Hi everyone! So we made a video, seems like people are enjoying it! I’m really glad, it’s nice doing stuff like this one where you can let your human out a little. Hate to double promote but if you’re interested in hearing more about some of the stuff we talked about in this video we have a special weekly podcast on patreon where we cover the previous week’s video and discuss it! You guys are rad af. Have a week, and thanks for watching! -Mike
Appreciate the video! Black Lagoon is another fantastic title that takes no prisoners of the excitement, sexy fem fatales and action so off the wall Quinton Territino will have a field day!
@Bonsai Pop im so glad you reviewed Black Lagoon! I love this show! Keep up the sweet work guys! ❤ Also, have you guys seen "Rin daughters of mnemosyne"? Its really messed up, in a this just might totally be your jam, kind of way 😘
You would really recommend the anime with the the highest curse counter per minute to somebody who’s never seen anime? I’d personally go with bebop first
i like how real it is...theres no shounen fun times to be had everyone you like lives and all that jazz....i admits how brutal it is up front...i just wish the wizard character was shown more..hes so funny
This reminds me of something the director ( I think ) of "Logan" said. He wanted actors who acted like they'd had lives before they showed up in the scene. I don't think Revy is changing and becoming "more human" ( or even more citizen ) it's just that we're seeing more of her. "Two hands" can still rise to the occasion, but other aspects of her mutilated personality are being exposed. Rock is changing. He is adapting to his environment - which sucks. Adapting to/approving of/and justified by are all different things. Rock tries to adapt and save himself by saving Roanapur , which he can't. Something else he'll have to adapt to.
It's not just because of Revy, it's the whole cast. Rock, Balalaika, Dutch, Roberta, Benny, they all put in work for this series. Don't boil the show down to one person, it does it a disservice.
What I love about Rock and Revy’s development in both character and writing is that as the story goes on after the Tokyo arc and during Roberta’s blood trail arc you see darkness start to creep into Rock, I won’t spoil anything but the way the story unfolded showed how easy it is for him to manipulate people and Dutch himself said that if Rock wanted to pick up a gun he would be one of the most terrifying people he knows. Revy sees this too and it scared her too, because at the start Rock was trying to show Revy that light does exist and it’s possible for her to be in it to a degree, and she starts to believe this and begins to see Rock in a new light and develop feelings for him, but when Rock begins to allow darkness in she fears that her “knight in shining armor” view of Rock she developed of him will fade away and she would be back to being stuck in the darkness with no hope of escaping it.
Yea its pretty interesting how rock and revy slowly start to switch roles a little. It just sucks the manga has not made it further in since the anime ended so development is slower then a snails pace at this point. I'm really curious of how this is all going to end for rock and revy, but god knows if we will ever find out lol. Side note I sat in at a event where the creator talked about black lagoon and he knows fans actually like the rock and revy pairing a lot thanks to certain artwork online lol.
Rokuro "Rock" Okajima"Row-Ku-row Oh-ka-jee-ma" was born in 1965 in Osaka. He's not only the Main Protagonist, Straight Man of The Anime Series. He's the ONLY Japanese main character. He represents how a Normal Person would view the World around him he's been thrown into. Not to spoil anything either, but Asahi Group HIRED Lagoon to kill him. Revy or Rebecca "Two Hands" Lee (Born 1968 in NYC)and James "Dutch" Robert Washington(Born 1952 in Houston,Texas) were paid 15,000,000 Yen($1.5 Million) in 1992 Money to Assassinate Rokuro. He's NOTHING but Collateral to them. The Washime Yakuza Clan are affiliated and Connected to Asahi Group and his Boss is one of their Ambassadors. Rock does Realize this after the first two Episodes. Remember, Revy has a Job, and she's been hired and Paid to kill Rock, so when Dutch tells her the Hit has been Canceled without giving her an Explanation or Reason to why(Dutch gave the orders himself to call off the Hit) Rebecca of course gets pissed and even Confused when Dutch tells her "You're Bunking with Rock. You and him are not only sleeping in the same room, you'll be sharing a BED with him too. So if you and him squabble like a Couple, Kiss and Makeup." She then retorts "So Am I going to eventually be Fucking Him?", he replies "Yeah, probably so". Also Balalaika and Hotel Moscow have Little interest in the CD-ROM Disc. Its a McGuffin. They have a Clear Agenda and War certainly ISN'T part of it. Sofiya "Balalaika" Varhgev(Born 1958 in St. Petersburg,Ukraine) is a Mercenary and Former Colonel in the Soviet Union Armed Forces, Her Status as a Russian Mafia Empress makes her both Respected and Feared. She IMMEDIATELY takes a liking to Rokuro when she's formally introduced to him. She also sorta of views him as her "Scullery Boy" and "Boy Toy" so much that she LITERALLY brings out his Malevolent Side.
FINALLY Black Lagoon gets some love, barely see people talk about this one and it's one of my favorites. FeelsGoodMan (p.s. Glad your life is on track now!)
I'm very excited for the coming years, just now discovered the show and learned that the manga only continued last September. Maybe we'll see another season in the upcoming years!
Always loved that Rock never changes his outfit even all the way to the end of the OVA. On the outside he's still just a mild mannered salary man, which makes the parts when we see him start to slip out of the 'twilight' at the end hit way harder.
I always thought of Rock's presence in Roanapur as a sort of litmus test. He's not so scared or moral that he refuses to exist in it, but he's never really able to be the same kind of people that Roanapur is filled with. Even when he starts throwing caution to the wind in the OVA, he's still got logical reasons and he's not willing to let people die for nothing. There's always a plan where nobody gets hurt, even if he can't see it in reality. however, living with so much bloodshed and chaos, and seeing all the people with good hearts get slaughtered, he does begin to lose himself. He makes choices he wouldn't previously, the top and bottom lines of his tolerance both dip lower, and he stops being a dumb doormat in general. Revy hates this and clashes with him increasingly because to her, he's the embodiment of innocence and good. She's afraid he'll become like her and she _is_ hard on herself for letting it happen, but takes it out on _him_ for changing. Then there's this tension because Rock never asked to be that beacon of good or hope or whatever she sees in him, and it's unfair to put that on another person, especially after dragging him to the worst place for good people.
Rock is Normal. He's The Straight Man. We're seeing Roanapor,Sri Lanka from his P.O.V. He's the ONLY Japanese member of Lagoon. It (2nd Barrage)even ends with everyone going back to his Hometown in Osaka. Including him SUCCESSFULLY convincing Balalaika and Hotel Moscow to call off the planned Hit on Washime Clan's Rival Clan. That is, after She flirts with Rock through both a Gunpoint AND Sexual Connotation. That's ALL I'm gonna spoil.
yup, for Rock, not shooting and robbing people was easy, in that way he was insulated from Roanapur's darkness, but manipulating people? setting events in motion that'd result in other people dying? that's a darkness he could use, and he almost lost himself in it.
Wow Mike, you should get a side gig as a motivational speaker or write a book about your 'way back to the society', for real, I mostly watch yt videos as something in the background while I do other work, but once you opened up more about elements you connect on with Black Lagoon I was glued to the screen and fully concentrated on your words. I truly admire the bravery to talk about your experiences, while also keeping it true and humble and being able to relate such emotions and thoughts to entertainment outlets such as anime. I think many can relate to your story, while also many can notice they are on the greener side of the fence and understand what it's like on the less green one. Kudos man, I wish you all the best in life.
Cant say it better, so - cheers lad, take a drink with out and go outside, dream about the other world you had once. Light a cigare, enjoy ... and come back :)
Decided to take a walk in my town centre in the nighttime for the first time in years. Listening to this while observing the homeless people out and about was quite the experience. Thanks for sharing!
Over a decade late, but I am happy that Black Lagoon is finally starting to get some traction. When I sang it's praises when I was a 16 year old kid, no one listened to me, but now with it being uploaded to Netflix a lot more people are seeing it, I have personally recommended it to 5 people just recently and they all loved every bit of it, here's hoping it becomes even more popular and gets the recognition it so very much deserves.
BL is likely a timeless anime with a killer set of characters and plot...with modernish animation that looks REALLY good for its time...and didn't get big when it first came out, yet ages with fine wine. cause man, Anime that came out in the last 10 years has largely been trash
I've been homeless and lived in punk squats. I manage Events for a large A/V company and I'm really good at my job. Everyday I fear I won't be able to maintain the facade because I still feel like the homeless kid in the punk house. That feeling that I can fool everyone around me but I don't know if I can fool myself. The constant fear that I'll be found out and have it all ripped away. Good video.
I'm in the same industry and can completely relate. Standing in the twighlight is hard. I think folks like us need to exist to help others traverse the gap.
Seek therapy if you can. I've gotten away from that mindset more and more after overcoming poverty as a child and a dysfunctional family (the latter, I still have to deal with). I'm not rich at all, financially--but the feelings of "undeserving" are dying for me. That's because "deserve" is a word that falls apart more and more when you dissect it. Who really "deserves" anything? At the end of the day, we're all born--and we'll all die. We hope we can amass enough luck along the way and live a life we're proud of as much as possible. Read up on Human Rights, and backstory behind Human Rights--it's all about the fact that, no one can really create life on a whim--so there is value inside of it. There is value inside of you, just for being alive. You can make mistakes, you can make some HUGE mistakes, but I believe that you can find redemption for yourself. And sometimes that redemption starts with forgiving whatever you've done (still take responsibility for those actions and make amends to others if you have to), then move on to being the YOU, the role model, the guidance you wished you had back in the days where you had a lot less and were the "bottom" of the human race. We all matter. Don't let anyone deny you that.
@@vincenegra2612 I live in the Baltimore/DC region where restrictions have been heavy through out the pandemic (even now it's just starting to relax). I'm a property manager with the big Evil A/V corporation and luckily was never furloughed. Things are ramping up steadily, I'm starting to see inquires for bigger meetings filling out in October, still not a normal October level of business but I haven't seen business book further out then a week for the last year so I'm going to take it as a good sign. From a technician point of view, I know as things ramp up it's going to be slow to fill our ranks back up as most have found other employment.
ME: I'm glad Rock is in the twilight I'm sure he will always keep one foot in and out to keep dynamic between him and revy going. ALSO ME: *Stares at the Roberta's Bloody Trail arc in existential horror.*
I love the honesty and grit you talk about your history, guy, I'm glad you're okay now, I believe I speak for a lot of us when I write 'We're happy to have you.' Black Lagoon is one of the few Anime that could make the jump to a live-action adaptation, the anatomy of Its characters are not too beyond what can be imitated in appearance or gag faces and while Revy's inclination to jump and shoot mid-air, like Max Payne, would require wire stunts and the like, the John Wick movies and martial art intensive movies like South Korea's 'The Villainess' have proven that a solid portion of the hyper anime action can be done.
