Zach Goodier
This is a short, but incredibly
sweet, OVA series to follow up the anime hit, Black Lagoon. This, as the
title suggests, goes back to one of the fan favorite opponents from the
original series, Roberta. After her
master is killed in a South American bombing, she goes on the warpath looking
for revenge. Of course, the Black Lagoon
crew gets caught in the middle of things, and it all goes to hell from
there.
The characters are more of the
same, with one new face: Fabiola. She’s
an apprentice maid, and basically serves as a younger, warmer version of
Roberta. She has most of the punch
without the feeling that her soul got scared and ran away a long time ago. She is the one that contacts the Black Lagoon
company to get Roberta back.
 |
| Even Death knows to give this chick a wide berth. |
One thing I loved about this
OVA series is that it brings Rock further down to the level of the low-lives
and all around bad people that we’ve seen in the main series. Rock is more willing than ever to get his
hands dirty, if only in the figurative sense.
He’s a mastermind, at heart, and we’ve seen that since he first planned
the counterattack against the mercenary gunboat. However, this does mean that he is less of
the “good guy in a den of wolves” since he starts showing his teeth, too.
 |
| Our feisty little maid is a regular ball of fire. |
Another major point of interest
is the addition of more back-story for Revy.
You learn more about her past, and can finally understand how a girl
like her got to be so rotten, yet still on some level have a heart at
times. This show accentuates two of the
most dangerous women in anime, and both are given a great deal of attention,
and their pasts are more defined than ever, giving you an insight into what
makes a person lose their soul.
 |
| It's all hands on deck, your favorites are sure to be back from the regular crew. |
The story all works well, and
even though it’s only 5 episodes, you don’t feel like it was rushed or
stretched, the pacing all comes together rather well, with enough excitement to
keep your interest without pushing things along at an unnatural pace. The only real problem is the ending might not
leave everyone satisfied, but it felt appropriate. If you
liked Black Lagoon, this is more of
what you loved, plus a little more story behind the characters. Despite being an OVA, this didn’t feel at all
like it didn’t belong with the main series, which is rare.
Good:
-More Black Lagoon action and excitement, ‘nuff said.
-Adds more to the characters
and brings Rock further into the den of wolves than ever before.
-Roberta is awesome, who better
to revisit in the series?
-Intro remix is the best thing since... Well, I included it, so you know.
Bad:
-Short, which only really has an impact if you want to buy it for your collection.
Scully Rating: 9.8 out of 10
