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Black Lagoon – 11 – The prelude to carnage

After the previous couple of unrelenting maid bashing episodes, the eleventh instalment of Black Lagoon was always going to seem a tad watered down in comparison. And so it proves- the penultimate “Lock’n Load Revolution” has more talking than shooting, and is almost entirely aimed at building up an initially convoluted race between an ambitious group of idealistic terrorists, a somewhat traditional (testicle cracking) Chinese triad (in cooperation with the CIA!) and in the middle of it all is of course our Lagoon.
If I have a problem with Black Lagoon it is that the characterisation has taken a vacation. It’s now more like watching Hellsing (though a lot better) – wondering who or what monsters will be facing Revy next. As fun as it is to see some crazy Chinese mafia bloke kick a grenade into a group of hapless grunts, Black Lagoon somewhere along its war path has lost that underlying emotional catharsis and is vainly trying to cover itself with one too many trendy gimmicks. In short, it’s getting a wee bit episodic. Still fun, but lacks a human bite.

4 replies on “Black Lagoon – 11 – The prelude to carnage”

At this point, most of the main characters are covered – with the exception of maybe Dutch. Besides, what this arc seems to do is show that Rock really IS one of the team – which is why Revy’s so eager to save his ass, given that the documents aren’t with him, as this episode reveals.
Besides, there’s the second season for more revelations and development. 😀

Come now, we all know that Revy saved rock because she "likes" him. I mean, the first have of the series is dedicated to developing their relationship.
That’s were I agree with bateszi, the early part of the series was action + character development and that was a good mix. The shift to a more action oriented story, while not hurting the show, left those who enjoy characterization out in the wind.

Haesslich:
Revy doesn’t know that Rock’s suitcase was empty though. First and foremost, her and the new “ninja” characters will be heading back to retrieve their delivery (else they too will be offed), I doubt Rock’s safety is even a consideration. Of course, Revy wouldn’t be happy if Rock was killed, but after all, she is a professional…
And you are right about there being time for character development in the second season. I wonder how long we will have to wait though? I know I’ll be slightly disappointed if Black Lagoon 2 starts in the same style that the first season is ending. We need to know more about Revy; about her past etc. The opening theme animation hints at there being more to her personality than simply the brazen bad-ass she is at the moment.

bateszi – I don’t want to spoil you… so I won’t say a thing. Wait for Shinsen-sub’s sub of Ep 12. Rock’s safety IS, however, a consideration at this point – he’s proven he’s one of the team, and they had reconcilled during the cigarette-lighting thing; he’s proven that he can stand up to her, and that he’s not just a salaryman. She can respect that, and she’s willing to help him (now) the way she’d help Dutch or maybe Bennie.
Currently, they don’t have any more details on the second season… yet… but it’s rumored to be centered on the Hansel and Gretel arc of the manga. Part of Revy’s draw is, IMO, the mystery about her background – she’s American Chinese, and she’s had a rough life and is a bit of a sociopath. She honestly doesn’t seem to care, she’s an adrenaline junkie, and she’s picked up some serious killing ability over the past decade or two of her life. Dutch himself has someone he’s sending money to (remembering Ep 3), and Bennie’s apparently on the run from American authorities himself. Rock’s past is the one we know the most of, given that he’s effectively ‘our’ representative in their world – the guy who’s had a normal life till now, bending over for the bosses until he got dragged into the world of ultraviolence and megacarnage which Black Lagoon consists of.

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