I love Black Lagoon because I relate to Rock so much. It’s like yea you have a nice “normal” life but the feeling that something’s missing always crosses your mind until the point you get depressed and want to change but don’t really know how
This is worker alienation. You have no control over your own life in a capitalist system because our society is run by wealthy business owners, this feeling is felt by basically every person in the working class because they have no control over their work and their livelihood - most people just don't talk about it because everyone sees the problem but don't know how to either fix it or find a solution. Our societies make sure we are just smart enough to do our jobs (in service to the wealthy) but aren't smart enough to know how to know the full situation we are stuck in and what the root of the problem is or how to solve it. This is the condition of the working class, we are kept this way because of course - it's essentially the dunning Krueger effect, as they say "you can't know what you don't know that you don't know". If you aren't taught how to find out what the problem is, you are stuck in this revolving door of not having enough time because you have to work so much and spend all of your supposed "time off" to recuperate for your next shift, you just work your shift, go home and rest and maybe do a chore you have no energy for in the first place, go to bed and they may be when a day off comes around you get even MORE chores done and then go to bed. Most people don't have enough time to sit around and learn about the condition we all live in.
@@dudeman5303True, the only solution I’ve found is to dive headfirst into what you love, if your going to be forced to work your entire life it might as well be on something you love more than anything else, that’s why I’m going to community college to get an associate’s degree in automotive technology, I may transfer out to a different college when I finish or choose to go to work, I’m not sure but I have opportunities to follow what I love (that being cars) and build my life around them… As bad as our society is, as much as it takes away from the working class, there are still chances for us, we just have to be stubborn enough to not pass them up…
I like how Alan Watts discusses this issue of freedom. We really don't have the concept of a monk in our society. The way you describe living day to day and sort of being outside society is what would be described as being "lower outcast", whereas in Eastern society, monkhood is considered "upper outcast". You have willingly quit the game of human society and that is perfectly okay. We don't have that in the West.
Alan is a fascinating guy for sure. And true, the closest trope to a monk I can think of is a wandering homeless figure. Although I think there’s a big difference between the total freedom of an outcast vs a monk. They supposedly both live day to day, but monks have strict discipline and morals. It’s probably an easier life without the crazy shit, but that’s the best part of freedom to some I guess
Technically we do, but it’s in a small amount of still running monasteries dedicated to religious orders in a society that increasingly displays active hostility towards those of a religious mindset.
@@Fizzlepop72 They are if they're right wing, and I'm saying this as an Atheist. Look at censorship laws and how social media is handled, among other..things.
I'd say the kind of person that goes off to live in the Alaskan wilderness could be a good analogue, a frontiersman that doesn't enter civilization often.
Black Lagoon is such a amazing anime. It is by far one of my favorites and I suggest it to anyone who hasn't seen it. My only real complaint is that I wish there were more episodes.
This is honestly one of the best review for Black Lagoon I've ever watched. Black Lagoon became my favourite anime the first time I watched it all those years ago, and it is still my favourite anime now. I'm serious. I've watched this anime so many times, and yet I never get bored of it. You bring in such a unique, honest and fresh perspective to this show. Thank you.
It got me to drink heinkin beer 🍺. It’s decent for me. I am glad I did it help pushed me more to drink and eat more different things. It got me to culinary exploration further than I started. I still got to pursue more than I ever did before.
Never ever did i think Bonsai would do Black Lagoon. My favorite shows among the countless titles ive watched. Especially one of if not the greatest dubs out there-coming from a strictly sub watcher.
It's not as well known as Trigun or Cowboy Bebop but it should be. Fits perfectly with the visual style of those and it's about adults who are coping with the decisions they made (or that were made for them) in the past.
@@Darth_Anomalous I disagree, the dub has the language advantage of scripting everything to be more vulgar. Sitting through the show while having subtitles on was whiplash inducing from how sterile the show looked if I kept the Japanese audio on
@@PrincessNine I see where you are coming from. I believe that a fan would tend to like what they are exposed to first. Like how some people enjoy the manga version better than the anime. I also think it depends on how fast you read subtitles. For me, I find it hard to watch sub because some subtitles go too fast for my eyes to read and I would end up having to go back and read, which happens often. I know you may say that sub is better for Anime that takes place in Japan like Rurouni Kenshin, Samurai Shamploo, Yu Yu Hakusho, etc. It all depends on your preferences. Would you rather have an accurate language for the setting? Or, do you not care about accuracy and just want to easily watch the show? I do feel like dub has a bad reputation for having bad acting or just inaccurate voices to characters. However, I believe that in recent years it has become better and even older anime has some great dubs. Again, its all about preference.
So glad someone finally made a Black Lagoon video. One of my favorite shows of all time. I think it's one of the few that I have actually gone and re-watched like 4 times.
I felt the same when I came home from Iraq. I still feel disconnected at times. Thanks for helping me feel I'm not alone ,and all the hard work you guys put into entertaining your fans.
I can really relate with Rock. Envying those that seem so free, but unable or perhaps just unwilling to let go of the person their life so far has led them to be. I fantasize about a life of spontaneity and the kind of freedom you describe. I've had some experience not knowing where I would be crashing, and only figuring it out when I absolutely had to sleep; but I don't think that I could ever bring myself to change to that life style of my own accord. It would take some exterternal force for me to make that change, just like with Rock. I think that it's hard to give up the benefits your current lifestyle provides you and accept the drawbacks a different lifestyle. Sure, your current lifestyle has issues and a new lifestyle has its positives, but changing comes with uncertainty. In any lifestyle, the longer you have it, the less distinct each day is. Be it school days, work days, or days spent however you like; each passing day makes the next at least a little more predictable. You know what you generally need to do tomorrow so that you'll be able to wake up the day after that, but you don't KNOW with a new lifestyle until you've experienced it enough to be sure.
I agree, as a matter of fact I think the reason I found this vid today is because of what I was thinking of doing. I am in the same spot as rock and feel stuck and I was thinking of just grabbing some of my stuff and splitting to see what happens. I just have to rember to walk in that Twilight and not lose myself.
Revy was a freaking boss!! I just love her personality and the fact that she didn't play games with anybody. Can you do a review on Ergo Proxy, Blood+, and Trinity Blood one day?
Seconding this! Blood+ especially has the kind of modern day Greek tragedy vibe (like the Odyssey where the hero returns deeply scarred and changed) that doesn't get enough credit!
I feel that the dance with the dead thing, with the residents of this town in Thailand is a coping mechanism to deal with all the darkness they been out through.
I had a taste of this life for two months when I was 20. I learned more about life in those two months than I did in my last 19 years in school and church.
Black Lagoon is one of my all-time favorite animes and I re-watch it every few years to get something new out of it. This go-around, I definitely resonated with making decisions about how you want your life to be, what's important to do, and if you can follow through with actions that support your values. One of the best shows, honestly. So glad it's getting some deep dives and traction.
Black lagoon is hands down one of the best anime I have ever watched for the story it tells and the message it carries. I get that traumatized girl because I too have dated her and gotten screwed. I get the pain and bureaucracy of normal life and the power that comes with escape and the chains it has of its own though not to the extent of delving into the criminal world as much, just rioters in France. I remember the journey and am happy now that it’s over. I think you did a wonderful job breaking down the core of the show!
Bonsai Pop, your perspective and personal struggle with the twilight made this introduction to Black Lagoon both unique and 'real'. As someone who's seen Rock's side of life your insight brings gravity to the series that other YTs can't. I hope your journey back to the light is a permanent one and not just a temporary relief! Stay safe out there!
I wanted to thank you so much, there's too little videos about Lagoon Company, more of them taking that piece of art as ordinary action anime, but you managed to portray it's deeper filozofical aspect and I'm eternally grateful
Corranhorn122 I know Isekai have a bad rap, but it really represents the spirit of them, leaving your dull life behind for a world of freedom and adventure
@@justinbuergi9867 So I'm gonna say first that I was mostly joking in terms of the tone of my first comment. And I also get what you're saying, but I also think that's too loose a definition and also doesn't make sense to apply. Everything they deal with in the show is very much rooted in our own real world, and the show came out well before it became common usage to apply that term to anime. I'm pretty sure that if you asked the original mangaka about that term being used, he'd either laugh like I did or maybe even be insulted.
Corranhorn122 of course. I certainly wasn’t saying it should be classified as an Isekai but some of the themes felt similar. I’ve always viewed Black Lagoon as an escape fantasy series. Something people stuck in a crappy job would watch and imagine living a life just like that, freed of their responsibilities with every moment being filled with excitement.
I recently watched this show and it completely blew me away especially with the 2nd season, I don’t know why I don’t hear much from this show at all. Seriously. This is one of the most unique and mature representations of a relationship I have ever seen and I can’t get enough of it because it makes sense from the characters perspective to act the way they do.
This hit different. I've been in the same place, my guy. From the homelessness to the crime to watching the old guard pass. I live a stable, quiet life now and saying that I don't sometimes get that wild hair in my ass to get into trouble or just simply walk away from it all would be an outright lie. I feel semi-domesticated and out of place some days. I've always really loved Black Lagoon, having watched it while I was still in my wild years, but now I think I GET it a little more. Thank you for this. You earned a few patreon dollars.
I knew their was something about Black Lagoon that I liked that wasn't just Hot babes, and guns. This show has really been my favorite for a while, and your video has been the only analysis i've seen of it. You pretty much nail every good point about it!
Black Lagoon is in my top 5 Anime and love it to pieces. I love Revy, despite how screwed up and crazy she is. This vid offers an excellent perspective of this badass show, and to gain the insight of some issues through your personal experiences was truly enlightening. Thanks for the effort in making this and appreciate letting us a little into your life.
Dude, i love the way you break down anime by character and meaning. That alone would make for great vídeos, but you go and draw such deep parallels with your live, that i can't help to identfy so much even though i never been through that same stuff. Your vídeos até truly special and courageous. Top tier stuff! Shout out from Brasil! PS. Sorry for the bad English.
Anime has helped me get through some really tough times throughout my life. I haven't lived through the hard knock life of homelessness and drugs, as it seems like you struggled with (and bless your soul; I hope your life is happy, moving forward), but I've dealt with inner mental anguish that led to things like dropping out of college and struggling just to find and keep a steady job. While I thankfully have a relatively secure job and upward mobility at the moment and for the last few years as well as relative mental peace, I've definitely also felt at times like I'm an outcast, like there's so little left that matters to hold me down to even living, and that strange sense of freedom that comes with it. Throughout that time, anime has been a source of both escapism and catharsis, providing vibrant characters who live life big and yet who I can often connect to at some level. While I'd say that my favorite has always been and will continue to be Kara no Kyoukai (Garden of Sinners), Black Lagoon is also a show that spoke to me for its rejection of "the responsible adult life", at a time when "doing the right thing" felt like the furthest from what I needed or wanted to do in my own life. I'm so glad to see that shows like Black Lagoon are able to touch the lives of others such as your own, to hopefully give you a sense that someone else out there understands you and what you're going through and have gone through. So thank you for giving voice to some of the reasons why Black Lagoon is such a great show!
