A REPUTATION EARNED. Part of the reason for the misconception about German engineering is that German automakers did, at one time, earn it. When Consumer Reports started its Long-Term Reliability Tests and Initial Quality Index tests way back in 1972, German brands like Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz came out on top.
The term hokku continues to be used in its original sense, as the opening verse of a linked poem.
Rokuro Okajima (å²¡å³¶ç·é, Okajima RokurÅ), also known as Rock (ã­ãã¯, Rokku), is the male protagonist of the series. He was a Japanese salaryman for Asahi Industries in Tokyo until he was taken hostage by the crew of the Black Lagoon during their raid on the ship he was on.