Satoshi gave a brief description of Geneon's planned release. There will be 4 episodes per disc, meaning three discs per season, and a total of two seasons, with a limited Steelbook case to hold each season's discs. He then introduced the panelists: Mitsutoshi Ogura, series producer; Sunao Katabuchi, series director, script, composition; and Masao Maruyama, Madhouse founder. Speaking through a translator, each gave a short introductory statement, and a Q&A session followed.
(Reporter's note: The wording of some questions and answers is paraphrased. Parts of several answers were unclear due to loud noise from the next room.)
Was Revy based on a real person?
K (Katabuchi): She's based on the manga character. The manga author Rei Hiroe likes American action novels, and that might be a source of inspiration, but she's probably just made up.
What was it like working with Rei Hiroe?
K: He wanted to come to Anime Central, but was hard at work on more of the manga and didn't have any time off. He's a shy person that tends to freeze up in front of an audience, kind of like myself. I did read the manga, and I felt like we developed a relationship of trust while working together.
Will there be a continuation of the anime?
O (Ogura): The existing anime wraps up a story arc, but we could always make more if it sells well.
M (Maruyama): If everyone here buys 100 copies, then we could make more. (audience laughs)
Was research done for accuracy of the weapons?
K: There was some exaggeration. If I could go back and do it again, I would fix the rotation of a certain weapon, since in the anime it rotates the opposite way from the real thing. There were limits to my knowledge of weapons, so there were some liberties taken.
Did you visit any locations in person for research? Are any actual locations present in the anime?
K: As for real cities, you see Tokyo in the series. I have been there many times. (audience laughs) I did travel to Vietnam and Hong Kong with Mr. Maruyama for research.
Who is your favorite villain?
K: In the series, everyone is a villain. (audience laughs)
O: The maid.
K: The twins.
M: The twins were my favorite, too. They were a good challenge for the animation staff, and the content was a challenge for the broadcast codes.
K: The series wasn't worth doing if we couldn't include the twins. We were able to make the broadcast happen thanks to Mr. Ogura. He went to the TV station many times to convince them, with tears in his eyes. (K holds up two water glasses) This many tears. (audience laughs)
O: The twins meant a lot of difficult content for broadcast, but their part of the story does contain deep themes and series content.
What was your goal in making the series?
O: I discovered the manga, and thought that the way it portrayed everyone's way of life was entertaining. I thought that it would be worthy entertainment if it were animated. It has appeal for a large audience, a grown audience, but it's not for kids.
K: My 10-year-old daughter accidentally saw the show. Then when we went to the toy store she wanted to buy toy guns. (audience laughs)
Which episode or group of episodes was your favorite to work on?
K: There are many stories and memories of hardship and effort while working on the series. For each episode, there are strong memories that are different for each one.
Does Rei Hiroe have any special love for the Russian Mafia?
K: He does love the Russian army. Interestingly, we had a Russian girl as part of the staff, and her father was a lieutenant colonel who piloted an assault helicopter.
Did you have any influence on the English dub cast? What are your thoughts on the dub?
O: We trusted Geneon USA's decisions.
K: Rock's voice actor is the best; he's very fluent in English for a Japanese businessman. (audience laughs)
Were any scenes added to the DVD version?
K: Japanese broadcasters don't like muzzle flashes, as a result of an incident in the past that involved flashing lights on TV. We had to be very creative with the guns. The muzzle flashes are restored for the DVD version.
(Reporter's note: The incident Katabuchi is referring to is most likely the flashing scene in a particular Pokemon episode that caused a large number of Japanese viewers to experience seizures.)
Was the anime broadcast later than usual due to the content?
K: Yes.
Can you talk about the differences between the animation for the opening and ending sequences?
K: The differences were definitely intentional.
O: We were able to get Mell from I'VE Sound to do the opening song. I'd previously worked on KOTOKO projects, and I decided to make a recommendation to the director. The song was recorded in Los Angeles, by the way.
Will there be a soundtrack release?
Satoshi Fujii responded to this question. There is already a CD out in Japan, but there aren't yet any plans for a U.S. release due to the decline of anime CD sales and CD sales in general.
What plans are there for merchandise in the U.S.?
Satoshi Fujii also took this question. Basically, it hasn't been decided yet.
What would you do differently if the series wasn't being made for TV?
(K and O confer for a minute)
K: We tried not to tone down the violence for TV, but there's the potential for more to be included. It wouldn't just be for extra entertainment, but for creating a better depiction of the purpose or theme of the story. The ending sequence is a requiem of sorts. All the characters are villains, and so they all end up as sad people. That's the theme of the series.
What about a live-action version of the series?
O: There are no plans so far. I feel that animation is really the most suitable medium for the story.
K: Rei Hiroe agrees.
M: I would be happy to sell the idea to Hollywood if I got the chance. (audience laughs)
Did you try to take the anime in any interesting and different directions than the manga?
K: We were trying to simply emphasize the strength of the manga.
O: In episode 4 or 5, there is a story about an old U-Boat being salvaged.
K: We did expand that story, and filled out the backstory for that episode. Hiroe liked the interpretation.
How long did it take to animate the opening sequence in comparison to animating a regular episode?
K: The animation of the opening was being worked on while some of the episodes were also being worked on. There were a lot of intermixed efforts, so it's hard to say.
What project would you like to work on?
K: This many projects. (K holds up hands) But I think I may be destined to die before I can get to all of them.
O: There are a lot. I hope that Mr. Maruyama listens. We might be revealing inner secrets here.
K: We might have bigger requests than our clients do.
M: Actually, I have the first draft of a new project that I need to show to Mr. Ogura later.
Time was up at this point, so Satoshi Fujii asked the panelists for any last remarks.
O: Black Lagoon goes on sale here in the U.S. this month. I hope you buy it and enjoy it all the way to the end.
K: And remember the promises made about good sales. (audience laughs, applauds)
Panel report verified by Geneon.
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