(L) Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage

[questmark]

Originally Posted by MrProphet

OK, let's say they wait. It then boils down to math.

All your arguments are sound, MrProphet. However, math's a funny thing. See, if I take the first season, which covered 17 chapters only, and subtract the seven that haven't been animated, I'm only left with 10 more chapters needed. That'd be about a year to a year and a half, including production. Basically-- three 4-ep arcs in essence. And some shows do eventually get their second season-- look at Emma. I'll have waited almost two years to get the second 12 ep season of that, and yet, here it is, coming along this Spring-- and it's about a victorian romance involving a maid no less!! Not really super marketable, super profitable stuff. Or, now that the impossible fact of Hellsing being re-animated has occured for fans of that show, there will always be eternal hope in the hearts of all anime fans that sequels and re-adaptations can occur. Which is sad, really, because that show's such an anomaly.

MrProphet, you are a pragmatist, I take it. I can't fault you on that-- you've got history on your side. The truth is, you're probably right. I, however, sadly, am an optimist. Does that mean I eternally have the future on my side though? :P

Also-- just saw the raw for 23. There's some subpar animation, don't get me wrong, but I thought they did a pretty good job of covering it up as much as they could. They picked their scenes to improve, and focused on giving detail to the emotional closeups. You can see the noticeable difference in quality. I guess if I had a choice, I might've picked an earlier ep to screw with, but atleast the last one should be good quality animation. I'd prefer to go out with a bang. I hate it when productions are badly planned, and the quality severely drops at the end of a show.

I'm very interested to get the details of Rock and Bala's "conversation"-- it was very tense, and good viewing, even if I don't speak "no stinkin' Japanese." Also, the Engrish quotient was completely gone. A relief. ::sigh:: Thought the scene with the kids in the park again was well done as well-- fascinating to note that they obviously did the shot of the cans being riddled with bullet holes while flying through the air inhouse in Japan. It came across very well. For once, I really felt like Rock and Revy were on the same page.

Eager for the sub, and the final raw. !! Good viewing!!

[flosduellatorum]

What MrP says sounds logical.
Looks like we will have to buy the manga if we wanna continue with it. Different medium though.
Best way to make it happen is for one of us to fly to japan, obtain a firearm and find where Mr Rei Hiroe lives. Kidnap him, put him in a dungeon and force him to draw as many episodes of BL as fast as he can, or else we'll pop his head like a melon.
But seriously, great work, Rei. Enjoyed every moment of it. Will buy your DVD and your manga. Hope you find your Revy in your personal life, and have further success in your career.
Cheers.

[Deathbringer_37]

I agree with questmark, in fact i was going to mention both Emma (that´s going to have the rest of the manga animated) and Hellsing (that´s going to have the manga completely animated) as he did before i saw his posts, let´s also not forget the ridiculously famous Evangelion that´s getting 4 new movies.
Math aside, if a manga has enough fanbase, there´s always the possibility of getting the whole original story animated and every volume of Black Lagoon so far has hit the top 10 list of most selled mangas when it came out, the list changes every week of course but that´s already telling you something.

[Varis]

eh, don't bet on it... Saint Seiya got it's hades arc many many many years after it stopped airing. You never know when you get more of your favorite stuff later on.

[Deathbringer_37]

Yeah, how the hell did i forgot Saint Seiya.

[MrProphet]

With all due respect to Rei Hiroe, but Black Lagoon isn't nearly in the Hellsing, Evangelion or even Saint Seiya rank of popularity. Not even close.

[Deathbringer_37]

And Emma?

Still, i wouldn´t scratch a possible third season just yet.

[kauldron26]

its very hard to get into a manga, if u were watching the anime first. The transition from colored pictures in motion to black and white static sort of kills whatever feelings i have. Berserk is my number 3 favorite anime, and i kept on hearing about the manga and when i finally started reading it i started losing interest because it just wasnt as expressive and catharthic as it was in the anime. Especially the action scenes. The same applies to tenjou tenge, naruto, and bleach. Mangas are great if the story and characters are the main focus. But Action just doesnt transition well, unless u were introduced through the manga before the anime. After seeing the amazingly flowing action in tenjou tenge reading the manga was ridiculously boring. I probably wont read the manga of Black Lagoon because i dont want the love i have for the characters and the series to disipitate.

