Black Lagoon: Second Barrage - 23
Posted on December 29th, 2006 by Darkshaunz - 4,767 Views
Darkshaunz prepares for the final farewell.
Score: 8.9/10 (animation quality seems to have dipped slightly)
After a long wait for this episode to be released, I felt a slight need to re-adjust myself after a relatively long grace period of badassery. Luckily, the action juice came early with the intense deployment of Balalaika’s men early on. The latest installment of Black Lagoon has everything one expects from the series, with the added bonus of Rock becoming even more GAR than usual. So strap yourselves in for the ride, as the anime takes its final step towards what has been nothing short of an explosive journey, all the way from Raunapour to Tokyo.
Katanas are not good enough for ninjas these days.
So its Tokyo, a bright, beautiful and cooling day, all with the added twist of a little blood shower around the late afternoon. Balalaika has begun her systematic takedown of all the Washamine group officers, hoping to send the yakuza flock in disarrary as their sheperds are taken down Ninja style, one by one. The Kapitan’s brutal efficiency and ruthless indifference is transferred into her men in an immaculate doctrine of combat, If there was ever an Urban Blitzkrieg, Balalaika would be the lady who coined and executed the term. Our Yakuza Princess seems unshaken by the constant loss of her bases, maybe its because she has Terminator-kun with her, or maybe she already anticipated that thugs no match for War Veterans. Either way, she conceded the realization that Balalaika was a former military captain (Old news is Exciting, guys). She then decides that maybe tackling them head on isn’t the best idea after
Sniper Cpl. Jodovka realizes he is out of ammo.
“I’ve got it! She’s an ex-military captain!”
We then get transitioned to Rock and Revy, who are having a dinner at one of those swanky Japanese Diners, I guess its kind of like a dinner date (Rock’s getting some action). Now, you’d notice that I scored this latest episode lower than I usually would, and I stated the reason on the score, I think its because they are reaching the end of the season, so they may either be running out of budget or they may be slacking a bit. Seeing as the anime has been delivering on a constant basis, I am very much suspecting the former. In the sequence where Revy was putting down her jacket in front of Rock, I think her face underwent three warping transformations. Rets and I absolutely adore our Revy, but I think he too was heartbroken to see our gunwoman animated in such a…”lol what” manner (for lack of a more, “brutal” word). Its hardly fair for me to nitpick the anime like that, but its unavoidable because the animation has been near flawless for a very long time. Im pretty sure Rock’s face gets warped a couple of times too, but its nothing serious. Back to the story, Rock’s snaps back at Revy’s lectures on his reality (Death of his identity etc.), Revy pulls a Tsunderevy and declares that he’s not being fair (usually he submits). Seems that Rock’s just getting more and more used to the Gunman life ever since he and Revy had the spat over the noodle stall.
Good Revy, you look kinda cool.
Replace the mug in this picture with something…uh…I better not say.
Don’t we love our Tsunderevy?
Back to Princess Yakuza and Terminator-kun now, and apparently they are meeting with the Head of the Kousa Council. I found this exchange rather amusing, as a rookie teenage yakuza successor tries to negotiate some kind of co-ordination and a Kousa leader exerts his dominance over her. He also has an over-protective subordinate, who can flip tables and light cigarettes, monkeys can do those things better, and at least they don’t waste good food. Now I found this amusing because the meeting itself was near useless, the Kousa council was the group responsible for slowly crippling the Washamine group in the first place. Its not rational to seek the help of the very organization wanting you rotting on a side alley (maybe she was trying reverse psychology, but that doesn’t work on morons). Another amusing factor was the Kousa leader acting all tough, when in reality, he is getting his boney ass kicked so hard, that Balalaika’s high heels are jammed in his butt. I don’t know how you folks define an ass-kicking, but I’d say the Soviet Russia bombing of your clubs and urban ninja assassination of your men passes the whoopass criteria (set by the World Ass-Kicking Association).
Don’t act cocky, you may just get hurt.
