History YMMV / BlackLagoon

** Despite appearing briefly and not having a very plot-relevant role. [[{{Jerkass}} Chaka]] is one of the most iconic and well-remembered characters in the whole show in a "[[HateSink I hated this guy so much]][[LoveToHate which made it so satisfying to see him get his ass kicked]]" kind of way.
** Liegharch, [[OneSceneWonder despite basically getting two episodes in total on the anime]] ([[spoiler: [[PutOnABus and being stated to have been put in a mental institution after an overdose]]]]) is a RIDICULOUSLY popular character, based on being a BadassDriver [[MushroomSamba while being completely high off his tits on weed]].
** [[MajorlyAwesome Major]] [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Caxton]] is ''extremely'' popular among the fans despite only appearing in ''Roberta's Blood Trail'', especially [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff with American fans]]. The fact that he's one of the few genuinely good authority figures in the entire ''series'' certainly doesn't hurt his popularity.

* LoveToHate: [[SmugSnake Chaka]] is perhaps the single [[HateSink most easily hated character]] in the entire series - which consequently makes it an absolute joy to watch the heroes [[LaserGuidedKarma giving him his just desserts]].

* GermansLoveDavidHasshelhoff: It's essentially a gloriously violent throwback to RatedMForManly 80s (well, technically 90s) action movies in everything but name, and three out of the four main protagonists are American, so it's a no-brainer that this show is beloved stateside. It doesn't hurt at all that the English dub [[SuperlativeDubbing kicks serious ass]].

** [[MajorlyAwesome Major]] [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure]] is ''extremely'' popular among the fans despite only appearing in ''Roberta's Blood Trail'', especially [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff with American fans]]. The fact that he's one of the few genuinely good authority figures in the entire ''series'' certainly doesn't hurt his popularity.

** [[MagnificentBastard Balalaika]] is [[TheBaroness hot]]. [[DarkActionGirl Revy]] is [[{{Stripperific}} hot]]. [[KnifeNut Shenhua]] is [[ShesGotLegs hot]]. [[CorruptChurch Eda]] is [[NaughtyNuns hot]]. [[NinjaMaid Roberta]] is [[BoobsOfSteel hot]]. All of the main female characters are, to some degree, evil (as is everybody else in this series). And they are hot.

%%* MagnificentBastard: Balalaika, Chang, and [[GuileHero Rock]].

%%* CreepyAwesome: [[CreepyTwins Hansel and Gretel]]

** [[MajorlyAwesome Major Caxton]] is very popular ([[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff especially among American fans]], not surprisingly) for being possibly '''the''' [[AllLovingHero nicest]] and [[TheAce most]] [[HonorBeforeReason heroic]] character in the entire series, on top of being 100% badass. His unit, the [[BadassCrew Grey Foxes]], is popular for much the same reason.

* NarmCharm: Whenever Revy decides to go on one of her philosophical rants. [[spoiler:This is really just meant to show how pathetic and broken she's become as a result of [[DarkAndTroubledPast a very rotten life]]. Her words ring hollow to the viewers because ''she's'' become [[BreakTheCutie hollow]] and is simply justifying her own way of doing things. Rock, naturally, tries to set her straight. Seems to work as she [[CharacterDevelopment eventually stops ranting so much]].]]

* BetterThanCanon: Although it has its detractors as listed under BrokenBase, some people prefer the OVA ending for ''Roberta's Blood Trail'' for giving the Grey Fox unit a [[CurbstompCushion better showing]] against Roberta, [[spoiler: where in the manga, she [[GodModeSue murdered them all with a flintlock rifle without being injured at all]]]], and for its redemptive final scene where she [[spoiler: CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming meets the family of the Japanese man she killed, who forgive her for killing him.]]

** "Sure Hansel and Gretel's backstory is tragic sure , but there's no way in real life people would be fucked enough to make literal Torture Porn videoes of children"...[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Scully well]] (note: seriously the link contains some disturbing content even if it is just TheOtherWiki).

** [[MagnificentBastard Balalaika]] is hot. [[DarkActionGirl Revy]] is [[{{Stripperific}} hot]]. [[KnifeNut Shenhua]] is [[ShesGotLegs hot]]. [[CorruptChurch Eda]] is [[NaughtyNuns hot]]. [[NinjaMaid Roberta]] is [[BoobsOfSteel hot]]. All of the main female characters are, to some degree, evil (as is everybody else in this series). And they are hot.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Yukio Washimine. While she's undeniably a BrokenBird for all the suffering she had to endure as the [[{{Ojou}} heiress to a yakuza clan]], some consider her to be a StrawNihilist who justified her unwilling (or possibly willing) ascension to the clan's leadership]] through [[StrawmanFallacy a flawed interpretation]] of fatalism. She was in fact, given every opportunity to absolve herself of the responsibility, but couldn't see beyond her own choices because she kept putting HonorBeforeReason first. Some people think that her outlook on life makes her character realistically flawed but interesting, while others see it as an irritating excuse to sympathize with a {{Wangst}}y teenage girl.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Yukio Washimine. While she's undeniably a BrokenBird for all the suffering she had to endure as the [[{{Ojou}} heiress to a yakuza clan, some consider her to be a StrawNihilist who justified her unwilling (or possibly willing) ascension to the clan's leadership]] through [[StrawmanFallacy a flawed interpretation]] of fatalism. She was in fact, given every opportunity to absolve herself of the responsibility, but couldn't see beyond her own choices because she kept putting HonorBeforeReason first. Some people think that her outlook on life makes her character realistically flawed but interesting, while others see it as an irritating excuse to sympathize with a {{Wangst}}y teenage girl.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Yukio Washimine. While she's undeniably a BrokenBird for all the suffering she had to endure as the [[{{Ojou}} heiress to a yakuza clan]], some consider her to be a StrawNihilist who justified her unwilling (or possibly willing) ascension to the clan's leadership]] through [[StrawmanFallacy a flawed interpretation]] of fatalism. She was in fact, given every opportunity to absolve herself of the responsibility, but couldn't see beyond her own choices because she kept putting HonorBeforeReason first. Some people think that her outlook on life makes her character realistically flawed but interesting, while others see it as an irritating excuse to sympathize with a {{Wangst}}y teenage girl.

