Bloodsport Fairytale is the fourteenth episode of the Black Lagoon anime and the second episode of Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage. It originally aired in Japan on October 10, 2006.
Summary[]
Hotel Moscow finds out who the killers are, and accordingly sets up a trap for them. However, Revy and Eda have other plans that may cross paths with Hotel Moscow.
Plot[]
At night, in Hänsel and Gretel's hideout, the former asks his sister if she is done getting changed, with Gretel confirming and affirming that they will not be returning to their refuge. Before they leave, Gretel gives her wig to Hänsel, encouraging him to be "Gretel" instead. Once they make sure that they have their tickets, passports, and weapons, the twins depart, but not before killing two stray dogs. Meanwhile, at the Lagoon Company office, Rock finishes his call with Balalaika, who promises to return the favor for informing her that the twins are most likely Romanian. In her office, she relays this to Boris, who admits that he completely forgot to think of that language, recalling that he heard Romanian words when he was stationed in Kabul. Balalaika remarks that remembering things is quite the task for aging people like themselves. Having an idea, she confirms from Boris that Rowan "Jackpot" Pigeons secretly sells illegal videos, so she orders him to send several men to Jackpot Pigeons on Rachada Street. At the strip bar, Polanski and several men coerce the terrified Rowan into coming with them.
Later, at a shipyard, Balalaika discreetly meets up with Mister Chang, who jokes that it would be nicer if they met up on a date. She tells him that she has determined the identity of the murderers, specifying that she did so by skimming through child sexual exploitation films that Rowan possessed. Stating that the films she requested were Romanian snuff films, Balalaika says that she spent all night and half the next day until she finally found a child exploitation film with two children nicknamed Hänsel and Gretel. Mentioning that many children were sold by orphanages to the black market after the communist government of Romania fell, she elaborates that the "sick fools" who produced the snuff films let the children take part in some of the killings. Balalaika concludes that the twins were forced to kill other children to survive and eventually embraced the livelihood of killing others. Hearing the brutal story, Chang comments that it certainly suits their criminal world, but he adds that he is not into preaching about morality and justice. He claims that he lacks sympathy for the murderous children just as he lacks sympathy for people who sell missiles while preaching world peace.
Agreeing, Balalaika gives him an envelope and asserts that her priority is profit, not justice. Looking at the documents, Chang sees that the twins were given sanctuary by the Verrocchio Family but killed one of their own handlers, with Balalaika noting that the twins have a penchant for indiscriminate killing and merely killed some of Chang's men by coincidence. He asks her if she is going to start another war, to which Balalaika responds that she prefers to use the term "controlled conflict." Hearing her frame the war as a just one, Chang replies that he never thought she was the type to use such talk. Balalaika clarifies that it is simply a matter of having pretext to attack, asserting that he can either join her or forget about it. Thinking about it quickly, Chang professes that he will not need to consult Hong Kong on the matter. Agreeing to side with her, he claims that the only trustworthy thing in the world is power. Accordingly, the two leave the shipyard, and Balalaika calls Boris to tell him that the Hong Kong Triad, ordering him to have their men standby for assumed battle in hours. Following her order, Boris frames the mission as a snatch mission within the city's controlled battlegrounds. Reminding him that they have to be wary for the many people after the bounty, Balalaika remarks that they must cherish the opportunity of war they have left.
Soon, at his office, Verrocchio has a meeting with his men and demands to know why the children still have not assassinated Balalaika. Nervous, Moretti suggests disposing of the twins so that they can claim responsibility for killing the murderers and deny hiring them. Infuriated with him, Verrocchio grabs his neck and slams him against the wall, berating him for speaking against his boss's wishes. Beginning to beat his subordinate up even more, he shouts that he must follow through on the objective since their bosses in Palermo have expressed an interest in Roanapur. Politely interrupting, one gangster tells Verrocchio that the twins have arrived unexpectedly. Recalling that he ordered them never to come to him, Verrocchio asks the children what they want. Giggling, Hänsel and Gretel respond that they decided they will eat borscht for their main dish and will start with the "macaroni" as their appetizer. Angered, the Italians pull out their pistols on the twins. Unfazed and grinning, Gretel waves her cloth and deploys her Barrett M1918A2. At the same time, Chang is escorted right outside the Verrocchio Family office, and Cho briefs him that their men have surrounded the building.
