came for Balalaika stayed for the history lesson

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

I'm happy to see the video was engaging! : )

@makomerlin4250

3 жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorViral it was thank you :)

@emmanuelwil-jeff

3 жыл бұрын

tell it like it is you knew there'd be a history lesson but also miss balalaika was just one amazing badass russian blone who could kill you and not bat an eyelash or be the best boss ever altho I have to say as messed up as miss balalaika is I think she did good for her self considering and I compare revy to her who never went to war like dutch or balalaika but still had a pretty fucked life and was always on the edge of living or death in perpetual rage bc revy stayed as revy but balalaika became the big boss

I love how black lagoon sticks a lot of its characters in historical context

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

It's engaging, and also an easy way to develop them as more "real"

@larrymckinzy4110

9 ай бұрын

Me also 👍

@larrymckinzy4110

9 ай бұрын

May explain why we do not have a live action movie to this day

@himalayansalt32

8 ай бұрын

@@ProfessorViralI disagree that the USSR has collapsed on its own. You definitely haven’t read the LA Times articles explaining how the US advisors he,led to lead the country to its collapse as well

@lukayaroslav9914

4 ай бұрын

Reminds me of Metal Gear franchise

She and Roberta are the most interesting psychology

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

I still give it to Rock and Revy, but it shows how well done the characters are that everyone is quite interesting!

@luckykennedy7364

3 жыл бұрын

Not even a Psychologist would go near them in fear of death

@nillynush4899

3 жыл бұрын

Roberta gets the fucked up points for being a shota lover.

@wyattpeterson6286

2 жыл бұрын

What about the vampire twins?

@johnynoway9127

Жыл бұрын

@@wyattpeterson6286 much simpler.

This is a MUCH hotter take then "Black Lagoon has no badass women". Well done, i didnt even think about a parallel between Balalaika and Yukio. That honestly changes my view of that entire arch in a very unique way and using real world context to really hammer this point home. This was one of the best videos on this subject.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the kind words, I'm happy to see you enjoyed, and got something from the video 😁

@Ropen_

3 жыл бұрын

Same, i like how he explains not just about balalaika but about the war and what happend with the soldiers in it

@yorkiemute5296

3 жыл бұрын

Damn just roasted Kyle entertainment

@gooddudemadworld4872

3 жыл бұрын

Damn I thought I was the only one who saw that video and yay this video had a lot more quality to it.

@patrickhenry4286

2 жыл бұрын

Lol someone said Black Lagoon had NO badass women? The main fucking characters are badass women hahaha, it's the entire show.

I just came on here to learn a bit more about balalaika but end up getting a hell of a history lesson. Balaliaka is just stuck in an endless loop trying to give her life meaning after everything was taken away her and was forgotten by everyone else so she moves on the only way she know how to even though she's just tried of everything. Love the video btw.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, she has to use what she knows to cope, and what she knows it's exactly what destroyed her life. A sad story all around. Thanks for watching though, I'm glad you liked the video!

I love her and her how her backstory is revealed. When you find out she has ties to Moscow, you think "oh, she is not to be fucked with" and then later on you find out she was in the Afghan war and you think " OOOOOOOH you really don't want to fuck with her"

@ProfessorViral

Жыл бұрын

I love that all of that happens in the background of other stories before she becomes a real antagonist herself. That slow burn is what let's Black Lagoon be so complex, while still having such a base appeal too

@northseaempireenjoyer6388

Ай бұрын

Balalaika is a piece of shit along with most of the Black Lagoon cast. No matter how you choose to cover her actions as “Grey Morality” it doesn’t change the fact that she uses her power to trample over the weak and killed dozens without remorse nor empathy. Her worldview “Everyone deserves to get hurt/go through hell” is incredibly toxic towards others aswell as herself. Just wanted to remind you that that is what she is, no matter how charismatic she might seem.

The black lagoon content just keeps coming and I just keep binge watching

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Hey, I'm happy to provide 🤣

@houseofmatrix6174

2 жыл бұрын

The show is a masterpiece

@houseofmatrix6174

2 жыл бұрын

@@Michel_Guitard me 2🙏🏿

Balalaika sounds like the Russian equivalent to Mickey Simon, from Area 88. Mickey was a fighter pilot that served in Vietnam, and the incident that affected him the most was when his superior was shot down by an American A-1 Skyraider. The pilot had been hopped up on meth, as was the case for a lot of American soldiers on the ground. Combine that with everything else he probably saw, and you can only imagine how bad the PTSD became for him.

