I watched the first two eps of my Black Lagoon anime recently bought on dub. I really love the high contrast look to it all. Makes it extra cartoony, which somehow goes with the gritty violence and language. Have to say I don’t love some of the dub. Problem is it’s many of the same old voices I’ve heard so many times before with the production drawing from that seemingly very small pool of voice actors. Main culprits for me are Brad Swaile who voices Rock, and Maryke Hendrikse, who voices Revy. I especially find Hendrikse’s voice grating for Revy. It may just be a personal thing, but that’s how I feel. But it makes sense to watch the show in the dub, as the characters are mostly speaking English, including Rock, who is Japanese but clearly can speak English. Still on the dub theme, I should also point out, Patricia Drake, who voices the Russian Balalaika – shouldn’t she be putting on a Russian accent?
Watched three more eps of Black Lagoon that night. It was the German submarine storyline, a three-parter. A German submarine and its crew is sunk by the Americans near the end of World War 2. Its cargo includes a special painting, possibly the work of one Adolf Hitler. In the present, our Black Lagoon team are tasked by some shady authority to retrieve it. But they encounter opposition from a comical neo-Nazi group who want the painting too. The crux of the story is the deepening divide that occurs between Rock and Revy when they dive down to the sub to retrieve the painting. Rock’s innocent positivity clashes with Revy’s opportunistic cynicism over Revy’s decision to loot the dead soldiers’ valuables. The story goes to some dark places, but it’s lightened by the comical treatment of the neo-Nazis who are outrageously stereotyped and dealt with violently. The show can be pretty nihilistic at times, and at the centre of the nihilism is Revy, which is what makes her so bad ass.
Watched three eps of Black Lagoon. All centered on the maid character, Roberta, a Terminator-like character. Turns into Red River in the end with Revy and the maid fist fighting it out to an appreciative audience of Balalaika and her Russian goons. I’m starting to warm to the voice actors, especially the voice of Revy.
Watched the last two eps of Black Lagoon series one. I think they were the best eps of the season. Revy teams up with two mercenaries, an Irishman and a female Chinese assassin (whose bad English she makes fun of) and they kick enemy ass. Meanwhile, Rock is kidnapped by the bad guys, but he stoically holds out against them until Revy and her new buds rescue him. This whole series was awesome red-eyed fun.