A thorough review of BLACK LAGOON's bonus manga!

BLACK LAGOON Bonus Manga - Charming parodies and new aspects of the characters

"BLACK LAGOON Omake Manga" is an OVA series based on Hiroe Rei's popular manga "BLACK LAGOON", with a total of 7 episodes released between December 23, 2009 and March 25, 2010. This OVA attracted attention as a parody work that depicts new sides to the characters while maintaining the hard-boiled worldview of the original. Below, we will take a closer look at the appeal of this work, the background to its production, details about the characters, and reviews from fans.

Overview

"BLACK LAGOON Omake Manga" was released as an OVA, based on the manga by Hiroe Rei. It was released between December 23, 2009 and March 25, 2010, with a total of 7 episodes. The titles of each episode are as follows:

• Episode 1: BLACK LAGOON High School Edition (December 23, 2009)
• Episode 2: BLACK LAGOON Magical Girl Edition (December 23, 2009)
• Episode 3: BLACK LAGOON Balalaika's Melancholy (February 10, 2010)
• Episode 4: BLACK LAGOON Boys and Girls (February 10, 2010)
• Episode 5: BLACK LAGOON Enjoying the Cool Scary Story (February 24, 2010)
• Episode 6: BLACK LAGOON Viva! Young Edition (February 24, 2010)
• Episode 7: BLACK LAGOON Aim for the Comedy Grand Prix (March 25, 2010)

Distributed by Geneon Universal, each episode is approximately 3 minutes long. Animation was handled by Madhouse and the series was directed by Sunao Katabuchi. It is produced by the BLACK LAGOON Production Committee (Geneon Entertainment, Shogakukan, GENEON ENTERTAINMENT (USA) INC.).

story

The main story of "BLACK LAGOON" begins when Okajima Ryokuro, a top trading company employee, is attacked by the Lagoon Company, a lawless group of couriers, during a business trip in the South China Sea. Ryokuro is attracted to their unconventional way of life, and decides to change his name to "Rock" and become a member of the Lagoon Company. He boards the Black Lagoon and sets out into the ocean of the underworld, where money and bullets fly.

On the other hand, the "BLACK LAGOON Bonus Manga" departs from the main story and places the characters in various parody situations, depicting new sides to them. For example, in the high school arc, the members of the Lagoon Company are depicted as high school students, and in the magical girl arc, Revy transforms into a magical girl, providing plenty of fresh surprises for fans.

character

The main characters from the original work continue to appear in the "BLACK LAGOON Bonus Manga." Here are some details about the main characters:

Levi

He is a gunman belonging to the Lagoon Company and is nicknamed "Two Hands". Although he has a short temper and can cause trouble, he has lived in the slums since he was a child and hates to have his past mentioned. In the OVA, he shows a new side of himself in the Magical Girl arc.

rock

His real name is Okajima Ryokuro, and he used to work as a trading company employee for Asahi Heavy Industries, but an incident led him to Lagoon Company. He's not good at rough work, but he often uses his language skills to negotiate. His determination to stick to reason in a ruthless world is depicted. In the high school arc, a new side of him as a student is shown.

Dutch

He is the leader of the Lagoon Company and the captain of the Black Lagoon. He is an intelligent man who can handle any rough situation with ease, and his gun skills are top-notch. His skills are highly regarded by Balalaika and other forces. In the OVA, his leadership is displayed in a variety of situations.

Benny

He is in charge of high-tech equipment at the Lagoon Company, and was rescued by Revy when he was being chased by the FBI and the mafia, and became a member of the company. He uses his wizard-level hacking skills to support the company's activities from behind the scenes. In the OVA, his technical skills come in handy in various situations.

Balalaika

She is the female boss of the Thai branch of the Russian mafia "Hotel Moscow," which has branches all over the world. She once participated in the invasion of Afghanistan as a member of the former Soviet army, and her subordinates were members of the guerrilla unit that fought alongside her at that time. In the OVA, a new side of her is depicted in the Balalaika's Melancholy arc.

Zhang

He is the boss of the Thai branch of the Hong Kong-based international mafia, the Triads. Behind his nonchalant demeanor, he is a strategist who coldly calculates his own profits. He is also good at rough dealing, and it is said that his gun skills surpass Revy's. In the OVA, his calm judgment is depicted.

Hansel and Gretel

After a political upheaval in a certain Eastern European country, the twins were bought by the local mafia and trained to be assassins for fun. Hansel uses a battle axe, and Gretel uses a large rifle, and they massacre the mafia members one by one. The OVA depicts their terrifying side.

Background

"BLACK LAGOON Omake Manga" was produced by MADHOUSE. The director was Sunao Katabuchi, who respected the worldview of the original work while depicting the characters from a new perspective as a parody. Character design and chief animation director was Masanori Shino, mechanic design and prop design were by Masahiro Kimura, art direction was Hidetoshi Kaneko, color design was by Yuriko Kakumoto, cinematography was Yukihiro Masumoto, editing was Yoshiko Kimura, music was by EDISON, and sound direction was by Yasunori Honda.

This OVA was produced with the aim of providing new enjoyment for fans of the original work. By depicting new aspects of the characters in the short length of each episode, we were able to give fans a fresh surprise. Also, by adopting the parody format, it became a work that allows viewers to temporarily escape from the heavy worldview of the original work and enjoy it in a relaxed manner.

Fan Rating

"BLACK LAGOON Bonus Manga" was highly praised by fans of the original work. In particular, the parody situations that depicted new sides of the characters were well received, with Revy's Magical Girl arc and Balalaika's Melancholy arc becoming particularly popular. In addition, despite the short length of each chapter, it was praised for providing new enjoyment while firmly maintaining the worldview of the original work.

Fans have responded with comments such as, "It was fun to see the original characters in action in new situations," "The parody format was fresh, and it was nice to be able to temporarily escape the heavy worldview of the original," and "Each episode was short enough to show a new side of the characters, so it was worth watching."

Related Titles

"BLACK LAGOON Omake Manga" was created as part of the "BLACK LAGOON" series. Related works include:

• BLACK LAGOON
• BLACK LAGOON The Second Barrage
• BLACK LAGOON Roberta's Blood Trail

These works depict the hard-boiled worldview of the original work and the exploits of the characters. "BLACK LAGOON Omake Manga" depicts the characters from a different perspective than these works, further enhancing the appeal of the entire series.

Recommendation

"BLACK LAGOON Omake Manga" is recommended not only for fans of the original work, but also for those who like anime and parodies. It is especially perfect for those who want to see a new side of the characters, or those who want to relax away from the heavy worldview of the original work. In addition, the parody situations depicted in the short length of each episode can be easily enjoyed even in busy daily life.

In addition, this OVA has also been released as a Blu-ray package version, making it a valuable addition to any collection for fans of the original work. Be sure to discover new charms of the characters through the "BLACK LAGOON Bonus Manga."