A creation of eastern production team Madhouse and American Geneon from an original graphic novel by Rei Hiroe, this is an adult-aimed anime series which turns out well above average, even if not quite on the consistent level as such standalone Madhouse features as Millennium Actress (2001), or Tokyo Godfathers (2003).
Much of the particular flavour and interesting tensions within Black Lagoon can be put down to its split production origins, a dichotomy also reflected in dramatis personnel. Besides Dutch there's a Jewish-American (Benny) and Chinese-American (Revy), as well as Rock's Japanese presence. At the same time, set pieces familiar from American action cinema jostle for screen time with characterisation and some graphic styling typical of homegrown manga. As the varied team undertake a series of assignments (at least in First Barrage, the name of the series' initial half, reviewed here), it gradually leads to an escalating tension between Rock and Revy. The new recruit, out of the boardroom and now onboard, so to speak, seeks to establish himself in a new and bewildering world, where he has a chance of gaining the respect previously denied him.
Revy has issues and internal strife all of her own, increasingly aggravated by the new arrival. It's the relationship between these two that's at the heart of the series, and gives events a centre of gravity. As white-collar Rock gradually grows into his new relationships, so Revy has to face up to new emotions and truths. Confrontations will make her doubt the real strengths of her much vaunted self-reliance, and how much her troubled past still influences her. It becomes obvious that, despite her best efforts, a problematic relationship is forming between her and the new arrival. Meanwhile, Rock's corporate-inspired guile, outwardly conservative image, and sly negotiating skills gained in a past life prove an increasingly valuable asset, even as he assesses his past existence in the light of the new.
Operating out of the south Pacific city of Raonapur as the 'Lagoon Trading Company', Dutch's small professional team one held together by a quirky mixture of greed, bravado and camaraderie. Their main, continuous interaction is with a former Soviet military officer known as Balalaika, a big wheel in the crime world they inhabit and service. She quickly uses the Lagoon Company to help secure her ascendancy. In events after that, concerning a group of Nazis and a sunken submarine, she is largely absent, but comes to prominence again as events proceed, notably during the episodes of The Unstoppable Chambermaid. Here she helps to adjudicate at the finish, bringing to a climax stormy events between Revy and the murderous servant Roberta (a peculiarly enigmatic figure, demure but full of unstoppable violence), which have played out with a due nod to The Terminator. Towards the end of this first series Rock and Revy again provide the most interest from point of character until, at the close, we learn some more about her personal history from the CIA, which continues the process of humanising her, putting her life more in context.
It's no surprise then that the closing credits of each show are shown over a notably melancholic sequence, reflecting Revy's trademark emotional desolation. The viewer follows her feet and lower legs along a beach watching her slowly discard cartridges, shoes and trademark twin handguns into the sand. Then, with a final flourish, Revy turns abruptly and confronts us with another weapon, as if warning against any attempt at communication. In contrast to the interest generated by such handicapped and resentful psychology, other parts of Black Lagoon are less rich in character studies, as individuals too readily give up what secrets they have. For instance, the Nazis faced by the team in the three-episode Die Ruckkehr des Adlers sequence are stereotypes, cardboard fanatics with none of the originality we find elsewhere. Only the claustrophobic scenes set inside the sunken submarine, rife again with tension between Rock and Revy, give this section much interest.
A good deal of the show is taken up with violent set pieces that, typical of the genre, often bring an episode's climax. This is all orchestrated with some élan, but in matters of sex Black Lagoon remains surprisingly reticent. Some viewers will note the coded lesbianism of Balalaika, or the constant smoking and cigarettes, those small symbols of virility, which are passed round or enjoyed by characters during the film. There are the hot pants of the busty Revy, clearly geared towards the fantasies of a male audience even if her continuously sexualised character remains an erotic aspiration only. She even expresses a surprising innocence early on when accidentally confronted by Balalaika's pornography ("do you mean he is actually going to put that up her ass?"). Mostly, adult sexuality is confined to the background: mute whores in bar rooms, or the surrounding street life.
If the vividly realised experience of Black Lagoon can teach Revy - or us - anything more worthwhile, its the importance of establishing one's place in life with dignity, all the while discovering and valuing real friends. Worthwhile relationships are at a premium in a lawless city such as Raonapur. Those like Balalaika can only purchase the loyalty of associates; Nazis combine together through blind political obedience, Taiwanese assassins are necessarily hirelings, or servants like Roberta remain emotionally stunted. On Dutch's small, intimate boat however, people interrelate on a far more critical level. Here genuine loyalty and trust can quite literally mean matter of life and death.