[MrProphet]

What about Emma? It magically produces new chapters of Black Lagoon? It makes Black Lagoon ratings go up? 8)

It's about maids, for God's sake...

[Cal-Reflector]

About the marketability of Black Lagoon: To be brutally honest, the main selling point of Black Lagoon seems to be how badass its female ensemble is, and badass hasn't become The Next Moe yet. Let us analyze the main female characters and their appeals towards the biggest contributors towards the anime industry; Japanese otakus.

Revy: Skimpy clothes and real fine body, but wonder of all wonders we're too mesmerized by her grin (some would call it beautiful) as she piles up the body count. Personally, I am not drawn towards her in the conventional-male-instinct way.

Balalaika: Her former self, the blonde loli, would probably sell better than her present manifestation. The scarred gaijin mob-lady who has more balls than her pack of angry muscle and zero sex appeal within the story (because everyone, including the women, are terrified of her). No go.

Roberta: A maid! with Glasses! in Uniform! Surely this one's figurines will fly off the shelves; can't go wrong with maid in glasses, the two surest moes in the industry, can we (see Emma, by Kaoru Mori)? Well, aside from the fact that her biceps are tougher than Dutch's, and her maid uniform covers everything, and her looks can kill, and she's the T1000... yeah. I love Roberta, but not like that.

Shenhua: She's hot, its true, and the way the curves on her knives matches her own is a legitimate turn on. Chinese dress helps. Problem? Screen time, and no Rock to create sexual tension with and inspire audience imaginations.

Gretel: This might be a winner, strangely enough (but they're all strange). Judging by the blogger responses, the Twins certainly made quite an impression; the manga omakes reinforce their cute image. Can be sold in two versions, moe, or twisted-incestuous nasty. Market forces will decide which goes.

Now we get into the characters less likely to get their chance at becoming figurines:

Jane: She's kinda plane, pun intended, but its true. We see her panties though, but that doesn't make up for minor plot involvement. Plus she kissed Benny, which I'm guessing wouldn't go well with the average Otaku... or would it?

Eda: No fanservice, big boisterous attitude, nah.

Yuki: She may well sell the best, conflicted Yamato nadescio, traditional long-haired school uniformed katana-wielding *spoiler!* glasses wearing mob-boss-daughter. If only her fanservice took place in a less violent and tension filled context, she'd be a winner.

Conclusion: Da Capo, awful show though I think it is, sells more products than Black Lagoon, most likely.

Solution for industry: Make dating game out of Black Lagoon to sell more products.

[MrProphet]

Black Lagoon is a very... Western-oriented show. It was probably meant to do a lot better in North America, which is one of the reasons it says Geneon USA in the credits.

[Firefly00]

Originally Posted by Cal-Reflector

About the marketability of Black Lagoon: To be brutally honest, the main selling point of Black Lagoon seems to be how badass its female ensemble is, and badass hasn't become The Next Moe yet. Let us analyze the main female characters and their appeals towards the biggest contributors towards the anime industry; Japanese otakus...

Badass might not become 'The Next Moe' (whether it even should is a debate I will purposely avoid), but I can see BL figures/dioramas/etc. (even the video game idea I'd mentioned) being welcomed among the same folks who like Todd McFarlane's creations and their ilk. Otaku are hardly a monolithic entity, after all.
On a related note, I dread what would happen if someone who'd really annoyed the Punisher thought hiding in Roanpur a good idea...

[T.V.]

Originally Posted by MrProphet

Black Lagoon is a very... Western-oriented show. It was probably meant to do a lot better in North America, which is one of the reasons it says Geneon USA in the credits.