** While the Spanish dub of the anime has a great cast and many terrifying performances, the script itself is wildly inconsistent, going from smart and well-translated to corny and unnatural-sounding (among other things, for mixing ClusterFBomb with GoshDangItToHeck in an awkward way). That the original dialogue often looks like the author is childishly boasting his knowledge of weapons and action film lore doesn't help.

* {{Narm}}: One of the episodes is titled "Rasta Blasta". It's way too ridiculous-sounding to take seriously.

* SpiritualLicensee: Before ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'', this has been considered the best manga and anime by Creator/QuentinTarantino.

* SpiritualLicensee: Before ''LightNovel/Baccano'', this has been considered the best manga and anime by Creator/QuentinTarantino.

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: Although the series itself is a tribute to the American "stupid action movies" of the 80s and 90s, it still has a very grim and depressive atmosphere of criminal films, which is clearly enjoyable on everything.

* CriticalResearchFailure:

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Especially in the earlier stages, although not as much in the anime. It's still very easy to not care about what happens to anyone since they're all jerks, evil or psychotic, {{Straw Nihilist}}s (or [[TheAntiNihilist Anti-Nihilists]], which is a change in the tune, but still is the same song) one and all, [[MotiveRant and love to talk about their reasons for being so at length to anybody who cares to listen]] (and to many who don't have any other option but hear it).

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Just who ''is'' Eda, really? Is she a goofy so-called nun [[spoiler:who only occasionally who takes her job as a CIA agent seriously]]? Or is she really [[spoiler:a cold, domineering mastermind whose appearance to others is merely a convincing deception]]? Whatever it is, she's definitely not who she appears to be.

* BetterThanCanon: Although it has its detractors as listed under BrokenBase, some people prefer the OVA ending for ''Roberta's Blood Trail'' for giving the Grey Fox unit a [[CurbstompCushion better showing]] against Roberta, [[spoiler: where in the manga, she [[GodModeSue murdered them all with a flintlock rifle without being injured at all]], and for its redemptive final scene where she [[spoiler: CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming meets the family of the Japanese man she killed, who forgive her for killing him.]]

** Regardless of how tragic the villain's fate is and how much you sympathize with him, this does not mean that he can be returned to the bright side andand make a good man out of him, if you do enough good for him.

** Yukio's family issues, her [[TheYakuza other family issues]], all the shit Chaka does to her, etc.

* {{Narm}}:
** Potentially lapses into this whenever Revy decides to go on a philosophical rant. [[spoiler:This is really just meant to show how pathetic and broken she's become as a result of [[DarkAndTroubledPast a very rotten life]]. Her words ring hollow to the viewers because ''she's'' become [[BreakTheCutie hollow]] and is simply justifying her own way of doing things. Rock, naturally, tries to set her straight. Seems to work as she [[CharacterDevelopment eventually stops ranting so much]].]]
** One of the episodes is titled "Rasta Blasta". It's way too ridiculous-sounding to take seriously.
* TheScrappy: Chaka made number one on a poll of "worst characters" in the manga. Yukio was also on this list, though she's more of a BaseBreaker.

** The dub had a bit of a resurgence in popularity [[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1zaqgz_my-little-pony-ties-with-black-lagoon_creation when many realized a lot of the voice cast had gone on to be in]] ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. This either makes it HilariousInHindsight or AccidentalNightmareFuel for fans who watched [=MLP:FiM=] ''before'' getting into Black Lagoon.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Shane Caxton refuses to give his men order to shoot Roberta when she attacks them. This is supposed to be a magnanimous gesture on his part: Feeling responsible for the death of Garcia's father, he intends to protect the life of another person Garcia cares about. Except this is also ''profoundly, terribly'' stupid. As a military commander, he is responsible for the lives of his men; neglectfully throwing away their lives like that is a legitimate cause for disobedience, if not outright mutiny. Furthermore, if all he wants to do is redeem himself in Garcia's eyes, then he could and should have just give up ''only'' himself. There is no need to involve his men.

* MoralEventHorizon: Anything Chaka does to Yukio Washimine would make him a grade-A asshole, but put it all together and you get this trope: kidapping, beating, stripping, plans to sell her into sex slavery and bragging about doing so to a "real sicko".

* ArcFatigue: The El Baile de la Muerte (a.k.a. Roberta's Blood Trail) arc. It lasted three and a half years and was comprised of so many [[ThePlan plans]] that even fans were getting confused and frustrated at the end. Even the author admitted the arc was dragging. Made worse by the fact that the series went into ''massive'' ScheduleSlip immediately after. There seems to be a consensus amongst fans that the anime adaptation of the arc overall handled it better by cutting and condensing it down quite a bit.

** Hansel and Gretel have a decent fanbase despite only appearing in three episodes.
*** Decent? Gretel placed first in a popularity polls with 2433 votes ( for comparaison the second Revy had 2411 and the third Balalaika "only" 1354 votes ) and their arc placed second for best arc.[[http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2014/07/05/fans-pick-favorite-black-lagoon-characer-and-storyline If you want to see for yourself]]