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R2 DVD Reviews
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Written by maehara
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Wednesday, 10 September 2008 16:00 |
 Black Lagoon moves into its second season with the story of Hansel and Gretel - but there are no gingerbread houses or witches here, oh no - this is far more sinister. And gorily violent, which is pretty much what any fan of Black Lagoon is looking for. Sit back and enjoy the ride...
13 - The Vampire Twins Comen
There's a new pair of killers in town, and with them targetting Hotel Moscow - six killings so far - it's fairly clear that they're both skilled and brave. Balalaika's concerned - the killings are undermining the authority of her syndicate, while the other groups in town are wondering if they're going to be next. To try and turn the tide, a bounty is offered for anyone who'll deal with the killers, and that's enough to catch Lagoon Company's attention. Unusually, though, the killers are a pair of children - and that's not the only unusual thing about them...
14 - Bloodsport Fairytale
Having outstayed their welcome with their employers, the twins are on the move. A phrase overheard at the scene of their last killing has seen Balalaika turn to Rock for help, and he's been useful enough to point her down a line of enquiry that led her to a film of "Hansel and Gretel" - porn of the most illegal type, featuring two illegitimate children of Romania's dead dictator. From that low, they've gone on to strike back at the world in dramatic style. Crossing Balalaika could prove to be a terminal mistake, though - both for them and for the group that hired them...
15 - Swan Song at Dawn
Revy and Eda get their chance at glory when they catch up with the twins in a back alley - although it's not long before the mob from Hotel Moscow crash the party, giving the twins the chance to escape in the confusion. While Balalaika takes the setback in her stride - she's playing the long game, not for a quick win - Revy and Eda are soon at each other's throats. When Revy leaves in disgust, Eda's left a sitting duck, and one of the twins is soon making use of her knowledge...
16 - Greenback Jane
Jane is in trouble - she's taken on a job to create counterfeit printing plates for a syndicate, but with the job late and overbudget, her employers are getting antsy - to the point where they're killing her associates and setting deadlines for completion that she's not going to be allowed to miss. Backed into a corner, she's gone on the run - which is what's brought her to the Rip Off Church, and the tender care of Eda and Revy, who happened to be hanging about there when Jane came knocking. The prospect of getting their hands on Jane's printing plates is just about to buy her some divine intervention...
The Rip Off Church features quite heavily in this batch of episodes, with Eda and her gun-toting brethren coming in very useful in both arcs on this disc. In the first, the kids themselves are creepy on a variety of levels, through their gender ambiguity (they regularly take turns at being "big sister" and "big brother", with it never being entirely clear whether their male or female look is the "true" one) to their completely skewed view of the world, and how that manifests itself in how they treat their victims. When I say "creepy", though, I don't mean creepy in a way that puts you off - rather, it's in a way that makes them absolutely fascinating to watch, and part of me wishes that they would be around for longer than their 3-episode arc. No such luck, however.
The running thread of Rock's compassion also gets another outing - after being the human influence in the Garcia arc last volume, he's again the one who tries to bring a touch of humanity to the twins in this story, although as ever his efforts meet with mixed results. Black Lagoon isn't just about the violence - that's a large part of it, of course, but there is a human element hidden in there as well.
The other unusual thing about the Hansel and Gretel arc is just how little screen time the Lagoon Company gang get - it's only in the final episode of the arc that any of them get any significant appearances. Up until then the focus is firmly on the twins, and on Balalaika - it's her syndicate that's most under threat from their actions, and as a result she's the one who takes action to put things right. On one level, not seeing Revy & co to the same extent is a shame - but Balalaika and her mob can be just as entertaining in their own way.
The final episode starts another arc, with the story of counterfeiter Jane who's gotten out of her depth and ends up in the protective care of the Lagoon Company and the Rip Off Church. There's not enough to go on in the first episode to know how it's going to play off, but it's a decent enough start.
The more I see of Black Lagoon, the more I like it - and this disc is the best of the series so far. Go get.
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