Reviews

Black Lagoon: Roberta’s Blood Trail


Black Lagoon - Robertas Blood Trail BoxartThe Lagoon Company returns for one more adventure, as the stakes reach their highest yet. Black Lagoon: Roberta’s Blood Trail finishes the story of Roberta, the fighting maid with that can serve a perfect tea and dispatch her rivals with equal parts grace and brutality. Uncomfortable truths will arise, and demons will be faced, as the Lagoon Company is dragged into their most deadly job yet!

In Venezuela, the Lovelace family stands as one of the country’s thirteen most prominent houses. Due to their political beliefs, though, the family fell upon difficult times. Colombian cartels began to besiege the Lovelace family with hopes that they’ll abandon the land. The family is prepared, though. Among their help is Roberta: a terrorist-turned-maid that’s willing to give her life for the family. In a former life, she was called the “Bloodhound of Florencia,” as she relentlessly sought and destroyed her targets with terrifying efficiency. Her priorities have changed since then, though. In her new life, Roberta has but one purpose: to protect and serve those who adopted her as one of their own. The Lovelace family is torn asunder when the head of the household is assassinated during a speech. The house was left without a master, and Roberta was left without a father figure once more. Vowing revenge, she takes up the mantle of the Bloodhound, and sets out to extract bloody revenge on each culprit. After a series of murders that take her across the globe, Roberta has but one last person to finish off: an American soldier stationed in a small town in Thailand.

Black Lagoon - Robertas Blood Trail 004In the town of Roanapur, rumblings echo through the bars and strongholds. Hushed voices speak of the coming of the Lovelace’s deadly maid, and the local powers are on high alert. The Colombians, the Italians, even Hotel Moscow and the Triads gather to figure out how to deal with the maid before she destroys the city or, even worse, drags the American military into their streets. With so much to lose, the groups are preparing for a war for survival. Meanwhile, young master Garcia Lovelace takes up residence in a Roanapur hotel. He approaches the Lagoon Company with a single request: to retrieve Roberta before grave consequences fall upon her.

From the outset, it’s clear that Roberta’s Blood Trail is far from the typical Black Lagoon tale. Rather than focus on the Lagoon Company or popular fixtures like Hotel Moscow and the Triads, the series opts to tell the story of Roberta and her pursuit of gory vengeance. She’s immediately drawn as a tragic figure, a gun-toting drone in a terrorist cell that found her purpose, only to have it brutally ripped away. Her grief fuels blood lust, which sets the stage for her transformation, from a doting housekeeper to a pill-popping psychopath with a slipping grasp on what is real and what is cruel illusion. The overall pacing of the series is slower than that of its predecessors, as more emphasis is given to building the characters and world than to the balls-to-the-wall battles that the franchise is known for. Characters like Revy, Mr. Chang, and even Eda of the Rip-off church are built up, as mysteries about certain organizations come to light, and Garcia is forced to face unsettling truths about reality.

Black Lagoon - Robertas Blood Trail 003Of course, this is still Black Lagoon. Hotel Moscow and the Triads make power plays for dominance in Roanapur, assassins rise from the woodwork to lay waste to their enemies, and Rock and Revy inevitably find themselves in the middle of a brewing war zone. Battles will erupt like bloody, well-choreographed dances, as bullets fly, and even the most unconventional forms of weaponry are deployed. Dry gallows humor is common, and one-liners always pop up at the perfect time to lighten the mood. The overall execution, the duality of Roberta’s tale and the rest of the world, is handled brilliantly through a tightly told narrative, and a truly effective use of the cast as a whole.

Black Lagoon - Robertas Blood Trail 001The title is tied together by a competent presentation that doesn’t break new ground, but certainly doesn’t disappoint. As one would expect, the visual style of the show doesn’t diverge wildly from its predecessors. Character designs follow the norms set by the show’s first two seasons, and the animation retains the same high standard that the franchise is known for. Few new background themes are introduced, though the show’s opener and closer are both fantastic additions to the title. The opener, Red Fraction – IO Remix – is a new take on the classic theme that infuses new energy while refusing the same energy as the original. Johnny Comes Marching Home is a rendition of the old war song. It’s a slow dirge that reinforces the foreboding tone of Roberta’s descent.

For fans of the franchise, Black Lagoon: Roberta’s Blood Trail is a treat. The series is offers a return to the city of Roanapur, with a tale that grows the world, and gives closure to a character that seemed to have that one last story to be told. The action is fast and fluid, and the entire series is told with a breathless excitement. The entire spectacle builds to a satisfying conclusion that, while satisfying, will leave viewers craving more.

About the author

Samantha Ferreira

Samantha Ferreira is Anime Herald’s founder and editor-in-chief. A Rhode Island native, Samantha has been an anime fan since 1992, and an active member of the anime press since 2002, when she began working as a reviewer for Anime Dream. She launched Anime Herald in 2010, and continues to oversee its operations to this day. Outside of journalism, Samantha actively studies the history of the North American anime fandom and industry, with a particular focus on the 2000s anime boom and bust. She’s a huge fan of all things Sakura Wars, and maintains series fansite Combat Revue Review when she has free time available. When not in the Anime Herald Discord, Samantha can typically be found on Bluesky.

Anime Herald

Support Anime Herald

Anime Herald is brought to you through our Patrons and Ko-fi supporters. Consider backing us for as little as $1 a month to help us keep the site ad-free and pay a fair rate to our writers.

Patrons and backers can access several benefits, including Early Article Access, our members-only Discord, and the ability to suggest articles for our team to write on your behalf.



Latest Posts

Columns

The Evolution of Abridged Anime Part 4 – No Screwing The Rules

Fears about legal ramifications were fairly common in the world of comedic anime fandubs, despite some arguing they might be protected under parody laws. Philip Sral of Sherbert Productions shared a story of how three fans caused a large amount of stress while trying to get a copy of one of their works by pretending […]

By Borealis Capps