Anime can be violent. Very violent. One of the reasons anime works so well with this is because of how stylistic it is, making blood and action look better than ever. However, many violent anime also suffer from somewhat poor plotting, feeling shallow at best, as an excuse for more fight scenes. "Black Lagoon" is a little different: while it is still stylistic and looks good in its own way, it tries to be more raw and real at the same time. It also tries to push story to be equal to the action scenes, giving its characters more meaning and background story than most bother to do. The result is a depressing world, but one you still feel invested in.The beginning episodes have Okajima, an average business man in the working world, taken hostage by a small group of ruthless modern-day pirates known as the Lagoon Company. After Okajima's business company basically lets him go (telling him over the phone as expendable), he is lost with nowhere to go, and takes the opportunity to join the Lagoon Company as an employee. Throughout the rest of the series we learn more about these pirates and their world, which revolves around their home city Roanapur, a violent town where the lowest of the low reside. Okajima, from that point on given the nickname "Rock," tries to find a place for himself to fit in here, free from the stresses and restrictions of normal life, but trying to maintain his own sensibilities by avoiding violence where possible. The first several episodes do a great job at helping us understand the main characters: Revy is the poster girl for the series: a violent gun-wielding femme-fatal, with a strong and brash attitude hiding here tortured past. Dutch is Lagoon Company's leader, a big man who keeps his cool, keeping professional and understanding the best course of action during the toughest situations. Benny is the tech guy behind the group, immediately relating to Rock since he also doesn't use guns, but is in control of hacking and communications between other groups. Not everything is fully explained for all of these characters, but enough is to make it deeper than any other action series bothers to go. While the first several episodes give us great back-story, most of the rest of the series takes a break and focuses on the missions at hand. The series is divided into different arcs, each having a self-contained story a few episodes long. Each story features fascinating villains and allies, from killer maids to vampire children to nuns in a church that sell firearms, and much more. All these characters are brimming with personality, each with their own dark back stories and interactions. The town of Roanapur itself is a character in itself, the violent town where no where is save, where everyone carries a gun, where you can die at any moment. 
The show is actually more depressing than most actions shows, and that's definitely on purpose. While the action fights and shootouts are all good fun to watch, people die, and that's not a good thing. Rock tries to fit in, but feels more alienated every time he sees someone die, but feels trapped from going back to his old life. Black Lagoon is as depressing as it is entertaining, and it may change the way you think of action movies. Summer Hollywood Blockbusters and AAA First-Person Shooter games just won't feel the same. You hear of an American director named Tarantino? This is what he would make if he ever directed a cartoon. He tends to make things differently from most other directors, so for something to be on his level isn't something to scoff at. If I had to complain, it's that pacing of the episodes don't feel quite right. It might be just me, but having stories that take up multiple episodes at a time never felt right. I kept wanting to get to the next episode to continue the arc's story, not just to see what would happen, but also to finish it. While it is well-written, I can't help but imagine that the show would have been more satisfying with a more episodic style rather than these drawn-out arcs. This is a minor criticsm in the grande scheme, and this still stands out as one of the better actions shows. If only the plot continued to push itself a little more, right to the end, this could have been a masterwork. Visuals are surprisingly sharp, fitting for bluray, although certain scenes repeat to save money. The animation in general shows its age more than it should. Sound is also engaging with a fast punk rock style. Look up the opening and end credits songs used online, and it'll give you a great idea of what to expect from this show, and they're fun to listen to on their own regardless. English dub is fun, especially with accents certain characters have matching their character's nationality. You'd be hard-pressed to find an action show that succeeds as much as "Black Lagoon" does. It doesn't quite feel like the masterpiece so many look for, but it comes closer than anything in getting there.