Ring-Ding Ship Chase is the third episode of the Black Lagoon anime. It originally aired in Japan on April 22, 2006.
Summary[]
While in Roanapur, Dutch is accosted by gangster Chen and warned against working for Balalaika. When Dutch ignores his warning, Chen sends Luak's pirate gang after the Lagoon Company.
Plot[]
In Roanapur, Rock mentions that at the entrance to the city's gulf sits a large statue of Buddha in a state of disrepair. He then talks about the only land passage into the city, which is a bridge with a noose hanging for an unknown person. As he gets his face shaved, Rock recalls that he recently became a pirate after leaving behind his businessman life in Toyko. Walking through town, he sees an elderly person selling fruit, so he buys some. At the Lagoon Company office, Dutch informs Revy that he is heading out for a bit. As he leaves, Rock returns, so Dutch takes some of the fruit but finds out that it tastes disgusting. Entering the office, Rock asks Revy where Dutch is going, but Revy replies that his business is none of their concern. She tries the fruit and spits it out, telling Rock that he got ripped off. Sitting down, the ex-salaryman remarks that Roanapur does not improve in other parts of town either, prompting Revy to say that he should be wary since the city is full of deceitful criminals who lock horns with each other. Agreeing, Rock thinks to himself that he is still too soft and does not know the histories of his peers due to their sense of independence.
At a payphone, Dutch requests the caller to transfer $120,000 using the Flyers Company as the sender. Driving up to him, Chen greets him, so Dutch tells the caller that they will talk later. Speaking about business, Chen asks him for how long he will work with the "Fry Face" Balalaika, but Dutch claims to not know what he is referring to. The crime boss claims that Balalaika's Russians have taken all of the prostitution places, hotel rights, and heroin routes, adding that they will soon control the sea routes as well and push out the Chinese. Chen sternly warns Dutch to pull out soon, but the latter calmly retorts that even he has some sense. He reminds the crime boss that he pulled out of his deal with the NPA, leaving the Lagoon Company to deal with the mess. Annoyed, Chen asks him not to bring up problems from the past, but Dutch asserts that he will ship his goods on his own terms, giving him the cold shoulder. Chen gives him a final warning that he will not have a second chance, causing Dutch to reciprocate the warning as well.
Seeing Dutch walk past his place, Verrocchio asks his men if the pirate is truly working for the Russians. One of his subordinates clarifies that the pirates will take jobs from anyone with the right amount of money. Dutch continues walking home when Benny comes across him and joyfully states that he got the new and pure motherboard, making the former joke that the word "pure" is barely used in Roanapur. Once Benny drives away, Dutch hears Donnie Yen calling for him, so he hears him out. Later, as Rock takes a nap, Revy wakes him up and yells that they have a job to do. He quickly gets ready and runs to Benny's car, which speeds off to port. Benny asks what their job is, with Dutch answering that Donnie Yen wants them to pick up a package from the Vietnamese military at Phú Quốc Island. In the backseat, Revy berates Rock for continuously wearing dress shirts instead of the Hawaiian shirt she bought for him at the market. Seeing the car pass them, one of Chen's men calls the crime boss.
At a Chinese restaurant, Chen accepts the call and then redials another number. Speaking to Luak, Chen informs him that Lagoon Company fell for the trap, declaring that it is up to him to see the job through. Remarking that he knows Luak has been down on his luck lately, he says that he heard the pirate was chased around by a battleship not too long ago. Chen then assures him that if he succeeds in the current job, then he will receive all the tolls from Roanapur all the way to Kalimantan. Finishing the call, the crime boss smirks and mutters that Dutch is truly not getting any second chances. Soon, Black Lagoon heads out to sea. On deck, Rock fails to tie a particular knot. Watching him, the baffled Revy takes the rope from him and ties it herself. Rock elaborates that he never did any physical labor at work, prompting Revy to ask him what he did for a living before becoming a criminal. He responds that he was in the materials procurement department and went on business trips, wrote reports, made phone calls, and kissed up to his superiors.
Finishing her knot work, Revy retorts that Rock's story is disgusting since he genuinely tolerated such horrible behavior from his bosses, asking him if he is a masochist. Rock reasons that it is part of the job because no one wants to end up on the streets. Curious about her life, he asks Revy in turn what she did before becoming a pirate. Hearing her state that her work has not really changed at all, Rock jokingly asks if she ran around as a child swinging her Sword Cutlass. With a dead face, Revy affirms that she stole, murdered, and many bad things, adding that there is nothing fascinating about it. In the communications room, Benny alerts Dutch that there are several boats pursuing them. Back in Roanapur, meanwhile, Chen laughs and jokes that Dutch needs to pray since he will need directions to heaven. Guessing who may be chasing them, Dutch notes that there should not be any merchants in the area because the area is full of pirates. To Dutch's surprise, Benny notes that the boats have given them a red alert, skipping a yellow alert entirely.
He also examines the pirates' positions, informing Dutch that there are three swift boats each to port and starboard. On deck, Revy relays to Dutch that the enemy do not stink like maritime police but rather, the stench of blood and gunpowder. Worried that pirates are attacking them, Rock asks Dutch if he knows the background on their current client. With a cool head, Dutch confirms that he has checked Donnie Yen's economic situation. At that point, Luak radios Black Lagoon and taunts Dutch, who tells the pirate that there is no prey in the area. Responding that the torpedo boat is his prey, Luak signals to his men to attack the boat after Dutch insults them again. Dutch suddenly stops his boat when two boats begin firing at him, causing the two boats to accidentally kill each other via friendly fire. Angered, Luak warns him not to feel too confident. Being reminded by Benny that four boats remain, Dutch permits Revy to attack the remaining boats.