Noticing something strange, Chang casually warns Cho to watch his head, and seconds later, an Italian man is thrown out of the window, violently landing on Chang's car. As the twins begin murdering the Italians, Chang requests Cho to get Hotel Moscow on the line concerning the firefight. Elsewhere, Eda calls Revy at her company office to inform her that the Roanapur City Police are on the move and will close off the main street because of movement around the Verrocchio Family. While Eda urges her to get moving so that they can participate in the bounty hunt before the other freelancers make a move, Revy is preparing to leave and retorts that she is already on her way. Eda tells her to come to the room that Joey rented at Palcana Square, and Dutch mutters that the fuse has been lit. At Balalaika's office, she organizes her Vysotniki and repeats that there is no change to the plan since they expected the Verrocchio Family to be attacked. Some of the soldiers cry as Balalaika asserts that the slain Sakharov and Menshov were irreplaceable brothers in arms. With a resolute expression, she declares that their comrades' souls will turn their guns into a goddess of revenge against the murderers.
Meanwhile, at Verrocchio's headquarters, the twins continue to kill the Italians while Cho tells Chang that Hotel Moscow has advised them to leave the area. Realizing the danger of the situation, Chang warns Cho to duck. Suddenly, Gretel exits the building and shoots at the Triad gangsters, prompting Chang to pull out his dual pistols and shoot back at them. Taking cover, Chang is unharmed and accepts Gretel's compliment about his marksmanship. Nevertheless, she chimes that they do not have time to mess with him, and they flee the scene. At Palcana Square, listening to the police radio, Joey tells everyone that Chief Watsap is questioning the Triad about the firefight with the Verrocchio Family. As the bounty hunters discuss killing the children, Eda discreetly calls for Revy and mentions that if the twins are truly to appear in the area, then Hotel Moscow would have certainly kicked everyone out. Revy posits that the twins are likely trying to pursue Balalaika herself, guessing that the Vysotniki would not act on speculation. Joking that she is intelligent for someone with no formal education, Eda asks which alley is the quickest route from the area to Hotel Moscow's location. Answering that they should go through Chalquam Market and onto Satanam Street, the annoyed Revy accuses Eda of having no education either.
At the crime scene outside the Italians' office, the police have cordoned off the area. Chang calls Balalaika and remarks that he wishes he brought his strongest men considering that the twins were at the office. He also tells her that he gave a false tip to Watsap to divert him from the approximate area where the twins will likely be. Appreciating his gesture, Balalaika acknowledges that she owes him a favor. As the Vysotniki mobilize on the city's rooftops, a black sedan suddenly speeds onto the street in view of the bounty hunters. When the bounty hunters cannot see through the windows due to the tints, the impatient Antonio instigates the fight by firing an RPG at the car, causing the other bounty hunters to simultaneously fire on the vehicle. When the vehicle crashes, two Thai children are seen inside, disappointing the bounty hunters since they know that the twins are Caucasian. At that point, Joey tells the others that Watsap is at the port, prompting the hunters to quickly leave and head toward the port.
Running in an alleyway with Gretel, Hänsel jokes that the Thai children were quick to act as decoys and get killed for 5,000 baht. Gretel remarks that she does feel sorry for the orphans, but Hänsel reminds her that killing or being killed is the way the world functions. Unknown to them, the Russian soldiers spot them. In one alleyway on Chalquam Street, the twins detect someone in front of them, and a soldier fires at them a second later. Hänsel and Gretel are subsequently forced to run onto a particular path, and Boris reports the eastward movement to Balalaika, who is pleased that the attack is according to plan. When Balalaika orders a squad to be sent to Hamipong Street, she and Boris hear a gunshot from another direction. Knowing that their men are not set up in the direction, Boris orders all units to report back. Blocking the children's path, Eda orders the children to freeze. Not scared that she points a gun at her, the curious Gretel asks what the price is on her head. Hearing that it is $80,000, the girl pulls out U.S. dollar bills and states that she took the money from Verrocchio's office, offering $100,000 to look the other way. Smirking, Eda rejects the offer, but to her surprise, Gretel raises the offer to $150,000 and throws money into the air.