Black Lagoon and Darker Than Black (Season 1 at least) are what I call my "Back in Black" anime starter kit for those who are new to the genre, to date no one has been disappointed because they are just so awesome. Also, subs vs dubs? Dub all the way with this one, it's great.
The show features people of diverse nationalities and sometimes accents. Benny (jewish american) and Dutch (black american) for example. It makes no sense for them all to speak japanese (until the Tokyo arc where characters actually DO speak japanese in the english dub). So yes, the english dub fits very well
i have been off-anime for a couple years now... last week i watched black lagoon for the first time. it almost felt like the first time i watched evangelion around 1999-2000. and i dont know if ill be able to find another that makes me feel this way. i know im late, but amazing video!
I can't remember the exact circumstances cuz it's been forever since I've watched, but I remember there are points where Revy is shown to be a lot more protective of Rock, even guarding him against certain traumas. Like in one instance I won't spoil, frantically tells Rock to look away and shut his eyes. I like to think Revy is protecting the relative innocence that he still has, and that because of Rock, Revy is beginning to show cracks and now has something to protect. The night and day between Rock and Revy is honestly fascinating to watch. It almost has this forbidden air about it, and I've never shipped 2 characters harder than them XD Especially after the cigarette scene.
Later on in a recent manga chapter Bennies GF Jane makes a threat to Revy that maby she would sleep with Rock. Revy gets dead serious and says if she tries than she would rape her. Not word for word but thats basically what she says.
"I like to think Revy is protecting the relative innocence that he still has, and that because of Rock, Revy is beginning to show cracks and now has something to protect." That's actually the case. Even Fabiola said as much to her. The reality is that for all the ways Rock admires her freedom and fearlessness-- she admires his stability and morals every bit as much. For all the ways she felt judged by it earlier in their relationship, she actually needs him to be that Robin Hood, that knight in shining armor, because a strong part of her desperately wants to be saved and have a chance at something resembling normal. Even if she won't admit it to herself, she's not fooling anyone else that pays attention to her. Against all her better judgment, she's become someone who dreams of a future, of not being just a dead person living in the moment. And that's why, as time goes on and Rock starts losing his inhibitions and starts giving in to his thrill-seeking power fantasy, she starts becoming ever more bitter and pensive. She's watching her dream, a dream she doesn't know she has, slipping out of her grasp. There's a tragedy to that as this is perhaps the first time she's even allowed herself to dream. And she has so little confidence in herself that she's putting her dream and her future on the shoulders of a man who isn't going to save her, who longs for the same world she wants to crawl out of. And because she sees he's going that direction, she believes herself doomed, that it's not even worth trying. I mean, she's always believed she couldn't live normally even if she wanted to. The Japan arc proved that. But a part of her keeps putting hope in Rock to prove her wrong and he's just.... not. I have a feeling that by the end of all this, both of them will end up dead. However, if anyone has a real chance of pulling themselves out it would be Revy in my opinion. The only thing truly holding her back is herself and her inability to believe she could ever survive or change from the violent criminal she is. Rock I fully expect to complete his descent. He's this story's Walter White, far too drunk on the power this life affords him to acknowledge anyone else's feelings or turn around until it's too late.
I expected simple but quality review on a Black Lagoon, but recevied a much better. A deep, personal review on a subject which moved me to re-aproach my impression about Black Lagoon. Nice video.
Thoughts on finale of each episode. Always have so many thoughts about the symbolism. The slow dirge music playing as we see pieces of Revi’s clothes cast off as she her footsteps show on the beach, and finally her pistols. Then bam, big drum fill and Revi turning to watcher with shotgun. Absolutely brilliant.
dude that really hit the spot of why black lagoon fascinated the heck out of me when i watched it years ago, it was woven into the story so subtly yet potently and then a ridiculous fight scene would break out and revvy would swear like a sailor and the ending theme would play and i'd have this feeling that there was something i couldnt quite put my finger on, a big mood i wasnt familiar with, and which only black lagoon has ever induced. its been haunting me for so long and ive been tempted to re-rewatch it to settle my thoughts about it, so thanks mate, for pulling it all right out into the open more clearly than probably any other channel could
To be honest i would give up everything i have to live a life of an adventurer, seing the world is far more important then saftey for me atleast freedom is more worth then money. On our Earth there are enough humans who have no money and are happier then those who run in a circel for money because they think it makes them happier to buy stuff and then they throw them away and it repeats itself also they do it with other beings also animals its like a game for them everyone is replaceable. Safety comfort was my inner demon that i had to beat to get my freedom that i wont let anybody take from me. Be mobile travel arround the world meet new peopel makes you invisibel the more you stay on one place the more vunarable you are. Sorry for my bad english its my 3rd language i learned. Greetings from Austria
As a punk rock washout, Navy veteran and New Orleans Quarter Rat? I argue that your can totally win a drinking contest. The key is betting money on it AND be confident in the alcoholism that you're struggling with. And since it's a drinking contest, you can bump or drop the original price on a whim since the opponent and you are getting hammered and everyone's memory is fuzzy.
The manga release schedule of this story feels like being in a desert waiting for just a few drops of rain to land in your mouth. It’s a very enjoyable story.
The most interesting, and in-depth review of black lagoon I’ve seen. Everything you explain in this video, on the characters, and on the show as a whole, was well articulated, and how I felt about it, but couldn’t explain it like you.
I find your character analysis of Rock and Revy very interesting and very fitting, but I feel like it's missing some of its later developments. Did you watch the Roberta OVA? The unofficial 3rd season? Because I feel like that shows it best that while Rock started in the Twilight, he's not staying there. He's sinking, and Revy doesn't want him to. For all that she envies him she also holds him up as some sort of moral paragon, that he's able to, in some way, remain clean in this hell they inhabit. But he's not. Roanapur is coming for his soul, and he can't remain in the Twilight forever. Rock may never pick up a gun, but that doesn't stop him from doing some messed up things in the Japan Arc and more so in the Roberta Arc. He's a schemer and strategist, let's others do the dirty work and though he tries to justify his acts, some part of him enjoys seeing his plan come together as people dance to his tune and court death. You can be the most horrible criminal without ever killing someone personally. And though Rock's journey has not yet reached it's end, I don't think he's going to get out like you did.
If the series ever ends, that is lol. But yeah, I don't think someone like Rock will be entirely free from the filth, or indeed, moral corruption of Roanapur come time for the conclusion - and that's quite rather fitting, really. Rock has *never* wanted to remain completely pure as a character. He constantly juggles between self-ingrained principals and budding desires for anarchic freedom, sure, and when the chips are down he's usually on the side of wanting to save lives if at all possible, but he's always yearned for that dark reality where the people of Roanapur unabashedly dwell: That foreign existence so antithetical to the culture of Japan, to his former lifestyle, and to the people he once interacted with, that it might as well be extraterrestrial in nature. Purely alien. And somehow, it just gels with Rock. It flows with him in a way that Japan never could with Rokuro Okajima, no matter how hard he tried. Despite everything that Roanapur represents, and regardless of what happens there, scarcely does he feel truly out-of-place in that den of runaway assassins and killers; sure, among the likes of Balalaika and Mr. Chang, Revy and Ada, Rebecca and all the other heavy hitters that we so commonly adore, Rock is by no means a character who traditionally fits the image and stereotype of "criminal", let alone "dangerous". However, between all those increasingly-vicious and vindictive personalities, he does *have a place*. He has a *role*. And because of that, they all know of his name. They know of *him*. They know *Rock*, and not the shambling half-dead corpse that was Rokuro Okajima - a man who felt so utterly disenfranchised with his own life, with the people and the setting around him, that the topical thought of actively living in the canonical port-city of the damned seemed downright appealing to him. As such, I don't believe Rock will come out this entirely clean - he doesn't want to be pure. That's something so many other characters, including himself, seem to fail to properly understand. If he truly wanted innocence, Rock should have just stayed in Japan; an outcome which, of course, did not happen. However, I also don't believe he'll go down the path of Mr. Chang or the like. Wouldn't keep positioning himself as the "problem-solver" of Roanapur if that was going to be the case. Instead, I think it'll ultimately come down to both him and Revy having to wholeheartedly accept how fucked up they are as people - that it's quite literally impossible for them, now, to live as "civilized" human beings do. Yet, in spite of such acceptance, that doesn't mean they shouldn't *try* to do good. Being that screwed up can be hard on anyone, especially with their cavalcade of less-than-stable personalities (i.e, the other characters of Black Lagoon), but it shouldn't be used as an excuse: A denial to act when, in your heart of hearts, you very well know you can. So Rock and Revy will try to do what they can while living in Roanapur (or possibly elsewhere), knowing that while it may be evidently impossible for them to act as normal people should, it won't stop them from making the attempt to *live*. And really, with all the things the two have (and eventually will) been through, that's all anyone can honestly ask for. To expect anything more... Well, that's just asking for God to finally reveal himself. Of course, that's just my take on things.
The way I see it, it will end one of two ways. Either Rock decides to go back to the light and brings Revy with kicking and screaming. That or he turns fully to the dark and becomes one of the most dangerous men in Asia.
The video creator's interpretation is exactly how this show was meant to be interpreted. That's why the ending of season 2 was really the true and most fitting ending to the show rather than the OVA. Yukio and Genji's situation is the answer to the question that was brought up in this video...Yukio and Genji unlike Rock and Revy, die for their choice, rather than survive. The OVA, even though it's canon, was not as good as the seasons, and shouldn't really be equated with them. It's a standalone story arc that takes on different themes (if there are any.)
@@NightmareCourtPictures the ova has the same theme the hell are you talking about and it's not separate it's whole thing is showing how the japan arc hit rock it's the most impact 1 arc had on the next outside the prologue
Hey, Man. I hope that I am not overstepping with the following statement. I respect that your experiences have made you who you are. But I do empathize with all the pain that you have lived. I wish you the very best and thank you for offering something positive to the world.
Just wanted to say this episode touched me like nothing else I have seen on UA-cam... sometimes it's good to see the man behind the mask sometimes and I have been in similar situations... so much so that it helped me get out out of the house because I have been inside for a couple of weeks because I was scared... thank u for all u do and if I can ever come up with the money I will hella join ur patreon ... if u have merch I would love to kno where I can get some...
I love when we get to learn more about Mike and the rest of Bonsai Pop Crew through a video about a truly “Rock and Roll” anime such as Black Lagoon... Love the stuff keep up the great work Bonsai POP!