Armed with a M79 grenade launcher and a PM-63 RAK, Revy puts on some headphones to get into focus. Rock asks her what she is doing, but she replies that she has to take a break from talk about his world, proclaiming that she needs to concentrate on her world. Playing the music on her Walkman, she leaps from boat to boat and single-handedly kills all of the pirates, much to Rock's amazement. Furious but terrified, Luak comments that he is not dealing with the pirates anymore no matter what Chen will give him, turning his boat around. Reloading her grenade launcher, Revy casually shoots his boat once, blowing his boat up. That day, in Roanapur, Chen quickly and frantically packs a suitcase full of U.S. dollar bills as he curses Luak for failing to kill Lagoon Company. As he angrily yells that he wishes he could kill Luak himself, he turns around and is disheartened to see Balalaika and her men entering the room. Set aback, Chen nervously claims that there is a nasty rumor circulating through town. As he offers to treat her to dinner to clear up the alleged misunderstanding, Balalaika kicks him in the face, ordering him to listen up. She asserts that she already knows everything and glares at him, advising him to pray because that is the only thing he can do while still breathing.
At sunset, at their office, Lagoon Company begins to rest, with Revy regretting the faux job. Hearing the phone ring, Rock answers it and tells Dutch that Balalaika has requested to speak with him. Listening to her, Dutch learns that Chen apparently boasted to many people in town about his plans to destroy Lagoon Company. Assuring him that nothing like that will ever happen again, Balalaika asks Dutch if Chen gave him a hard time, but he nonchalantly denies it. In his hotel room, the beaten up Chen cries as he is tied to a chair next to an explosive device. Joking that she will let him hear a cool song, Balalaika, out on the street, presses her detonator, setting off the explosive and killing Chen. Hearing the explosion in the background, Dutch agrees that the song sounds cool, and Balalaika finishes the call by stating she will have a job for the pirates soon. He asks his fellow pirates if they have any plans for the rest of the evening. Hearing that they have free time, Dutch proposes treating them to drinks at the Yellow Flag to compensate for the lousy day, exciting them. As they prepare to leave, Revy once more chastises Rock for refusing to wear his Hawaiian shirt.
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)
- Chen — Shūetsu Tōkaichi (Japanese), Louis Chirillo (English)
- Luak — Naoya Uchida (Japanese), Alistair Abell (English)
- Verrocchio — Banjō Ginga (Japanese), Scott McNeil (English)
- Myna bird — Asami Yaguchi (Japanese), Hiro Kanagawa (English)
- Boris — Non-speaking role
- Sakharov — Non-speaking role
- Menshov — Non-speaking role
- Donnie Yen — Uncredited
Songs used[]
- Opening Theme — Red Fraction (by Mell)
- Buddha statue, Roanapur the "City of immorality" — Mad Club
- Dutch walks through Roanapur — Tadpole Dance
- Lagoon Company driving through town — Let Me Know Your Name
- Mr. Chen talks on phone — After the Rain
- Revy talks about her past, Luak's pirates speeding — 66 Steps
- Pirate friendly fire — Foxy Doll
- Revy takes out all pirate ships — Peach Headz Addiction (by Breath Frequency)
- Balalaika confronts Mr. Chen — The Way to Last Night
- Dutch invites group to drink at the Yellow Flag — Tear Drops to Earth
- Ending Theme — Don't Look Behind (ending version)
Differences from the manga[]
- Rock's narration and montage of Roanapur scenery at the beginning of the episode is exclusive to the anime.
- Rock buying fruit and Revy and Dutch trying the bad-tasting fruit is only in the anime.
- Dutch's walk & conversations throughout Roanapur after talking to Chen, as well as Verrocchio's appearance and Benny telling Dutch about his new equipment, are scenes only in the anime.
- In the manga, Chen states that Luak was chased away specifically by a Malaysian Navy battleship. In the anime, he merely states that Luak was chased by a battleship.
- The flashbacks to Revy's youth when she talks to Rock are anime-exclusive.
- In the manga, Dutch immediately stops his ship to force the gunboats to engage in friendly fire. In the anime, Rock notices the boats' positions and tells Dutch, who in turn tells him that he noticed the pattern, telling the ex-salaryman to get inside.
- The moments when Rock uses binoculars to look at the enemy ships are only in the anime adaptation. Furthermore, Dutch assuring Rock about the latter's concern regarding Donnie Yen's background is anime-only.
- In the anime, Revy listens to the OST song "Peach Headz Addiction" while fighting the pirates. In the manga, Revy listens to the song "Electric Head Part 1 (The Agony)" by White Zombie as well as the song "Shooter" by Rednex.
- Rock's remark about how Revy's life must be messed up as well as his own for finding her killing skills amazing is only in the anime.
- In the manga, Balalaika uses the Russian words "прекрасно" (wonderful) and "да" (yes) in her phone call with Dutch. In the anime, she instead uses the Japanese equivalents of the Russian words.