Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage (TV)

Balalaika is also the name of a Russian folk instrument dating back to 1715. According to the Soviet definition, the Balalaika is a two or three stringed instrument with a triangular or oval shaped body, long neck and head tilted slightly backwards. Reference: "Building the Balalaika" by James H. Flynn, Jr. (1984)

The rifle wielded by the female twin in episodes 13-15 is a Browning BAR M1918A2. An unusual choice since aside from its age, it was considered to be rather difficult to handle properly even by trained soldiers.

The news paper in the opening is talking about a night club shooting in roanapur. It also uses names of the wrighting staff in it.

The "Mott Street" Revy mentions in episode 19 is a main thoroughfare in New York City's Chinese district, near the southern tip of Manhattan. Mott runs parallel to the Bowery (two blocks to the west) from Bleecker Street to Saint James Place. (The weapon she's holding in the accompanying flashback, meanwhile, has the look of a second-generation Smith and Wesson automatic.)

In episode 21, when Ginji mentions the two names "Sukeroku" and "Ikyu," he's referring to the plot of a famous Kabuki play, "Sukeroku Kuruwa no Hatsuzakura," or the tale of Sukeroku the dandy. In one of the play's pivotal scenes, the hero Sukeroku arrives at a teahouse to provoke a fight with the samurai Ikyu -- a scene obviously mirrored by Ginji's visit to pick a fight with Hotel Moscow.

The "Stechkin" Revy refers to in episode 21 is a Soviet handgun, developed in the 1950s. It was less popular than the widely-known Makarov automatic, but still carried by a variety of Soviet army personnel, including officers like Balalaika. To get a close look at the weapon, see episode 10, where she draws it on Revy and Roberta.