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Black Lagoon - Series 1 & 2 Collection
Whilst on a business trip in South East
Asia, unobtrusive salaryman Rokuru Okajima is accosted by a group of
mercenaries known as Lagoon Company, who steal a disc full of
confidential files Okajima was carrying for his boss and kidnap him for
ransom. The intended buyer is a member of the Russian Mafia, though the
disc contains information that has piqued the interest of numerous other
crime lords. Many a John Woo style fight sequence ensues in the battle
between Lagoon and a variety of nefarious cartels, and the subsequent
action spans several continents and contains more shootouts and
explosions than you can shake an AK-47 at.
Big on attitude, gunplay and graphic
violence, this is one series that makes its intentions clear from the
outset. ‘I say we kneecap this pussy’ declares gun-toting,
tattooed female assassin Revy of the hapless Rokuru in the first minute
of the first scene. An unrelenting barrage of Tarantino-esque ass-kickery,
Black Lagoon is quite simply one of the most adrenaline-packed
and blackly humorous animes ever to hit local shores. Madman’s release
is a great-looking 6-disc set that contains all 24 episodes of the first
two seasons in a suitably lascivious collector’s slipcase complete with
reversible slicks, and the series is a visual treat from start to
finish.
The project was in good hands from the
get-go; the aptly named Studio Madman has previously helmed such
standouts as Perfect Blue, Death Note and Ninja Scroll,
and director and screenwriter Sunao Katabuchi spent several years under
the tutelage of internationally acclaimed animator Hayao Miyakazi (Ponyo,
Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away). The attention to
detail and impressive pedigree have paid off, and the end result is an
effective, nuanced and uncompromising viewing experience.
Audio & Video
Contrary to the box cover which states only
two-channel audio options are on offer (as was the case in the US) the
set comes with a Japanese 2.0 and a markedly superior English 5.1. The
US voice cast do an excellent job, the metal-laden soundtrack is
appropriately boisterous and picture quality is faultless too, with a
bold, vivid and defect-free 16:9 widescreen transfer more than getting
the job done.
Special Features
A couple of extras from the Region 1
edition, such as an interview with director Katabuchi, seem to have gone
astray, but there’s still some well-chosen bonus features to lend cache
to the local release. In addition to the usual clean openings and
closings are a 15-minute Making-Of feature, several music and
promotional videos and a brief Japanese CD commercial for the theme
song’s single release. |