Watching Rock be thrown in as a reluctant action survivor and slowly develop into becoming a chessmaster is the greatest pleasure that Black Lagoon has given me. This video is amazing! I think that everyone of us can relate to Rock on a certain level and wish that we can take that plunge and go to a whole new world leave the confines, benefits and the monotony of our normal everyday lives.
Episode 7, and particularly the scene where Rock and Revy have their explosive confrontation in the market that ends with her punching him and screaming "That's all I know how to do!" was what sold me on this series, and convinced me that it was truly something special and had something important to say. To say that this series is about hot chicks wielding guns and cool fight scenes is a great disservice to it.
You and the characters you discussed reminded me of another life i once lived too. Seems so long ago but it really is too relatable to be that far away. Trade offs. And overall, they're not so bad. Thanks! I'll be supporting you on patreon.
I'm so glad you made a video on Black Lagoon! It's my tenth favourite anime of all time and I love it's themes and messages. Loved the the vid, great work on the scripting and editing as usual!
Still reading the manga. The anime just never felt complete even after watching it over 3 times. It’s sad that the author goes on hiatus for years but apparently he struggles with depression so I understand but damn I wanna see the story to the end.
I just found your channel and watched every second of the video waiting for you to talk about the ending season, where the maid gets out of the life by "dying" but is literally losing an arm and a leg, showing what it means to go in deep with a criminal life and then trying to get out and that you need to rely on someone else to do it. I can't begin to imagine what you went trough, but i can say i know the feeling of seeing yourself unworthy and dirty to the point of running away from people. I lived without power and running water for about 2 years, not knowing if i will eat tomorrow and it's a situation you don't wish upon you worst enemy. You are very brave to talk about your time "in the twilight" as i only found the courage to do so after 10 whole years. keep doing what you do and take care of your loved ones. Sorry for the long boring post and any grammar mistakes.
Good video, looking forward to the video on Roberta's Blood Trail, maybe you'll give the manga a go at some point? I wouldn't mind hearing your take on Jormungand, the fandom overlaps slightly with Black Lagoon.
Yo, I just discovered this anime today from a random “what are you gonna give me?” Engrish joke clip, but got super interested the more I looked up the show. I came here for a great review of the show but was really blown away by you sharing your homeless story with us. I was homeless in 2011 only for 8 months significantly shorter than your adventure but that description at 7:37 is the perfect description of what I felt everyday of those 8 months. Every day was a journey to survive. I seen some crazy shit too, you see a lot of crazy shit when you’re walking 30 miles a day. I saw gunfights less than a hundred feet away in the middle of the night, waking me up while sleeping on a bench. I saw robberies happen, I saw drug deals go wrong. I been to parties that I snuck into meeting so many people living in the moment with nothing to lose. It truly was freedom in its most pure form, and it was horrifyingly beautiful to behold.
This is funny cause as Series goes on in the manga, you start to wonder if Rock really did pass the Twilight and that Revy might find a bit of the light. Cause shit happens
I’m not sure why this video showed up on my feed. I watched it anyways and I have to say that you are meant to do this. Your story is heartbreaking, but your delivery, both in tone, steadiness and observation, is nothing short of amazing. I’m very happy you are doing this.
Wow. The relating of your IRL story and the Black Lagoon idealogy really blew this one out the water. I have watched alot of analysis of anime, but this is definately right up there with the best of them. Keep up the good work
I love your anime breakdowns they are so intricate and well thought out. because of you I have watched so much anime that is great and amazing that I probably wouldn’t have found on my own:) thank you so much man you’re too good to us
came across thiss, and it's one of the best analogy of the two charactors, and I'm very humble and greatful that you shared your personal story with us. It is a world i'm not familiar to, and it definately shed a different light breaking down the characters so realistically. It's not easy pulling yourself out from the gutter, and bless you for earning everything you have today :)
Being isolated from so many social circles for so long, I found Revy's underground world and lifestyle shockingly desirable. As low and filthy and dangerous as it is, there's a quality to that freedom, energy and "anything-goes" stake that is equally as alluring and tempting to everyone as the sweet life of higher class people is. Buuuuuuut all things considered I think I'll keep chilling in my room for now. It really is only the concept of a place in a fixed and fit society that keeps us all from indulging in a world equal to Roanapur but just as you said, both sides of the coins only offer the illusion of certain freedoms with different setbacks to each. Whether the grass is greener on one side or not is only a trick of perception and the true answer once you strip yourself of all obligations to civilization as a whole becomes unclear. Throughout my first viewing, my feelings for Rock and Revy's characters was thrown all over the place. I'd go from loving them to hating them, from cheering them on to being sickened by their actions in a heartbeat. At the end of the day, they're just two people plagued by the torment of the lives they were dealt and the failure to communicate the desire to leap across the pond to the other's side, scared of losing themselves in the process. As borderline impossible as it is, I hope they find a way to get through it and out alive together.
Hey man, you really make anime personable to life and you’re own life it’s a tear jerker, you and your homie are truly influential and I appreciate this content especially on anime iv watched so much and can learn something new or compare my same understandings no one does content like this you guys are great 🙏🏽
This series has one of the best villains I've ever seen in anime, Takenaka, the kind of mastermind from the last arc of the first season, he's a guy who kind of doesn't belong to a series full of super assassins and mass murderers, but damn I liked him. He was on the "movement", the student protest of late 60's in Japan that rejected the renew of the military cooperation between Japan and the U.S., and then he went full on through the rabbit hole, joining one of those left-wing urban guerrilla terrorist groups that robbed, kidnapped, bombed and killed all around the islands through the 70's, fighting to bring the "Revolution" and the dictatorship of the proletariat to a nation where everyday the distinction between those who have and those who don't have make itself more evident. He even rejected the general amnesty offered by the japanese government in the late 70's, choosing to continue the "Revolution" overseas and eventually bringing it to Japan. He's a relic of a time that most japanese choose to not remember, a time of self inflicted harm, of absurd dreams and extremist dedication, of the japanese authors I've read, only Murakami choose to keep bringing in to light. Takenaka is a reflection and a cautionary tale of what Rock could become, a man without faith doing the most extraordinary deeds for a system he doesn't believe, be it the corporate ladder of the japanese mega corporations or the crime syndicates of Roanapur.
okay im just gonna continue reading through my japanese history book, im not a fan of modern and political history so i got stuck just before 1960 and only yesterday got through to the student protests but im finding it much harder to keep track of
@@Crosshill All that revolution bullshit is always so complicated. I believe it's because there are so many sources, newspapers, academic papers and propaganda crap, that make it difficult to get on track. Literally every student movement had their own agenda, some wanted to make tuition more accessible, others wanted to put an end to the American-Japanese military cooperation, and others wanted to bring a marxist revolution to power. I like it because it was a failed revolution, japanese culture is not collectivist but makes a serious difference between the public and the private. The leftists believed Japan was ripped for the revolution, but reality hit them hard in the face.
Hi everyone! So we made a video, seems like people are enjoying it! I’m really glad, it’s nice doing stuff like this one where you can let your human out a little. Hate to double promote but if you’re interested in hearing more about some of the stuff we talked about in this video we have a special weekly podcast on patreon where we cover the previous week’s video and discuss it! You guys are rad af. Have a week, and thanks for watching!
-Mike
i just wanna hear that $30,000 story, to be honest. damn dude. even something you drop just to make a point sounds awesome and terrifying to behold.
Appreciate the video! Black Lagoon is another fantastic title that takes no prisoners of the excitement, sexy fem fatales and action so off the wall Quinton Territino will have a field day!
@Bonsai Pop im so glad you reviewed Black Lagoon! I love this show! Keep up the sweet work guys! ❤
Also, have you guys seen "Rin daughters of mnemosyne"? Its really messed up, in a this just might totally be your jam, kind of way 😘
hey ty or mike got the music for 1:33 (i really wish yall would put a play list in the description.)
😄😄😄😄😄
Black Lagoon is one of those shows I would personally recommend to someone who's very new to anime. It's a classic.
seriously how are you patient enough to comment on every video i see
WHO ARE YOU AND WHY ARE YOU LITERALLY EVERYWHERE!?!? It's scary man, it's scary
He had once a mustache...good ol times...
You would really recommend the anime with the the highest curse counter per minute to somebody who’s never seen anime?
I’d personally go with bebop first
@@DBI2000 i watched black lagoon first to get back into anime because it was cool
I love the character development of Black Lagoon. Rock slowly losing his morals each arc while Revy starts becoming more human
@@1saqqboii your comment is why I'm going to watch hunter x hunter now
@@liquidgarfield8523 fr give it a shot it's one if not the best shounen anime out there
i like how real it is...theres no shounen fun times to be had everyone you like lives and all that jazz....i admits how brutal it is up front...i just wish the wizard character was shown more..hes so funny
You're a naruto fan I see
This reminds me of something the director ( I think ) of "Logan" said. He wanted actors who acted like they'd had lives before they showed up in the scene. I don't think Revy is changing and becoming "more human" ( or even more citizen ) it's just that we're seeing more of her. "Two hands" can still rise to the occasion, but other aspects of her mutilated personality are being exposed. Rock is changing. He is adapting to his environment - which sucks. Adapting to/approving of/and justified by are all different things. Rock tries to adapt and save himself by saving Roanapur , which he can't. Something else he'll have to adapt to.
Black Lagoon definitely has the best dub just because of Revy
any dub that has the balls to say fuck is good in my book
No cap
@@Perfectlydonebylilac Not only that say it over 300 times
"fuckitty fuck"
It's not just because of Revy, it's the whole cast. Rock, Balalaika, Dutch, Roberta, Benny, they all put in work for this series. Don't boil the show down to one person, it does it a disservice.
What I love about Rock and Revy’s development in both character and writing is that as the story goes on after the Tokyo arc and during Roberta’s blood trail arc you see darkness start to creep into Rock, I won’t spoil anything but the way the story unfolded showed how easy it is for him to manipulate people and Dutch himself said that if Rock wanted to pick up a gun he would be one of the most terrifying people he knows. Revy sees this too and it scared her too, because at the start Rock was trying to show Revy that light does exist and it’s possible for her to be in it to a degree, and she starts to believe this and begins to see Rock in a new light and develop feelings for him, but when Rock begins to allow darkness in she fears that her “knight in shining armor” view of Rock she developed of him will fade away and she would be back to being stuck in the darkness with no hope of escaping it.
Yea its pretty interesting how rock and revy slowly start to switch roles a little. It just sucks the manga has not made it further in since the anime ended so development is slower then a snails pace at this point. I'm really curious of how this is all going to end for rock and revy, but god knows if we will ever find out lol. Side note I sat in at a event where the creator talked about black lagoon and he knows fans actually like the rock and revy pairing a lot thanks to certain artwork online lol.
