Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage - Anime Reviews - AniDB (2024)

John Woo does anime?
This review is based on Black Lagoon 1st and 2nd barrage for there are no distinct differences between the two. The only difference I can think of are that there are more gore and the revelation of the theme in the second one.

Black Lagoon is a show full of blood and action with a hint of fanservice. It was refreshing to watch something like this after watching so many kid shows that contain tasteless fanservices and over-done slapstick comedy or kid's "sci-fi/fantasy samething I've seen million just like it" shows. Still, the show contained many flaws and inconsistencies (maybe I am just looking for them).

The biggest problem I had with Black Lagoon was its serious/realistic tone that it carried but then featured outrageous characters and situations. John Woo like action where all the movements are exaggerated are fine with me, but when the characters like Maid-erminator or 11 year old twin killers were introduced, it seemed ridiculous to me. There were also few inconsistencies (e.g. in submarine, there were supposed to me no oxygen left, but the protagonists just walked right in there and breath, talk, and smoke just fine).

Although this show is action genre, the action seemed dull most of the times. The protagonists usually walked straight line and rarely tried to dodge the enemy bullets since none of them know how to aim, and the protagonists killed hundreds of enemies easily.

The animation was superb, "Almost" comparable to Ghost in the Shell SAC. The character all looked unique and their expression detailed (the clothing design could've used little more work, but then I am not a fashion guru). The backgrounds were detailed as well.

The sound was also well done. All the necessary noises were present (guns going off, bullets hitting floor, screaming in agony, etc.) The seiyus were also very professional, except for the few characters that had to deal with corny script. I liked Revy's voice, almost sounded like Ryoko from Tenchi (not the same seiyus). The notable voices are Rock - Daisuke Namikawa (numerous anime shows, games, and film dubs) and Revy - Megumi Toyoguchi (Winry Rockbell - Fullmetal Alchemist). The OST fit well with this show even though I don't like loud music too much.

Since the show revolved around each missions, there weren't much of plot. Only driving force of the show was its theme and character development. Black Lagoon focused on the theme of "the grass is always greener on other side." Because of greedy human nature, humans always want to experience both sides: the boring and monotonous but safe/normal path and the exciting and adventurous but dangerous/evil path. One can't idle in between the two and expect to solve everyone’s problems with one's idealistic views. The life isn't fair and must deal with each situation realistically. Some people wants to live in other way of life that they never experienced before, but can't since that's the only life they know. Also there's a theme of judging the degree of good and evil. Depends on each person, what is good and what is evil varies on their experience.

The last half of the second season resembled little more like God Father. I wished the whole show was more of this way since it was the most entertaining part. The other stories showed little of certain characters past while the "God-father" part actually developed the main characters a lot. The earlier shows also portray the reasons for certain individuals to become evil whether they were driven into it by their tragic past or because of their strong beliefs and desires to change the world.

Overall, Black Lagoon was entertaining just because it’s different from many anime, but because of its several dull action scenes and flaws, I can't say its warrants a high rating. I recommend this show to anyone who like John Woo films with lots of blood and gore with overly exaggerated characters.

This review was writen after watching all episodes of BL: Second Barrage.
Since this is a Black Lagoon's second season I would recommend to begin watching with the first one (if you haven't already), at least the first two episodes, where all the main characters are introduced.

Animation:
Good, but nothing very fancy, style is exactly the same as in the first season.

Sound:
Music in BL is quite good, but again nothing very fancy. OP and ED ar the same as in the first season. The OP is really amazing, at least in my opinion, but you probably know that already.
Voice acting is good as long as it is in japanese. When they switch to english ... you really have to listen in to notice it really is english. Looks like if seiyuu's had absolutely no knowledge of this language.

