Black Lagoon

Because Light was fully developed in the very first episode. The only thing he needed to come to terms with was the weight of killing another, and he quickly got over his feelings of fear once he started. What development did Light need? He viewed others as inferior to him and viewed himself above them - that was what made the story. The only possible development for him would've been the flashback kind, and showing overly dramatic images of him being abused in an effort to explain his thinking and make him sympathetic would've ruined him; one of the most 'evil' (I prefer to think of him as selfish - I view no-one as evil) characters in history.

Revy, on the other hand, has plenty of room for improvement. Rock's there to bring out her emotions and make her into a normal, less kill happy woman, in the long run at least. Yet, in the first two seasons, all she did was run around killing and give some vague reasons for why she turned out like she did during he few short conversations she shared with Rock. She's still the same person she was at the start, and that's because Black Lagoon is an action series and not a well-written drama where a person changes over time.
 
Aion said:
She's still the same person she was at the start, and that's because Black Lagoon is an action series and not a well-written drama where a person changes over time.
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Black Lagoon is an action show. This is true. What's also true is that Revy is a hardened and cold-blooded killer without a shred of conscience. Only a year or so passes between the time that Rock joined the Company and the end of Second Barrage; how much can we realistically expect a person of Revy's nature to change during such a short period? But then she did save Rock's arse on more than one occasion, risking her own life in the process, suggesting that she is not, in fact, the same person she was before meeting him.

Black Lagoon isn't a shounen manga, where characters suddenly have an epiphany following a predictable and contrived event. Revy's development is gradual and subtle. And, yes, too much of that would get in the way of the action, which is what Black Lagoon is mostly -- but not all -- about.
 
Aion said:
Revy, on the other hand, has plenty of room for improvement. Rock's there to bring out her emotions and make her into a normal, less kill happy woman, in the long run at least. Yet, in the first two seasons, all she did was run around killing and give some vague reasons for why she turned out like she did during he few short conversations she shared with Rock. She's still the same person she was at the start, and that's because Black Lagoon is an action series and not a well-written drama where a person changes over time.
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For one thing, only if the point of the show was for Rock to 'cure' Revy. It wasn't. Only in a fairy land will the gun-toting psychopathic be 'cured' by the love of a good man. And despite the over the top action there is an emotional realism to Black Lagoon. And when it comes to character development, you can't get more development than at the end of the final episode. You start the series with Revy the ruthless killer and Rock the idealist who wants to protect everyone...

Then at the end when Yukio is about to die, we see that while Revy hasn't re-awakened her own innocence, she needs that innocence in Rock, that reminder that there is a better part of the world that she believes that she is fighting for. She needs Rock to remain innocent, and she tries to stop him facing the consequences of his action, the actions that have led to Yukio's death. At the same time, Rock realises that he is tainted, that his refusal to use a gun in no way removes him from the culpability of his actions, and that his words and deeds make him as much of a killer as Revy.

With character development and depth like that, Black Lagoon certainly isn't thin.
 
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I would of thought Black Lagoon worked for people who were looking just for an action flick, and for those who want to look a little deeper. Like Aion said, Revy kicks the living s*** out of numerous gangs and psychos, and that was her job. But it takes her a while to start developing with Rock into something else in a subtle way. I mean, that's understandable. You think you can change a person substantially in just a few motivational speeches from a friend?

Revy is still a killer and such. I would rather call it a group bonding than a character change. She still needs to kill to survive. I dont think someone who slaughters their own family would go from badass to angel in one series (or in this case 2).

If Revy wasn't Revy, then the show would just stop, as she'd just taken 50 bullets in the back to save Rock... What's left for Black Lagoon now? She still has to be a nasty piece of work, just more cautious about her teammates.

To end the arguement: You can have Revy after I've had her for one night, I'll stick with my Balalaika, comrades! XD
 
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fabricatedlunatic said:
I was hoping for Revy's character to develop like it seemed she was going to early on but, after a decent start, it became apparent that she was going to stay the same
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And yet in your Death Note review you claim that Light, a 16-year-old boy, is a "complete" character and thus no development is needed. Why does the same not apply to Revy, who's older and gone through a lot more? She clearly lacks even a conscience, so it's unreasonable to expect her to experience dramatic change.
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Black Lagoon and Death-Note have a common theme of dubious morality, but their treatments of it are pretty much the opposite of one another I reckon. Death-Note has a detailed plot with minimal character development, while BL has lots of character development and minimal plot.

I don't condemn DN's approach, I just prefer Black Lagoon personally due to my preference for characterisation.
 
Loved the anime but never heard the dub... on a PC that can't view those links either. Was going to check them out when I get home, but by the looks of Dizzae's post, do I really want to be doing that. o_O
 
Black Lagoon's dub is fantastic. It was named best dub of 2007 by ANN and is highly regarded by just about everyone who doesn't have an irrational hatred of dubs.

EDIT: just wanted to clarify that I'm not accusing anyone of hating dubs. My point is that it's inconceivable how anyone who listens to English dubbed anime on even a semi-regular basis would think that Black Lagoon's is not at least decent.
 
Well I'm relieved then. Loved the anime and assumed that they'd make a good dub for it too. So thatnk god for that. ^^
Will be buying the series Boxset once it's released. £££

@Fabric: Must admit I do prefer subs myself but I don't find dubs horrible to say the least. I even prefer dubs to subs in some cases but most of the time it's the other way around. I guess it's mainly due to the fact that I watch animes in sub first.
 
fabricatedlunatic said:
Black Lagoon's dub is fantastic. It was named best dub of 2007 by ANN and is highly regarded by just about everyone who doesn't have an irrational hatred of dubs.

EDIT: just wanted to clarify that I'm not accusing anyone of hating dubs. My point is that it's inconceivable how anyone who listens to English dubbed anime on even a semi-regular basis would think that Black Lagoon's is not at least decent.
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I know what you mean, it's not the worst dub i've ever heard. I am usually quite indifferent about dubs but from the clip I've seen I just don't think the voices fit with the characters.
 
I've watched up to ep9 now and I have to say you guys really underrated it.

It's damn near impossible to get someone to say anything negative about Noir (which really is crap) and yet something in a similar genre that's miles better gets ambigious reviews?
 
Ark said:
I've watched up to ep9 now and I have to say you guys really underrated it.

It's damn near impossible to get someone to say anything negative about Noir (which really is crap) and yet something in a similar genre that's miles better gets ambigious reviews?
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People tastes I suppose, either that or people follow a crowd for example.


A load of people are watching Naruto and Deathnote and allways taking about them, they must be the best anime ever.............right?
 
Ark said:
It's damn near impossible to get someone to say anything negative about Noir (which really is crap) and yet something in a similar genre that's miles better gets ambigious reviews?
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Having read back through the thread (the first page, at least; the waters get somewhat murkier after that :p) it seems to me that most respondents had very positive things to say about the show. The first season was hit and miss for me, personally, but I really enjoyed Second Barrage.
 
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