I rly liked Rock and Benny discusion over things after RBT.
Rokuro "Rock" Okajima"Row-Ku-row Oh-ka-jee-ma" was born in 1965 in Osaka. He's not only the Main Protagonist, Straight Man of The Anime Series. He's the ONLY Japanese main character. He represents how a Normal Person would view the World around him he's been thrown into.
Not to spoil anything either, but Asahi Group HIRED Lagoon to kill him. Revy or Rebecca "Two Hands" Lee (Born 1968 in NYC)and James "Dutch" Robert Washington(Born 1952 in Houston,Texas) were paid 15,000,000 Yen($1.5 Million) in 1992 Money to Assassinate Rokuro. He's NOTHING but Collateral to them. The Washime Yakuza Clan are affiliated and Connected to Asahi Group and his Boss is one of their Ambassadors. Rock does Realize this after the first two Episodes. Remember, Revy has a Job, and she's been hired and Paid to kill Rock, so when Dutch tells her the Hit has been Canceled without giving her an Explanation or Reason to why(Dutch gave the orders himself to call off the Hit) Rebecca of course gets pissed and even Confused when Dutch tells her "You're Bunking with Rock. You and him are not only sleeping in the same room, you'll be sharing a BED with him too. So if you and him squabble like a Couple, Kiss and Makeup." She then retorts "So Am I going to eventually be Fucking Him?", he replies "Yeah, probably so".
Also Balalaika and Hotel Moscow have Little interest in the CD-ROM Disc. Its a McGuffin. They have a Clear Agenda and War certainly ISN'T part of it. Sofiya "Balalaika" Varhgev(Born 1958 in St. Petersburg,Ukraine) is a Mercenary and Former Colonel in the Soviet Union Armed Forces, Her Status as a Russian Mafia Empress makes her both Respected and Feared. She IMMEDIATELY takes a liking to Rokuro when she's formally introduced to him. She also sorta of views him as her "Scullery Boy" and "Boy Toy" so much that she LITERALLY brings out his Malevolent Side.
@@marianmarkovic5881 vv:v ccv nchjjcnn
nnnnnn
@@Tornado1994 wat are you talking about?
FINALLY Black Lagoon gets some love, barely see people talk about this one and it's one of my favorites. FeelsGoodMan
(p.s. Glad your life is on track now!)
Facts! Love this anime and the dub is actually excellent!
Sid Edit cod
I'm very excited for the coming years, just now discovered the show and learned that the manga only continued last September. Maybe we'll see another season in the upcoming years!
Anitwitter loves it
It’s just cringe.
Always loved that Rock never changes his outfit even all the way to the end of the OVA. On the outside he's still just a mild mannered salary man, which makes the parts when we see him start to slip out of the 'twilight' at the end hit way harder.
The Vampire twins arc was so great and unfortunate for those kids
best two episodes in the series
The entire show was the best but I didn’t like the final arc as much
They never tell you which one is actually the girl and which one is the boy.
Bro, legit just finished watching that arc today for the 1st time. It left me feeling confused on how i should react.
Aye. Even years later it still messes with me to think too hard on it.
I always thought of Rock's presence in Roanapur as a sort of litmus test. He's not so scared or moral that he refuses to exist in it, but he's never really able to be the same kind of people that Roanapur is filled with. Even when he starts throwing caution to the wind in the OVA, he's still got logical reasons and he's not willing to let people die for nothing. There's always a plan where nobody gets hurt, even if he can't see it in reality.
however, living with so much bloodshed and chaos, and seeing all the people with good hearts get slaughtered, he does begin to lose himself. He makes choices he wouldn't previously, the top and bottom lines of his tolerance both dip lower, and he stops being a dumb doormat in general. Revy hates this and clashes with him increasingly because to her, he's the embodiment of innocence and good. She's afraid he'll become like her and she _is_ hard on herself for letting it happen, but takes it out on _him_ for changing. Then there's this tension because Rock never asked to be that beacon of good or hope or whatever she sees in him, and it's unfair to put that on another person, especially after dragging him to the worst place for good people.
Rock is Normal. He's The Straight Man. We're seeing Roanapor,Sri Lanka from his P.O.V. He's the ONLY Japanese member of Lagoon. It (2nd Barrage)even ends with everyone going back to his Hometown in Osaka. Including him SUCCESSFULLY convincing Balalaika and Hotel Moscow to call off the planned Hit on Washime Clan's Rival Clan. That is, after She flirts with Rock through both a Gunpoint AND Sexual Connotation. That's ALL I'm gonna spoil.
yup, for Rock, not shooting and robbing people was easy, in that way he was insulated from Roanapur's darkness, but manipulating people? setting events in motion that'd result in other people dying? that's a darkness he could use, and he almost lost himself in it.
Wow Mike, you should get a side gig as a motivational speaker or write a book about your 'way back to the society', for real, I mostly watch yt videos as something in the background while I do other work, but once you opened up more about elements you connect on with Black Lagoon I was glued to the screen and fully concentrated on your words. I truly admire the bravery to talk about your experiences, while also keeping it true and humble and being able to relate such emotions and thoughts to entertainment outlets such as anime. I think many can relate to your story, while also many can notice they are on the greener side of the fence and understand what it's like on the less green one. Kudos man, I wish you all the best in life.
Cant say it better, so - cheers lad, take a drink with out and go outside, dream about the other world you had once. Light a cigare, enjoy ... and come back :)
Decided to take a walk in my town centre in the nighttime for the first time in years. Listening to this while observing the homeless people out and about was quite the experience. Thanks for sharing!
Over a decade late, but I am happy that Black Lagoon is finally starting to get some traction. When I sang it's praises when I was a 16 year old kid, no one listened to me, but now with it being uploaded to Netflix a lot more people are seeing it, I have personally recommended it to 5 people just recently and they all loved every bit of it, here's hoping it becomes even more popular and gets the recognition it so very much deserves.
BL is likely a timeless anime with a killer set of characters and plot...with modernish animation that looks REALLY good for its time...and didn't get big when it first came out, yet ages with fine wine.
cause man, Anime that came out in the last 10 years has largely been trash
You sure it's on Netflix? I just checked and I don't see it. Then again, maybe it's only available in certain regions.
It was that big, its just old enough to becoming a classic .thats why there isnt that much tracktion anymore.
I've been homeless and lived in punk squats. I manage Events for a large A/V company and I'm really good at my job. Everyday I fear I won't be able to maintain the facade because I still feel like the homeless kid in the punk house. That feeling that I can fool everyone around me but I don't know if I can fool myself. The constant fear that I'll be found out and have it all ripped away.
Good video.
I'm in the same industry and can completely relate. Standing in the twighlight is hard. I think folks like us need to exist to help others traverse the gap.
*hugs everyone* ................. . ........
Seek therapy if you can.
I've gotten away from that mindset more and more after overcoming poverty as a child and a dysfunctional family (the latter, I still have to deal with).
I'm not rich at all, financially--but the feelings of "undeserving" are dying for me. That's because "deserve" is a word that falls apart more and more when you dissect it. Who really "deserves" anything? At the end of the day, we're all born--and we'll all die. We hope we can amass enough luck along the way and live a life we're proud of as much as possible.
Read up on Human Rights, and backstory behind Human Rights--it's all about the fact that, no one can really create life on a whim--so there is value inside of it. There is value inside of you, just for being alive.
You can make mistakes, you can make some HUGE mistakes, but I believe that you can find redemption for yourself. And sometimes that redemption starts with forgiving whatever you've done (still take responsibility for those actions and make amends to others if you have to), then move on to being the YOU, the role model, the guidance you wished you had back in the days where you had a lot less and were the "bottom" of the human race. We all matter. Don't let anyone deny you that.
How's the industry on your end nowadays? Looking for new A/V work~ where are you located?
@@vincenegra2612 I live in the Baltimore/DC region where restrictions have been heavy through out the pandemic (even now it's just starting to relax). I'm a property manager with the big Evil A/V corporation and luckily was never furloughed. Things are ramping up steadily, I'm starting to see inquires for bigger meetings filling out in October, still not a normal October level of business but I haven't seen business book further out then a week for the last year so I'm going to take it as a good sign.
From a technician point of view, I know as things ramp up it's going to be slow to fill our ranks back up as most have found other employment.
ME: I'm glad Rock is in the twilight I'm sure he will always keep one foot in and out to keep dynamic between him and revy going.
ALSO ME: *Stares at the Roberta's Bloody Trail arc in existential horror.*
I love the honesty and grit you talk about your history, guy, I'm glad you're okay now, I believe I speak for a lot of us when I write 'We're happy to have you.'
Black Lagoon is one of the few Anime that could make the jump to a live-action adaptation, the anatomy of Its characters are not too beyond what can be imitated in appearance or gag faces and while Revy's inclination to jump and shoot mid-air, like Max Payne, would require wire stunts and the like, the John Wick movies and martial art intensive movies like South Korea's 'The Villainess' have proven that a solid portion of the hyper anime action can be done.
Rock: Aramis Knight
Revy: Sydney Park
Benny: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Dutch: Idris Elba
I love Black Lagoon because I relate to Rock so much. It’s like yea you have a nice “normal” life but the feeling that something’s missing always crosses your mind until the point you get depressed and want to change but don’t really know how
This is worker alienation. You have no control over your own life in a capitalist system because our society is run by wealthy business owners, this feeling is felt by basically every person in the working class because they have no control over their work and their livelihood - most people just don't talk about it because everyone sees the problem but don't know how to either fix it or find a solution. Our societies make sure we are just smart enough to do our jobs (in service to the wealthy) but aren't smart enough to know how to know the full situation we are stuck in and what the root of the problem is or how to solve it. This is the condition of the working class, we are kept this way because of course - it's essentially the dunning Krueger effect, as they say "you can't know what you don't know that you don't know". If you aren't taught how to find out what the problem is, you are stuck in this revolving door of not having enough time because you have to work so much and spend all of your supposed "time off" to recuperate for your next shift, you just work your shift, go home and rest and maybe do a chore you have no energy for in the first place, go to bed and they may be when a day off comes around you get even MORE chores done and then go to bed. Most people don't have enough time to sit around and learn about the condition we all live in.
@@dudeman5303True, the only solution I’ve found is to dive headfirst into what you love, if your going to be forced to work your entire life it might as well be on something you love more than anything else, that’s why I’m going to community college to get an associate’s degree in automotive technology, I may transfer out to a different college when I finish or choose to go to work, I’m not sure but I have opportunities to follow what I love (that being cars) and build my life around them… As bad as our society is, as much as it takes away from the working class, there are still chances for us, we just have to be stubborn enough to not pass them up…
Best way to change is to pick a random spot on the global map and go there.