Story:
There are 3 arcs in this series, independent, bound only by the characters. The Lagoon Company stopped being in the focus, these are mostly stories of Roanpur and Rock & Levy. Amount of dead bodies increased comparing to season one, but fortunately mostly they no longer belong to cannon fodder evil pirates/nazis/mafia. There is much more moral ambiguity, enemies are not always rotten bad. This is in my opinion for good, Black Lagoon crew is supposed to live in a shady lawless world, but in the first season it seemed they always ended up being the good guys.

Character:
The main characters (Rock, Levi,Balaika) are deepened, especially in the third arc, a few side characters make a reappearance (Shenhua!), and many new appear. Most of those are very interesting, but at one time I had an impression that too much weirdness was put together. All in all, the characters are generally good, but some seemed to me too forced and too weird.

Value & Enjoyment:
I enjoyed the second season a lot more than the first one. There is as much action (or even more), the stories are more interesting, the choices made by the characters harder, and Roanpur seems a deadlier place. I recommend this to everybody who likes action animes, especially set near present day. BL:SB has its better and worse moments, but overall it is really worth watching, especially the last arc.

And so it ends again.... (tear) I thought it was going to go on longer this time too. But theres always hope for another season! So season two how was it? If you have already seen the first then you should know how this anime goes cause it follows the same sort of pattern as the first. Although this time around I think they improved in many places. Frankly I liked the second season ALOT more then the first one. For starters ever story in this season touched on more serious topics then the first. If you haven't seen the first season don't read this review and go read a review on the first season. For others I don't think its necessary to explain the setting so moving on!

Animation
Definitely one of the improved parts of this anime. Although I wouldn't say the animation was bad at all in the first season, but this time around everything was more smooth. I think the fight scenes still need a bit of work though. Its fairly hard to get over some of the parts where the hero or herione's aren't moving too fast and still all the bullets miss them. I think if they speed up the movement it would look better and more believable. That being said they really put alot of effort in other aspects of the fights i.e. details of bullets and body parts being shot at or stabbed. I also found less distorted characters so all in all I was pleased with the quality.

Sound
Once again it had nice music to suit every scene but they decided not to change background and opening. This was a bit discouraging for me I kinda wanted some new themes to listen to. Even so some of the fight scene music they used caught my attention every time i.e. the gun/sword drawing battles Love that drum beat! They also kept the voices the same so it was good.

Story
Even though I think they did a better job with making each story arc interesting I still wanted to see some sort of main plot or goal. In the end they still haven't really put a direction besides the random adventures of Rock and friends. Just this one reason made me give a slightly lower score. To be honest I only disliked one story arc in the whole season. The rest I enjoyed throughly because at the very least they moved many aspects of the characters that I wanted to see built. In this sense even without a main plot it was successful in creating suspense and leaving PLENTY of room for more to come.

Character
The most exciting thing in season two. Although not exactly perfect but it was close to it. Not only did they push the main characters but also many of the side characters were given bigger roles. Eda the sister from the first season actually had an important role for around half the series. Then Balalaika for the other half. They showed new sides of both of them and also help create strength the images that were lain in the first season. You also find out some secrets that I won't mention :0. The side characters weren't the only ones that got there fair share of screen time but Rock and Revy also developped ever soo nicely. The relationship is moving smoothly and you also see more and more of change in Rock moving away from his "cowardly" ways. Unfortunately for fans of Benny or Dutch they don't get too much work this time around. Rather sad but oh well.

Value and Enjoyment
In terms of messages and meaning they gave out alot of insightful quotes and conversations. They seemed a bit grim but I think they made sense espially in the context they were used. That is why the value of this anime went up a great deal. To add on I would definitely rewatch this for the action alone. Even still since because the action made up of most of the entertainment value. Thus the enjoyment was really high for me. I really liked this series and it was fun to watch. I really didn't want to wait for each episoide to come. I'm also anticipating the next season if it comes out. If you plan on watching it is for the people who have seen the first season. I think it is still sorta possible to see it without watching the first since it is action packed and broken into stories but I would say it isn't as enjoyable. So Have fun for thoses who do watch it!

