Rei Hiroe manga series Black Lagoon (Burakku Ragn) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by him. Since 2002, it has been published in Shogakukan’s Monthly Sunday Gene-X, with nine collected volumes to date. It was eventually converted into an anime television series by Madhouse, which ran for twelve episodes from April to June 2006. A second season, dubbed “The Second Barrage,” began on October 2, 2006, and lasted twelve weeks. From July 2010 to June 2011, a five-volume original video animation series titled Roberta’s Blood Trail was released.
On August 12, 2008, Viz Media began releasing an English version of the manga in North America. The anime was licensed in Australasia and the United Kingdom by Madman Entertainment. In North America, the anime was dubbed and licenced in English by Geneon Universal Entertainment, which is now licenced by Funimation Entertainment. Funimation later licensed the OVA for release in Spring 2013, which was also licensed by Kazé in the UK.
Black Lagoon Manga Storyline
In the early to mid-1990s, a group of pirates/mercenaries known as Lagoon Company smuggled items in and around the waters of Southeast Asia. Their centre of operations is in the fictional Thai harbour city of Roanapur (probably in the Amphoe Mueang Trat district, either on the mainland north/northeast of Koh Chang island or on the island itself), which is located in southeast Thailand. They use the 80-foot (24-meter) Elco-type PT boat Black Lagoon to convey supplies. The Lagoon Company has a number of clients, but one in particular is the Russian crime syndicate Hotel Moscow, with which it has a close relationship.
Production of Black Lagoon Manga
Black Lagoon was influenced by James Ellroy, John Woo, Quentin Tarantino, and Stephen King, as well as hearing about genuine piracy occurrences in the East China Sea in the 1990s, according to Rei Hiroe in an interview with Otaku USA.
The graphic violence in Black Lagoon is extensive, frequently involving vicious gunfights and remarkable physical feats in battle. Many of the characters that are most talented with weapons (mostly guns) are women, lending the series a resemblance to the “girls-with-guns” genre, with the six most powerful ladies in the series sticking to stereotypes (dragon lady, referring to Revy, maids, referring to Roberta and Fabiola, nuns, referring to Eda, etc.).
As hilarious situations occur or are discussed during and after many violent conflicts, some of the events and dialogue fall into the realm of black comedy.
Black Lagoon pays homage to Quentin Tarantino and the Coen Brothers’ flicks with its character concept, gritty atmosphere, and violence merging with black comedy. Tarantino is known for incorporating references to spaghetti westerns in his films, and the Yellow Flag bar and Mexican standoff scenes in the series pay homage to them. The Wild Bunch poster (labelled The Wild Punch) seen in Revy’s bedroom in episode 11 of the anime and Revy citing My Bloody Valentine in episode 24 are both references to Tarantino’s favourite flicks. The “Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise” arc revealed that the majority of the characters in the series speak English, with the Japanese being added for the sake of the audience. While the anime’s English voice acting is heavily influenced by Japanese pronunciation, the manga’s English lines are virtually entirely authentic. The use of Cyrillic script, on the other hand, is less common.
Anime Adaptation of Black Lagoon
Madhouse’s anime adaptation of Black Lagoon aired on Chiba TV for twelve episodes from April 8, 2006 to June 24, 2006. From October 3, 2006 until December 19, 2006, a second season titled Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage aired, consisting of twelve new episodes. The second season focuses less on character development and more on the jobs they undertake than the first. In July 2010, Black Lagoon: Roberta’s Blood Trail, a five-volume original video animation, was published.
Madman Entertainment licenced the anime in the United Kingdom and Australasia. Geneon Entertainment and Funimation Entertainment announced a deal to distribute select titles in North America on July 3, 2008. While Geneon will keep the licence, Funimation will take over exclusive rights to the manufacture, marketing, sales, and distribution of certain titles. The contract included numerous titles, including Black Lagoon. Geneon’s English dub debuted on G4 Canada on October 26, 2007, and Starz Edge began airing it to American viewers on February 29, 2008. The series broadcast on the Sci Fi Channel in Australia.
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