Guerrillas in the Jungle is the twelfth episode of the Black Lagoon anime. It originally aired in Japan on June 24, 2006.
Summary[]
Rock is confronted by Masahiro Takenaka about his conviction while being questioned by him, and Revy organizes a rescue mission.
Plot[]
At the PIF's demilitarized zone, Masahiro Takenaka introduces himself to the captured Rock, who questions why his name needs to be known. Takenaka reasons that it seems weird for him to remain nameless, deciding that he will refer to Rock as "bro." Miles away from the enemy camp, Leigharch starts up his Jeep and heads toward the area, shouting that Revy must have a death wish. Rock hesitantly confirms that he was born in Tokyo, and Takenaka states that he was born in the Adachi ward of Tokyo, Japan. Curious about Japan in the past decade, Takenaka asks him if he travels to Shinjuku Station a lot, also asking if Etoile is still in business. Letting his mind think of fond memories, he wonders if the Nichigeki Theater was shut down, having watched the 1965 film Abashiri Prison after a demonstration at the local JNR station. Lighting a cigarette, Takenaka claims that he watched the film following his fight with the riot police. With a gloomy expression, Rock asks him if he misses Japan, but Takenaka only asks him why he has entered the criminal world, commenting that very few Japanese people would do so because of the large numbers making up Japan's class of petite bourgeoisie. Blowing out a puff of smoke, he tells Rock that they are both outsiders to their country.
Rejecting the comparison, Rock retorts that he is different from Takenaka, responding that he, unlike the latter, was not chased out of Japan. Although acknowledging that he is young, the ex-salaryman claims to know what Takenaka and the Japanese Red Army have done. Leaning forward, Takenaka replies that he left Japan and gambled everything on human activism and complete worldwide revolution. He tells Rock that when one has a will and a mission, they are not losing, asking the ex-salaryman if he has any resolve. Hesitantly claiming that he has a will, Rock in turn asks what his mission is specifically, guessing that he probably does not believe in it at least. Impatient with the conversation's change from the original topic, Ibraha interrupts and puts a pistol to Rock's head, criticizing Takenaka for not interrogating him about the documents. In the jungle, meanwhile, Revy and Shenhua exit the car, with the former clarifying that they will travel on foot to the camp. Hearing Revy insult his Jeep, Leigharch asserts that his vehicle is the best in the world, but she merely orders him to stay put until she gives the signal to flee. She also advises against doing drugs before he leaves, but Shenhua confidently states that the Irish driver should be fine. At that point, the two women head to the camp, with Revy once again insulting Shenhua's Chinese accent.
At sunset, addressing Rock, Takenaka tells him a story that he heard a long time ago. Beginning the story, there was a man in a city who began preaching on the street corner day after day about making the world a better place. At first, many expressed interest in what the man had to say, with some even agreeing to fight alongside him. Gradually, the people began to lose interest primarily because their lives became more comfortable, which resulted in them caring less about the world. Nonetheless, the man continued to preach in spite of no soul listening to him. One day, a child came up to him and asked why he continued to preach despite the lack of people around. The man answered that he thought he could change everyone in the beginning but realized that it was a hopeless dream. He then proclaimed that the reason he did not stop preaching or fighting is because he gambled his entire life on the cause and would not want it to become a lie. Concluding the story, Takenaka stands up and comments that he and Rock truly are different. Ibraha asks how much they should hurt Rock, but Takenaka assures him that it will not be necessary, adding that they can hold a trial and execute him if he does not talk by the next morning.
Not accepting the time frame, Ibraha reminds him that the documents will determine whether or not the plan goes ahead, though Takenaka guesses that his female friend will return to save him. Outside the camp, sitting on a tree branch, Revy notes to Shenhua that there are three guards at the west gate and six at the east. Shenhua adds that there should not be any mines on the perimeter because the camp is always moving. Jumping to the ground, both women agree to attack when the sun sets. At night, Rock sits in despair and throws a chair in anger. Entering another house, Ibraha angrily informs Takenaka that their teams' reports from Thailand proved that the other three briefcases were empty, indicating that the Japanese ex-salaryman has the documents. Reminding Takenaka that the plan holds special importance to him, Ibraha accused him of interfering with the plan. Asking what happened with the team in the city and how many hours it has been since the search party left, Takenaka wants to know why they did not report back, noting that the surveillance team watching the government camp has not spotted the woman passing through. Surprised, both men realize that Revy must have indeed come back.