I like how Alan Watts discusses this issue of freedom. We really don't have the concept of a monk in our society. The way you describe living day to day and sort of being outside society is what would be described as being "lower outcast", whereas in Eastern society, monkhood is considered "upper outcast". You have willingly quit the game of human society and that is perfectly okay. We don't have that in the West.
Alan is a fascinating guy for sure. And true, the closest trope to a monk I can think of is a wandering homeless figure. Although I think there’s a big difference between the total freedom of an outcast vs a monk. They supposedly both live day to day, but monks have strict discipline and morals. It’s probably an easier life without the crazy shit, but that’s the best part of freedom to some I guess
Technically we do, but it’s in a small amount of still running monasteries dedicated to religious orders in a society that increasingly displays active hostility towards those of a religious mindset.
@@RevantheBlack The religious are not oppressed.
@@Fizzlepop72 They are if they're right wing, and I'm saying this as an Atheist. Look at censorship laws and how social media is handled, among other..things.
I'd say the kind of person that goes off to live in the Alaskan wilderness could be a good analogue, a frontiersman that doesn't enter civilization often.
Black Lagoon is such a amazing anime. It is by far one of my favorites and I suggest it to anyone who hasn't seen it. My only real complaint is that I wish there were more episodes.
This guy is letrally gonna make me cry man
@Josephus S thank you for bringing up why I cry
This is honestly one of the best review for Black Lagoon I've ever watched. Black Lagoon became my favourite anime the first time I watched it all those years ago, and it is still my favourite anime now. I'm serious. I've watched this anime so many times, and yet I never get bored of it. You bring in such a unique, honest and fresh perspective to this show. Thank you.
Black lagoon always makes me wanna smoke cigarettes.
It got me to drink heinkin beer 🍺. It’s decent for me. I am glad I did it help pushed me more to drink and eat more different things. It got me to culinary exploration further than I started. I still got to pursue more than I ever did before.
Cowboy Bepop as well
or swear like a fucking trucker/construction worker
Same but I don’t wanna damage my body
This and cowboy bebop are chain smoking territory
I took a course on anthropology, and one question stuck out to me the most:
"Do humans exist for society, or does society exist for the people?"
Whoa👀...
Are you gojo because you're the strongest or are you the strongest because you're gojo?
Never ever did i think Bonsai would do Black Lagoon. My favorite shows among the countless titles ive watched. Especially one of if not the greatest dubs out there-coming from a strictly sub watcher.
Dub isn't that bad. I feel like both are over the top.
If there were to be a big 3 of anime dubs, it would be Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Black Lagoon.
It's not as well known as Trigun or Cowboy Bebop but it should be. Fits perfectly with the visual style of those and it's about adults who are coping with the decisions they made (or that were made for them) in the past.
@@Darth_Anomalous I disagree, the dub has the language advantage of scripting everything to be more vulgar. Sitting through the show while having subtitles on was whiplash inducing from how sterile the show looked if I kept the Japanese audio on
@@PrincessNine I see where you are coming from. I believe that a fan would tend to like what they are exposed to first. Like how some people enjoy the manga version better than the anime. I also think it depends on how fast you read subtitles. For me, I find it hard to watch sub because some subtitles go too fast for my eyes to read and I would end up having to go back and read, which happens often. I know you may say that sub is better for Anime that takes place in Japan like Rurouni Kenshin, Samurai Shamploo, Yu Yu Hakusho, etc. It all depends on your preferences. Would you rather have an accurate language for the setting? Or, do you not care about accuracy and just want to easily watch the show? I do feel like dub has a bad reputation for having bad acting or just inaccurate voices to characters. However, I believe that in recent years it has become better and even older anime has some great dubs. Again, its all about preference.
I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE ALL THE NEW BLACK LAGOON VIDEOS ON UA-cam. FINALLY PEOPLE ARE MAKING CONTENT OF BLACK LAGOON. THE RESPECT IT DESERVES!!
What a coincidence
So glad someone finally made a Black Lagoon video. One of my favorite shows of all time. I think it's one of the few that I have actually gone and re-watched like 4 times.
Maybe one day, season 4 will bless us with its existence
@@frankjones43 I hope, i just finished watching the anime and the final arc feels so incomplete. It would be a shame if they don't continue it.
Almost cried a couple times. This show is powerful.
I felt the same when I came home from Iraq. I still feel disconnected at times. Thanks for helping me feel I'm not alone ,and all the hard work you guys put into entertaining your fans.
Most gangster anime ever made. Unsurpassed.
I can really relate with Rock. Envying those that seem so free, but unable or perhaps just unwilling to let go of the person their life so far has led them to be.
I fantasize about a life of spontaneity and the kind of freedom you describe. I've had some experience not knowing where I would be crashing, and only figuring it out when I absolutely had to sleep; but I don't think that I could ever bring myself to change to that life style of my own accord. It would take some exterternal force for me to make that change, just like with Rock.
I think that it's hard to give up the benefits your current lifestyle provides you and accept the drawbacks a different lifestyle. Sure, your current lifestyle has issues and a new lifestyle has its positives, but changing comes with uncertainty. In any lifestyle, the longer you have it, the less distinct each day is. Be it school days, work days, or days spent however you like; each passing day makes the next at least a little more predictable. You know what you generally need to do tomorrow so that you'll be able to wake up the day after that, but you don't KNOW with a new lifestyle until you've experienced it enough to be sure.
I wonder how it will be if I have a family one day. Changes everything I believe.
I agree, as a matter of fact I think the reason I found this vid today is because of what I was thinking of doing. I am in the same spot as rock and feel stuck and I was thinking of just grabbing some of my stuff and splitting to see what happens. I just have to rember to walk in that Twilight and not lose myself.
Prioritizing comfort and stability is the slave mentality that keeps you away from individual freedom and fulfillment .
This show is GOLD. I didn't think much from the descriptions but after the first episode, Revi forces you to watch...at gun point.
Revy was a freaking boss!! I just love her personality and the fact that she didn't play games with anybody.
Can you do a review on Ergo Proxy, Blood+, and Trinity Blood one day?
Ergo Proxy?
For R-L!
Seconding this! Blood+ especially has the kind of modern day Greek tragedy vibe (like the Odyssey where the hero returns deeply scarred and changed) that doesn't get enough credit!
Ergo Proxy and Blood+ are so gd underrated! More vids please
Ergo Proxy is do bleak and depressing I like it but can’t finish it
I feel that the dance with the dead thing, with the residents of this town in Thailand is a coping mechanism to deal with all the darkness they been out through.
I had a taste of this life for two months when I was 20. I learned more about life in those two months than I did in my last 19 years in school and church.
Black Lagoon is one of my all-time favorite animes and I re-watch it every few years to get something new out of it. This go-around, I definitely resonated with making decisions about how you want your life to be, what's important to do, and if you can follow through with actions that support your values. One of the best shows, honestly. So glad it's getting some deep dives and traction.
Black lagoon is hands down one of the best anime I have ever watched for the story it tells and the message it carries. I get that traumatized girl because I too have dated her and gotten screwed. I get the pain and bureaucracy of normal life and the power that comes with escape and the chains it has of its own though not to the extent of delving into the criminal world as much, just rioters in France. I remember the journey and am happy now that it’s over. I think you did a wonderful job breaking down the core of the show!
Facts
Bonsai Pop, your perspective and personal struggle with the twilight made this introduction to Black Lagoon both unique and 'real'. As someone who's seen Rock's side of life your insight brings gravity to the series that other YTs can't. I hope your journey back to the light is a permanent one and not just a temporary relief! Stay safe out there!
Black Lagoon is one of the best anime series ever made and one of my favorite anime series I ever watched
I wanted to thank you so much, there's too little videos about Lagoon Company, more of them taking that piece of art as ordinary action anime, but you managed to portray it's deeper filozofical aspect and I'm eternally grateful
It’s funny how this series can almost be considered an Isekai. MC “dies” and is reborn in a completely different world, all without leaving Asia
Please don't ever put Black Lagoon and The "I" Word in the same sentence ever again. :(
Corranhorn122 I know Isekai have a bad rap, but it really represents the spirit of them, leaving your dull life behind for a world of freedom and adventure
@@justinbuergi9867 So I'm gonna say first that I was mostly joking in terms of the tone of my first comment. And I also get what you're saying, but I also think that's too loose a definition and also doesn't make sense to apply. Everything they deal with in the show is very much rooted in our own real world, and the show came out well before it became common usage to apply that term to anime. I'm pretty sure that if you asked the original mangaka about that term being used, he'd either laugh like I did or maybe even be insulted.
Corranhorn122 of course. I certainly wasn’t saying it should be classified as an Isekai but some of the themes felt similar. I’ve always viewed Black Lagoon as an escape fantasy series. Something people stuck in a crappy job would watch and imagine living a life just like that, freed of their responsibilities with every moment being filled with excitement.
@@justinbuergi9867 and by creating soo many fantasies with the exact same premise it drags the idea back into our own boring world
I recently watched this show and it completely blew me away especially with the 2nd season, I don’t know why I don’t hear much from this show at all. Seriously. This is one of the most unique and mature representations of a relationship I have ever seen and I can’t get enough of it because it makes sense from the characters perspective to act the way they do.
This hit different. I've been in the same place, my guy. From the homelessness to the crime to watching the old guard pass. I live a stable, quiet life now and saying that I don't sometimes get that wild hair in my ass to get into trouble or just simply walk away from it all would be an outright lie. I feel semi-domesticated and out of place some days. I've always really loved Black Lagoon, having watched it while I was still in my wild years, but now I think I GET it a little more. Thank you for this. You earned a few patreon dollars.
I can tell today is gonna be a good day when I get a bonsai pop video this early.
I knew their was something about Black Lagoon that I liked that wasn't just Hot babes, and guns. This show has really been my favorite for a while, and your video has been the only analysis i've seen of it. You pretty much nail every good point about it!
I'm so glad Black Lagoon is getting more attention, it really deserves it.
Black Lagoon is in my top 5 Anime and love it to pieces. I love Revy, despite how screwed up and crazy she is.
This vid offers an excellent perspective of this badass show, and to gain the insight of some issues through your personal experiences was truly enlightening. Thanks for the effort in making this and appreciate letting us a little into your life.
Dude, i love the way you break down anime by character and meaning. That alone would make for great vídeos, but you go and draw such deep parallels with your live, that i can't help to identfy so much even though i never been through that same stuff. Your vídeos até truly special and courageous. Top tier stuff! Shout out from Brasil!
PS. Sorry for the bad English.
Your English is actually really good!
@@flannelmantherandom790 Thank you!
@Bernardo Machado I’m learning a language too (Italian), and I get the struggle, but tbh, your english is probably better than my Italian...