The historical context is a great addition to Balalaika’s character analysis. Rather than seeing her as a woman who’s inherently evil, her responses are rooted from the era she was thrown into. She never chose to be a soldier or be born into a period of war, famine or poverty. She was thrown into that situation. It’s interesting that Rei Hiroe’s researchers put detail on these aspects, incorporating real geographical locations and historical events despite Roanapur being a fictional island, also included books and music from the West. I agree with you that she aestheticized most aspects of her life post-war which reflected her stance on justice. I think it would be an existentialist claim rather than a nihilistic claim that a perfect concept of justice isn’t really possible in her standards, because if justice is achieved then she would not have any purpose in waging war anymore. Balalaika not acknowledging justice as an achievable state is a reflection not only of her PTSD, but her preference to make her struggle tangible. It’s interesting to see the philosophy behind Black Lagoon since I think its characters are not only materialistically-driven, but are actually philosophical. Also, this was a cool video essay to watch and the ideas were easy to follow! Thank you for posting it, it got me thinking about this anime again!:D

@Tornado1994

2 жыл бұрын

She's Not Inherently Evil. She's a Product of her Culture. Someone who grew up in the Cold War believing that the Soviet Union was Righteous and stood for Solidarity. She became a Solider at the time when Female Soliders especially in the USSR were almost unheard of, and then found herself in a Humanitarian Mission that became almost too much for her to handle, and just as things seemed to be taking the right direction, she has her innocence and purity taken away from her, and watches as the KGB don't just become the Enemy of the Soviets, but Pure DEMONS as they literally rob her of her innocence and literally put PHYSICAL and MENTAL Scars all over her body. She's Permanently scarred by what the KGB did to her and grows to utterly DESPISE them. To Hotel Moscow, she becomes Co Dependent on them. Emotionally attached to them because they swear their Loyalty to her and vow to Protect her with their Lives.

She was a queen from day one, and she will always be a queen. She's a GQ: Gangster Queen. And the queen can move in any direction.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

I... I didn't expect that to turn into a chess joke...

@devinreis5811

3 жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorViral It's true, and it's a chess rule.

@Tornado1994

2 жыл бұрын

She's a Russian Mafia Empress MILF with a Diplomatic Mission, and has the Hots for a Certain Japanese Day Trader turned informant from Osaka named Rokuro Okajima. He's her "Boy Toy" and "Scullery Boy".

After meeting Ms. Balalaika, she changed my standards when it comes to Anime characters. I always find myself searching for characters like her which is hard. She is someone I both admire and feared even to this day. I love her! I hope you can make a video about Roberta, she is as mess up as Ms. Balalaika.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

She's a high standard for characters for sure haha. Also, I should be making a Roberta video eventually, I wanted to give myself a slight break to refresh first though!

@zeroonezero3402

2 жыл бұрын

Do u know other balalaike characters?

@Tornado1994

2 жыл бұрын

Sofiya Varghev was born in St. Petersburg,Ukraine in 1958 FIVE years after Joesph Stalin's death. She actually Served in the Peace Corps and had Participated in the Afghan-Soviet War during 1979-1982. In 1985, the 27 year old Mercenary, Rescued Desolate Afghan Refugee Children from a War torn village. If people want to know how she got her Scars, its pretty DARK. In 1984, then 26 years old, Sofiya a Pro Soviet Serbian and her infantry were ambushed by KGB Marauders, all the other men were killed, while the KGB took turns torturing, beating and Gang Raping Sofiya, after they finished tormenting her, they attempting to kill her by setting her on fire, she suffered 3rd Degree Burns on 40% of her body and nearly died, but her Uncle Boris was the Leader of a Mafia Syndicate loyal to the Soviet Regime called "Hotel Moscow" he was assassinated in 1979 by KGB Thugs, but he made Hotel Moscow Swear to him that they would be loyal to his 21 year old Niece Sofiya and would protect her with their lives, they rescued her, got her to the ER just and time and tracked down EVERY single KGB member who had partook in her Gang Rape, and Murdered every single one of them. After she recovered and received Multiple Skin Grafs, they decided to make her their Leader and "Empress" in Early 1985. Sofiya then adopted the nickname Balalaika which has a Double Meaning, "Russian Ukulele" and "Assault Rifle of Solitude". Hotel Moscow found themselves between a Rock and a Hard Place in Early 1991, they could NOT believe that the USSR was collapsing. Worse, the fall of the Soviet meant that they were all out of Jobs in regards to the Soviet Government, Hotel Moscow then started getting involved in Crime, and soon discovered Chang(Born Chang Liu Sang in Shanghai in 1956), a Former Chinese Opium Druglord turned Triad Administrator, they're business relationships soon proved lucrative and through Chang, Hotel Moscow discovered Lagoon, a Pirate Organization that had no problems affiliating itself with Organized Crime.

