The Vampire Twins Comen is the thirteenth episode of the Black Lagoon anime and the first episode of Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage. It originally aired in Japan on October 3, 2006.
Summary[]
Mysterious killings of various gangsters are occurring in Roanapur. Hotel Moscow investigates the murders to take revenge, and bounty hunters from all over the region come to the city to collect on the bounty that Balalaika offers.
Plot[]
Late at night, in Roanapur, a girl asks her brother who it was that said, "The ultimate love is cannibalism," thinking that Edgar Allen Poe said it. Rejecting the attribution of the quote to Poe, the boy responds that Poe was allegedly a necrophile. Seeing two men, Sakharov and Menshov, enter the Caribbean Bar, the girl readies her firearm and begins shooting at many people, terrifying them. The boy also participates in the murders by using an axe, and the girl nonchalantly talks about the scent of life and death. Speaking about their recent murders, the boy states that they have killed eight people as of now, and the two children kiss each other in celebration. Elsewhere, inside the Lagoon Company office while it rains outside, Rock answers the phone and is informed by Boris that Balalaika's meeting with Lagoon Company has to be cancelled and postponed. Ending the call, the ex-salaryman tells Dutch about the cancellation, with Revy guessing that it must be related to the recent targeted killings of Hotel Moscow members.
Specifying that the killings have happened for a month so far, Revy says that five Russians have been killed, but Dutch corrects her that the death toll is six people. She remarks to Rock that someone is trying to spark chaos in a city where the balance of power walks on a tightrope. To address the murders, four crime bosses, Mister Chang, Balalaika, Verrocchio and Abrego discreetly meet up. Recalling that an accountant of hers was killed, Balalaika rhetorically asks if they are in a city like Beirut or Mogadishu. Advising her to stop it, Chang reminds her that they are having a Council meeting in the first place to discuss the matter. The Triad boss adds that they are currently in an era of coexistence, something which he wants to maintain given the previous blood shed to create the stability. Hearing Balalaika retort that her goal is not coexistence, Verrocchio insults "Fry Face" for her attitude, also disparaging her Russian background. Unfazed, she likewise insults his Italian background, prompting Chang to interrupt their verbal exchange. Acknowledging that they have different grudges against each other, Chang emphasizes that cooperation will benefit their respective businesses and profit in particular.
While smoking a cigarette, the Triad boss relays to Balalaika that his own men have also been murdered as well as in the same manner, including a 14K member and a direct lieutenant at a brothel on Rachada Street. Accusing someone of trying to shift the power balance, Balalaika sternly asks Abrego of the Colombian Cartel what he knows. Taken aback, Abrego denies any animosity, responding that things between them have been resolved despite their past issues. The Russian boss then accuses Verrocchio of suspicious behavior, to which the Cosa Nostra boss replies that one of his recruiters has been murdered. When Balalaika counts up the murders as nine in total, Verrocchio postulates that the killings must be the work of an outsider to Roanapur. Accepting the theory that the incidents were committed by an outside force, Chang proposes working together to hunt down the perpetrator. Scoffing at the idea, Balalaika writes it off as a farce, permitting Boris to don her military coat on her so she can leave. Chang warns her that it is not in her best interest to tear the city apart, but Balalaika asserts that she only came to the meeting to make her position clear: that Hotel Moscow will not forgive the culprits and will even destroy their family and pets.
Later, at night at the Yellow Flag, Rock and Revy sit at the bar counter, with the former noting that everyone is carrying a weapon. Not surprised in the slightest, Revy reminds him that everyone will be on edge given that a mass murderer is going through town. Bao asks Revy if she has heard that there is a bounty of fifty grand for the murderers, clarifying that the reward is in U.S. dollars and not Thai baht. Pleased to hear about the reward, the gunslinger posits going after the money, telling Bao that she has no leads but can spot an outsider easily. While Revy thinks that the culprits are using a hideout, Bao only comments that he does not care about the outcome so long as his bar is not destroyed. She assures the bartender that no one will attack his bar because it is located in a neutral area. Entering the bar, a casually dressed Eda greets Revy and teases her. Upon recognizing her as the nun from the Rip-Off Church, Rock becomes shocked at the change in appearance. Saying hello to Rock, the nun teasingly asks Rock to drink with her instead of Revy and jokes that the gunslinger has an irregular menstrual cycle, angering the latter.