Feeling greedy but reluctant, Eda asks Revy what they should do. Cocking her pistols, Revy proclaims that they will take the $80,000 bounty, the stolen $150,000, and the childrens' lives. Reconvening with Balalaika, Boris reports back that the blond nun of the Rip-Off Church and the Chinese woman from Lagoon Company are engaging with the twins. Replying that the two women are not connected with their operation, Balalaika orders him to crush the women if necessary.
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 — Non-speaking role
- Balalaika — Mami Koyama (Japanese), Patricia Drake (English)
- Mister Chang — Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese), Trevor Devall (English)
- Eda — Jun Karasawa (Japanese), Lisa Ann Beley (English)
- Hänsel — Omi Minami (Japanese), Ashleigh Ball (English)
- Gretel — Tomoko Kaneda (Japanese), Jocelyne Loewen (English)
- Boris — Taiten Kusunoki (Japanese), Mark Acheson (English)
- Verrocchio — Banjō Ginga (Japanese), Scott McNeil (English)
- Moretti — Yūichi Nakamura (Japanese), Sam Vincent (English)
- Bikey — Non-speaking role
- Rowan "Jackpot" Pigeons — Masaki Aizawa (Japanese), Adrian Holmes (English)
- Cho — Tōru Nara (Japanese), Brian Drummond (English)
- Joey — Yōichi Nishijima (Japanese), Ted Cole (English)
- Antonio — Kenta Miyake (Japanese), Uncredited (English)
- Polanski — Non-speaking role
- Jodorowsky — Non-speaking role
- Rabochek — Non-speaking role
- Chief Watsap — Non-speaking role
Songs used[]
- Opening Theme — Red Fraction (by Mell)
- Twins prepare their weapons and leave; they shoot the dogs — 66 Steps
- Hotel Moscow coerces Rowan into a car — Unreleased #2 (repeating drums)
- Balalaika calls Boris to prepare for war — Foxy Doll
- Twins visit Italian Mafia — The Way to Last Night
- Chang arrives, Twins kill Verrocchio and Italians — 66 Steps
- Shootout between Chang and Gretel — Melting Brain
- Bounty hunters go all out on the black sedan, shootout between Twins and Vysotniki — Don't Stop! (guitar version)
- Ending Theme — Don't Look behind (ending version)
Differences from the manga[]
- The brief scene where the twins shoot and kill the dogs is exclusive to the anime.
- Balalaika thanking Rock and promising to return the favor after the phone call sometime is only in the anime adaptation.
- The panel in Chapter 12 of the manga where the traffickers force the children to bloodily beat the other children with a baseball bat is not shown in the anime.
- In the anime, Mister Chang uses his customized dual Beretta 76 pistols in the shootout with the twins, which was taken from the original panel in the "Goat, Jihad, Rock'N Roll" arc in Chapter 16. In the manga, Chang uses non-customized dual pistols in the shootout, which he borrowed from Cho.
- Revy chastising the bounty hunter Tommy in the motel for having bad breath in Chapter 13 is manga-only.
- The scene of the Vysotniki diverting the twins' escape path is exclusive to the anime.
- In the manga, Jodorowsky informs Balalaika of Revy and Eda's presence. In the anime, Boris informs Balalaika of the two women's presence.
Trivia[]
- On the map of Roanapur streets which Balalaika possesses, many real-life locations in Bangkok, Thailand are listed across the map, including the Dusit Zoo, Victory Monument, the King Chulalongkorn Statue, Rajadamnern Stadium, Saphan Khwai, the Din Daeng district, the Jim Thompson House, MBK Center, Vimanmek Mansion, Wat Pathum Wanaram, Chitralada Palace, and the Krung Thon Bridge.