Animation
The animation was lovely. These days it is a bit hard to find an action anime with alot of hype, while maintaining the discipline for art throughout. The backgrounds were not rushed, but were quite detailed as were the main characters. Just for note - the character design for Revy - LOVELY. But i must be honest, there was some slackness in the character art for those "unimportant" people. I personally believe that you either aim for 100% good or not.

Sound
The OP music was very good choice for the anime. It fits the hype, and get's you ready for the action to come..But as a musician...it's just alot of overdrive to me..but then again, it's whatever fits the anime, and it undeniably fits this one. The ED music as well fits the anime, even the scenery of Revy walking as the clips fall, with the assist of that background music - it constantly reminds you of Revy's character and why she is who she is.

Story
Forgive me, i must use my local diction for this. "Nuff respect unto dis one ya." I indeed love it. It isn't very often you find pictures that emphasize on the villain more than the "moral" and ethics per say. I'm not saying that it is good to have pictures that promote bad morals, and guns and violence(i love the violence), but what I am saying, it is good that there exists a picture that speaks the truth. The whole organized crime story - Balalaika redefines what you call the mafia. The story was well developed from the begining. Season 1 did seem a bit choppy, but Season 2 was alot more focused.

Character
I will comment on my three favorite characters:

The character development on Rock is well done. Rock is not a simple person. He is drawn simply, yes, but his way of thinking, the way his mind ticks, and choices that he makes...eventually, shows that he fits in quite well where he is. The transition of his character to who he is now was very smooth. His place in the anime is very well situated, as he almost acts as a "watcher"...except he interferes ever so often. Also, the anime has undeniably hinted a highly potential relationship between him and Revy - they got something going on that the producers are not showing. It would've been nice if they had admitted it some time in the anime.

Revy is controlled mentally sick individual; A real shotta. This season however shows her as a more controlled individual as opposed to season 1 when it comes to her emotions. I admire the fact that she does not bluff, and never hesitates to do what she has to do. She has a clear understanding of why she does what she does, and has no intention of changing her ways. The character design, like I said before was lovely. She has the "rough girl" type of look and the cigar in her mouth is like icing on the dress; She lives up to her appearance very well.

Balalaika. The mafia. Kapitan's character was given alot of focus in this season and that is good, since it was only in the end of season 1 that an idea of who she really is was given. She is the type of person that is not to be challenged in any manner whatsoever...nor challenged by. The anime did however disregard the need to show how she got those scars on her body instead of leaving it up to imagination. Apart from that, i love the character and the mindset that works behind its actions.

I reduce my points for character development though, because they failed to develop the entire black lagoon crew, and I believe they could if they wanted to. It's too much work for me to go and rewatch the anime to get their names - I'm sleepy, but the fact that i cannot remember them proves that...(dutch is one)...they did not develop them properly. (oh yeah, and benny)

Value
This deserves a 10 for value. There are times when you will press rewind because you cannot believe what happened. This anime is definitely Rewatchable, and I believe it is because of the fast paced nature of it and all of the action. It is worth buying (but hide from your kids..."guns will kill you and make you die").

Enjoyment
Overall, I definitelly enjoyed this anime. Kicked up alot at certain fight scences - would love to mention...but i would hate it if someone had spoiled it for me. Black Lagoon....Marvelous.

Having watched this second season of Black Lagoon, I cannot decide whether it is better than the first season. A big plus for this season is that it has more of an overarching plot, and contains various recurring themes, especially in the final 5-6 episodes of the season (about the nature of Rock and "the night", the underworld that he has become a part of).

The story for this series focuses mainly on Revy and Rock, especially once they go back to Rock's hometown in Japan with Balalaika (Rock serves as her translator).
Thus, there is a major dose of Rock/Revy relationship development. The ending is very good, and the entire feeling of the gang warfare between the Russians and the Yakuza was extremely well done. All in all, the story in the second season felt much more coherent than the story(ies) in the first season.