I gotta hand it to Yakuza Princess sometimes, despite her shortcomings, at least she cares for her men, I always have a kudos in reserve for leaders who look after their subordinates. Deciding that all the other guys were just getting killed for no reason, she and Terminator-kun decide to take on Hotel Moscos by themselves. Whether this is considered to be sheer bravery or insanity, well I’ll leave it up to you guys. Their plan is simple, after realizing the Soviet Commandos are using the local Electro-Mart vans, they decide to focus local police attention on those types of vans (they have an ace of spades on them). What follows is a pretty cunning plan, the two of them rob a bank and use a getaway van with the same markings as the Soviet Commando ones. To their fortune, it works like a charm (and they managed to peel off the ace of spades marker like a charm). Before long, the police took the bait, and one of Balalaika’s vans is under pursuit. Hey, these are commando drivers we are talking about, of course the regular cops won’t stand a chance, one smoke grenade and the problem was solved. Having all the fireworks going off around them, Princess Yakuza and Terminator-kun share a moment where the miss exclaimed her excitement over the thrilss of being the bad guy for once (As I love to say, its always the quiet ones). Balalaika takes this countermeasure as a challenge issued against Hotel Moscow, and increases her madness gear one notch (Make sure your little ones don’t see her before they go to bed).
This bank didn’t have guards…convenient.
Pretty sure she’s manlier than most of us.
Being spoilt with all the constant Revy/Rock/Balalaika and Terminator-kun mixture, we hardly got to see actual Lagoon gang together as a band like we did last season. Thankfully Dutch and Benny fans got a small glimpse of the two taking it easy back at HQ. Tokyo’s nice, but I missed the seedy happenings in Raunapour, seems that the place is still gun-brandishing capital of south east asia (it was nice to buildings go up in smoke and gunfire in the distance), hopefully the series will come full cycle and end the story where it needs to end, in the backalley of the world. Enough reminiscing though (it could get you killed in the fast paced pandemonium of Black Lagoon), Balalaika strolls in with her car (thats right, Cars can stroll now), and decides to utilize Rock’s Engrish skills to negotitate a sweeping offer with the Kousa council. Rock basically resists, producing a result oozing with so much bravado and manliness, I think everyone on the scene grew an extra pair. Sick of staying undecided on his stance for his “reality”, Rock makes a convincing strategic stand with the Kapitan. Balalaika was so impressed with his proposal that she then proceeds to pin him down on her car. Poor Revy was distressed at the situation, the atmosphere was tense as Bodyguard became assailant to the employer. Revy’s loyalties and desires were clumped into a confusing mess as she chose between her “Aneeko” and her Rock.
Things are normal at home, good to hear.
Balalaika’s interpretation of “Kinky Time” didn’t appeal to Rock.
The situation’s pretty tight, there’s definitely the potential for some ugly bloodshed in that quiet corner of the carpark (like I said in previous entries, shit goes down everywhere in Black Lagoon, Carparks and Children’s Playgrounds are not spared). Balalaika calls the Hypocrisy card on Rock after he accuses her of lacking a sense of Justice with her actions. However, instead of a hole in his head (plot armour helmet), he gets off scot-free when he admits that, on the contrary to being a hypocrite, his desires were in the roots, exactly the same as hers. Rock seeks not a politically correct path, but one that makes him feel good. He is no longer in the “twilight” (apparently thats the buzz word for “Undecided” in this anime) as he accepts his fate as a dead man walking. Cliche’s aside, Balalaika connected the dots and warned Revy that seeking Rock’s type of life was futile for her, it was too late for her to appreciate the workings of an everyday woman. Revy knew it very well, but for the fact to be presented raw in front of her face, it was a wrenching experience. The tension was thick this time, you could almost taste it, fondle with it and caress it. The Kapitan was so amused by Rock’s narrative about his desires that she just let him go and politely asked him to park her car. I practically held my breath for the sequence, it was well executed and displayed the true spirit of Black Lagoon.
Their drinking game got out of hand.
Rock Came.
Hoo boy, Revy was mad. I’m talking super mad, I was picturing her in a Super Saiyan Aura with those little electric jolts circulating her when she proceeded to scold the living shit out of Rock (I thought she was going to kill him, as opposed to Balalaika). At this point, you’ve got agree with Revy, Rock really put her in a bad situation, if something had gone wrong, he’d have unofficially declared war on Hotel Moscow. Then strangely, Rock asks Revy a rather soft-hearted favour of following him back to his hometown, perhaps our man is warming up to his woman (Awwriight, I’ve been pining for a different kind of action for Black Lagoon after all). Revy shares her reality with Rock, she knew that she envied Rock’s origins (which was the source of annoyance towards Rock in the first season), but as we know, she secretly loves her man, and egged him to return back to his Japanese Businessman life. The kids from before return, but instead of a playful Revy which reflected Rock’s still undecided heart on desiring a normal life, they get the real Revy, ruthless and indifferent; a perfect reflection of Rock’s acceptance to his new reality. A sombering, yet cyclical event which reminds us that the world may just be a clean illusion for some. The episode finishes off by rewarding viewers with a Tsunderevy, her smile was so warm and welcoming that I was tempted to hug the display of my laptop (It was completely Revy-neesan in atmosphere). Oh, and Princess Yakuza gets a bigger gun.
