Talk:Black Lagoon

Remove Worthless Content
I'd just like to get some opinions of this matter. I was very nearly tempted to trim, if not delete the vast entirety of the "Cultural References" section. Seems to me that too much worthless infomation was put into a trivia section, and to tidy it up, they forked it into the "Cultural References". The problem however is that most of it is utter crap. Listing the details of each parody such as "Coka Cola", or Heineken, talking about mini-disks because they used it.. even the opinion of what they think of each other.

Thats worthless content, as such, should be removed--Bazarnz 14:16, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

I am deleting the few exaggerated facial features sentence because it is commonplace for realistic anime, and honestly, has no place here. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.99.187.99 (talk) 17:19, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

Original Research
The themes about german philosophy (existentialism) look like original research. Unless the mangaka has stated he/she based it off existentialism Ideas I don't think it merits inclusion. I think also the Trivia section should be incorporated into article its discouraged because of policy changes. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.220.236.251 (talk) 23:29, 11 September 2007 (UTC)


 * Don't forget Yuki's Heidegger reading! He wasn't an existentialist, but he was fairly close. --Gwern (contribs) 22:39 10 April 2009 (GMT)

EDIT: partial - this is not backed up by explicit references, and is in places quite questionable. Unintentionaly hillarius though. However in the final plot arch Satre is repeatedly and directly referenced. Is it OR if you refer to what the original work said? 86.9.57.55 (talk)


 * Some of this section is ridiculous and obviously written by someone who has no clue what they're talking about. For the love of God, keep this section to explicit references. Perspectivism =/= Subjectivism =/= Existentialism. If you can't see the difference, don't write about them. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.68.30.229 (talk) 18:30, 7 April 2010 (UTC)

Revy/Levy/Levi etc
Official site has it listed as Revy. Makes the most sense to go with that one. 

81.178.197.121 22:48, 1 May 2006 (UTC)

It is short for Rebecca, so Revy would be the most sensible choice.

Nah, Reby would be the most sensible choice, and it sounds to me like they're saying Reby. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.72.37.44 (talk) 23:14, 22 June 2008 (UTC)

Can we at least agree "Levi" is nonsensical? 24.228.54.78 (talk) 01:43, 1 July 2008 (UTC)

Heritage
"(e.g. Dutch fighting in Vietnam, Mr. Chan and Revy originating from China, the Russian Mafia originally being a Soviet paratrooper brigade, Hans"

Isn't it stated in the Anime that she is Chinese American coming from the USA (reference by the CIA agents to New York, her backflashes)? While she is ethnically Chinese. Actually the whole point of the Communism paragraph seems kind of shaky because Mr Chang is definetely not an example of communist uprising (as the Triads gained dominant influence in Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwan), Dutch fought communism and Revy is most likely not from a communist country. Only Hotel Moscow has that brand on them and their point of existance is more about what do soldiers do when they can't fight for their country anymore because its ties are gone. 84.154.16.206 (talk) 19:07, 6 December 2008 (UTC) Hagi76757889 (talk) 02:31, 4 February 2009 (UTC)

revy is chinese-american rock states it in episode 19 of the anime to yukio


 * Indeed. Not to mention all the 'Yankee' refs. --Gwern (contribs) 22:35 10 April 2009 (GMT)

E.O.
In the Anime they refer to a mercenary group called "Extra Order", I'd say this is a referance to the now defunct Executive Outcomes. --Theredstarswl 07:17, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

I always thought Levi was due to her jean-shorts-cutoffs things. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.104.199.165 (talk) 01:47, 23 September 2008 (UTC)

Merge proposal
I'm not exactly sure which way to merge this, but there is no point in keeping two articles for the same anime. TheFarix (Talk) 14:57, 14 June 2006 (UTC)


 * Support
 * 1) TheFarix (Talk) 14:57, 14 June 2006 (UTC)
 * 2) Ominae (Talk) 15:42, 14 June 2006 (UTC)
 * 3) Theredstarswl (Talk) 10:20, 15 June 2006 (UTC)
 * Oppose

Two questions: 1. What other article? 2. Did this already get merged? --Zaorish 19:17, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Few Notes

 * Someone could get lost thinking black lagoon would be Creature from the black lagoon
 * Most people doesn't know anything about black lagoon anime.
 * The new article i made was the same Black Lagoon anime article.

