Ep 1. The Black Lagoon

In the first episode of Black Lagoon's first season, titled "The Black Lagoon," we are introduced to Rokuro Okajima, the show's protagonist. Okajima is a young businessman who works for Asahi Industries, a company that hires him to transport a valuable disk to a client in Roanapur, a fictional city located in Thailand. Along the way, Okajima meets a crew of modern-day pirates who run the Black Lagoon, a torpedo boat, who attack his businesses and hold him hostage in order to extort the disk he is transporting.

The crew of the Black Lagoon consists of four members, including the captain Dutch, a Vietnam war veteran; Benny, a computer expert who plays an important role in the hijacking; and the show's two female leads, Revy and Balalaika. Revy, also known as Rebecca Lee, is the trigger happy gunfighter and fighter of the crew, with a dark past that is revealed throughout the series. Balalaika is a Russian-born crime boss who heads her own organization, the Hotel Moscow, and is the leader of another group of pirates in town.

Okajima quickly learns that he is in a world completely different from his own after being abducted by the Black Lagoon crew. They are an incredibly ruthless bunch and offer Okajima, who has no practical skills or experience with this new crime lifestyle, the chance to join them in their pirate mission to deliver the disk. With no other choice, Okajima reluctantly agrees to help them, hoping that they will keep him alive long enough to go back home.

The first episode of Black Lagoon is violent and chaotic, showcasing the crude humor and gritty realism that build the show's atmosphere. The Black Lagoon's "captors" are a brutal bunch, swearing frequently and making obscene remarks while using Okajima as their pawn to advance their interests. The tone is gritty and realistic, with expertly choreographed action sequences, engaging dialogue, and a fast-paced plot that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.

The episode's climax comes when the Black Lagoon is ambushed by a group of hired mercenaries who attack them on the open sea. In a tense battle, the Black Lagoon crew must fend off relentless gunfire while commandeering their ship into open waters, all while keeping Okajima alive and the valuable disk in their possession. The episode ends with the Black Lagoon in peril as the mercenaries continue their pursuit, leaving viewers with a cliffhanger that will undoubtedly lead them to watch the rest of the series.

In conclusion, "The Black Lagoon" is a fascinating first episode that sets the tone for the entire series. It showcases the show's macho, hard-boiled approach while also introducing us to the show's fascinating characters and showcasing some of the explosive action that makes Black Lagoon such an interesting and unique anime. While brutal and unapologetically violent, Black Lagoon's premiere episode offers viewers a thrilling world of modern-day piracy that's both captivating and addicting.