At the camp's entrance, Shenhua impales a man's chest with her kukri, joking that the man is too stunned to pull the trigger. Beginning the raid, Revy shoots a couple of more men, grabbing the men's attention. The two women kill more fighters, with Rock hearing the chaos. Running to the door, Rock yells to Revy, who breaks down the door with a corpse. Seeing the relieved Rock, she jokes that she will buy him some candy if he continues his good behavior. Cleaning her weapon, Shenhua wonders if Rock is the foolish man that Revy spoke of, confusing him. As they exit, Takenaka and two men come by, with the former surprised to see Revy. Smirking, she shoots at the men, causing Takenaka to feign getting shot as he takes cover under his dead men. Shenhua and Revy jump over the bodies, but Rock stops and locks eyes with Takenaka. Revy orders him to get moving, so he does, and Takenaka smiles as the three escape from the camp.
Getting back into Leigharch's car, Revy orders Leigharch to drive, but the driver is relaxed due to using cannabis. Annoyed, she kicks his seat and furiously urges him to get moving. In a drug-induced manner, Leigharch starts the car and declares that he must go to Liverpool since Jimi Hendrix told him to defeat the Klingons. To the women's surprise, Leigharch drives the car in the wrong direction straight into the enemy camp, forcing Revy to cover for them by shooting at the PIF fighters. As the mercenaries speed away, Ibraha orders all units to pursue them. Getting into the car, Takenaka warns him that his order is reckless, but the furious Ibraha ignores him. Looking behind her, Revy is excited to see the entire enemy chase after them, but she wonders why Rock is cursing and muttering to himself. He tries to explain, but she plays a round of rock-paper-scissors with Shenhua and loses, allowing the latter to attack first. Revy asks him what he wanted to say, but Rock declines to speak anymore.
Standing on the car roof, Shenhua proudly swings her corded sword, beheading several fighters, splattering blood on the enemy's car windows, and crashing two cars in the process. Takenaka quickly turns the driving wheel much to Ibraha's anger, and Revy squabbles with Shenhua over killing the remaining guerrillas. To Rock's bafflement, Leigharch again rants about nonsense, mentioning that Raquel Welch and Jane Fonda are in a footrace. Back in Roanapur, in his penthouse, Mister Chang remarks that Dutch better have his pirates deliver the goods within thirty minutes. In a call with a CIA agent, Chang assures them that the delivery will occur on time, joking that he cannot accept the CIA's payment with American Express. Hanging up the call, he learns from a Triad member that Hong Kong has permitted him to deliver the goods but must avoid any direct confrontation with the enemy. At the same time, in the jungle, Revy proposes that she kill the remaining men because the range of Shenhua's corded sword will not finish off the guerrillas, so the Taiwanese woman agrees.
Accordingly, Revy squats on the roof and shoots several men. Before she can shoot at Ibraha, Takenaka swerves the car off the road to avoid being hit. Revy destroys the closest cars and then gets back into the car, stating that they could have killed the enemy sooner if she had a rocket launcher. Disagreeing, Shenhua claims that knives are better weapons since the blade and body are forever in contrast to guns and cannons, which run out of ammunition. When Revy replies that nuclear bombs would be great but only sold to politicians, Shenhua reasons that a bakery will sell someone bread just as criminals use weapons for criminal acts. Noticing that Rock is still mopey, Revy offers him a cannabis cigarette, assuring him that it will calm him. Off the road, Ibraha cannot start his car, and he orders the remaining units to chase the mercenaries even if they have to cross the demilitarized zone. Grabbing the radiophone from him, Takenaka warns him that their troops will die, but Ibraha grabs it back and refuses to listen to him. Being blunt, Takenaka tells Ibraha that his infant son will never come back to life no matter what he does.
Elsewhere, as Shenhua notes they are close to the government camp, Revy happily asks Rock how he is feeling. To her surprise, he complains that running away will not help him, something which he claims to have been doing since kindergarten. In a calm state from the cannabis, Rock continues that he acted high and mighty to Takenaka and believes that he blabs all the time without thinking about it. Grinning, Leigharch sees a hallucination of Playboy models starting from 1990 all around him as he crashes through the demilitarized zone. Seeing the car, a Filipino soldier asks his commander if he can attack, but his commanding officer orders him to halt since the car inhabitants are friendly. Away from the government camp, the resentful Ibraha rhetorically asks Takenaka if their mission is a way of life rather than a profession, claiming that they cannot give in at certain times. Shouting that their plan against Israel is within reach, he declares that he will show Israel and its protector, the United States, what the Red Cross camp in Beirut was like in 1987, referring to the fact that the Israeli military killed his infant son.
Hearing a fighter ask for further orders, Ibraha orders him to continue the pursuit. Struggling with him over control of the radiophone, Takenaka urges that they must retreat, reasoning that they cannot lose focus on their goal because of their ideals. Shoving him away and slamming his fists on the wheel, Ibraha rhetorically asks him if their ideals are not the reason why they have been fighting in the first place, also asking if it is not why Takenaka came to the Beqaa Valley. When Ibraha demands that he answer him, Takenaka pulls out his pistol and shoots him, killing him. Speaking to his men, Takenaka solemnly orders them to retreat and make their way to a secondary gathering point. Looking at his dead comrade, he remarks that both of them only looked at their past, which caused nothing to change for them. Nevertheless, Takenaka concludes that Ibraha was a good comrade. At the military base, looking below from the helicopter, Agent Sugar asks if they delivery boys have arrived yet. Smiling, Revy jokes that the CIA is quite late, with Sugar responding that Langley is too busy fighting opponents of freedom and justice.