Weapons of Black Lagoon
Should a section be created to list the weapons shown in the series? I'm far from an expert when it comes to weapons, but they are a big part of Black Lagoon.


 * So far I've seen:
 * Revy's Beretta 92FSs, She also uses a M79 40mm Grenade Launcher, A GEPARD anti-material rifle, A APS underwater rifle, A RPG of some kind, Likely a 7 and an unknown SMG, I think its a Steyer TMP, In the end credits she has a pump shotgun of some kind.
 * A H&K G3/FAL rifle of some kind that Rock throws at the HIND.
 * Kalashnikov rifles used by the Extra Order mercs, The leader has a Desert Eagle .50AE I think.
 * Roberta's Umbrella gun is a SPAS-12 and I think the suitcase gun is a H&K MP5, I think she also uses a M1911.
 * Duch has a large calibre revolver, I think its a .44 Mag or a .357 of some kind and a 12ga Remington 870 Marine Magnum.
 * The PBRs have twin M2 Brownings and some other MGs (M60s?), The crews have M-16s and AKs I think.
 * I think the police have .38 Revolvers.
 * Eda has a Glock.
 * Kar98k rifles and a Walther P38 pistol on the U-Boat.
 * TOW anti-tank missiles, The neo-nazis also use a MG3 or MG42 with a 75rnd drum and one of them has a gold plated .454 Casull Luger.
 * Thats all I can think of at the time. --Theredstarswl 10:18, 7 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Maybe a table organized by episode?--Mers 05:36, 8 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Check this: http://zappers.k-server.org/menu.html

Most info is based from the manga, so you may want to do reference. 70.68.46.180 10:00, 11 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Yolanda, the leader of the convent, seems to have a customized golden Desert Eagle (seems to be a Desert Eagle, I'm not entirely sure). Hatlawa 04:27, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

--Bazarnz 14:23, 24 September 2007 (UTC)
 * I don't believe such information is worth listing, it isn't relevant to the show to list every small detail., the only weapon of note in the show is the cutlass Revy uses, since its given a sizable amount of screen time, the rest should be left out.

Revy´s SMG is PM-63 Rak, as I once wrote to the page. And anti-material rifle is most likely Barrett M82, looks like it and it´s also rather popular one, also once written... 84.248.198.101 (talk) 22:22, 24 December 2007 (UTC)

You forgot to mention the Dragunov that Balalaika uses in the paratrooper flashback. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.2.2.187 (talk) 05:25, 23 December 2008 (UTC)

I think the weapons list is a good idea its not needed but it should be addedHagi76757889 (talk) 02:40, 4 February 2009 (UTC)


 * If a third party source comments on the weapons, then that's fine, but a list is totally trivial and unnecessary. -- Broken Sphere Msg me 17:49, 4 February 2009 (UTC)

Trivia comment on Revy's RPG warning
It seems overanalytical to me to say that this is a reference to what seems to be a common or established military practice in the field. I think it's similar to saying that every time someone yells "Fire in the hole!" in a film that this is a reference to all the other war movies in which something similar happens, as well as in real life. Basically I think it's not necessary. Any thoughts? --BrokenSphere 20:29, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
 * Agreed. --Theredstarswl 04:07, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

Characters
Concerning Leigharch, I thought that he is actually a drug user of some sort. Shenhua calls him a "junkie" several times, even saying that "his brain is flying around Mars[...]"; after Revy, Shenhua and Rock come back from the guerilla camp they find him completely "relaxed" (the look in his eyes is quite obvious); and during the chase Revy gives one of Leigharch cigarettes to Rock but not referring it as a smoke, and a moment later Rock is seen in the same state than Leigharch, mumbling and complaining softly, his eyes being halfway closed. Rock is often seen smoking cigarettes in the previous episodes without experiencing this kind of effects. However is Leigharch using marijuana or some other drug? Hatlawa 07:52, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

I have been thinking over the following term describing Balalaika: "She wears her BDU shirt as a jacket." To me this doesn't sound right as it doesn't look anything at all like a BDU and appears to be more of a military dress trenchcoat, but I'm not sure how to reword it.