@Daphanewithpain

2 жыл бұрын

Nice maybe you will like carmilla and sir integra van fairbrook Wingates hellsing

@therealslimshady3662

Жыл бұрын

@@Daphanewithpain integra isnt really close to balalaika. Integra wields power, balalaika is power.

17:02 that small detail of lipstick being on the cigarette is awesome

I hate the fact that Black Lagoon was so good we're still talking about in 2021, and that the author has given us almost nothing new since RBT.

I liked seeing her childhood, it really brings dimension. Sometimes it's good to remember that everyone you see was a baby once.

When people say Revy is the most badass from Black Lagoon just need to show her conversation to Rock. That was really bone chilling. Patricia Drake did a wonderful job.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Revy is very scary in a "natural" way, like an animal that could kill you. Balalaika is scary in a "human" way, someone who would enjoy killing you

@shinkaiatsuya950

3 жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorViral Interesting way of putting it and sounds about right.

This is wonderful! As a woman who has been broken, I felt a kinship with her and I am glad to know more about her in the war

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Happy I could provide a bit of that detail for you : )

@micahfries5961

3 жыл бұрын

I won't ask what you mean by saying you are a broken woman. First of all, that's none of my business. Secondly, Black Lagoon is so mature, nasty, dark, and depressing that a video about it (like this one) and the equally dark (actual) history is enough to put my emotions in the pits. Also, I'm not a woman. Therefore, I cannot say I understand how a "broken woman" feels. I am however autistic and I definitely know what it feels like to be broken. You don't have to be a war veteran to know what that's like. So allow me to give you sympathy by saying you aren't alone and wishing you the best of luck. I hope my comment was helpful and you liked it.

Wow. I first saw this anime as a kid so I didn't understand much of the backstory. But now, I am starting to understand why this anime is so dark. It shows that many of the characters don't act the way they do because they're "evil" , they act the way they do due to philosophical and psychological reasons.

@ProfessorViral

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, we watch as they all either develop, or prove their trauma. It's kind of like a comment on what creates evil; how none of them have a backstory where they're inherently evil, as so many anime do. They're all just people, who had bad things happen to them

@wyattpeterson6286

2 жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorViral If you need some suggestions, do a video on the vampire twins. If you ask me, they have probably the most tragic backstory.

i hated topics about guns and wars because i felt like it didnt matter to me. plus when this topic is being discussed, i felt left out as a female because often times its being discussed in the point of view of males. but because i watched black lagoon i felt empowered and it was a slap for me, that im so privileged and lucky to live my life in a normal family, go to college, and have a normal dream. now i realise how ignorant i was with what the world is going through. i pray for everyone out there that is unprivileged, i wish i could just tell every one of them that they are loved and worthy. my heart feels so heavy whenever i think about this series because i know out there this type of shit is happening in the real world. black lagoon is fantastic work and i love how generally the author took real dark history to make his story.