Although I agree with your assesment that it is unlikely that BL will get a 3rd season, I also believe success in the US could have an impact on the chances of a sequel or spin off coming to fruition.
And since BL:TSB will feature an "anime original" ending, an "anime original" sequel might not be a strange idea, depending on the ending of course.

One of the more peculiar examples I find City Hunter/Angel Heart.
City Hunter aired in 1987, while it took until 2005 before the spin off/sequel Angel Heart appeared.

This is still the exception to the rule though, but I wouldn't yet completely dismiss the idea of a follow on series.
If it ends with a bang though, I won't mind it lasting 'only' 2 seasons.

And if they'd really want to treat the fanbase, they might pull off a movie, like Cowboy Bebop.
Though BL is possibly not nearly as groundbreaking and popular as CB, perhaps.

[Deathbringer_37]

Originally Posted by MrProphet

What about Emma? It magically produces new chapters of Black Lagoon? It makes Black Lagoon ratings go up? 8)

It's about maids, for God's sake...

What the...we were talking about the popularity of these shows.

Way to burst the bubble there.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by Cal-Reflector

Jane: She's kinda plain, pun intended, but its true. We see her panties though, but that doesn't make up for minor plot involvement. Plus she kissed Benny, which I'm guessing wouldn't go well with the average Otaku... or would it?

I always saw Benny as the character designed for otaku self-reference. He's cool with computers, etc. Rock's too handsome and starts out as a salaryman. Dutch is too, well, black. I didn't think Jane was that bad-looking either; I like girls with glasses. But I'd agree she doesn't score high on the moe quotient, so if that's what matters then I guess she's out of the running if we're trying to scope out the figurine market. I doubt she'd show up on any of Yamazaki's (from NHK) bookshelves.

[Cal-Reflector]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

I always saw Benny as the character designed for otaku self-reference. He's cool with computers, etc. Rock's too handsome and starts out as a salaryman. Dutch is too, well, black. I didn't think Jane was that bad-looking either; I like girls with glasses. But I'd agree she doesn't score high on the moe quotient, so if that's what matters then I guess she's out of the running if we're trying to scope out the figurine market. I doubt she'd show up on any of Yamazaki's (from NHK) bookshelves.

Ah, someone who took my last post even half-seriously! Now, who wants to speculate on in the event of a Black Lagoon dating game, which girl you would choose to go after first?

I forsee a wealth and variety of Bad Ends and very few Good Ends.

[questmark]

Originally Posted by MrProphet

What about Emma? It magically produces new chapters of Black Lagoon? It makes Black Lagoon ratings go up? 8)

It's about maids, for God's sake...

I think the point of bringing up Emma is that it is an example of a show that's going to get a second season 2 years after it originally aired, despite the fact that it isn't in that "Eva, Tenchi, Saint Seiya" realm that you were speaking of. Basically, it's an example of a show that might be comparable to Black Lagoon in popularity, if not subject matter, and yet it still got a second season quite a while after-- it's sort of "the exception that proves the rule", but to an optimist, it gives hope.

That's "what about".

[T.V.]

Originally Posted by Cal-Reflector

Ah, someone who took my last post even half-seriously! Now, who wants to speculate on in the event of a Black Lagoon dating game, which girl you would choose to go after first?

I forsee a wealth and variety of Bad Ends and very few Good Ends.

Instead of ending up as a lonely perv, you'll end up chainsawed to fit a shoebox?

[Deathkillz]

ep 23...
cliffhanger! i soo want to see gin vs revy lets see how many bullets he can slice appart...

as for the ep...balalika is one cold hearted b***h O.o all the things that rock has done for her and she still wouldnt have hesitated to shoot him if he annoyed her...i mean wow the tension was soo thick you can cut it with a knife

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Cal-Reflector

Now, who wants to speculate on in the event of a Black Lagoon dating game, which girl you would choose to go after first?

You need to understand that not everyone is looking at the females of this show like a slice of meat. They're the type of characters from me get a lot of respect - looking at them like another selection of females isn't something i can agree with.