At one point during a fight Dutch mentions that it's worse than Khe Sanh, implying that he was a US Marine there during the battle. The US Army later relieved the Marines after the battle and the relieving troops didn't fully appreciate what the Marines had gone through during the siege. This background would also make more sense given that he now captains a PT boat.

Mr. Chan's appearance (white dress shirt and black tie, black trenchcoat, shades, white scarf) is a possible reference to and appears to be a composite of the attire worn in the early scenes by Chow Yun Fat's characters in The Killer and A Better Tomorrow; in the former he wears the whole outfit mentioned above with the addition of a vest, while in the latter he again, wears the whole outfit mentioned above but is missing the shades and adds black gloves. He engages in wielding two pistols simultaneously in both guises. It should be noted that in both of these movies Chow plays criminals, a gangster in ABT and a hitman in The Killer, as opposed to being a cop in Hard Boiled. His comments about his arm not being good yet demonstrating that his skills are still sharp may be a reference to the character Sydney in The Killer, a friend of Jeffrey (Chow) who himself is a hitman; his shooting hand has been injured, supposedly preventing him from handling a gun, yet he is still able to do so. --BrokenSphere 17:58, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

I've found some interesting evidence on Hansel and Gretel. Don't know if we can still identify them as male and female.

http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q115/Magical_gurololi_Akazukin/?action=view&current=twins.jpg

--Ominae 23:22, 7 November 2006 (UTC)


 * There's obviously something going on with their sexuality. Why else would Rock react so when one of them lifted up its skirt to show him? I wondered whether perhaps they were both neutered - it'd explain the voices - but I don't think we find out for sure unless the manga/novels cover it. --Gwern (contribs) 22:40 10 April 2009 (GMT)

I would surmise that Rock's reaction to being flashed has less to do with the type of genitalia that "Gretel" possesses, and more to do with the fact that he is shown to be uncomfortable with open sexuality (For example, his reactions to the hard-core pornography that Balilaika is editing in episode seven), and the simple fact that "Gretel" is a child. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.53.124.83 (talk) 07:39, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

EDA
Shouldn't it be noted that EDA is a man/was born male?
 * - Anime denies it in Chapter 15

New category for images
I've set up a category called Black Lagoon images; it's a subcategory of Animanga images, so for any image from the anime/manga, feel free to add in the tag  under Licensing info. --BrokenSphere 18:24, 6 January 2007 (UTC)

Trivia section
Anyone else think it would be fair to turn this into a "References" section, as it's more or less become a section citing all the references to pop culture etc contained within Black Lagoon, rather than just miscellaneous trivia.


 * How about a Cultural References section incorporating those. --BrokenSphere 16:16, 2 March 2007 (UTC)


 * Created - I just copypasted most of the stuff over from the trivia section though - I think it could do with a little preface along the lines of "Black Lagoon contains a variety of references to pop culture and history... etc" but I'm not exactly sure how to phrase it. Lmaowitzer 19:22, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Is it just me, or has the "references" section of this article grown far to long? Wouldn't it be better to merge it with a main description of the series? What are your opinions? Michae2109 18:42, 18 March 2007 (UTC)


 * A lot of the info is so circumstantial and only appears once that putting it back into the main description would detract from that and be distracting to the reader. Someone actually started creating individual pages for the episodes but it's currently only at eps 4-7; the individual trivia that occurs only in specific episodes (assuming that pages are created for all 24) could go into the respective pages for those, and consistent references could stay in a ref section.  BrokenSphere 16:17, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

That sounds like a good idea. It was actually me who started creating those individual pages for the episodes. I am planning to create one for each of the 24 episodes, and it sounds like a good idea to merge the "references" with a trivia section for each episode. If no one has any objections to that, I will continue with creating the episode pages as soon as possible and proceede to take the references into their respective episodes=) (Michae2109 17:11, 19 March 2007 (UTC)


 * Please do remove the Cultural references, they really don't have a place in this article --Bazarnz 14:26, 24 September 2007 (UTC)


 * Question. What about the earlier episodes from episode 1? Is it me or maybe you forgot? Ominae 03:33, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

The release date for Black Lagoon has changed. Link:

http://www.animeondvd.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/18797/

The release date is now set for May 22, 2007. Also, new English website from Geneon for Black Lagoon is set here: http://www.blacklagooncompany.com/ Delariean 17:18, 30 March 2007 (UTC)