I missed so much when I watched this lmao grateful for people like you to get me to appreciate the show more with your analyses cause it’s probably my favorite show of all time now

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

I'm glad you enjoyed, and found it insightful! : D

I have one slight objection - the description of completely not feeling anything when watching the Twins suffering. One scene that will always stick with me is when she's sitting there by the fountain and when Hansel gets gunned down, she says she's going to sit there and watch him bleed out and die. And yet...she doesn't actually watch. Instead she buries her head in her hand, possibly due to the "exhaustion" she's feeling. But it's also possible that even after all she's done and been through, all the death and destruction, all the apparent embrace of how there is no real "justice" in the world, there's still some small flicker of humanity in Balalaika is repulsed and horrified at the sight of a child dying, especially at her hands. Then again, the Japan arc followed, where Balalaika was at her most cruel and ruthless, so perhaps the events of the Vampire Twins arc caused her to "snap" of sorts and finally kill off that last bit of empathy she might still be carrying and fully embrace the life of dancing in the flames of hell.

Honestly, Balalaika is one of many well written characters in this series which is why Black Lagoon is in my top 5

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

The anime is slowing creeping up my list the more I look into the side characters as well. You don't see many where nearly every character is so deep and well written

I landed on this video while casually browsing for backstory content for the Black Lagoon anime. Much to my surprise, I also found an in depth account of what the Russian soldiers endured during the Russia-Afghan conflict. Thank you! This was VERY well done!

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

No problem, thanks for watching! : )

My guy , u should make an ep about eda thats like the most suspicious character in the whole anime

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

She's definitely more limited than the others, but maybe one day!

@kyriss12

3 жыл бұрын

If I remember right the comic straight up states that the rip off church was a CIA front intended to keep an eye on the international powder keg that was Rowanpuer, and help keep the delicate balance by keeping all factions on an even playing field. I can't remember if the cartoon ever got that far but Eda heavily implied it by telling one guy her home town was Langley before executing him.

@brandonadrien3476

3 жыл бұрын

@@kyriss12 They did but that arc was done through a series of OVAs

Balalaika is definitely a favorite of mine, from any anime actually. Not sure why but her presence always had me thinking, so thank you for this!

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

No problem, thanks for checking out the video!

Great video. Balalaika is one of my fav characters in black lagoon.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! : D Same here

@emmanuelwil-jeff

3 жыл бұрын

so many great female role models but I'll never forget the dead ladies but still clinging on to life there all beautiful and boss balalaika always got me

An aspect you forgot is her saving the child, it sticks out like a sore thumb, but I think it compares to the U.S commander and her

These Black Lagoon character analysis videos give me life. I definitely hope to see more

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

There'll be more in the future for sure!

She is the one I like the most. Black Lagoon have many characters which for sure have deeper backstory than script of the anime is telling us in the episodes.

@ProfessorViral

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly, a part of why it so great!

Greeting from Russia! Cool and deep research! Especially about fall of Soviet Union (rarely see this opinion) - country was destroyed because of economic problem's, unwilingness to modernize and more important - all decisions was made by its own elites/nomenklature. I wounder how japanese mangaka find so many information about life in USSR. Some things i want to point out, maybe it's interesting - when we see young Sofiya, relative person near her definitely Red Army high rank officer. So that mean, she is daughter of soviet elites. Military Forces never conscript girls into the army of that period, and even try to cut any possibilities for those who was interested - promotion and opportunities was more difficult. And of course, girl could never get private rank, especially in the Airborne forces. Despite the fact that she belongs to the Soviet nomenklatura, Balalaika obviously wanted to take part in the Afghan war by herself - this show us thats she has belief in ideology of soviet state. Soviet elites preferred to place their children to a safe jobs, mostly managing positions, closer to the state apparatus. In total, we get a fairly realistic picture - using the Red Army high officer's connections and influence, she could break any rules and easily join army, and even immediately get the rank of squad leader. Also, if you interesting in modern movie about Soviet-Afgan war - '9th Company' - fully avaliable on KZread

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

I'm glad nothing was too out of place on the history side of things in this one, but I wasn't aware of those more nuanced points you mentioned. Thanks for the insight, I appreciate the more complete picture! I'll check out 9th Company one of these nights for sure!