Some new characters were introduced in this season, such as Gin and other members of the Japanese Yakuza, and there is much more focus on Balaliaka, and Hotel Moscow in this second season. Though we don't find out anymore information on Revy's past, we do find out some about Balaliaka's and Rock's pasts.

The development of Rock and Revy's relationship was extremely interesting, as was Rock's struggle between accepting his place in the underworld and nostalgia at being back in his hometown in Japan.

The animation is stellar, just as it was in the first season. There are no flaws to speak of; action scenes are fluid character expressions are perfectly created (especially in the eyes), and the backgrounds are varied and detailed. The soundtrack and voice actors are similarly well done. However, the "English" spoken by Balalaika, Revy, Rock, and others during this season is atrocious. Subtitles were neccessary even during the "English" speaking parts because of how bad it was.

I would definately reccomend this second season to fans of the first, and reccomend this anime in general to fans of action anime. This is an extremely enjoyable anime that I have rewatched many a time, even though it has just barely been finished. I am hoping already that there is a third season or sequel to this entertaining anime.

Overall, this show left me with a rather mixed impression. A few great moments and a generally professionally done series are certainly not helped by what I consider one of the most botched endings in anime. So:

---- The good:

- Animation: pretty decent. If you have seen the first season (and you should have, if not do that first) you know what it is like, so prepare for more of the same.

- Sound: Same OP/ED as season 1. Sound effects are nicely done, and voice acting is OK. (note to translators: it would have been nice to see subs when the characters speak in English as well, their accents are rather thick).

---- The not so good:

- Characters: Rock and Balalaika get a little development, as do perhaps one or two side characters in some story lines, but that is it, and it is not much.

- Story: this is where it is most uneven. The story consists of 3 disconnected arcs (3+3+6). The first one being quite amazing, boasting one of the most emotional moments I've seen in anime. Unfortunately, it all goes downhill from there -- the 2nd one is on the level of an average Season 1 story, and the 3rd starts well but soon any logic in many characters' actions disappears, culminating in an even more unreasonable ending. And since this is the longest, and the last, story arc, the impression inevitably carries over to the entire series. Surely this is probably what the manga has, but just swapping the first and third story arcs around would have changed my impression a great deal.

Animation: 8
The animation of the show was well done. There were a few occasions when the faces looked a little off, but the vast majority of the work was great.

Sound: 9
I still absolutely adore the opening theme to this show. It ranks as one of my all time favorites. And the song used at the end of the first arc was absolutely haunting.

The voice actors did a wonderful job, just as they did last season. I did have some trouble understanding them at times when they spoke English, but the fact that I could understand them at all is a good thing in my book.

Story: 7
The storylines in the three arcs that comprise the second season are much darker and more disturbing than anything the first season gave us. I really had problems with the first arc, probably because it involved children, and almost didn't finish the season because of that. But the other two arcs were exciting and entertaining, with a number of unexpected twists thrown in for good measure. I do wish a few more of the loose threads had been tied up, but I suppose that's what the manga is for.

Character: 8
Season two had a lot of character development, especially for Rock and Revy, but we also get some background on some of the supporting cast like Eda and Balalaika, which I really enjoyed. And I like the way Rock's return to Japan in the third arc sort of brings things full circle for the anime.

Value & Enjoyment: 8
If not for the first arc, this probably would have been a 9. As a mother I just really struggled with that first arc. But I really enjoyed the rest of the season. It definitely built on and surpassed season 1 and I'll definitely be recommending it.

All in all this anime was simply magnificent, and im glad to see that i am not the only one that thinks so. this show is a politically driven existential action drama.

Dont u just love it when an anime breaks into ur top 10 list?? reminds me why i love this medium in the first place. The best thing about the show are the monologues and dialogues the different characters have regarding their actions and convictions.

I swear, this anime is more poetic that it is action... So many great moments of social commentary, as a black man i love seeing social commentary in anime... its always interesting to see how the japanese view other folk. The conversation between the Nazi and Dutch over the phone in episode 6 is just phenomenal. and how the nazi when given a gun still choses to shot Dutch because he's black is just priceless. I also love how Hiroe Rei interweves other issues such as racism, revolution in Cuba, the fall of the soviet union, the war remnants of the middle east, and the tragedy of romanian orphans in the 80's. Simply magnificent.

