The Lie of Freedom | Black Lagoon

Leaving behind everything you know for a life of danger, but with true freedom; is this true, or just our romanticized idea crafted to avoid the myth of freedom? Rei Hiroe’s cult classic Black Lagoon is a wealth of anime philosophy, a great series to watch for deeper meaning, or just entertainment; there aren’t many anime like it. As one of the greatest character pieces of all time, we can look to it for a message about freedom. The story revolves around Rokuro Okajima, nicknamed Rock by Dutch, and his descent from an average life to the criminal underworld. But are these worlds really that different? While starting with Revy “two hands”, Rock grows conflicted against the world of Roanapur because he entered it for freedom; yet he finds no more than what he had in his previous life. What he finds is simply the same ideals in a different package, summed up best by others he conflicts with like Balalaika, Change, and Takenaka, and those he sympathizes with, like Hansel and Gretel, Yukio, and Revy to some extent. But Revy is another point; she entered this world to avoid pain. She becomes power and money because power and money hurt her. But she hates herself for it, she seeks something else; the freedom she lacks in Roanapur. So today we ask, looking at Rei Hiroe’s creation, at those within it like Balalaika, Rebecca Lee, and Okajima; if freedom exists, why do we not feel free? #anime #blacklagoon #animediscussion #professorviral #freedom