Advising her to calm down, Eda elaborates that she came with great information about catching a murder culprit. To her minor disappointment, Bao tells her that he already relayed the bounty to Revy. Nonetheless, Eda briefs them that not only the mafia are after the murderer, but several freelance assassins like the Yun brothers, "Big One" Emilio, and Ronny CK are also after the bounty. Speaking about the bounty hunter Green Tooth Johnny, she laughs about how he ordered an elephant rifle from the Rip-Off Church. Revy jokes that such a weapon is overkill for a human, but Eda explains that they should hurry if they are to get the bounty in competition with many others. Speaking seriously, the nun recalls that earlier that morning, the Caribbean Bar on Bulan Street was trashed, with Hotel Moscow wanting to go to war as a result, surprising the pirates. Previously, in a flashback to midday, Balalaika goes into the bar and looks at the crime scene, which is cordoned off by the Roanapur City Police. Walking outside, she asks Chief Watsap if he has any information.
The police chief confirms that a waiter barely survived the massacre and testified. Recalling the events, Watsap states that the murderers, two twin children dressed in black clothing, arrived at the bar at 4 a.m., comparing the children's spookiness to that of something from The Shining. Though the bartender was hesitant to let children into a bar, the twins showed him a Bougainvillea Trade Company business card and claimed to do business with people from Balalaika's place, so he told them to go to the back of the bar. In the present, Watsap shows the bloody business card to Balalaika and Boris, reckoning that the bartender would have survived if he was audacious enough to call her in the middle of the night. Back to the story, Sakharov and Menshov enter the bar and speak with the bartender to collect the protection fee. Walking up to the Russian men, Hänsel eerily requests them to play with him. Seeing his grin, Menshov warns Sakharov that the boy is the killer, but the child quickly swings his axe into Sakharov's chest, frightening the customers. The two children callously remark that they must be more discreet, and Gretel reveals her Barrett M1918A2, proclaiming that she will summon angels for everyone.
Sakharov attempts to reach for his pistol, but Hänsel steps on his hand and kills him with a blow to the head. Gretel begins shooting everyone and notices Menshov trying to run away, so she shoots him in the legs, immobilizing him. Hänsel suggests bringing Menshov back with them to play with him until their next job, so Gretel orders him to carry the Russian into their car trunk. Once Menshov is put into the car, Gretel continues shooting at the bar until she believes that everyone is slaughtered. In the present, preparing to leave the crime scene, Balalaika asks Watsap about the car model and license plate of the twins' car. The police chief answers that it is a black sedan and a Japanese make but the police are still searching for it. Remembering one other piece of info, he tells Balalaika that the twins are Caucasian but not of an anglophone country, recalling that the twins used a greeting, "Buona sera," as well as greeting each other with "frate mai" and "soră mea." Accepting the info, the Russian boss advises the police chief not to leak the news to the outside, to which Watsap agrees that he will not do so because he enjoys Roanapur as it is. As she walks away, Watsap asks her if the police can get in on the bounty too.
In the backseat of her car, Balalaika mutters that Watsap is a disgusting person and claims that she has made an error. She explains to Boris that she thought sending her men in teams of two would protect them, but Boris responds that Sakharov and Menshov had their guard down since they did not expect children to be the perpetrators. Remembering her time in Panjshir, Afghanistan, Balalaika recalls that half of their enemies were children, with their own souls accumulating fat from war. Smoking a cigar, she orders Boris to set up an investigative team from outside their organization. Contemplating on the murders, Balalaika remarks that eight of her men have died since their day at the cemetery, adding that she is still not used to it. Boris consoles her by saying that Sakharov and the others were prepared to die in battle the day that they pledged their loyalty to her. In mourning, Balalaika affirms that she will have the children pay for Sakharov's life with blood.
That night, Dutch returns to the office and expresses his uneasiness concerning Balalaika's plan of deploying the Vysotniki. Rock is confused, prompting Revy to relay that the Vysotniki are a commando unit under Hotel Moscow. Rock remembers that the soldiers are Russian veterans of the Soviet-Afghanistan war with colossal experience and skill, with Revy commenting that their soldiers are what separate Hotel Moscow from the other mafias. Sitting down, Dutch jokes that he does not want to be within a 200 mile radius when Balalaika is infuriated. Meanwhile, at the twins' hideout, their Italian sponsors come to their room and are shocked to see the mutilated corpse of Menshov as well as the children redressing because of the blood. Disgusted, Bikey vomits whereas Moretti berates them for killing other Russians instead of Balalaika. Frustrated with them, Moretti shouts that they need to finish the job as soon as possible and then leave the city. Walking away with his associates, he curses the situation since they have to clean up the corpse and cannot get a cleaner to dispose of the mess.