She's by far one the best characters I have ever seen. I was first struck by her aura, and those scars just had me fall in love with her. But I'm a sucker for characters that suffer from the inside. The physical pain she went through was obvious but the one inside was mind blowing. I even thought at some point she was looking for some way to die while fighting but by the end of the anime it was clear to me that what she was searching for was not death ; but rather to inflict her pain to the world. Anyways, thank you for the History lesson, it was very interesting, it's not a side of Russia we come accross at school and I needed to know ! Great video and I hope you can make more of those around less important characters, maybe Eda, Yolanda or Shenhua even. Because I think each and every Black Lagoon character reflects an aspect of our society that needs to be known !

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, it seems she transitioned from "an honorable death" to "make them feel it too" near the end. Given what she went through, it's a fair stance. But, I'm glad I could provide a bit of that historical context, and I'm sure I'll visit more BL characters in the future!

@auroretrilles8702

3 жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorViral Balalaika is the best of the worst, and really relatable, I love her so much ! I'll gladly watch them then, cant' wait !!

She is scary and insane but at the same time i am sorry she (And much of Hotel Moscow) had to go through that hell

@ProfessorViral

2 жыл бұрын

This is the magic of Black Lagoon; it makes characters who are awful, but we understand fully why

Thank you for this brilliant analysis. I fell in love with this show the moment I watched it, but it was thanks to you and your very detailed videos I began to understand way more of the characters motivations, goals and overall connections. Watching it the first time felt great and I thought about some small things, but only after watching it a second time I saw how many subtle details and hint there are for a very surprisingly deep story that was even deeper then I though at that time. This second realization, I owe to you and your videos and it made me like this show even more.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching, and for the nice comment. I love to see that my work has a positive effect in some way, so this is part of what keeps me going. Thank you for that 😁

Can’t wait for Roberta. Great vid btw

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Hopefully ill be able to make that video happen soon!

I wish they'd expanded more on Eda, after finding out she was CIA I kinda wanted to know if she's retired or on a covert mission.

@ProfessorViral

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I'm hoping that gets some more detail in any later seasons, etc. It's probably detailed a bit more in the manga

I can't get enough of your videos, your style of analysis and writing are incredible, please continue with this great work :p

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, I'll try! Nice comments like these always help me keep it up in the tough times of KZread! : D

Thanks for this! Keep 'em coming. This was the first anime that I rewatched immediately after finishing it because it's so good.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

No problem, ill try to keep it up!

Quality content. I am really glad you stuck with the anime analyses. I hope your channel continues to grow.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the kind words, I hope so too! 😁

Good analysis mate. You definitely unearth the real meat of the series with the added historical context. Really helps elevate the series to even greater heights when you can connect to their world through our own. And thank you for giving me an excuse to rewatch the series again :)

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the video 😁

I LOVE YOUR BLACK LAGOON VIDEOS BRO! I’ve been here for months now. 🖤

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Hey, thanks for sticking around! : D

Brilliant video. I think you nailed it. This made me appreciate Black Lagoon's writing so much more as well.

wow, I don't really say this often, but your analysis videos are just superb. Easy to follow and straight to the point with much external and thorough research and references. ty for not using big words to describe a simple idea and confuse everyone!

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I'm glad you've been enjoying the videos : ) Some of the philosophy I've read is so needlessly wordy that I guess I'm aware of how annoying that can be and stay away from doing it myself haha

Great video as always!

Quality content dude this was amazing, I could listen to you all day. Black lagoon is my favourite show ever and I would like to see more black lagoon vids

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I should have some more in the coming months! I appreciate the kind comment 😁

Now - I LOVE “Black Lagoon” (I watched the dubbed version) as a lifelong anime fan! It’s honestly one of my top three favorite anime’s of all time! As such - as both a Veteran (US Army) and as a Professional Historian, I always felt a connection to Balalaika and her portrayal. The mastery by which she is shown is second to none - and she certainly stayed with me after I finished all the seasons of the show as one of my favorite anime characters of all time.

I’ve watched this shit like 20 times within the past yearZ EVERYTIME Im engaged and learning something about the character. I know I’ve told you this before but, you really do have a gift for analysis. How’d you get so good? I heavily enjoy your work.

This was a very good video. I really enjoyed the historical mix that is very fitting for an analysis of Balalaika.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, I'm happy to see you liked the video!

Wow, what a great video!! The amount of information you presented is incredible!!

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I'm glad you liked the video!

