STARR 025: Black Lagoon, Goku: Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei
Tags anime, anime review, black lagoon, despair, review, revy, sayonara zetsubou sensei, szs
Black Lagoon
Rough and tough, crude and lewd, Black Lagoon is a no-holds-barred action anime series set in the fictional tropical city of Roanapur in Thailand. This is a place where the law has little power, mainly because it's in the pockets of the big clans and factions that vie for supreme control of the city. Go into the lower levels of this deceptively pretty Oceanside expanse and you'll find a seedy underbelly where everyone has a gun, and everyone has an agenda. You don't survive in this place unless you're prepared to rumble. Forsaken by his own company after they turn out to partake in deceptive and criminal activities, a Japanese salaryman whose life was forsaken has also given away his homeland and his name. Now under the title of Rock, he has joined the Lagoon Company, a small band of pirates/mercenaries/guns for hire who take on any job so long as the pay is right, and in the city of Roanupur, hold no true allegiances with anyone.
The leader of this rag-tag team is Dutch, a large black man whose main mode of transport is his torpedo boat ironically named the Black Lagoon, he has a wise-mind for business and life, and is a capable warrior, achieving respect in many circles. There's Benny, the Jewish-American with an affinity for Hawaiian shirts and blond ponytails, who acts as the technical expert and not much else. And finally, there's Revy, the remarkably skilled gunfighter whose fame and ability have earned her the nickname of "Two Hands"; for the dual wielding of two custom-made handguns she so often relies upon. It's Revy that Rock takes the most interest in, though hardly intimately, as he's the kind of guy whose at the crossroads in his life, and wants to learn more about himself through the others who have already moved on from that point in their lives. Black Lagoon doesn't care so much for exploring it's characters, especially Dutch and Benny, and would rather present them as absolute: as is. Any exploration for them is done by discussion from other people only, and thus it's clear they're of no ultimate interest in the tale, despite their importance as a unit for survival.
Instead, it's Rock and Revy who are the focus, with Rock garnering his name with his resilience to Revy's guttermouth put-downs, despicable behaviour and unwillingness to share personal information with, though naturally she becomes more open as the series progresses. It's disappointing that Revy is so profane, and while it's an obvious coping mechanism for her own insecurities, her words are more limited in range than frequency, making her far more trashy and idiotic. Made by Madhouse, Black Lagoon isn't the greatest anime around, nor the most sophisticated. Employing multiple-episode story arcs ranging from dopey Neo-Nazis to militia maids to evil incest-driven twins to personal battles with the higher-ups that hire them, this is a hollywood-inspired production that uses the multicultural port of Roanapur to disperse a varied crop of tales, though again exploration of characters is random - some that should be complex are ignored, whilst others a given lame back-stories. Couple that with repeatedly uninspired and uninteresting characters and it gets hard to actually care. The hopeless fashion sense and sexual-isation of Revy with gratuitous poses and large phallic guns is unnecessary, considering her persona.
There are some inspired parts though, I'll grant, like the equally foul-mouthed and perilous nun Eda whose interactions with Revy provide the most laughs for the show - and the Russian mafia head Balalaika with her military background and distinctive scarring; she's a complex individual that's not to be messed with, though she gets off far too lightly by the end of the series in my opinion. The rest of the regular cast are pretty secondary, coming and going as the plot requires, much like the Lagoon Company and their jobs. The animation is standard fare, and only in the heat of the very frequent fights does the quality rise up to something worthwhile. Madhouse isn't afraid to recycle sequences either, which isn't anything to admire. Though run-of-the-mill in most parts, the key feature to the character design in Black Lagoon is their mouths, with a twisted, wide grin baring fang-like teeth and a wild-animal-like aura. Revy is also quite attractive, when she's not in one of her 'possessed' states or swearing like an English chef, she has these beautiful brown eyes that are always a treat to see when she looks at us in a confused manner. The music is varied but pretty damn average, and since there's so few different themes to select from, we grow tired of their presence. The opening theme predominantly made of Engrish takes some of the pizzazz out of the otherwise eclectic music, and the closing theme a resounding bore.
As expected, nothing really happens in terms of us giving a crap about what these guys get up to until the very end, when an extended story taking place back in Rock's homeland brings out the most interest. And while we think a large amount of progression has finally been made, we're then cheated with things going about face and we're back to square-one. But maybe, just maybe something between Rock and Revy has happened, who knows. Though hardly superior (especially with the sub-par voice acting of Revy by Maryke Hendrikse), the English dubbing can be considered better than the original dub, considering the multicultural setting of the show. Comprising of two 12 episode seasons, with the second season running under the moniker of "The Second Barrage", it's something that can't really be reviewed in halves, since the end of the first season just… concludes another story arc. Action junkies will enjoy the frequent action sequences that make up a large part of the series, despite the regular absurdity of it all, and anyone else wanting more - like me - out of Black Lagoon will know that's all but a lost cause after the first disc.
6.5/10.
