Fast paced and bloody, the opening salvo of The Second Barrage is like a hard punch to the gut.  Anyone who's seen the first season knows that Black Lagoon is not known for sweetness and light.  It's violent and darkly funny, with fascinating interactions between its characters.  The second season, however, opens with a hard hit of violence and almost inhuman crime.  There's little relief to be had until the fourth and final episode on the dvd signals a return to the familiar macho, romanticized life in the lawless city of Roanapur. 

Rokuro Okajima was once a typical Japanese businessman.  Swallowing his pride and giving up his sense of self, he allowed the company to become his life, with the vague dream of maybe, one day, all his hard work would pay off in a nice, cushy management position.  Instead, he is sent on a trip to Southeast Asia to deliver what turns out to be a highly sought-after disk.  When modern-day pirates hijack his ship, relieve him of the disk, and then take him hostage, Rokuro's world is irrevocably changed.  Perhaps he was never intended for a soulless corporate existence.  Maybe he needs something...more.

Nearly a year later, and still insisting on wearing his shirt and tie to "work," Rock, formerly Rokuro, has found an uneasy but welcome place as a criminal in training with the Lagoon Company.  Sheltered and fairly innocent to the harsher ways of the world--except through his vast knowledge of movies, which mounts a big, flashing neon sign on his lack of experience--Rock contrasts rather sharply with the other members of the company.  Intelligent and wise, their leader, Dutch, and their laid-back tech guru, Benny, shake their heads and accept Rock as he is.  Mostly.  However, Rock unintentionally challenges the worldview of Revy, a woman who has spent her life on the streets and lost any innocence a long time ago.  They go round and round, searching for a certain understanding and balance that makes for a strange, tense relationship.  As the second season opens, Rock meets an unexpected situation that once again highlights the difference between him and his coworkers.     

The first season hinted at crimes against humanity with the Neo-Nazi story arc and references to drug cartels selling kidnap victims, but with the first three episodes of the second season, hints give way to a disturbing, yet horrifically compelling storyline of two very young assassins.  Like a cable TV-version of Law & Order: SVU on crack, Black Lagoon pulls out the kiddie porn, snuff films, and its own version of the supernatural.  The first intimation of the supernatural invoked a knee-jerk reaction of a sigh of exasperation and an eye roll, at least until a unique explanation brings certain beliefs to light.  The giggling in the background gets irritating, although the idea of creepy young people invokes Stanley Kubrick's vision of The Shining.  Violence is heightened by the fact that these acts involve ones so young, and the episodes, which begin darkly enough, just spiral down into a world most of us would rather not contemplate.  I was practically in tears by the end of the story arc, wondering, much like Rock, how humans can be so cruel. 

Unlike much of the series, where violence is played for humor, the violence in these episodes is visceral, and makes a strong point about the young assassins.  An example of the former occurs in the first season when Revy encounters a Venezuelan maid who is surprisingly well-armed.  Amidst the destruction, she states in awe, "Dutch, I know what I want for Christmas," a line that made me laugh, rewind the dvd, and watch the scene again.  Not so much with season two.  It was a relief to see that this particular storyline was not romanticized as much as the others or glossed, and it makes a gut-wrenching point about the contrast between innocence and experience, and the point at which a person might no longer be redeemed.   

While the first three episodes on the dvd present a heavy story that is guaranteed to stick with the viewer for days, the fourth episode lightens the mood considerably with the beginning of a new storyline involving counterfeit money.  A welcome return to the familiarity of quick banter, short tempers, and way too many trigger-happy individuals, this episode is a relief.  When a counterfeiter on the run turns to the Ripoff Church for help, both Revy and the nuns try to cash in on her predicament.  The best part of the episode, however, has nothing to do with the plot, and involves a conversation between Revy and one of the nuns, Eda, over what Jesus would take with him while shepherding souls through the Valley of Death.  Conversations like this is one of the reasons why I like the series so very much.

Thankfully, there is no real difference between the animation of the first and second seasons.  Action is clean and smooth, and the many explosions are most impressive.  Detailed backgrounds and well-designed characters bring a sense of realism to an over-the-top action series.  The palette for the assassin storyline is appropriately dark, and the assassins in question are, for lack of a better word, creepy.  The darkness of their costumes and the rainy nights contribute greatly to the atmosphere, as does the return to the more familiar bright blues and humid sunshine of the Southern seas near the end, creating a nice visual contrast. 

It should also be noted that the English dub is very decent and follows the subtitled translation closely.  The only notable difference is the hugely increased saltiness of the language in the English version.  It is unclear why that change was made, but it's not the first time it's happened in a dub, and it certainly won't be the last.  In this case, the language isn't necessarily out of place, though.

In spite of the possibility of being scarred for life by the first part of the dvd, it's worth watching.  Black Lagoon is a series I'd consider buying.  It's so over-the-top, and yet intelligent enough that it would make an excellent addition to my collection.  The relationships and interactions between the characters are interesting, and there's nothing quite like good old action and adventure.  Perhaps, in some ways, we're all a little like Rock, and wouldn't mind exchanging the comfortable, our complacency, for a bit of discomfort and uncertainty.  Are you where you really belong?

A note: Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage is rated TV-MA for a very, very good reason.  Violence, blood, and adult themes run throughout.  Send the kids to bed before popping in this one.

Details: Runtime 100 minutes, contains episodes 13-16.  Scanty extras include Geneon previews, which are only useful for the series that have been licensed by FUNimation, and dvd credits.  The box comes with a reversible jacket featuring Revy and Eda on the flip side.