 * The English website was already added; as for the new release date, feel free to go and add that in yourself. --BrokenSphere 17:27, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

I've reconsidered my earlier position and am thinking of pulling the section entirely. It has gotten quite long and several of the references are bordering on OR due to the way they're phrased. I will remove in a week unless I hear objections, possibly relocating the content here so it is preserved. Broken Sphere Msg me 23:53, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

Cultural references as of 2/10/08
I've relocated these here and left a hidden text message re. them on the main article. -- Broken Sphere Msg me 04:40, 11 February 2008 (UTC) Cultural References

right|thumb|Revy and Shenhua have a [[Janken match.]]
 * The beer shown in Black Lagoon is called Heireken. The logo and color of the beer can strongly resemble the Dutch beer Heineken. Also, there are spoofs of Budweiser beer cans drunk and floating around Benny at times. (actually, this happens only in the anime; in the manga all brands, like cigarettes and beer, are real)
 * In episode 3, Revy listens to music using Minidisc player, which is only known in niche markets in the US, but is quite popular in Japan, even recently.
 * The helicopter gunship piloted by the Extra Order mercenaries was a Mi-24A Hind B. "Extra Order" itself is a parody of the actual mercenary force Executive Outcomes.
 * A poster released to promote the second season of the show parodied the "Come play with us" scene from The Shining.[1 ]
 * There are many references to American pop culture in the series. Roberta's fighting skills, mainly her running and the stabbing of the Plymouth Road Runner's trunk with her combat knife in the last few episodes of Black Lagoon's first season are a homage to the Terminator 2 movie. Likewise, the name of the reporter Jake Chambers on Revy's TV screen in Episode 11 is a nod to Stephen King's Dark Tower novel series. He is a central character, having the reporter's same name, who happens to be a proficient gunfighter. Other Dark Tower references are in episodes such as "The Dark Tower" and "The Gunslingers" which are names of two books in the series.
 * In episode #14 and #15, the names of the Hotel Moscow Visotoniki squads "Jodorowsky" and "Polanski" are references to movie directors Alejandro Jodorowsky and Roman Polanski.
 * In episode #11, there is a poster in Revy's room which reads "The Wild Punch". The name and art on the poster are a reference to the film The Wild Bunch, which Rock also refers to in Episode 2.   There are also references to lines of dialogue delivered in the film by its lead actor, William Holden
 * In episode #23, the "UGC" cafe is similar to the logo of "UFC," a franchise cafe and popular name brand of canned coffee in Japan.
 * In episode #24, the Coca-Cola vending machine says "Coca Cow."
 * To determine who gets to kill pursuing guerrillas in episode 12, Revy and Shenhua have an informal Janken match to decide.
 * In the opening sequence, Revy's Beretta has the writing "9mm SWORD CUTLASS". In Romeo + Juliet the guns had names such as "Sword 9mm".
 * Firing of Roberta with cartel Manisarera in a bar «Yellow Flag» — repetition of a scene from film Desperado.
 * The Gang of neo-Nazis is copied from a film The Blues Brothers.
 * The grunting, reproduced Revy at vessel boarding «White heather» — sending to a film Under Siege.
 * Exit of commandoes «Hotel Moscow» on operation after the Balalaika — mirror reflexion of a similar scene from a Die Hard 2. In the film people go the person on the operator, in a serial backs of leaving people are shown. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Toropyga (talk • contribs) 18:10, 20 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Many characters in Black Lagoon are prone to use more or less obscure comparisons:
 * Dutch compares Garcia Lovelace to a Claymore mine.
 * Rock thinks of Roberta as the Terminator.
 * Dutch, in episode 18, talks about giving the bounty hunters a ride of their lives that Tuff Hedeman won't be able to ride the bull (referring to their PT boat).
 * In episodes 17, the part where Greenback Jane tries to get away from the bounty hunters while Eda makes a deal with her is similar to the part on A Low Down Dirty Shame were Luis, a mexican thug tries to get away from a KKK and Nazi mob while Shane makes him tell where his boss is.
 * Benny thinks his hacking skills are comparable to Kevin Mitnick.
 * Eda mentioned to Revy that Greenback Jane could be able to outrun the bounty hunters and do a touchdown (implying her escape) like Brett Favre.
 * The Yellowflag Bar is often compared to a Wild West Saloon in various western movies.
 * Dutch compares the shootout with Roberta in the Yellowflag bar with the Battle of Khe Sanh.
 * Yukio refer to Ginji and herself as Bonnie and Clyde.
 * When Ginji and Revy approach the bowling alley, a sign above the door reads "Hirano Bowl." This is a reference to the mangaka Kouta Hirano, whose works feature many motifs shared in Black Lagoon.
 * The English dub of Episode 11 makes a reference to the Star Wars movies when Takenaka was able to obtain Mr. Chang's supposed password when he said "May the Force be with You." In episode 12 of the same dub, Leigarch makes a reference to the Black Panther Party group.
 * After Rock introduces himself, Takenaka began to make references during his self-introduction, including the 1965 movie Abashiri Bangaishi, which was among the many hints given to viewers that he was a dedicated Japanese Red Army member before hiding in the Philippines after escaping from Lebanon.
 * When Ginji mentions the words Sukeroku and Ikyu, he is referring to the kabuki play Sukeroku Kuruwa no Hatsuzakura. Sukeroku, the protagonist, arrived in the teahouse to face Ikyu, which was similar to Ginji and Yukio's attempts to face Hotel Moscow and Balalaika, which they failed to do.
 * In one of the episodes, they smoke what appear to be American Spirits cigarettes.
 * In episode 23 Balalaika is seen to be smoking Parliament brand cigarettes.
 * The "Boss Chang" character is an homage to Chow Yun-Fat and his 1980s Triad films, where he played a character with the same outfit, hairstyle, weaponry, and fighting style as Boss Chang.
 * In episode #14, when referring to the origins of the "Twin Children Killers" and Nicolae Ceausescu, a building appears that strongly resembles the Casa Poporului, which is in the middle of Bucharest.
 * The ambiguous nature of right and wrong (in which even the series' protagonists are as often as not portrayed in a morally questionable, if not outright negative light), frequent cultural references, harsh language and stylized, often over-the-top or even comic book-style violence which are all key elements of the series bear a close similarity to the films of Quentin Tarantino.
 * The butterfly shown in the garden of the Lovelace Mansion is a homage to the logo of Edison, the band who performed songs on the Black Lagoon soundtrack.
 * In one episode, Eda quotes Robert Browning's " Pippa Passes " with the quote "God's in his Heaven, All's right with the world". This quote was similarly used as the slogan for the shadowy government organization NERV from the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion.
 * In Episode 5, the German U-boat, bears the logo of U-96, Unterseeboot 96 was the subject of the film 'Das boot'.
 * Revy frequently calls Ginji "Jumbo" - a reference not merely to his physique but also his resemblance to the character Jumbo (Takeshi Takeda) in the manga Yotsuba&!