Goku: Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei
This three-episode OVA, which is technically the third instalment of the popular Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei franchise, is instead promoted as "Series 2.5", and is more of the nonsensical madness we've come to expect from Studio Shaft. Acting as a stepping stone between the second series in (Zoku) Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei and filling in some time before the third series in Zan: Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei, this isn't one to enter and expect much change, but after the second season you should be aware that that's never how SZS anime operate. Not bothering to provide introductions, the unashamedly forward show is about the melodramatic antics of high school teacher Nozomu Itoshiki, whose pessimistic and negative attitude towards everything remains the catalyst for all occurring events.
Itoshiki is surrounded by a diverse class of students, who more or less all girls and more or less have a degree of attraction to him for various reasons in relation to their various personalities. The show itself is about taking clever observations of human behaviour and/or society and taking them to as extreme satire as possible, be it how things are never what they seem, unwinnable battles, book titles that don't match their content, no original jokes any more: just repeats, and caring about the process and not the result (to name a few). What makes these far more interesting than my pitiful descriptions is the lengths Itoshiki and especially his students take them, and in relation to what. Banking on an even more self-aware approach than before, there's constant reference to the manga of the series' origins, and at one point they even explore the evolution of their character designs over time. This is definitely an anime that doesn't take itself seriously.
The depth of these rapid-fire shorts that are tied together into nonsensical episodes can be startling, and make you appreciate the thought processes involved in writing such an anime. An overload of visual information often floods the screen, making for frequent pauses to catch every little joke - and we're fine with that, because since the sequences are bite-sized and non-related overall, we can focus on it like this without losing the overall plot, something a more completely coherent anime would find insufferable. This plethora of written jokes just shows how much the writers had leftover, and wanted to put in, if only visually. The visuals themselves are typical SZS, with a mostly flat approach with a single character occupying the screen and a stylised background. Styles and techniques are changed up often, sometimes for no reason, sometimes in relation to a current joke or discussion. Any real-world shots are usually very basic to suit the now trademark feel of the series, but when bothered, can look stunning, but sadly there's just not enough of this.
The music, always a strong point of the series, recycles and revises previous tunes from the past series, and somehow manages to keep them fresh with equally recycled and revised animation for it's OP's and ED's. The haunting and traditional tracks that fill the episodes are used well and are punctuated by equally haunting and traditional sound effects to signify punch-lines. Overall you won't be missing anything by not watching Goku: Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei, despite a few interesting moments that explore Itoshiki's school days, how his glasses have a direct influence on his wretched nature, and what he gets up to at the gym. What we have here is more of the same, tried-and-true, don't-break-what-ain't-broken formula. It's certainly not bad, and has far more acute observations than more cliché high school anime could, but it's starting to get tired, which sadly is true. And if it seems like I've used certain phrases and comments repeatedly, let's just say I was watching an inspirational show.
7/10.
Rough and tough, crude and lewd, Black Lagoon is a no-holds-barred action anime series set in the fictional tropical city of Roanapur in Thailand. This is a place where the law has little power, mainly because it's in the pockets of the big clans and factions that vie for supreme control of the city. Go into the lower levels of this deceptively pretty Oceanside expanse and you'll find a seedy underbelly where everyone has a gun, and everyone has an agenda. You don't survive in this place unless you're prepared to rumble. Forsaken by his own company after they turn out to partake in deceptive and criminal activities, a Japanese salaryman whose life was forsaken has also given away his homeland and his name. Now under the title of Rock, he has joined the Lagoon Company, a small band of pirates/mercenaries/guns for hire who take on any job so long as the pay is right, and in the city of Roanupur, hold no true allegiances with anyone.
The leader of this rag-tag team is Dutch, a large black man whose main mode of transport is his torpedo boat ironically named the Black Lagoon, he has a wise-mind for business and life, and is a capable warrior, achieving respect in many circles. There's Benny, the Jewish-American with an affinity for Hawaiian shirts and blond ponytails, who acts as the technical expert and not much else. And finally, there's Revy, the remarkably skilled gunfighter whose fame and ability have earned her the nickname of "Two Hands"; for the dual wielding of two custom-made handguns she so often relies upon. It's Revy that Rock takes the most interest in, though hardly intimately, as he's the kind of guy whose at the crossroads in his life, and wants to learn more about himself through the others who have already moved on from that point in their lives. Black Lagoon doesn't care so much for exploring it's characters, especially Dutch and Benny, and would rather present them as absolute: as is. Any exploration for them is done by discussion from other people only, and thus it's clear they're of no ultimate interest in the tale, despite their importance as a unit for survival.
Instead, it's Rock and Revy who are the focus, with Rock garnering his name with his resilience to Revy's guttermouth put-downs, despicable behaviour and unwillingness to share personal information with, though naturally she becomes more open as the series progresses. It's disappointing that Revy is so profane, and while it's an obvious coping mechanism for her own insecurities, her words are more limited in range than frequency, making her far more trashy and idiotic. Made by Madhouse, Black Lagoon isn't the greatest anime around, nor the most sophisticated. Employing multiple-episode story arcs ranging from dopey Neo-Nazis to militia maids to evil incest-driven twins to personal battles with the higher-ups that hire them, this is a hollywood-inspired production that uses the multicultural port of Roanapur to disperse a varied crop of tales, though again exploration of characters is random - some that should be complex are ignored, whilst others a given lame back-stories. Couple that with repeatedly uninspired and uninteresting characters and it gets hard to actually care. The hopeless fashion sense and sexual-isation of Revy with gratuitous poses and large phallic guns is unnecessary, considering her persona.