Samurai Champloo = Hip Hop
Berserk = Metal
Fist of the North Star = Punk
Black Lagoon = Rock and Roll
Cowboy Bebop = Jazz
Anime has helped me get through some really tough times throughout my life. I haven't lived through the hard knock life of homelessness and drugs, as it seems like you struggled with (and bless your soul; I hope your life is happy, moving forward), but I've dealt with inner mental anguish that led to things like dropping out of college and struggling just to find and keep a steady job. While I thankfully have a relatively secure job and upward mobility at the moment and for the last few years as well as relative mental peace, I've definitely also felt at times like I'm an outcast, like there's so little left that matters to hold me down to even living, and that strange sense of freedom that comes with it. Throughout that time, anime has been a source of both escapism and catharsis, providing vibrant characters who live life big and yet who I can often connect to at some level. While I'd say that my favorite has always been and will continue to be Kara no Kyoukai (Garden of Sinners), Black Lagoon is also a show that spoke to me for its rejection of "the responsible adult life", at a time when "doing the right thing" felt like the furthest from what I needed or wanted to do in my own life. I'm so glad to see that shows like Black Lagoon are able to touch the lives of others such as your own, to hopefully give you a sense that someone else out there understands you and what you're going through and have gone through. So thank you for giving voice to some of the reasons why Black Lagoon is such a great show!
Revy for however crazy she is... top waifu material.
facts
People would say you need help. I don't think so.
boiling down her tragic past and trauma to her being 'crazy' is kinda foolish and reductive
@@mybawzarerichie She IS crazy though? Her trauma is the reason for the way she is but that doesn't mean she isn't.
@@mybawzarerichie You can victimize people for WHY they're crazy and how tragic it is all you want. It doesn't mean they aren't crazy.
The show that made me buy my first can of Heineken
Piss water.
At least it's not kangaroo piss
@@wariowuzo9433 on GOD
Thanks!
Black Lagoon and Darker Than Black (Season 1 at least) are what I call my "Back in Black" anime starter kit for those who are new to the genre, to date no one has been disappointed because they are just so awesome. Also, subs vs dubs? Dub all the way with this one, it's great.
The show features people of diverse nationalities and sometimes accents. Benny (jewish american) and Dutch (black american) for example. It makes no sense for them all to speak japanese (until the Tokyo arc where characters actually DO speak japanese in the english dub). So yes, the english dub fits very well
Darker than black is so underrated. I need to watch it again, it’s been a long time
i have been off-anime for a couple years now... last week i watched black lagoon for the first time. it almost felt like the first time i watched evangelion around 1999-2000. and i dont know if ill be able to find another that makes me feel this way. i know im late, but amazing video!
I can't remember the exact circumstances cuz it's been forever since I've watched, but I remember there are points where Revy is shown to be a lot more protective of Rock, even guarding him against certain traumas. Like in one instance I won't spoil, frantically tells Rock to look away and shut his eyes. I like to think Revy is protecting the relative innocence that he still has, and that because of Rock, Revy is beginning to show cracks and now has something to protect.
The night and day between Rock and Revy is honestly fascinating to watch. It almost has this forbidden air about it, and I've never shipped 2 characters harder than them XD Especially after the cigarette scene.
Later on in a recent manga chapter Bennies GF Jane makes a threat to Revy that maby she would sleep with Rock. Revy gets dead serious and says if she tries than she would rape her. Not word for word but thats basically what she says.
"I like to think Revy is protecting the relative innocence that he still has, and that because of Rock, Revy is beginning to show cracks and now has something to protect."
That's actually the case. Even Fabiola said as much to her. The reality is that for all the ways Rock admires her freedom and fearlessness-- she admires his stability and morals every bit as much. For all the ways she felt judged by it earlier in their relationship, she actually needs him to be that Robin Hood, that knight in shining armor, because a strong part of her desperately wants to be saved and have a chance at something resembling normal. Even if she won't admit it to herself, she's not fooling anyone else that pays attention to her. Against all her better judgment, she's become someone who dreams of a future, of not being just a dead person living in the moment.
And that's why, as time goes on and Rock starts losing his inhibitions and starts giving in to his thrill-seeking power fantasy, she starts becoming ever more bitter and pensive. She's watching her dream, a dream she doesn't know she has, slipping out of her grasp. There's a tragedy to that as this is perhaps the first time she's even allowed herself to dream. And she has so little confidence in herself that she's putting her dream and her future on the shoulders of a man who isn't going to save her, who longs for the same world she wants to crawl out of. And because she sees he's going that direction, she believes herself doomed, that it's not even worth trying. I mean, she's always believed she couldn't live normally even if she wanted to. The Japan arc proved that. But a part of her keeps putting hope in Rock to prove her wrong and he's just.... not.
I have a feeling that by the end of all this, both of them will end up dead. However, if anyone has a real chance of pulling themselves out it would be Revy in my opinion. The only thing truly holding her back is herself and her inability to believe she could ever survive or change from the violent criminal she is. Rock I fully expect to complete his descent. He's this story's Walter White, far too drunk on the power this life affords him to acknowledge anyone else's feelings or turn around until it's too late.
Rock didn't close his eyes
I expected simple but quality review on a Black Lagoon, but recevied a much better. A deep, personal review on a subject which moved me to re-aproach my impression about Black Lagoon. Nice video.
Thoughts on finale of each episode. Always have so many thoughts about the symbolism. The slow dirge music playing as we see pieces of Revi’s clothes cast off as she her footsteps show on the beach, and finally her pistols. Then bam, big drum fill and Revi turning to watcher with shotgun. Absolutely brilliant.
dude that really hit the spot of why black lagoon fascinated the heck out of me when i watched it years ago, it was woven into the story so subtly yet potently and then a ridiculous fight scene would break out and revvy would swear like a sailor and the ending theme would play and i'd have this feeling that there was something i couldnt quite put my finger on, a big mood i wasnt familiar with, and which only black lagoon has ever induced. its been haunting me for so long and ive been tempted to re-rewatch it to settle my thoughts about it, so thanks mate, for pulling it all right out into the open more clearly than probably any other channel could
I identify deeply with your story, brother.
And I have another anime to watch.
Thank you for sharing.
‘If Samurai Champloo is hip hop, Berserk is metal, and Fist of the North Star is punk...
Then Black Lagoon is pure rock n’ roll.’
Damn.
To be honest i would give up everything i have to live a life of an adventurer, seing the world is far more important then saftey for me atleast freedom is more worth then money.
On our Earth there are enough humans who have no money and are happier then those who run in a circel for money because they think it makes them happier to buy stuff and then they throw them away and it repeats itself also they do it with other beings also animals its like a game for them everyone is replaceable. Safety comfort was my inner demon that i had to beat to get my freedom that i wont let anybody take from me. Be mobile travel arround the world meet new peopel makes you invisibel the more you stay on one place the more vunarable you are. Sorry for my bad english its my 3rd language i learned. Greetings from Austria
You are correct in this
As a punk rock washout, Navy veteran and New Orleans Quarter Rat? I argue that your can totally win a drinking contest. The key is betting money on it AND be confident in the alcoholism that you're struggling with.
And since it's a drinking contest, you can bump or drop the original price on a whim since the opponent and you are getting hammered and everyone's memory is fuzzy.
The manga release schedule of this story feels like being in a desert waiting for just a few drops of rain to land in your mouth. It’s a very enjoyable story.
The most interesting, and in-depth review of black lagoon I’ve seen. Everything you explain in this video, on the characters, and on the show as a whole, was well articulated, and how I felt about it, but couldn’t explain it like you.
This anime will get you thinking about the dark sides of freedom.
I find your character analysis of Rock and Revy very interesting and very fitting, but I feel like it's missing some of its later developments. Did you watch the Roberta OVA? The unofficial 3rd season? Because I feel like that shows it best that while Rock started in the Twilight, he's not staying there. He's sinking, and Revy doesn't want him to. For all that she envies him she also holds him up as some sort of moral paragon, that he's able to, in some way, remain clean in this hell they inhabit. But he's not. Roanapur is coming for his soul, and he can't remain in the Twilight forever. Rock may never pick up a gun, but that doesn't stop him from doing some messed up things in the Japan Arc and more so in the Roberta Arc. He's a schemer and strategist, let's others do the dirty work and though he tries to justify his acts, some part of him enjoys seeing his plan come together as people dance to his tune and court death.
You can be the most horrible criminal without ever killing someone personally. And though Rock's journey has not yet reached it's end, I don't think he's going to get out like you did.
Those who command don't get blood on their hands, but the souls of their victims scream at them even louder
If the series ever ends, that is lol. But yeah, I don't think someone like Rock will be entirely free from the filth, or indeed, moral corruption of Roanapur come time for the conclusion - and that's quite rather fitting, really. Rock has *never* wanted to remain completely pure as a character. He constantly juggles between self-ingrained principals and budding desires for anarchic freedom, sure, and when the chips are down he's usually on the side of wanting to save lives if at all possible, but he's always yearned for that dark reality where the people of Roanapur unabashedly dwell: That foreign existence so antithetical to the culture of Japan, to his former lifestyle, and to the people he once interacted with, that it might as well be extraterrestrial in nature. Purely alien. And somehow, it just gels with Rock.
It flows with him in a way that Japan never could with Rokuro Okajima, no matter how hard he tried. Despite everything that Roanapur represents, and regardless of what happens there, scarcely does he feel truly out-of-place in that den of runaway assassins and killers; sure, among the likes of Balalaika and Mr. Chang, Revy and Ada, Rebecca and all the other heavy hitters that we so commonly adore, Rock is by no means a character who traditionally fits the image and stereotype of "criminal", let alone "dangerous". However, between all those increasingly-vicious and vindictive personalities, he does *have a place*. He has a *role*. And because of that, they all know of his name. They know of *him*. They know *Rock*, and not the shambling half-dead corpse that was Rokuro Okajima - a man who felt so utterly disenfranchised with his own life, with the people and the setting around him, that the topical thought of actively living in the canonical port-city of the damned seemed downright appealing to him.
As such, I don't believe Rock will come out this entirely clean - he doesn't want to be pure. That's something so many other characters, including himself, seem to fail to properly understand. If he truly wanted innocence, Rock should have just stayed in Japan; an outcome which, of course, did not happen. However, I also don't believe he'll go down the path of Mr. Chang or the like. Wouldn't keep positioning himself as the "problem-solver" of Roanapur if that was going to be the case. Instead, I think it'll ultimately come down to both him and Revy having to wholeheartedly accept how fucked up they are as people - that it's quite literally impossible for them, now, to live as "civilized" human beings do. Yet, in spite of such acceptance, that doesn't mean they shouldn't *try* to do good. Being that screwed up can be hard on anyone, especially with their cavalcade of less-than-stable personalities (i.e, the other characters of Black Lagoon), but it shouldn't be used as an excuse: A denial to act when, in your heart of hearts, you very well know you can. So Rock and Revy will try to do what they can while living in Roanapur (or possibly elsewhere), knowing that while it may be evidently impossible for them to act as normal people should, it won't stop them from making the attempt to *live*. And really, with all the things the two have (and eventually will) been through, that's all anyone can honestly ask for. To expect anything more... Well, that's just asking for God to finally reveal himself.