Revy’s powering up, see you in three episodes.
From GARlicious….
….to Tsunderevy
Overall, it was definitely a good episode, I mean sure the animation quality dipped here and there, but the premise and messages behind this week’s episode was still clear and strong. Its safe to say we’ve been spoiled with fluid sequences for the bulk of the series, and plus I’m just very much used to seeing Revy looking absolutely premium on screen. The preview promises us Revy versus Terminator-kun, but for Black Lagoon Second Barrage to end with a bang, I am hoping they have something more planned for us. I would love for nothing more than to farewell a good friend with an epic goodbye.
Cheers,
Darkshaunz
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Ah, so MANY delicious Rock’n'Revy scenes in this one. I have to admit that I was feeling worried when Revy pouted - yes, POUTED - in the one scene with her and Rock at the diner. It looked so…OOC for our Princess of Destruction, but it was good that they ‘explained’ it through Balalaika why Revy was acting like that. Revy’s wanted the ‘normal’ life all along - I see her parallelling Terminator-Chan to a ‘t’ with Rock as the two do the entire yakuza bid - fighting ‘honorably’.
The ‘love’ is there, even if they go about it in a sorta-strange way. The way she says ‘baby’ in her Engrish is just so…heart stopping. XD She kept calling him ‘Baby’ even when she was seriously pissed at Rock (so jealous am I), and she even confessed that if Rock wasn’t Rock, he’d be a dead man. That clinches it for me.
Kudos to Yukio - she’s become exactly what Rock will need to fully let go of his life in Japan. Seems like such a waste of potential badassery - Black Lagoon will be undisputed in Rounapaur as THE premiere delievery group if Yukio and Panda-chan were to tag along with Rock’n'Revy back to the other side of the world.
@Arakan7: Indeed, my heart stops whenever she affectionately calls out to her Rock, using the term “Baby”. I like it how the two never saw eye to eye as lovers or even close friends, but they always have an undisputed respected for each other and share a special (albeit bizzare) affection for the other party. I’m always nudging at Rock x Revy, but what the two have at the moment in an unspoken bond which neither wants to break.
Yukio’s embraced the Yakuza life much quicker than I thought, but it turned out cool in the end. =)
Indeed a lot of tsunderevy action. I’m just sad the direction this arc started taking, because it isn’t going the direction I originally had wanted. Maybe a bunch of shit can happen the final episode, but I doubt it. The way things are going the baddies will die and Rock and Revy will end up walking off into the sunset or someshit in the same old heavy atmosphere that surrounds them.
I totally agree that Yukio is a great leader. If only she was able to be there before their entire fucking group got destroyed. She is one of the better leaders we’ve seen in this show, mostly because of her ability to sympathize with her underlings. She really does care. That’s why I always say, “If the United States ever gets a female president, we’ll never have a male again.” Females are probably better leaders than males because they tend to care for others feelings a lot more than men. Although, I must say, there are times when the people need a strong hand who takes initiative (e.g., Hitler).
Anyways, I still enjoyed this episode even though the art went down a smidgen. Good stuff
I was also hoping Black Lagoon would return to our favorite seedy Thai seaport town and ends things with a bang for Second Barrage’s final coda, but seems like the last episode is 24 and wrapping up the Tokyo arc. The animation was a bit spotty here and there but it’s forgivable given the kickassery action of the last episode and the promise of more in the final one.
It was very odd to see Revy so, well, normal, for lack of a better word, and wistfully longing for the bloodless upbringing Rock had. Revy gets called out on her envy of Rock’s childhood by Balalaika just as Rock was called out by Yukio for wanting to save her not out of any real sense of justice or concern for her, but rather simply to make himself feel good so he can sleep better at night with a clearer conscience.
Though I disagree that Rock is that selfish; maybe it’s part of the reason why he likes to play hero, but his encounters with Garcia Loveless and Gretel were also a major factor why he tried to save Yukio from a life of lawlessness and bloodletting. But he couldn’t save Yukio anymore he could Gretel; the girl’s embraced her yakuza roots and burned any bridges behind her. Some people just can’t be, or don’t want to be, saved (at least Garcia has his meido).
