Originally airing in 2006 Black Lagoon is the brainchild of Rei Hiroe who also fathered the manga that debuted in 2002. Before it finished its run the series garnered two seasons and a total of 24 episodes. The manga has not been issued here in the States so if you're like me and don't really import books this one may be slipping under your radar. If you find yourself hankering for a show filled with cutthroat mercenaries and a buttload of bloodshed then this is definitely a show that you'll want to put on your "must see" list.

Taking place in the seas of Southeast Asia, Black Lagoon features an eclectic group of anti-heroes operating their business in one big messed up world. The Lagoon Company is a group of hired guns who will snatch anything and deliver anything for a price. Like many other anime releases you can expect that this troupe finds themselves on the wrong side of the law but there are many forces working in the background.

In this first volume we are introduced to the characters that operate the Black Lagoon and in short order we are thrown into the middle of an all-out gunfight. White-colored Japanese native Rokuro Okajima goes through his day to day life and working through mediocrity at Asahi Industries in Tokyo. Through a series of misfortunes he winds up becoming a member of the Lagoon Company right alongside of Revy the homicidal gunslinger, Benny the computer geek, and Dutch the fearless leader. They took on a couple of jobs but their biggest one left us with something of a cliffhanger.

In the second volume of Black Lagoon the action picks up right where the last installment left off. Revy and Rock are at the bottom of the ocean rummaging through the remains of a German submarine while a boat full of Nazis have shown up topside to push the Black Lagoon out of the way. Dutch and Benny don't like what the Nazis are doing but they're outgunned and outmanned so there's nothing they can do for their teammates under water. It's up to them and lucky for Rock he has Revy there with a loaded rifle.

After some poking around in the sub the two mercenaries stumble upon what they've been looking for. The painting is hidden beneath a soldier's remains in an area that looks to be the aftermath of a shootout. Rock and Revy's celebration doesn't last too long because they hear the hatch begin to open and footsteps as people begin to enter the sunken ship. They are an elite group of Nazi suicide soldiers and through a series of events they actually wind up getting their hands on the painting.

The crew of the Black Lagoon regroups and formulates a plan to take revenge on the Nazis and recapture the painting. Using the cover of night and the hope that their enemies would be celebrating their grand victory the Lagoon Company tracks the ship down and Revy and Dutch head out for the party. They get aboard and literally take down every person on board. During the final showdown the commanding officer is on the phone with his superior who has a few not-so kind words for our buddy Dutch; making frequent references to the color of his skin. This particular scene was a little hard to take with the racial language but it certainly did a great job painting the Nazis in their true colors.

After the dust settles Dutchy-boy sends Revy and Rock on another mission. Their job this time around doesn't involve tracking down some Nazi painting or fighting it out to the death with another pack of mercenaries. Instead the dynamic duo has to drive around town and arrange deals with a few vendors in preparation for their next job. This gives Rock and Revy some downtime and affords them the opportunity to let out their frustrations. In good form Revy shoots of a gun and before long the two are punching each other only to be escorted away by the cops. The final episode on this disc revolves around a kidnapping and the mafia.

Just like the first go around, the second installment of Black Lagoon was a ton of fun. The action was intense, the characters were thoroughly likeable, and atmosphere was just moody enough to keep my interest peaked. It may be a shorter series but this one has the ingredients in place to become a cult classic. If you haven't added this one to your list yet you'd better get out that pen.

With the recent production date and the anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio, Black Lagoon is one slick looking show. The artistic style of the show is very attractive with a ton of detail and creative designs. Despite the layer of grit over everything the transfer here is absolutely stunning with vibrant colors, sharp detail, and virtually no artifacts to complain about. Even grain is kept minimal apart from a few scenes. Madhouse did a heck of a job putting this show together.

Black Lagoon is presented on DVD with English and Japanese dub tracks. The original Japanese language gets a 2.0 stereo treatment while the English receives some 2.0 and 5.1 love. In terms of dub quality both tracks are decent though I felt the Japanese dub won out, but that may just be a matter of personal taste. I thought the original language track simply added a little more to the experience because sometimes the dialogue in the show can be a tad dry. Technically speaking the 2.0 tracks play out just like you'd expect and the 5.1 offers a nice sense of immersion, especially when the action starts to pick up. Some of the effects where a little more subdued than I would have expected and in a few were a little underwhelming.

The only thing available on this release for bonus material is a small collection of Geneon previews and some DVD credits.

Black Lagoon is a show that doesn't pull punches. It's this zest for stirring up the bee hive that keeps the show fun and addictive from the moment you catch the first episode. This second volume brings four fantastic episodes to the table and quite honestly not a single one of them skips a beat. Even the slower paced Rock and Revy episode keeps the momentum going with great character development. Geneon has a winner on their hands with this series and it's one that action lovers shouldn't allow to slip by them.

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