[...] just finished watching Geneon’s Black Lagoon volume two. Earlier, I compared the series to the 80’s television show ‘The A-Team’. I’m revising that comparison after finishing this [...]

Also, look for all the homages you can find in this series – part of the fun’s looking for where the manga-ka (and then the series animators) have put in tributes to other movies.

Regarding Russians, I’ll have to check out a few more episodes. Sounds like they fit into the big picture more than in the first four eps.

mochi – Sounds like things really take off in the second season!

Note: mild spoilers follow…

In addition to the action, I liked the show’s existential feel, which really is accentuated in the second season. Also, as Haesslich has mentioned, you will get a lot of the Russians’ background in the second season as well. As for the first season, be on the lookout for the arc which features the “combat maid”…the Russians have a small, somewhat amusing (if a bit sadistic) role and you will learn a little more about their history.

And as far as subs versus dubs go – there’s an arc in the second season which has Balalaika speaking English with someone else translating it for her… which means a lot of Engrish all around. Granted, the characters are supposed to be speaking English the whole time, but they actually went out and did the Engrish route with the seiyuu reading out her lines like something out of Moe-tan. With very mixed results; it was understandable, but that’s all that I can say about it.

I wonder how the dubs will handle that – will she be speaking in Japanese?

Also, that’s when we get to see a bit MORE of Rock – which is a good thing in this case, since we don’t get much of his background, and a few more scraps of his own show up there.

Anne Packrat – Overall, I’m about 50/50 when it comes to the dub/sub issue. I like to pick on both of them from time to time. ^_^

Chris – Thanks! Yeah those two series (Basilisk and Ergo Proxy) are great ones. In terms of Russian mob vs. Yakuza, I think the Russians almost always turn out more ‘cartoony’.

Rae – Thanks. Yeah, the whole Hellsing thing kinda changed my perception of the show a little.

And yah, I never really enjoy plots involving Russian mobsters. Dunno. Maybe Yakuza stories tend to be better fleshed out?