Ahhh Black Lagoon; A mild mannered Japanese businessman inavertedly joins a groups of hard boiled mercenaries and subsequently becomes involved in weekly adventures invovling danger, death and a dash of swashbuckling. Totally fantastical, right? Right?

Not as fantastical as you think, according to this article.

The French Foreign Legion once had a repuation as a haven for cutthroats, fugitives, pirates and pretty much every alien that lurks around the Mos Eisley Cantina.

Nowadays, the repuation of the Foreign legion as a haven for unsavory types has somewhat waned; More often than not these days, it’s either a frustrated divorcee trying to escape alamony payments or a mix Africans, Eastern Europeans and Chinese willing to put their life on the line to become French citizens; “Starship Troopers Style”.

Among them, two young Japanese men. One, a young man dissalusioned with his homeland, the other, lured by the romantic image of adventure sometimes associated with the foreign legion.

It’s a fantastic read, do check it out.