Book #24

[katikat]

"Black Lagoon Vol. 4" by Rei Hiroe

I didn't like this volume as much as the previous ones, mostly because the Black Lagoon crew was side-lined and the story was pretty much told from the POV of Balalaika and her soldiers on the one side and Yukio and her bodyguard on the other.

"Goat, Jihad and Rock'n Roll Pt. 6" - I loved the part where Revy got Rock high. And when she yelled at him that next time, she would not come to his rescue. Ha! Right ;)

"Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise Pt. 1-8" - This story is definitely not for faint-hearted people. From the beginning, you know it just can't end well for the Washimine family and especially for Yukio and her bodyguard. Not with a man like Chaka nearby. And especially not with Balalaika after them. Balalaika proved to be a really cruel woman in this volume - she doesn't care about anything but money and power... and maybe her soldiers, well, as much as a general can care about foot soldiers in the field. I felt especially sorry for Rock, caught in the middle with no way out. Revy didn't care one way or the other, but he did - and I think that's what Revy admires about him and why she's so protective of him. I loved the scene where she swore to Rock that she would kill Chaka before they left Japan for what he did to Rock.

This manga is really fascinating, full of action and suspense - but also senseless cruelty. It's definitely not a feel-good stuff.