DVD releases
Does anyone know how many episodes of the series which have been released on DVD. I found it to be 1 DVD which contains episodes 1 to 4. Is this correct? Michae2109 08:59, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Does anyone know how the recent news regarding the cancelling of Geneon's distribution deal with ADV is going to affect the release of this series? If so they may want to mention it in the article72.95.233.149 15:51, 29 September 2007 (UTC)


 * I made an inquiry to Manga Entertainment if they were interested in picking up the license. I really don't know if it will do any good... but it doesn't hurt to try. Elwin Blaine Coldiron 22:51, 29 September 2007 (UTC)

ANN reported that Funimation was showing interest in the title now that Geneon has stopped releasing. The story is at: http://www.icv2.com/articles/home/11599.html76.117.46.92 (talk) 01:33, 23 November 2007 (UTC)

Extraeneous images
I think that at least 4 of the images on the article page aren't necessary: the group shot of the characters, and the 3 used to illustrate 3 seperate character's viewpoints in the style and thems section. The first, largely because the Lagoon Co. does have their own pics anyway in the list of page, so a pic of them isn't really necessary here; compare other anime article pages that have brief blurbs about the characters with more in-depth commentary and image elsewhere. As for the 3, I really don't see the need for them to illustrate the assertions made in the themes section. Broken Sphere Msg me 05:23, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

End of the manga series?
According to ANN the last tankobon was released in November 2006, thus it appears that the manga series has ended with nothing being released since then. However some information on its exact ending date in Sunday GX would be helpful if anyone knows where to look. Broken Sphere Msg me 16:51, 10 October 2007 (UTC)