I think that is the best part about the story of Black Lagoon, it allows one to dive deep into every character and see that there is more then the surface aesthetic. Another excellent series to dive into would be Konosuba, a comedy / fantasy story that has more then meets the eye. But still holds up on the surface above the rest in the genre there of.

@The-Creeper69

3 жыл бұрын

Konosuba has a deeper meaning ? how so ?

@user-wc7jf5ji8z

3 жыл бұрын

Konosuba lmao

@geffenleffen123

3 жыл бұрын

@@The-Creeper69 Beyond the goofy DnD aesthetic is some neat stuff... similar to Black Lagoon in that you can enjoy the action and humor and or can enjoy the subtle gems in each episode like "The Twins" human trafficking deals etc etc. Konosuba has its own hidden gems on Japanese society and jabs at certain anime tropes.

@geffenleffen123

3 жыл бұрын

@@user-wc7jf5ji8z It's a goofy series that has some hidden gems, would be neat to see this dudes take on the series indeed.

Love your videos man. Your outros are not terrible. They're real and I personally enjoy them.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, I'm happy to hear that! : D

Your Black Lagoon vids are always awesome! Nice research too connecting the history of the Soviet-Afghan war to thematic plots in the show.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed! I was happy to add some history to this one

just came here after hyperfixating on black lagoon, I love how you made a clear historical context!!

Thanks for sharing your passion. Black lagoon is a great anime and you did a great analysis about the characters ,backgrounds and everything relevant to it. Have a great day fellow. :)

@ProfessorViral

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much, you as well!

I really enjoyed this video. I love history. I love anime. So when you gave your audience a history lesson to further give a deep analysis of Balalaika, I was blown away. I also enjoyed the background music for the video. I cant stand when people put horrible background music in, it just ruins the entire video.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

I'm glad you enjoyed the video, and the historical elements! They went over very well, which I wasn't sure about at first, so I'm happy to see they're enjoyed

Incredible video. Perhaps the best you've done.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, it means a lot : )

Definitely a good video and love a history lesson it gives context to the character which is great and stuff I didn't know about

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

I figured most people wouldn't know about it, it's not very discussed, at least from what I've seen. I'm glad to teach a bit about it, and entertain as well!

I love your video. It's just soo good. Black Lagoon offers a lot to talk about as well ofc.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! : D

I'm new here, and I did watch the outro. No offense, but I treat your videos more like podcasts, having them run in the background while doing something else. Its very useful and it teaches me a lot about, well, 'broken' characters and darker settings like this, which is super helpful.

That was so good. Amazing!

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! : D

Been waiting for this one! I rewatched the show three weeks ago and I really want to rewatch it again after seeing all of your video's about the subject

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Hey, I'm happy to provide! It's always a good one for a rewatch with some new context

Thx for this analysis. Much appreciated. Balalaika is my favorite in the series

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

No problem, thanks for checking out the video!

This is such a good breakdown with an excellent history lesson.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the video 😁

def add history when relevant like if the character has ties to it like bal did. really helped showed what she went threw

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I'll keep it up in the future!

I didn't leave by that point even though I'm new here. Guess I'll just subscribe then, ha. Please do continue with Black Lagoon videos. Always interesting to hear about the history that is embedded in it and see if I missed some reference somewhere.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Hey, happy to have you here! Glad you liked the video! : D

Bro you deserve so much more subscribers and views, keep up the good work

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you : ) I'm always just happy to have what I do though!

Thanks for your content .. beautifully described a character

@ProfessorViral

Жыл бұрын

No problem at all

Such a amazing video 👏👏👏

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! 😁

Balalaika has always been one of my top favorite characters, possibly in my top 5 favorites since I can fully understand and respect her character as a whole.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

She's a good pick for the favorites list, one of the best side characters out there