Curious, Rock asks if the killer knows what they are getting into. Dutch explains that in their world of crime, they only get murderers like them once in a blue moon, claiming that the killers are "seeds of evil." He posits that such criminals generally act reckless and wind up dead, though once in a while, the seeds of evil will have instincts like a beast and a clever mind. Revy likewise mentions that such people wantonly hate so much that they forget what they are even hating, stating that she gained that secondhand knowledge from prison. Hearing the telephone ring, Benny answers the call, who learns that Balalaika is requesting to speak with Rock. Agreeing to listen, Rock hears the first phrase that the twins mentioned. Deducing that "Buona sera" is an Italian phrase, he tries to recall what foreign words he learned from an affiliate of his former company's European branch. Balalaika says that she will take any info that she can acquire, telling him about the other phrase, "soră mea," which she heard. Noticing Dracula on Revy's magazine cover, Rock suddenly claims that the words are related to vampires. At the same time, at the hideout, Hänsel asks Gretel what they should do with the Italians, with the girl assuring him that they will deal with them soon. The two children then agree to take a bath in the corpse's blood.
Characters and cast[]
- Rokurō "Rock" Okajima — Daisuke Namikawa (Japanese), Brad Swaile (English)
- Revy — Megumi Toyoguchi (Japanese), Maryke Hendrikse (English)
- Dutch — Tsutomu Isobe (Japanese), Dean Redman (English)
- Benny — Hiroaki Hirata (Japanese), Brian Drummond (English)
- Balalaika — Mami Koyama (Japanese), Patricia Drake (English)
- Mister Chang — Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese), Trevor Devall (English)
- Eda — Jun Karasawa (Japanese), Lisa Ann Beley (English)
- Abrego — Hisao Egawa (Japanese), Eli Gabay (English)
- Verrocchio — Banjō Ginga (Japanese), Scott McNeil (English)
- Hänsel — Omi Minami (Japanese), Ashleigh Ball (English)
- Gretel — Tomoko Kaneda (Japanese), Jocelyne Loewen (English)
- Chief Watsap — Masaaki Tsukada (Japanese), Dale Wilson (English)
- Bao — Shirō Saitō (Japanese), Alec Willows (English)
- Boris — Taiten Kusunoki (Japanese), Mark Acheson (English)
- Sakharov — Yōichi Nishijima (Japanese), Brian Dobson (English)
- Menshov — Kenta Miyake (Japanese), Richard Newman (English)
- Moretti — Yūichi Nakamura (Japanese), Sam Vincent (English)
- Bikey — Tōru Nara (Japanese), Jason Simpson (English)
- Cho — Non-speaking role
Songs used[]
- Opening Theme — Red Fraction (by Mell)
- Two children in the bar start attacking — The Way to Last Night
- Balalaika, Chang, Verrocchio, and Abrego have a meeting — Behind the Clouds
- Rock and Revy in the Yellow Flag, Eda joins — Unreleased #2 (repeating drums)
- Chief Watsap recalls bar massacre to Balalaika — 66 Steps
- Twins begin massacring bar patrons, Hänsel drags Corporal Menshov away — Don't Stop! (guitar version)
- The twins sing a song — The Juniper Tree nursery rhyme
- Moretti berates the twins for torturing the Russian man — Unknown
- The twins rest on Menshov's corpse — Unknown
- Ending Theme — Don't Look Behind (ending version)
Differences from the manga[]
- This episode briefly showed the twins attacking the bar at the beginning, but in Chapter 11, the twins' attack on the bar is not known until later when Chief Watsap recounts the incident to Balalaika.
- Only in the anime adaptation does Rock express his surprise that the casually dressed Eda is the nun whom he met at the Rip-Off Church.
- During the bar massacre, in the manga, Hänsel originally cuts off Sakharov's right hand. In the anime, the axe attack is not explicitly shown when it happens, with his hand being out of view as he lays on the floor.
- When Balalaika talks with Boris in the car after leaving the crime scene, she uses the Russian word "кладбище" (cemetery) in the manga. In the anime, she instead uses the Japanese word for cemetery.
- Rock telling Revy to quiet down during his phone call with Balalaika in Chapter 12 is manga-only.
- Rock claiming that the Romanian words are related to vampires is only in the anime.