Black Lagoon

True but I don't think that kind of thing is even common in say Quinton Tarantino films, which is obviously what Black Lagoon takes inspiration from (that and John Woo). Black Lagoon strikes me as sort of Hideo Kojima-esqe in how it can have silly things happening but still treat a lot of its events dead seriously. I was just trying to say 'inexplicability' is to a certain extent a part of Lagoon.

But hey, even Breaking Bad, which I often compared Lagoon too, had a lot of silly moments and elements.

You should really play Wolfenstein The New Order though, you'd really like it.

Also, Meant to post this earlier.

edited 8th Jun '14 9:51:58 AM by Scherzo09

Heh, reading the Novella made me think, I totally headcanon Revy as being a Switch.

Felt this video was apropos to the themes of the show:

I think even Revy, who claims most of the time to have a quasi-Existentialist outlook on the world, still acts in 'Bad Faith' to justify who she is. Though she has enjoyment over who she is through the pleasure in killing, and justifies it to an extent as being a form of integrity with her nature as a killer, she often times rejects the notion that who she became was the product of her own choices. This is clear in episode seven as well as her argument with Fabiola in the OVA, where she sees someone who was in similar circumstances as her but took a different path. I'd also say she overzealously equates the totality of her existence to her role as a killer, when in reality there is more to her than that, whether she'd like to admit it or not.

edited 10th Jun '14 12:21:15 AM by Scherzo09

wait wait wait magic? Black Lagoon never goes full out supernatural even at its most insane, it always stays in "Hollywood plausible"(like Ginji's bullet cut, hansel/gretle handling those huge guns with ease) which is part of its appeal. But straight up magic just seems like cheating and kind of ruins it.

Shadow Falcon is entirely Hollywood-Plausible. Go watch Batman Begins or Ninja Assassin.

Yeah I read more of it and I see how it's hilarious. His ninja techniques are complete bullshit, his sheer willpower and strength are what make them work.

Truly he is a man of admirable character. And, at the same time, a complete moron.

Anyways my point is that as much as Revy has existentialist truisms put in her mouth that we're expected to consider true of the setting, I don't think she's really come to terms with who she is. It's easier for her to view herself as a 'bad' person rather than to admit to her own capacity for compassion.

Also would you say it's fair to say that Balalaika putting down Stan was actually kind of a compassionate Mercy Kill?

Also I like that it's basically a prequel to the Tokyo arc.

edited 10th Jun '14 12:14:44 PM by Scherzo09

It is indeed a very compassionate thing to do. The poor bugger.

I guess my question to you is, do you think Revy's perspective, or any of Roanapur's killers perspectives, are 'better' than Rock's? Though I think Revy has a lot of salient existentialist points, I don't think she's as comfortable with herself as claims to be (not over the killing, mind you, but over ownership of who she has become as well as her emotional vulnerabilities).

She's really Not So Different from Hansel and Gretel in that regard. I wonder if, with time, she'd develop the way Miyamoto Musashi did...

edited 10th Jun '14 12:52:29 PM by TheHandle

What do you mean? I don't think she thinks she'll live forever if she keeps killing.

No, but she likes killing people for its own sake, to the point where she can become an uncontrolled beast of pointless slaughter. And she especially enjoys the life-or-death, kill-or-be-killed situations where her power is...

Yes but I think she does compartmentalize to a certain extent; she creates a space where she can act on her bloodlust while simultaneously creating a space where she can act as a relatively normal human being. Anyways what I was getting at is that Revy is 'not' a Complete Monster as much as she might prefer herself to be; she does care about other people and I think, on some dim, distant level, regrets what she has become and that manifests by her trying to keep Rock out of her level.

Its kinda funny that Gen and Rei shit on modern US A Rs in the interview at the end of the story, when Hiroe would go on to fetishize the tactikewl Delta Squad from Ballade de los Muertos.

How many chapters y'all think this arc will run? At the rate things are going I'd think there'd need to be another 9-10. I also don't see how the stuff with the Sicilians has to do with the Xinlin yet. And honestly what exactly is going on strikes me as needlessly convoluted.

After the involvement of America and the CIA in Roberta's arc, I'm wondering if this is the beginning of another equally huge arc involving China.

edited 13th Jun '14 1:00:06 AM by ashnazg

Already had one.

I think he's referring to the current arc anyways.

Also why is Fabiola hated so much? A lot of people treat her like a cunt for trying to argue with Revy in the OVA; but I think she really stood her ground there. To me the point is that those who choose to be righteous in spite of the world and those who choose to be monsters aren't either inherently better than the other as long as they have an integrity to their actions.

Stealing an idea from the Gundam thread, but given the fact Revy actually has a killing mixtape, what do y'all think's on it? Urobuchi has her listening to Rage Against The Machine in the novel, for example.

I dunno, I bet it's something silly.

Bee Gees

edited 20th Jun '14 7:50:20 AM by LeGarcon

If it includes Flight Of The Valkyries, shoot her.

Are you in that much hurry to die?

Rage Against The Machine is perfect for her. So is Public Enemy.

I was thinking 'X is gonna give it to ya', as well as 'Power' by Kanye West. Maybe 'No Church In The Wild' too.