why Dutch was here. Expecting to
get more insight of the Black Lagoon
crew, don't be. Sure we got other characters, but it seemed like a waste to not
use the characters of the show's namesake after.
Final Thoughts
Season one
might be more fun, but season two is by far more intense. It’s pick your
preference. No matter what you pick though, this remains a great series.
Second Barrage goes down a different,
much darker path than its predecessor. So if you’re wanting more of what you
got the first time, well you’re out of luck. If you chose to stick with it,
you’re in for something amazing.
Second Barrage has plenty of hard to watch, but brilliant scenes.
The action is great and there’s a lot more weight more to it. A few of the same
great characters continue to do what they did best. Luckily, they were joined by
some kick ass additions.
Watch
separate, watch as a whole. The point is, Black
Lagoon is pretty damn good.
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