1/5 An amazing show indeed, but...
  by T. Coleman
In stereo only?! I purchased the first season a while back when Geneon still sold their products in America and the first run had DTS surround for the English track! Funimation then repackage this and removes that?!

One star for this abortion of such a great show, you will never know how truly awesome this show is if all you do is watch this version.

4/5 The Complete Funimation Release At Last
  by ONENEO (Buffalo, NY)
For many fans of the franchise, it is incredible news that Funimation has decided to assemble the full previously Geneon-exclusive property and release it as a complete series box set.

Black Lagoon is one of those rare anime titles that manage to combine a near endless succession of violence and gunplay with a gritty back-story that provides far more than just a catalyst to advance the action-sequences along. Thanks to collaboration between Geneon Entertainment and Funimation, the Black Lagoon series is one of several titles in which while Geneon retains the license, Funimation holds the rights to the manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution in North America.

In terms of the Black Lagoon mythos, The Complete Box Set represents the full two-season run of the anime, which was itself based on a manga written and illustrated by Rei Hiroe.

Released across eight discs (thin packs) and packaged within a cardboard outer slipcase, The Complete Box Set consists of episodes 1-24. Bonus discs are loaded with a host of interesting material including the show's Promo Video, "Red Faction" music video (performed by MELL), a behind the scenes documentary on the English production, an interview with director Sunao Katabuchi, textless opening and closings, and Funimation trailers. The show comes in at a total runtime of 660 minutes and wears a very appropriate TV MA (mature, 17+) rating.

Language options are standard sub & dub with both an English dub and original Japanese soundtrack (either of which is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0) & the choice of English subtitled if so inclined to turn them on.

The show, for those who have yet to experience it, has a distinctly Asian-movie quality about it. While graphic violence segments are often retained from the manga source material, the core of the show's uniqueness comes in the form of spectacular feats of physical display during the intense and frequently occurring battles. Think slow-motion back handsprings to avoid a stream of dangerously spinning blades ala John Woo.

Fantastic visuals aside, the story shows several moments of gang-driven brilliance throughout. Rather than focus on a single character's trials and tribulations, the Black Lagoon saga is known for its penchant for popping around on several seemingly disconnected story arcs, which are ultimately tied together pretty nicely. The first season introduced viewers to the Lagoon Company, which was essentially a band of mercenaries who smuggled goods in and around the waterfronts of Southeast Asia in the 1990s. As expected with a group of pirates, the team were often placed into a wide variety of scenarios which included violent firefights, hand-to-hand combat (with gleaming blades a plenty), and nautical battles that would, of late, fit right in on the headlines of the news. When not involved in death-defying blood baths, the members of Lagoon Company could often be found scheming on the stools of The Yellow Flag, a shady bar in Roanapur.

I bring up events of the past because the first season made it quite clear that while Lagoon Company does business with a wide variety of clients from many nations, they are particularly friendly relationship with a Russian crime syndicate by the name of Hotel Moscow. The Second Barrage sets up the story of a string of disturbing murders taking place where twin killers appear to be targeting members of Hotel Moscow.

Without giving too much away, the plot this time around follows three story threads that delicately dance around one another but all progress toward the greater goal of getting to the bottom of the string of murders in question.

Often criticized for its violent content and heavy existentialistic-themes, the truth about Black Lagoon is that true enjoyment is often the result of zoning out and simply enjoying the nearly endless and incredibly cool action segments (one guy can slice a fired bullet in two with a swipe of his katana- it doesn't get cooler than that).

English dub work is solid although the emotion and intensity level is superior in the original Japanese soundtrack. The only problem with viewing the subtitled version is that reading the text can often distract from the lightening-fast action taking place at any given moment.

In all, Black Lagoon The Complete Box Set is a welcomed release of a well-regarded franchise with enough new twists and turns to keep viewers (both experienced and new to the show alike) glued to the set. It's not for everyone, however, as the show is littered with adult-themes, violence, and gore.

Fans of action-driven story telling, scantily clad women with big guns, and action sequences that are often superior to big-budget Hollywood feature films, reserve a space on your shelf for Black Lagoon. An extra star for Funimation's decision to slap it all together into an 8-disc volume (6 discs plus 2 worth of bonus material) all for a little more than the individual seasons have been selling for.