Black Lagoon is frequently cited as one of the most intriguing anime series, must-watch, and the best seinen program of the 2000s. Based on Rei Hiroe's manga of the same name, the anime featured a strong cast and an engaging plot that tuned many otaku fans to watch the anime series.
The action-packed, adventure-filled anime series was helmed by Sunao Katabuchi, best known for his films Mai Mai Miracle and In This Corner of the World. Black Lagoon follows a band of pirate mercenaries, the Lagoon Company, committed to smuggling goods.
Even after 15 years of its release, the anime's popularity still intrigues many to watch it. Fortunately, it is available on many legal streaming platforms.
Black Lagoon first aired as a TV series on April 9, 2006
Chiba TV broadcasted season 1 of Black Lagoon, which had 12 episodes. Season 2 aired on Sendai Television with the same number of episodes. Along with the two seasons, a collection of five OVA episodes called Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail was released from July 17, 2010 to June 22, 2011. The OVA covered the Black Lagoon manga's El Baile de la Muerte arc.
Black Lagoon fans in Japan can watch the episodes on Hulu and U-Next's streaming platforms. The series is also available on demand through the Amazon Prime Video streaming service. Meanwhile, viewers outside Japan can watch the anime via various streaming services such as Crunchyroll, Funimation, Netflix, and Hulu.
More specifically, viewers can access the anime on Netflix from Central America, South America, Europe, some regions of Oceania, the Middle East, South Asia and some regions of Southeast Asia. Contrarily, viewers in North America can access Hulu, Funimation, and Crunchyroll to watch the anime. In addition, viewers in selected regions such as North America can watch the series on demand on Microsoft and Apple TV.
In addition to English, the anime is available in various other dubs and subtitles, including Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, and Dutch. However, fans should know that each of the aforementioned streaming services requires subscription packs to watch the anime series' episodes. Thus, they must first subscribe to the streaming services.
The protagonist is an average salaryman who becomes a mercenary
Black Lagoon tells the story of Rokurou Okajima, a salaryman who spends his days attempting to climb the corporate ladder at his company. But one day, his business negotiation fails, and he becomes a hostage of the Lagoon Company. The Lagoon Company is a gang of ruthless mercenary pirates in the anime.
The Lagoon Company demands a ransom, which Rokurou's manager refuses to pay and declares him dead. Now that he is stuck with the Lagoon Company, Rokurou makes the unthinkable decision to join the crew that abducted him rather than pleading for his life. After entering the group, Rokurou tries to get used to living in the desolate wasteland known as Roanapur.
However, it is not only Roanapur that Rokurou has to get used to, but also Revy. Revy is Rokurou's gunslinging coworker, with whom he frequently finds himself at odds. What happens next in the story and what Rokurou does is exciting to watch.
Stay tuned for more anime and other anime and manga updates as 2023 progresses.