@Tornado1994

2 жыл бұрын

Sofiya Varghev was born in St. Petersburg,Ukraine in 1958 FIVE years after Joesph Stalin's death. She actually Served in the Peace Corps and had Participated in the Afghan-Soviet War during 1979-1982. In 1985, the 27 year old Mercenary, Rescued Desolate Afghan Refugee Children from a War torn village. If people want to know how she got her Scars, its pretty DARK. In 1984, then 26 years old, Sofiya a Pro Soviet Serbian and her infantry were ambushed by KGB Marauders, all the other men were killed, while the KGB took turns torturing, beating and Gang Raping Sofiya, after they finished tormenting her, they attempting to kill her by setting her on fire, she suffered 3rd Degree Burns on 40% of her body and nearly died, but her Uncle Boris was the Leader of a Mafia Syndicate loyal to the Soviet Regime called "Hotel Moscow" he was assassinated in 1979 by KGB Thugs, but he made Hotel Moscow Swear to him that they would be loyal to his 21 year old Niece Sofiya and would protect her with their lives, they rescued her, got her to the ER just and time and tracked down EVERY single KGB member who had partook in her Gang Rape, and Murdered every single one of them. After she recovered and received Multiple Skin Grafs, they decided to make her their Leader and "Empress" in Early 1985. Sofiya then adopted the nickname Balalaika which has a Double Meaning, "Russian Ukulele" and "Assault Rifle of Solitude". Hotel Moscow found themselves between a Rock and a Hard Place in Early 1991, they could NOT believe that the USSR was collapsing. Worse, the fall of the Soviet meant that they were all out of Jobs in regards to the Soviet Government, Hotel Moscow then started getting involved in Crime, and soon discovered Chang(Born Chang Liu Sang in Shanghai in 1956), a Former Chinese Opium Druglord turned Triad Administrator, they're business relationships soon proved lucrative and through Chang, Hotel Moscow discovered Lagoon, a Pirate Organization that had no problems affiliating itself with Organized Crime.

New black lagoon vid. Nice 👍🏾

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for checking it out!

I'm new. That outro did indeed make me rethink my existence... Kinda like the video. Subbed

@ProfessorViral

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, happy to have you around! : D

Well done young one... Well done...

Yes I'd like more Black Lagoon, but I just found out about your Madoka vid so I'll be there.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for checking out a few videos! : D

Love your content and channel. Keep up the good work. And anime ftw ^^

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! 😄

@dandydogsalon5611

3 жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorViral You are really cool, do you know that? I dunno how you manage it all. Replying to messages ... never heard before. ^^ for donations&projects ... should i use your contact details from your website?

Black Lagoon is my top 3 favorite anime. I'm hoping to see more in the future involving Chang if the writer ever decided to continue.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

I'd love to see a bit more on him, it seems like he'd be the next step for a natural flow

Enjoyed awkward outro, subbed. Great analysis and greetings from Russia!

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed even the outro! 😁

Balalaika was honestly one of my favorite characters from the show with dutch being a close second.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

I wish Dutch got more dedicated time in the anime. He's a very interesting character, as someone who seems to mean well but accepts such amoral tasks. More to dive into that would be amazing

I don't know how to properly thank you for breaking down my favorite anime character ever. One of the best characters I've ever had the privilege of enjoying

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Hey, I'm more than happy to provide! I'm glad you enjoyed the video : D

@ironwolf2173

3 жыл бұрын

It was really good! Would you consider Konosuba character reviews?

Stuff like this always reminds of why I love this series, both the original manga and the anime: For all the cool-as-hell action, abundance of profanity and even moments of dark humor, Black Lagoon reveals itself to be a much smarter and often more poignant story than that. It's like Sin City meets Heart of Darkness. The style's great, but the substance is even better. :)

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I think that underlying deepness to the story is why I can love BL, when I'm iffy on many other overly dark or "edgy" anime. Theres a real reason for it all, not just because

Another good video Bro , im late here tho ,now lets go and watch the other new black lagoon Videos , im a bit behind

You have to do one on the vampire twins there is so much history on what there characters are based of off , especially the snuff films in Romania being closely connected to operation 🍕gate 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 thank you

@ArthoR1992

3 жыл бұрын

OMG, it's seriously based on some real events? Something after death of Chaushesku?

I never thought I'd say it. But the parallels between the GWOT vets and the Soviet vets are probably many. I want to explore this.

Wow. This was really good, sir! The weight of her character truly surfaces in the worst way possible. 10/10!

@ProfessorViral

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! 😁

great video :)

@ProfessorViral

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

man all these videos on Black Lagoon are great I hope you get time and interest in doing a series on Ergo Proxy. It sounds like your thing for sure.