Stepping out of the helicopter, Agent Blend asks where the documents are. Panicking, Rock realizes that he completely forgot to bring the documents with him, also surprising Shenhua. Telling them not to panic, Revy pulls out the documents from her tank top, angering Shenhua since it means that they had no reason to go back for Rock. Accepting the sweat-covered documents, Blend thanks her but asks her to bring the deliveries in a more decent manner. Before he steps into the helicopter, Blend tells "Rebecca" that the chief at Buffalo Hill and the NYPD 27th Precinct would be terrified if they knew about her now, shocking her. He clarifies that his job is not to capture wanted fugitives but rather, to destroy enemies of the United States, informing Revy that she can think about that next time they need her for a job. As the helicopter departs, Rock nervously thanks Revy for saving him. Smirking, the latter assures Rock that he does not need to be so formal with her. She then hits him on the head and yells that he better not get captured again, relaying that the expenses to save him will be coming out of his paycheck.
In daytime, at an airport, Takenaka once again crosses paths with the salaryman and his son, asking him how his vacation went. The man answers that they had a great time, asking in turn how Takenaka's trip went. Sighing, Takenaka explains that it was bad because the deal fell through, he hurt his hip, and he and a close friend ended up having a big fight, adding that he even tried pushing onto the young what he could not accomplish. Smiling, the salaryman assures him that there is always a next time. Agreeing, Takenaka says that there will always be one until he dies. Before he leaves, the salaryman inquires about what he does for a living. Stating that the answer is finally clear to him, Takenaka firmly answers that his job is to be an enemy of the state.
Characters and cast[]
- Rokurō "Rock" Okajima — Daisuke Namikawa (Japanese), Brad Swaile (English)
- Revy — Megumi Toyoguchi (Japanese), Maryke Hendrikse (English)
- Shenhua — Yūko Sasaki (Japanese), Saffron Henderson (English)
- Masahiro Takenaka — Katsuhiko Sasaki (Japanese), Fred Henderson (English)
- Ibraha — Ken Yamaguchi (Japanese), Mackenzie Gray (English)
- Leigharch — Akimasa Ōmori (Japanese), Trevor Devall (English)
- Mister Chang — Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese), Trevor Devall (English)
- Agent Blend — Kenta Miyake (Japanese), Viv Leacock (English)
- Agent Sugar — Yūichi Nakamura (Japanese), Clay St. Thomas (English)
- Salaryman — Yōichi Nishijima (Japanese), Ted Cole (English)
Songs used[]
- Opening Theme — Red Fraction (by Mell)
- Rock and Takenaka talk about Japan — Don't Look Behind (requiem version)
- Takenaka explains why he will not stop fighting — The Way to Last Night
- Revy and Shenhua raid guerrilla camp — Rock the Carnival
- Car chase & gunfight between Revy/Shenhua and guerrillas — Make a Bet
- Chang calls CIA agent — Dark Side of the Moon
- Car chase continues, Takenaka drives off the road — Melting Brain
- Takenaka and Ibraha argue, Takenaka kills Ibraha — 66 Steps
- Ending Theme — Don't Look Behind (ending version)
Differences from the manga[]
- As with episode 11, the terrorist group in the manga was originally Hezbollah, but the anime changed their name and appearance to a generic international terrorist group. Furthermore, the camp on Basilan Island was controlled by Abu Sayyaf in the manga, but in the anime their name was also censored and it was just another camp for the PIF.
- The scene in Chapter 19 of Revy negotiating the rescue fee with Shenhua is manga-only.
- The scene in Chapter 20 of Ibraha berating the guards for relaxing and the scene of the guards talking about Ibraha's promotion and his former affiliation with the PFLP are manga-exclusive.
- In the anime, Revy and Shenhua begin attacking the camp while Ibraha is berating Takenaka, whereas in the manga, the two women already killed some soldiers before Ibraha talked to Takenaka about the documents.
- In the manga, Rock is sitting on the floor when the two women break the door down. In the anime, Rock rushes to the door upon hearing gunfire, and an injured man is pushed through the door as he is near it, knocking Rock to the ground.
- In the manga, Leigharch also uses cocaine in addition to cannabis, whereas in the anime he is just a cannabis user.
- In the manga, Agent Sugar also blows a bubble of bubblegum while Agent Blend looks at the sweat-covered documents.
Trivia[]
- In the English version of the ending credits, the English voice actors for Agents Blend and Sugar are accidentally switched to accompany the other respective Japanese voice actors for those characters.