Now that Rock’s resigned to the mercenary fate of a dead man, as he puts it, at last neither he nor Revy have anymore illusions of normalcy (those poor kids; playful Revy = kawaii; real Revy = kowaii). It just took big bad Balalaika anego to slap both Rock and Revy around to make them realize how futile clinging to a normal life would be for all of them. That said, you do not ever want to fuck with Balalaika, heh (Yukio’s a dead woman, sorry to say; she knew full well what she was getting into).
I really hope they make a third season; Black Lagoon is just too good to leave so many things unexplained and unexplored - my major gripes being the lack of background for Dutch (the guy’s still a mystery to us) and Benny (it was cute how Benny and Jane hooked up, but more info on how he joined Lagoon company would have been nice) and, of course, Revy’s childhood growing up in New York City (incidentally, my hometown). Rock and Revy have a really nice bond between them; let’s hope nothing breaks it.
Now to soothe this nasty hangover of mine by watching episode 24. Happy New Year!
Can they do a 3rd season that has as much impact as 1st and 2nd?
I don’t know. Sure, it will be sad not to watch Revy in action any more and not to see Rock talking all cool with the unbuttoned shirt and all. XD But, I do agree that a few OVAs here and there will be most welcome, then a big production movie to end the Black Lagoon journey.
‘Twilight’ Rock : I’m glad that he cements himself on the border between light and dark. His words have effect on people on both sides of the law and that is his greatest weapon. Just for the hell of it, I would like to see Rock racing to save Revy just once.
DD
Oh yeah, HAPPY NEW YEAR~! ROANPAUR STYLE YEAH BABY~!!
The director actually apologised to the fans on his blog for the substandard quality of the animation in Ep23. They were using some new animation company for this episode for the first time, and I guess they regretted it. They attempted to correct as many of the flaws as they could before the airdate, but not everything could be corrected in time. The director promised that everything would be modified for the DVD.
Trivia aside, I just watched Ep24. It’s… an interesting episode in terms of conflicted feelings. It is satisfying, and yet not satisfying.
All I will say is… do not ever cross Balalaika. The entire second season of Black Lagoon has been nothing short of pure Balalaika ownage. Black Lagoon Company? What Black Lagoon Company? They could have renamed the second season, “Balalaika’s Gonna Kick Your Arse”, and it would have been more appropriate too.
Cheers.
Some Black Lagoon OVAs or even a movie would be awesome. The noticeable dip in animation qualiy in 23 was painfully obvious considering that the rest of the series was pretty stellar; using a new animation company for that episode would definitely explain it.
Having also watched 24, I’m a bit saddened there won’t be any more episodes to look forward to (at least, nothing official yet) and while the arc wrapped up pretty much the way I expected it to, the open-endedness of it all just begs for another season, an OVA, movie, something. As for 24 itself; I was a bit surprised at Rock’s request to Balalaika. I won’t spoil it any more than that though.
Have to agree about Balalaika this season. They should have renamed it Black Lagoon: Hotel Moscow instead of Second Barrage. I think the only time Hotel Moscow didn’t appear this season was during the Greenback Jane arc (which was odd seeing how quickly Balalaika mobilized her forces to help out Lagoon company back in season 1 but during the Jane arc Lagoon company’s base of operations was basically burned to the ground without so much as a peep from Hotel Moscow).
Balailaika is a crazy scary woman … but wat she says does make sense from time to time …
But somehow I feel that this story arch is not so interestin … its felt like just an extension of the Hansel & Gretel story
Sigh Black Lagoon, boy will we all miss it. Movies though, a full hour and a half length movie sounds quite nice I agree to that. I wonder if I’m the only girl watching the show sometimes… >.> (They way you talk about Revy)
Rock is using his words as bullets rather than the physical kinds. For instance how he attacked Revy by saying she would die in the gutter and that’s what he’s got going for him.
Revy just has those straight up bullets. Damn if I could shoot like that, well I probably wouldn’t be watching the show if I could get away with that sort of violence and not care.
Curse Balalaika… damn she is harsh. Telling Revy she can’t be like Rock after Revy had been trying so hard to at least some what follow him. B-I-T-C-H if you ask me. But then Balalaika probably needs her guns and so would prefer to keep Revy on the other side rather than in the middle. Poor Rock he’s taking quite the mental abuse….