@ProfessorViral

Жыл бұрын

I've spoken about Ergo Proxy a few months back actually!

Great video however I don't think the setting of Black Lagoon is as messy as you said. Based on what I have seen the show is set in 1993-1994. Since in the two-parter it was mentioned the US will have a new President and that in the Japanese arc its new years. I would love to see a video covering Eda as I feel she is a great example of the US Intelligence communities mindset in the 90s. Maybe you could do a video theorizing where the show could go post Blood Trail. The outro wasn't that bad by the way.

Thank you!! I really wanted to understand Balalaika's backstory but I didn't want to read through a wikipedia page of politics and war history!

@beastvicious8672

3 жыл бұрын

There's various video's covering the events of communist Russia. Though they're getting heavely censored, so you gotta find them outside of KZread.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

More than happy to provide! But, I'll always encourage personal extra reading and research as well! : D

I was expecting someone reading the fanpedia page of the character and perhaps 1 or 2 fun facts from the manga, instead I'm pleasantly surprised and impressed with this recount of historical context. Btw I'm from the city where Roberta exploded the US embassy.

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Damn, you have quite the connection to the anime haha. But, I'm glad the videos quality surprised you, I always hate finding videos that feel "cheap" or excessively easy like what you said, so I'm glad something opposite comes off in this!

Balalaika is Black Lagoon's Black Widow without the redemption and somewhat more grounded in reality.

Definitely one of my fav series because of the thinking and dwelling it requires of the viewer. It is more real than real.

@ProfessorViral

2 жыл бұрын

The depth of its characters is nearly unmatched in anime, each requires a good deal of thought and adds to nearly every theme

The mujahadeen where well equipped and funded by NATO countries, to act like they had only old sticks and rocks is pretty insulting to the soviet soldiers.

@Peopleunder

2 ай бұрын

The Mujahideen mostly train in Pakistan. Later on , the Mujahideen factions destroyed 80% the city of Kabul and looting national museum. Truly , "Warriors of Islam".

Ahh.... I need a drink lol Thank you for this very depth introspective of Balalika.

@ProfessorViral

2 жыл бұрын

No problem, thanks for checking it out!

I just watched Black Lagoon again a few months ago. I guess I'll watching it again. Thanks...

@ProfessorViral

2 жыл бұрын

Hey, we all do it 🤣

i love this black lagoon content, the anime needs more love tbh

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Hey, I'm happy to add a bit of love for it!

I love this. I'm a huge fan of the show and character in fact I myself have researched the history of the war and Russian history due to my interests in Balalaika.

@cjl134

3 жыл бұрын

Oh and she may have missed the Olympics because Russia boycotted it sometime in the 90s because the US did the same prior

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thats true, I forgot about that fact. I appreciate the heads up, and I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

You totally should add more historical insight where it is relevant, +1 to that! I am not an incredibly current animal watcher, I like a few that I will rematch and for about 75% of the content I watch I actively seek other animes that have similar aspects, motifs of real world historical war events, war crimes and violent and the characters involved in such rackets. I love added allusions and content related to real world events, especially when the writer give characters backgrounds related to such events.

@ProfessorViral

2 жыл бұрын

It's one of the points of Black Lagoon that probably makes its characters feel so real. Because they're not tied to something that needs to be developed, but something that is, or is heavily based on, something factual and real

Nice I learned something today

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Happy to hear! : D

"You can't recreate the Past..." "Of course you can! Of course you can!"

Nice breakdown

@ProfessorViral

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

I am new and stayed to the end and subscribed! Well done. Gave a new outlook for the character. I have never been fond of Russians, but this make me almost feel sorry for her and her men.

So why the hell does she respect someone like Mr. Chang? He is no soldier and but he does get his hands dirty. I am at a loss here.

@Cole-ui8bi

7 ай бұрын

He's a former police officer and police are paramilitaries

@Tornado1994

6 ай бұрын

@@Cole-ui8bi Chang is also a former Druglord.

That was very insightful I know how Belalalka feels and acts I was in Iraq and Afghanistan I've seen things that even now makes me believe that there is not just no justice but no god.