Black Lagoon: Episode 10

“Your shoelace is untied.”

Roberta gently warns Revy of the unlaced boots. Revy gives her a look of suspicion yet the chiding remark caused a moment’s hesitation. Two-hands spies down her feet. The split second distraction earns Revy a powerful punch.

Ouch.

The Bloodhound mini-arc closes with an unexpected route. Balaika, the head of a Russian mafia interrupts the deadly game of tag. With the flair of a seasoned diplomat, she skillfully maneuvers the duelists toward an amicable settlement befitting two headstrong women. Revy and Roberta enter a ring-less boxing match. Balaika gives them a single rule: No weapons allowed. Needless, to say they pounded each other to their heart’s content.

Isn’t it wonderful to mesh violence and humour? Such scenes only solidify this fascination with Black Lagoon.

The dark tone of the first half smoothly progresses to a light-hearted second half. Balaika’s almost playful but commanding orders act as an important transition element. However, Roberta’s confession to her young master — while expected — is hardly praiseworthy. To give the kid a glimpse of her wounds is one thing but to show it in front of hardened pirates is another. I peg Roberta as someone who’d rather eat shards of glass than give away signs of weakness. If that was not uncomfortable enough, the lad spouts some sappy dialogue that doesn’t seem right for a child. I guess he is mature for his age. Or maybe it’s the subtitles. Or maybe there’s something about this master-servant pair that makes me squirm a little. Perhaps, it’s the images of Mahoromatic flashing in my brain.

Roberta’s appearance reiterates that Revy is not the biggest and baddest act in the underground world. While Revy is highly skilled in her job, she can be knocked down a peg or two.

I believe the next step will be a training montage. She’ll hone her skills and amplify her power and level up. Oh, wait. Wrong genre.

errata: As Lana pointed out, it should’ve been Balalaika not Balaika. Thanks, Lana.