G4TechTv
It was mentioned that the first 12 episodes may be airing on G4TechTv in Canada; starting Fri Oct. 26 at 8pm and 12am eastern. However it doesn't seem to be on the American version of the channel.

www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-10-17/g4techtv-canada-to-run-requiem-black-lagoon-anime

71.182.176.195 20:50, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

Starz Edge has also reportedly stated that they will begin showing it on March 10th

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-11-09/starz-edge's-animidnight-adds-more-anime72.95.230.187 (talk) 18:20, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

Third Season
I removed the content saying that a third season was in the works because even though the announcement for the third season is on the Black Lagoon Light novel, there is still no proof that it is in the works at the moment. Drakes97 (talk) 12:56, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Ok it say's that the third season is coming in August but the source is referring to the DVD release last year of the second season. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.233.200.236 (talk) 03:24, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

Genres
I think they are all fine, minus "Crime Fiction". Does that really define this show? Please take another look at the genres for Black Lagoon. - 24.0.220.96 (talk) 07:05, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

Season 1 box set
i think it should be noted the season one box set was released on december 30 2008 in the U.S. there should be some info on this box set it has the first 12 episodes. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Hagi76757889 (talk • contribs) 17:42, February 3, 2009

merge media
The article was tagged, but no discussion started, so I will start it. Support merge back into this article. --Chris (クリス • フィッチュ) (talk) 03:25, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Themes section from main article
Hardly referenced and practically all OR. Relocated here. Broken Sphere Msg me 22:31, 9 June 2010 (UTC) Themes Throughout the show, many existential themes are present. Early on, Revy makes a speech in which she asks Rock to explain what she is holding in her hands. When he attempts to point out that they are a medal and a skull, she attacks this notion, calling them "just objects," and goes on to say that people merely choose to give them value, and that they do not have any true innate meaning. This is very similar to many of Jean-Paul Sartre's views, and relates to the existential belief that there is no set meaning in life, and that people must choose to find, create, and assign their own meanings. Many of the characters also express atheist views, a common feature of modern existential thought, especially that of Sartre who said that God is just an attempt to put false meaning on things without the responsibility of choice.

As well, important minor characters throughout the show display character traits ideal to the Übermensch of Nietzsche or Knight of Faith of Kierkegaard, that being a person who acts not simply for logical reasons, but rather because it gives them meaning in life. A key example of this is Masahiro Takenaka, who though realizing the inevitable failures of any revolutions he participated in as part of the defunct Japanese Red Army failed, he continues to be a rebel as it gives him meaning in life. As well, this can be seen in Roberta, who like Takenaka has seen the betrayal of her own communist revolutions in Colombia, but instead chooses to find meaning in being a maid for an aristocratic family. Garcia Lovelace is a blatant example of a Knight of Faith (one that puts faith in that which he/she wants or believes, even if it is not logical), made so by Rock's comment on Garcia's belief that his maid will come and save him: "I don't know if it'll come true or not, but you must have a great home if you can have such strong faith."

A distinguishing motif of the series is that no distinction is made between the moral question of right and wrong, which ties into the existential belief that "values are subjective." Rather, it shows the events from the different perspectives of the characters and how they justify their beliefs in what is right and what is not, just as how existentialists believe that every person chooses their own values for their own subjective reasons.

A review of this moral conflict expressed the matter in this way: "There is only a case of perspective, and how one justifies his or her actions to be the morally correct one. It's like trying to define which grey is blacker than the other."

While Revy is depicted as being the tough, uncaring gunfighter, Rock is almost the exact opposite, and a central theme in the series is Rock's struggle for deciding whether he should remain with Lagoon Company—a criminal organization—or return to his ordinary life of a law-abiding citizen. Especially in the first season, this conflict between Rock's and Revy's views on crime and moral is important. Many of the "villains" in the series look at Rock as "unique" and refer to him as a "rare" individual as he is able to connect with others, even Revy. On many occasions, Rock's personality is demonstrated to be stronger than any weapon or organization imaginable as he is able to connect with not only Revy, but with people as innocent as Garcia Lovelace, as ruthless as Balalaika, or as psychotic as Hansel/Gretel. Even Chan, leader of the Triad, is unsure where to classify Rock as a person.