Of course, that's just my take on things.
The way I see it, it will end one of two ways. Either Rock decides to go back to the light and brings Revy with kicking and screaming. That or he turns fully to the dark and becomes one of the most dangerous men in Asia.
The video creator's interpretation is exactly how this show was meant to be interpreted. That's why the ending of season 2 was really the true and most fitting ending to the show rather than the OVA. Yukio and Genji's situation is the answer to the question that was brought up in this video...Yukio and Genji unlike Rock and Revy, die for their choice, rather than survive.
The OVA, even though it's canon, was not as good as the seasons, and shouldn't really be equated with them. It's a standalone story arc that takes on different themes (if there are any.)
@@NightmareCourtPictures the ova has the same theme the hell are you talking about and it's not separate it's whole thing is showing how the japan arc hit rock it's the most impact 1 arc had on the next outside the prologue
Hey, Man. I hope that I am not overstepping with the following statement. I respect that your experiences have made you who you are. But I do empathize with all the pain that you have lived. I wish you the very best and thank you for offering something positive to the world.
When someone says anime is just for kids...show them black lagoon
@Imperial Watch and prison school
I truly am a sucker for well-done video essays (and this is of one of my favourite shows as well)! That's another subscriber gained, friend!
Black lagoon what a masterpiece
Such a big fan of Black Lagoon. Thank you for the love.
Just wanted to say this episode touched me like nothing else I have seen on UA-cam... sometimes it's good to see the man behind the mask sometimes and I have been in similar situations... so much so that it helped me get out out of the house because I have been inside for a couple of weeks because I was scared... thank u for all u do and if I can ever come up with the money I will hella join ur patreon ... if u have merch I would love to kno where I can get some...
this was one of those shows i just knew right away it was gonna be special.
you did it justice well done man :)
Thank you ... Black Lagoon and your own experience... hits home 👍🙏
I absolutely loved this show it was amazing and I'm glad someone's talking about it and even more glad it's Bonsai Pop
I love when we get to learn more about Mike and the rest of Bonsai Pop Crew through a video about a truly “Rock and Roll” anime such as Black Lagoon... Love the stuff keep up the great work Bonsai POP!
Watching Rock be thrown in as a reluctant action survivor and slowly develop into becoming a chessmaster is the greatest pleasure that Black Lagoon has given me.
This video is amazing! I think that everyone of us can relate to Rock on a certain level and wish that we can take that plunge and go to a whole new world leave the confines, benefits and the monotony of our normal everyday lives.
Balalaika is the reason why Rock becomes a Chess Master. She literally brings out his Malevolent Side.
Episode 7, and particularly the scene where Rock and Revy have their explosive confrontation in the market that ends with her punching him and screaming "That's all I know how to do!" was what sold me on this series, and convinced me that it was truly something special and had something important to say. To say that this series is about hot chicks wielding guns and cool fight scenes is a great disservice to it.
You and the characters you discussed reminded me of another life i once lived too. Seems so long ago but it really is too relatable to be that far away. Trade offs. And overall, they're not so bad. Thanks! I'll be supporting you on patreon.
I love how the anime relates to your own story brother. Thank you for showing Black Lagoon some love
Is Revy dateable... only if you're as damaged as she is. Revy seeks someone who really understands her but will never admit it.
Thank you for making a Black Lagoon video. This is one of my favorite anime of all time! Can't wait for the OVA video.
I really want to see his take on Roberta's Blood Trails... it's a extremely good watch...
I'm so glad you made a video on Black Lagoon! It's my tenth favourite anime of all time and I love it's themes and messages. Loved the the vid, great work on the scripting and editing as usual!
Still reading the manga. The anime just never felt complete even after watching it over 3 times. It’s sad that the author goes on hiatus for years but apparently he struggles with depression so I understand but damn I wanna see the story to the end.
I just found your channel and watched every second of the video waiting for you to talk about the ending season, where the maid gets out of the life by "dying" but is literally losing an arm and a leg, showing what it means to go in deep with a criminal life and then trying to get out and that you need to rely on someone else to do it. I can't begin to imagine what you went trough, but i can say i know the feeling of seeing yourself unworthy and dirty to the point of running away from people. I lived without power and running water for about 2 years, not knowing if i will eat tomorrow and it's a situation you don't wish upon you worst enemy. You are very brave to talk about your time "in the twilight" as i only found the courage to do so after 10 whole years. keep doing what you do and take care of your loved ones. Sorry for the long boring post and any grammar mistakes.
Good video, looking forward to the video on Roberta's Blood Trail, maybe you'll give the manga a go at some point?
I wouldn't mind hearing your take on Jormungand, the fandom overlaps slightly with Black Lagoon.
Yo, I just discovered this anime today from a random “what are you gonna give me?” Engrish joke clip, but got super interested the more I looked up the show. I came here for a great review of the show but was really blown away by you sharing your homeless story with us.
I was homeless in 2011 only for 8 months significantly shorter than your adventure but that description at 7:37 is the perfect description of what I felt everyday of those 8 months. Every day was a journey to survive. I seen some crazy shit too, you see a lot of crazy shit when you’re walking 30 miles a day. I saw gunfights less than a hundred feet away in the middle of the night, waking me up while sleeping on a bench. I saw robberies happen, I saw drug deals go wrong. I been to parties that I snuck into meeting so many people living in the moment with nothing to lose. It truly was freedom in its most pure form, and it was horrifyingly beautiful to behold.
This is funny cause as Series goes on in the manga, you start to wonder if Rock really did pass the Twilight and that Revy might find a bit of the light. Cause shit happens
@@thotslayer9914 The Manga hasn't ended yet
I’m not sure why this video showed up on my feed. I watched it anyways and I have to say that you are meant to do this. Your story is heartbreaking, but your delivery, both in tone, steadiness and observation, is nothing short of amazing. I’m very happy you are doing this.
This is the first episode I've seen from this channel and I am a immediate die hard fan. Love Black Lagoon, love this breakdown and love your story.
Wow. The relating of your IRL story and the Black Lagoon idealogy really blew this one out the water. I have watched alot of analysis of anime, but this is definately right up there with the best of them. Keep up the good work
I love your anime breakdowns they are so intricate and well thought out. because of you I have watched so much anime that is great and amazing that I probably wouldn’t have found on my own:) thank you so much man you’re too good to us
came across thiss, and it's one of the best analogy of the two charactors, and I'm very humble and greatful that you shared your personal story with us. It is a world i'm not familiar to, and it definately shed a different light breaking down the characters so realistically.
It's not easy pulling yourself out from the gutter, and bless you for earning everything you have today :)
black lagoon is a trip,one of the best shows i have seen
Being isolated from so many social circles for so long, I found Revy's underground world and lifestyle shockingly desirable. As low and filthy and dangerous as it is, there's a quality to that freedom, energy and "anything-goes" stake that is equally as alluring and tempting to everyone as the sweet life of higher class people is. Buuuuuuut all things considered I think I'll keep chilling in my room for now.
It really is only the concept of a place in a fixed and fit society that keeps us all from indulging in a world equal to Roanapur but just as you said, both sides of the coins only offer the illusion of certain freedoms with different setbacks to each. Whether the grass is greener on one side or not is only a trick of perception and the true answer once you strip yourself of all obligations to civilization as a whole becomes unclear.
Throughout my first viewing, my feelings for Rock and Revy's characters was thrown all over the place. I'd go from loving them to hating them, from cheering them on to being sickened by their actions in a heartbeat. At the end of the day, they're just two people plagued by the torment of the lives they were dealt and the failure to communicate the desire to leap across the pond to the other's side, scared of losing themselves in the process. As borderline impossible as it is, I hope they find a way to get through it and out alive together.
Top English dubbed anime:
1. Cowboy Bebop
2. Black Lagoon
3. The rest
YU YU HAKUSHO
Inuyasha
My hero academia
Dragon ball series( goku's voice actor in sub is annoying)
Full metal alchemist
Death note
Angel beats
Panty and Stocking Dub😂
Black lagoon English dub is shit
@@heftychonkers *the
There, you forgot a word in that sentence. No need to thank me
i am super thankful that you invited us to join your story as well :)
Hey man, you really make anime personable to life and you’re own life it’s a tear jerker, you and your homie are truly influential and I appreciate this content especially on anime iv watched so much and can learn something new or compare my same understandings no one does content like this you guys are great 🙏🏽
since the Black lagoon anime hasn't been rebooted I have no choice but to make up my own shows in my head and write them down
OH MYYYY GODDDD YESSSS!!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! YOU GUYS JUST MADE MY GOD DAMN DAY!!!!
You're personal bits made this 10 times better. Not saying they should be in every video but this one was golden. Great job.
This series has one of the best villains I've ever seen in anime, Takenaka, the kind of mastermind from the last arc of the first season, he's a guy who kind of doesn't belong to a series full of super assassins and mass murderers, but damn I liked him. He was on the "movement", the student protest of late 60's in Japan that rejected the renew of the military cooperation between Japan and the U.S., and then he went full on through the rabbit hole, joining one of those left-wing urban guerrilla terrorist groups that robbed, kidnapped, bombed and killed all around the islands through the 70's, fighting to bring the "Revolution" and the dictatorship of the proletariat to a nation where everyday the distinction between those who have and those who don't have make itself more evident. He even rejected the general amnesty offered by the japanese government in the late 70's, choosing to continue the "Revolution" overseas and eventually bringing it to Japan. He's a relic of a time that most japanese choose to not remember, a time of self inflicted harm, of absurd dreams and extremist dedication, of the japanese authors I've read, only Murakami choose to keep bringing in to light. Takenaka is a reflection and a cautionary tale of what Rock could become, a man without faith doing the most extraordinary deeds for a system he doesn't believe, be it the corporate ladder of the japanese mega corporations or the crime syndicates of Roanapur.
okay im just gonna continue reading through my japanese history book, im not a fan of modern and political history so i got stuck just before 1960 and only yesterday got through to the student protests but im finding it much harder to keep track of
@@Crosshill All that revolution bullshit is always so complicated. I believe it's because there are so many sources, newspapers, academic papers and propaganda crap, that make it difficult to get on track.
Literally every student movement had their own agenda, some wanted to make tuition more accessible, others wanted to put an end to the American-Japanese military cooperation, and others wanted to bring a marxist revolution to power.
I like it because it was a failed revolution, japanese culture is not collectivist but makes a serious difference between the public and the private. The leftists believed Japan was ripped for the revolution, but reality hit them hard in the face.
He's Washime Clan.