The sad thing is that some ignorant folk will dismiss this anime as just being action, or no story, or all style without substance... meanwhile the mangaka is not trying to tell a whole story, he is simply using pirates' experiences to give insight on contemporary issues that plage developed countries and 3rd world countries alike and how these issues can break people mentally and emotionally.

Revy a chinese girl from the U.S. who was definitely a gangbanger at too young an age, Dutch a Vietnam vet who can never be the same after seeing such horrors in that jungle. Benny a kid who grew up in the suburbs and messed up with the wrong kind of folk. Balalaika a war heroine who has given up her humanity for power, and Rock a regular guy lost to the world and himself.

The residents of Roanapur are an embodiment of what happens in a society were all our fears and inhibitions counteract. And Rock the hero of our story is the one man in the twilight that can testify on the evil and good of man in a screwed up world.

Rather than being a distinct sequel, The Second Barrage really is just a second half to Black Lagoon. The story here focuses more closely onto Rock, our former office worker lead, as he struggles to find his place among the pirate crew he's taken up with.

We start beautifully, with the first mini-arc being a stunning, heartbreaking tale of a pair of child soldiers, managing to render them both thoroughly sympathetic and utterly terrifying. This is Black Lagoon at its very best, showing real human responses to a situation where there simply isn't any good outcome available, only bad and worse ones. The series' usual high quality, real-camera-style animation is maintained throughout, and while I'm usually in favour of more experimental styles, it does make a real aid to immersion; I found myself forgetting The Second Barrage wasn't live action, more than once.

This dramatic arc is then balanced by an even more action-focused one centred on a counterfeiter, but while this certainly provides enough fights and explosions to hold the eye, the lack of more emotional depth here is a disappointment. An attempt is made to pull some focus onto Benny, a borderline-main character and the ship's hacker, but ultimately he simply isn't interesting enough to talk about, and unlike with Rock and Revy's excellent dynamic, there's no other character he really plays off against.

But worse is to come as we come to the series' second half, which is a single longer arc. One of Black Lagoon's big strengths was its international feel, with the Japanese Rock having to fit in with a more varied crew in a city very different from his homeland, but they couldn't resist returning him to Japan for the finale. And while Rock falls deeply into angst over whether to return home, seemingly putting a lot more emotional weight on this than matters of life and death, the more physical plot dives straight into cliché. For its piece of awesome finale badassery, Black Lagoon gave us a guy who would jump his boat to torpedo a helicopter; The Second Barrage gives us a samurai who can cut bullets with his sword. The tale of clashing Yakuza families and the young not-quite-innocent girl drawn into acting as head of one of them isn't badly told - in fact, as such things go it's quite a good piece of storytelling - but it's thoroughly trite.

Of course this is an action show, so on some level it doesn't matter - certainly those just here for the gunfights won't be disappointed by this last arc. But Black Lagoon was previously more intelligent, even original in its missions; to see something so simple for the big finish is a real disappointment. Similarly, Rock's increasingly stupid efforts to protect a girl who clearly neither wants nor needs it, and his blinkered one-dimensional emotionality, are a huge let-down for what had previously been a very well-rendered character, who balanced his distaste for violence with a sensible pragmatism about his crew's actions. And while it's always pleasant to see him interacting with Revy, their relationship seems to have stuck a little, with the writers seemingly unsure how to advance it any.

More than any of this, though, the voice acting takes a nosedive. While this probably worked fine for the original Japanese audience, the supposedly native-English-speaking characters speak with barely comprehensible Japanese accents. It's simply too jarring to accommodate, ruining one's ability focus on events, and makes the whole second half of this show a cringeworthy experience.

