If you really like Manga then Black Lagoon is right up your alley, it has all the action you could ever need. The story and art is done by a guy named Rei Hiroe and while it can be a little hard to follow at times the story is pretty solid. It all starts with a guy named Rokuro getting punched in the face, after that it’s all out action and comedy for the rest of the book.

Poor Rokuro, also known as Rock picked a bad day to come to work and ends up kidnapped behind his employer’s shady business dealings. When Rock is left out to dry by his bosses he decides that the life of a courier was the one for him. That’s right folks it’s a tale of Stockholm syndrome to be certain as Rock goes from victim to cast member right before your very eyes. He joins Dutch the boss, Benny, Revy Two Hand and a host of others on an adventure that will have them fighting from the ocean to the tavern and everywhere in between.

Rock’s character is easily my favorite, mostly because he’s an average Joe thrown into an impossible situation. How he handles things works for the story and makes the adventure that much more rewarding. Not everyone in a story has to be a perfect fighter or martial arts expert, that gets kind of old. No, Rock doesn’t have a special ability to speak of; he’s just along for the ride and taking in the adventure.

Revy Two Hand is the team’s gun, and mostly likely the peoples favorite character, she’s a tough talking booze hound with a short temper kind of like Nick Nolte in those 48 hour movies. Not only does she provide most of the action, she’s also chief when it comes to the humorous aspects of the book which are frequent but well placed all the same.

Dutch and Benny are support players at best as the story focuses more on the development of Rock and Revy. Dutch is ultra cool under pressure and gets great dialogue throughout the story, but ultimately is still a mystery. Benny is like Scotty from Star Trek but not so much, he has a few lines here or there but is really a background character.

The pacing of the book is fast and you will find yourself powering through it at an unbelievable clip, once you get into this collection you won’t be able to put it down. When you see the action shots you’ll be blown away at how well the action get conveyed, the fights are wild and chaotic just like you would expect in a good action movie.

In the end all I have left to say is that Black Lagoon is an awesome collection of stories that fans of Manga shouldn’t do without.

Crave Online Rating: 8 out of 10