There are some inspired parts though, I'll grant, like the equally foul-mouthed and perilous nun Eda whose interactions with Revy provide the most laughs for the show - and the Russian mafia head Balalaika with her military background and distinctive scarring; she's a complex individual that's not to be messed with, though she gets off far too lightly by the end of the series in my opinion. The rest of the regular cast are pretty secondary, coming and going as the plot requires, much like the Lagoon Company and their jobs. The animation is standard fare, and only in the heat of the very frequent fights does the quality rise up to something worthwhile. Madhouse isn't afraid to recycle sequences either, which isn't anything to admire. Though run-of-the-mill in most parts, the key feature to the character design in Black Lagoon is their mouths, with a twisted, wide grin baring fang-like teeth and a wild-animal-like aura. Revy is also quite attractive, when she's not in one of her 'possessed' states or swearing like an English chef, she has these beautiful brown eyes that are always a treat to see when she looks at us in a confused manner. The music is varied but pretty damn average, and since there's so few different themes to select from, we grow tired of their presence. The opening theme predominantly made of Engrish takes some of the pizzazz out of the otherwise eclectic music, and the closing theme a resounding bore.
As expected, nothing really happens in terms of us giving a crap about what these guys get up to until the very end, when an extended story taking place back in Rock's homeland brings out the most interest. And while we think a large amount of progression has finally been made, we're then cheated with things going about face and we're back to square-one. But maybe, just maybe something between Rock and Revy has happened, who knows. Though hardly superior (especially with the sub-par voice acting of Revy by Maryke Hendrikse), the English dubbing can be considered better than the original dub, considering the multicultural setting of the show. Comprising of two 12 episode seasons, with the second season running under the moniker of "The Second Barrage", it's something that can't really be reviewed in halves, since the end of the first season just… concludes another story arc. Action junkies will enjoy the frequent action sequences that make up a large part of the series, despite the regular absurdity of it all, and anyone else wanting more - like me - out of Black Lagoon will know that's all but a lost cause after the first disc.
6.5/10.
Goku: Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei
This three-episode OVA, which is technically the third instalment of the popular Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei franchise, is instead promoted as "Series 2.5", and is more of the nonsensical madness we've come to expect from Studio Shaft. Acting as a stepping stone between the second series in (Zoku) Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei and filling in some time before the third series in Zan: Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei, this isn't one to enter and expect much change, but after the second season you should be aware that that's never how SZS anime operate. Not bothering to provide introductions, the unashamedly forward show is about the melodramatic antics of high school teacher Nozomu Itoshiki, whose pessimistic and negative attitude towards everything remains the catalyst for all occurring events.
Itoshiki is surrounded by a diverse class of students, who more or less all girls and more or less have a degree of attraction to him for various reasons in relation to their various personalities. The show itself is about taking clever observations of human behaviour and/or society and taking them to as extreme satire as possible, be it how things are never what they seem, unwinnable battles, book titles that don't match their content, no original jokes any more: just repeats, and caring about the process and not the result (to name a few). What makes these far more interesting than my pitiful descriptions is the lengths Itoshiki and especially his students take them, and in relation to what. Banking on an even more self-aware approach than before, there's constant reference to the manga of the series' origins, and at one point they even explore the evolution of their character designs over time. This is definitely an anime that doesn't take itself seriously.
The depth of these rapid-fire shorts that are tied together into nonsensical episodes can be startling, and make you appreciate the thought processes involved in writing such an anime. An overload of visual information often floods the screen, making for frequent pauses to catch every little joke - and we're fine with that, because since the sequences are bite-sized and non-related overall, we can focus on it like this without losing the overall plot, something a more completely coherent anime would find insufferable. This plethora of written jokes just shows how much the writers had leftover, and wanted to put in, if only visually. The visuals themselves are typical SZS, with a mostly flat approach with a single character occupying the screen and a stylised background. Styles and techniques are changed up often, sometimes for no reason, sometimes in relation to a current joke or discussion. Any real-world shots are usually very basic to suit the now trademark feel of the series, but when bothered, can look stunning, but sadly there's just not enough of this.
The music, always a strong point of the series, recycles and revises previous tunes from the past series, and somehow manages to keep them fresh with equally recycled and revised animation for it's OP's and ED's. The haunting and traditional tracks that fill the episodes are used well and are punctuated by equally haunting and traditional sound effects to signify punch-lines. Overall you won't be missing anything by not watching Goku: Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei, despite a few interesting moments that explore Itoshiki's school days, how his glasses have a direct influence on his wretched nature, and what he gets up to at the gym. What we have here is more of the same, tried-and-true, don't-break-what-ain't-broken formula. It's certainly not bad, and has far more acute observations than more cliché high school anime could, but it's starting to get tired, which sadly is true. And if it seems like I've used certain phrases and comments repeatedly, let's just say I was watching an inspirational show.
7/10.
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