Seen as a whole, Black Lagoon is still a very good series. But the final arc is a real let-down, betraying many of the show's greatest features, and ended up being little more than the overdone action show that most of Black Lagoon manages to be so much more than. Which is a real shame, because without it, the consistently superb presentation and beautiful emotions of earlier arcs would make it one of the all-time greats.

The second season of Black Lagoon is really a story of two different anime; the underwhelming, uninspired first six episodes, and the spectacular, engaging last half of the show. The former is a 5, while the latter is very close to a 10.

The returning characters and excellent opening are largely the same as the first season (mentioned more in my review of that season), which is a good thing. The art is as stylish, vivid, and colorful as ever, and adds a definite flavor to all the gun battles.

Now, there are three different story arcs, each completely independent of one another; the murderous twins, Greenback Jane, and the Yakuza fighting back in Japan.

The series starts off with the Romanian siblings, two eight year olds with white hair carrying a mini-gun and an ax larger than they are themselves. These two little children love to kill, and are so dangerous that they wreak havoc upon Roanapur, killing dozens of high-level, powerful gangsters, including those from Hotel Moscow.

Now, I understand suspension of disbelief, and I realize that the gun-wielding heavies in the Black Lagoon universe are supposed to be bizarre, unorthodox characters, from chain-smoking nuns to chambermaids wearing glasses, but this is absurd.

Even in the Black Lagoon universe, it doesn't make sense for two FRAIL CHILDREN to single-handedly cut through droves of gangsters and expert gunmen like so much confetti. The only way to pull this off is to inject humor, but there is none of that in the first three episodes.

The emotional melisma surrounding the end of this arc is both unnecessary and poorly executed.

Next up is Greenback Jane, a straightforward action arc about a counterfeiter on the run, with all of Roanapur's deadliest criminals after her, and only Eda and the Black Lagoon company around to protect her.

It's mostly action, with several funny scenes, and little character development, an Eda flashback aside. It's decent fare, but I found a few key moments disappointing. Without revealing any spoilers, there are several notorious gangsters fighting against Eda and Revy.

A few of the less important ones die, but the main ones, with significant backstory, curiously survive, only one with serious injuries of any kind. Now, I understand they wanted to save them for Season 3, but it's anti-climactic, a cheap device from the creators.

In the ruthless Black Lagoon universe, when two heavies battle it out, one should die.

Finally, we come to the last six episodes, which cover Hotel Moscow's quest to destroy several Yakuza families in Japan, quality time spent between Revy (fully-clothed even!) and Rock near the latter's home, as we are also introduced to a cute schoolgirl named Yukio and honorable swordsman Ginji, who can slice bullets in half.

This might very well be the best story arc in the entire series, Seasons 1 and 2, and corrects many of the things I disliked about the earlier episodes.

If you read my review for the first season, one of my biggest complaints was the character of Revy, that she was a character with no depth or reality, and was boring and stupid to boot.

Well, by the end of Season 2, she has been transformed into a much more understandable and most importantly, FUN individual.

No longer is she hysterical, crazy, nor does she talk as much ridiculous shit. She's far more competent, rational, and even her character is developed, as we see her interacting with children, and she shows genuine compassion and love for Rock.

The overall character development in these last six episodes is excellent. A lot of attention is paid to Miss Balalaika, as she cements her status as the coolest, most competent criminal in the series. Her blend of stoicism with charm, humor, and the ability to do whatever is necessary to crush her enemies is entertaining to watch.

Even the minor characters, like the violent, insane Chaka, with facial piercings, blonde hair, and a purple suit, are well done.

He is a neat reference to Kakihara from "Ichi the Killer", minus the love of sadomasochism.

The story itself drags a little with overly abstract, emotional dialogue, but it's not terrible, and is at least relevant to the central theme, which concerns the transition and choice between criminal or peaceful life.

The last six episodes make up for the beginning of the Second Season, but not enough to propel it into "great" status.

Highly recommended for anyone that enjoys action and a fast pace to one's anime, as well as unusual personalities.