Anime on Sunday is a new weekly feature that focuses on all things anime, old and new! With Nexus having its roots in anime as well as gaming, we thought we'd honor one of the great mediums of our modern generation by discussing some of the best anime that the industry has to offer. Today, we're kicking things off with an action extravaganza that many are already familiar with: Black Lagoon.



Black Lagoon, produced by Madhouse, first released in 2006. Coming off the heels of action anime of the past, including Trigun and Cowboy Bebop, Black Lagoon took a decidedly different approach to its narrative and action direction. The show grounds its central group of mercenaries firmly in a somewhat realistic underworld of organized crime, corruption, and piracy. We follow portagonist Rokuro "Rock" Okajima, a white-collar Japanese businessman who is kidnapped by a gang of mercenaries called the Black Lagoon, associates with the Russian mafia from the seedy underbelly of the crime-infested fictional city in Thailand, called Roanapur. The Lagoon members include Rebecca "Revy" Lee, a gun fanatic with a twisted criminal past; Dutch, the captain of the Black Lagoon vessel; and Benny, the tech-savvy computer specialist and mechanic. These four unlikely characters form the core of the series' emotional highs, but that's not really what you came here for, right?

The first season of Black Lagoon largely focuses on the misadventures of the Black Lagoon team and their various run-ins with the law, opposing criminal organizations, and a deranged maid straight out of the Terminator. It's cleverly broken into standalone arcs across its 13 episode length (and further expanding into its second season), each either dealing with a new gig, and/or exploring a piece of one of the member's history. Rock serves as the perfect candidate for the main male protagonist. His fixation on living the ideal Japanese business lifestyle as a drone is shattered when his company, who got him kidnapped in the first place, refuses to cooperate with the Russian mafia's demands - leaving Rock stranded and deserted from the home and life he once knew. His transition to becoming a smart-mouthed mercenary provides some of the best dialogue-driven moments of the show, particularly in his clashings with Revy.



Revy, on the other hand, steals the show as the merc with a mouth (sorry Deadpool); a hard-headed, short-tempered mass murderer that's equal parts endearing and utterly terrifying - think Lara Croft if she lost her marbles. Dutch and Benny also play their parts relatively well, but are relegated to mostly side characters as the show progresses, which is a bit disheartening considering their involvement as the show's main crew.

Where Black Lagoon, especially its first season, truly shines is in its bonkers action set pieces. There's a stunning attention to action choreography and bold direction that sets the series apart from your regular action romp. Namely, the show has a terrific amount of character - mainly in its female roles. Balalaika, for example, is the leader of Hotel Moscow, the front for the Russian mafia. She carries herself as a powerful mob boss with a vendetta, her unwavering presence accentuated by the mysterious burn marks on her body. Her intimidating stature indicates that she's not a woman to be messed with, and rightfully so - she's just as batsh*t insane and blood-thirsty as Revy.



We can't talk about Black Lagoon's female characters without mentioning Roberta, the maid of a Colombian mob boss' family who sets out on a path of vengeance and destruction to rescue her boss' son, Garcia. Wearing her iconic traditional black and white maid garbs and glasses to mask her true identity, Roberta initially comes across as harmless and somewhat sympathetic. But like all female characters in Black Lagoon, she quickly shows her dark side and, through her history as a guerrilla-trained assassin, single-handedly causes the greatest amount of havoc and destruction in the show. In fact, Roberta's my favourite character in Black Lagoon because of how she... terminates her targets. You'll just have to see for yourself.

Black Lagoon ran for a total of two seasons with a five-episode OVA releasing many years after its initial run, titled Roberta's Blood Trail (the very arc that made me an enormous fan of the aforementioned character). While the show unfortunately lost some steam during its second season, particularly after following up the terrific vampire twins arc with a tamed, generic Yakuza story set in Japan, it never failed to impress me with its awesome action. Does it have a great story with depth and a character-driven narrative like Death Note? No, but it does do action well - very well. That's all you should really expect from a show about homicidal maniacs, crime organizations, and gender-ambiguous vampire children.



Typically, most anime viewers would agree that the original Japanese subbed version is the preferred way to watch anime, but in Black Lagoon's case, I have to make a strong recommendation for the English dub. Since the show hops around the globe, the English dub, expertly voiced over by Funimation, is able to capture that worldwide lingo and harsh vulgarity of the mercenaries far more accurately than the Japanese sub - which is still commendable, but not nearly as finely crafted as the English voice-overs. It's simply fantastic.

Black Lagoon is still a slice of entertainment that you'll never be able to find in most Hollywood action movies today - perhaps closely resembling films like The Raid or John Wick in tone, world-building, and over-the-top action. However, it's a unique show because, unlike any film in Hollywood, there's no good guys. Every character may have relatable, human qualities, but make no mistake, they're all cold-hearted killers, criminals, and mercenaries who would put a child's life in danger in pursuit of money. Rock is perhaps the most morally sound person in the show, but even his devotion to being an upstanding citizen is challenged towards the end. It all cleverly culminates in an action-driven, bombastic blockbuster that's consistently violent, bloody fun and still stands the test of time.