Black Lagoon: Roberta`s Blood Trail

“The greatest crimes are caused by surfeit, not by want. Men do not become tyrants so as not to suffer cold.” – Aristotle.

The first two TV series of Black Lagoon are rather fun, and certainly pretty violent. In this five-part OVA we see the return of one of the most memorable secondary characters: the ultra-violent maid and former assassin Roberta.

At the start of the story, Roberta’s master, the head of the Colombian Cartel, is killed by a group of American soldiers. This brews up the violent urges in Roberta as she returns to her “Bloodhound” persona and decides to track down and kill all of these soldiers as an act of revenge. And these soldiers are making their way to Roanapur, resulting in more chaos coming to a crime-ridden town that that is already chaotic. 

The Lagoon Company is contacted by the new boss of the cartel, the young boy Garcia, who asks them to track down Roberta and bring her safely back. Salaryman Rock decides to take up the job, against the wishes of boss Dutch. Rock, along with help from Revy and friends, try to come up with a plan. However, Roberta is in such a bloody haze that she has seemingly gone insane with violence.

The black humour seems to have made way more for action in this series. There are several sequences in this OVA collection that make you wince in pain. A new character, junior maid Fabiola, arrives at the Yellow Flag bar, scene of many a battle in Black Lagoon, and, sure enough, things kick off. Indeed, the kicking results in the stabbing, as she has a hidden blade in her thick-soled shoes which she uses to stab someone in a place that no man wants to be stabbed in. 

There is also the usual undercurrent plot in this collection, which is the battle between the various rival organisations in Roanapur, especially the Russian mafia branch Hotel Moscow, the Hong Kong Triads, and the fore-mentioned Colombian Cartel. The plot seems to weave all of these groups together pretty well, while keeping Roberta and the central Lagoon characters at the heart of the action.

This collection of episodes should please those who are already fans of the series. While the comedy might be lacking, the action will keep you gripped.