Alienation is present as well, as the characters are alienated from regular society. As pirates, they spend most of their time at sea, or in a city very much alienated from "regular" civilization. As well, they often are alienated from one another, as can be seen in the conflicts between Rock and Revy.

Free will relates to all of this, especially seen in Rock, who actively chooses to leave his stable life in Japan because it has lost meaning to him. At the same time, he does not want to fully accept his circumstances, or make a true choice as regarding to his own meaning in life, causing him much conflict with Revy, and later another "existential hero" in Yukio Washimine (who chooses to continue fighting an inevitably lost battle with the Russian mafia, and is a reader of both Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre). Yukio confronts Rock with his lack of "choice," over what his own meaning is, trying to stay neutral and not choosing sides in conflicts throughout the series, which she views as laziness and an unwillingness to accept his own individuality and values, and thus a personal alienation. She argues that this is an attempt to just conform to his surroundings and give his meaning away to others, rather than realizing his own choice in the matter. This is the same critique as Sartre, who said that one who is a "being-in-the-midst-of-everything" (as he phrased it) is merely living a false consciousness, since they are pretending that their being has no effect on its surroundings and so it can be a partial observer, which is simply not the case.

Along with free will is the struggle between Giri and Ninjo. Giri is the uniquely Japanese form of social obligation. It makes many appearances in the series as internal strife within the characters. It forces them to act in manners they would normally find unacceptable. In episode 7, Rock and Revy are told to do errands for the company. When they arrive at the Church of Violence, they have a confrontation with Sister Yolanda. During the confrontation Rock implies that they could turn the church in for trading drugs outside the normal routes. This implication brings about a sense of Giri, or social obligation, and she ends up giving him the firearms Black Lagoon needs. The important thing to understand is that the sense of Giri felt in Japan is unequivocal; Yolanda did not pay back the obligation by giving Rock anything physical, instead she paid it back by giving him the proper consideration he deserved and by following through with her original deal. Ninjo, on the other hand, is the idea of compassion and true feeling that springs up in contest with Giri. In episode 7 it makes its appearance during the confrontation between Rock and Revy. During this bout, Rock states that he is done apologizing to Revy. She takes this as a challenge of sorts and tries to push it aside in order to avoid a confrontation. Rock continues to push and Revy reacts in a typical violent outburst. What follows is an argument, which expresses their attempt at understanding one another on the deepest level. Their feelings interfere with their sense of duty towards one another and the tension becomes immense. They have at it until the police interrupt them. The episode ends with the two of them in the back of a police cruiser making amends for their outburst, and they show a sign of true understanding and camaraderie.

The series also touches on other themes, like modern Nazism, the power struggle between various criminal syndicates, and outright sadistic killing. Communism plays a major role for almost all of the characters as well, with a connection to almost every protagonist and antagonist in the show, though in most cases due to some conflict or alienation from it (e.g. Dutch fighting in Vietnam, Mr. Chang originating from China, the Russian Mafia originally being a Soviet paratrooper brigade, Hansel and Gretel being orphans under an ex-Communist dictator, etc.).

New season: Roberta's Blood Trail
Season 3 has started. Is it time to start another section in the Episode List, or is it appropriate to wait until there are more episodes? --Rallymodeller (talk) 18:06, 16 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Fire away. There's no reason to wait. --Gwern (contribs) 02:54 17 July 2010 (GMT)

Review(s)

 * CBB: manga #9
 * About.com: Comic-Con 2010 Best/Worst Manga
 * Mania.com: manga #9

--KrebMarkt (talk) 21:23, 23 November 2010 (UTC)

Location of Roanapur
Episode 2 of the Roberta's Blood Trail series (#26 overall) shows a map of Thailand at one point, with Roanapur clearly labeled. It lies very close to the Cambodian border, almost exactly where the real town of Trat is. The coastline is slightly different than in the real world, though -- and Trat seems to be a small, peaceful fishing town, totally unlike the decadent, crime-ridden city of Roanapur. At any rate, Roanapur's (fictional) location is not a mystery, and a screen capture of the map can even be included, if necessary. Should the information be updated? FireHorse (talk) 18:18, 2 February 2014 (UTC)

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