Anime Review : Black Lagoon

By Hel

Review:

Short tempered, violent, founded and smart are the characters in Black Lagoon, episodic is the plot. Or, the plot is simply different from what you might expect of an action based anime: Following and portraing the Lagoon company, a group of four members, who carries out different illegal jobs, like shipping things or humans, if the payment is right. 

Not much reasoning, explaining and backviews are trying to excuse the behaviour of those four. The anime doesnt attempt to make the audicence feel pityfull for the indeed tragic fate some of the characters have to or had to endure. But it also doesnt try to idealize a life of a modern pirat. It is simply showing.

This is one reason why I like the anime a lot, although there isnt a main plot, which keeps you watching. Of course I also like the action. The anime is violent, but it still isnt an homage at spending the blood of others without limit or in other words, it didnt cross the border to gore.

These two seasons, Black Lagoon and Black Lagoon: The seconde Barrge, dont really show any other difference than that the titles of the episodes got longer. Both contain smaller stories around the Lagoon company.

I've also seen 'Black Lagoon Omake', which is a special of 7 short episodes, between 1 and 5 minutes long, that shows the characters in funny and complet different situations.

Now airing is 'Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail'. An OVA, which is about the character Roberta, who had an appearance in one of the missions the Lagoon company carried out in the first anime.

Info:
Animes: Black Lagoon (12 episodes); Black Lagoon: The seconde Barrage (12 episodes); Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail (OVA, 5 episodes); Black Lagoon Omake (7 episodes)
Genres: action, drama, psychological
Themes: girls with guns, pirates, terrorists

(adapted from Black Lagoon Manga created by HIROE Rei)

Some screen shots from this anime:

Manga Review : Code Breaker

By Safat

Plot:

Sakurakouji Sakura is a girl who appears modest and graceful but in reality is skilled in martial arts. After witnessing a boy burning people with his blue flame, she is startled to see that the same boy is a transfer student, Ogami Rei. Ogami is a Code Breaker, one who "does not exist". He is a seemingly cold-blooded killer who follows the principle of "an eye for an eye", to "use evil against evil". Convinced that killing is not right, Sakurakouji sets out to stop him and penetrate his icy heart.

Thoughts:
For Code Breaker, this started off with some of the cliche things like having a strong female lead, and cold-blooded male. Everybody would have guessed that the male lead will sooner or later be influenced and have emotions. However, I will say that the mangaka has his own unique way in developing the plot.

If you had to compare Code Breaker to any other manga series it would be Death Note. Both have main male protagonists who seek justice against the criminal element that threatens society and both do it in a deadly fashion that turns them into judge, jury and executioner all in one youthful package

Awesome art and fighting scene. It has one of the most important point for a good shounen.
Fine plot twist moments and good humor.
A board and nice settings of characters.
Friendship between the characters is consider quite touching and admirable. The mystery pasts, between the characters, make the manga even more anticipating and exciting.

The story becomes much more interesting as it proceeds....So a word of

advise: Don't give it up!

Manga Information:

Genre: Action Comedy Martial Arts Mystery Romance School Life Shounen Supernatural 
Author: Kamijyo Akimine
Start Date: June 16, 2008
Status: Running
Chapters so far: 126

Some screen shots from this manga: