Takai
01-14-2009, 01:36 AM
Elfen Lied
Reviewer: Brian
Original Title: Elfen Lied.
Alternative Titles: Elfen Song; Elven Song; Elfic Song.
Format: TV series, 13 episodes, + OVA, 1 episode, complete.
Year(s): 2004.
Genres/Themes: horror, drama, psychological, action, romance, ecchi; seinen.
Animation Studio: ARMS.
Director: Kanbe Mamoru.
Original Author(s): Okamoto Lynn.
Number of Episodes Seen: 13/13 + OVA.
Introduction (optional):
I was looking through the anime section of the video store and the cover picture caught my eye. I asked my friend Marc (who is very knowledgeable about anime) if he knew anything about it. He said it was horrible, but wouldn’t say why. Since our tastes in entertainment are about as opposite as possible (he’s a “My Little Pony” kinda guy, bless him) I figured I would like it.
Plot and Setting/Story: 10/10
To put it simply, I was awed by the power of the story in this series. It’s actually a romance story, but one in which unchecked power and cruelty have warped love into a horrible tragedy.
The protagonist, Kohta, is a troubled young man who returns to a place he stayed as a child to attend school. He moves into a closed-down restaurant, which he has to maintain for his family. Yuka, his cousin, also attends the university and moves in with him. She has romantic feelings for Kohta, but he is unable to return them. In fact, he can’t remember any of their happy childhood moments because his memories have been blocked by a horrible tragedy which occurred on the last night that he saw her. The event, in which his father and sister died before his eyes, has left him a gentle and kind but fragile person. This frustrates Yuka, who can’t understand why Kohta won’t return her affections and doesn’t even seem to notice them.
The main character in the story is Lucy, a mutant Diclonius who has four telekinetic arms (called vectors) which are very strong and fast. As a young girl, Lucy was mercilessly tormented. She has no sense of empathy, and kills people with no sense of remorse. The story begins with her escaping from a secret institution where Diclonii are kept in tight security, and are basically tortured under the pretense of scientific research. During the escape, she sustains a head injury, and when she is found on the beach by Kohta and Yuka, she has lost her memories and vocabulary. Since the only sound she can make is “Nyuu”, Kohta and Yuka call her that. They take her back to the restaurant, and begin taking care of her. But within the innocent young girl, a monster still lurks...
The thirteenth episode ends with Lucy leaving in a weakened state to confront the soldiers, presumably going to her death. But at the very end, we see a shadow on the door of the restaurant. Since the secret laboratory still exists, there is room for the series to continue.
Characters/Character Development: 10/10
Again, masterfully done. The characters are tragically flawed; Lucy/Nyuu with her split personality, Kohta with his fractured memories, a young girl named Mayu who has run away from an abusive home, and a homicidal mercenary named Bando who hunts Lucy. Yuka is fairly normal but cannot understand the bizarre events unfolding around her. At first the characters’ reactions seem strange, but as the series progresses we start to understand why they behave like they do.
Art/Animation: 9/10
The opening sequence of Elfen Lied is one of the most wonderful pieces of animation I have seen. The rest of the series is also very well done, with smooth animation and attention to detail. Even the menu screens are excellent – spooky music and sound effects, scary pictures.
Sample Screenshots:
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/elfenlied/el02.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/elfenlied/el03.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/elfenlied/el01.jpg
The following two images show graphically explicit violence;
please click to see the original picture:
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/elfenlied/el04sm.jpg (http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/elfenlied/el04.jpg)http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/elfenlied/el05sm.jpg (http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/elfenlied/el05.jpg)
Music/Sound: 10/10
The opening song, “Lilium”, is a Gregorian-chant sort of thing that just stuck in my head from the moment I heard it. The lyrics are in Latin. Even if you have no desire to watch the series, I suggest you look up the song on youtube and listen to it. It’s that good. The ending song is a pop tune with the lyrics “Baby I wanna be your girl”, which is ironic once you understand what’s going on.
Additional Comments or Warnings:
Have I used the words "tragic" and "horror" enough yet? This is not a happy story. The first episode starts with a teenage girl walking around naked, tearing people apart with her telekinetic powers. Blood in this series flows by the bucketful. Young girls are manacled naked to walls and subjected to scientific experiments, people (including children) get their arms and heads pulled off, and there’s even a scene where a puppy is beaten to death. There’s also a graphic depiction of child molestation (which I thought was unnecessary, I figured out what was going on without that). The series is rated M for good reason.
Overall Anime Rating: 10/10
Reviewer: Brian
Original Title: Elfen Lied.
Alternative Titles: Elfen Song; Elven Song; Elfic Song.
Format: TV series, 13 episodes, + OVA, 1 episode, complete.
Year(s): 2004.
Genres/Themes: horror, drama, psychological, action, romance, ecchi; seinen.
Animation Studio: ARMS.
Director: Kanbe Mamoru.
Original Author(s): Okamoto Lynn.
Number of Episodes Seen: 13/13 + OVA.
Introduction (optional):
I was looking through the anime section of the video store and the cover picture caught my eye. I asked my friend Marc (who is very knowledgeable about anime) if he knew anything about it. He said it was horrible, but wouldn’t say why. Since our tastes in entertainment are about as opposite as possible (he’s a “My Little Pony” kinda guy, bless him) I figured I would like it.
Plot and Setting/Story: 10/10
To put it simply, I was awed by the power of the story in this series. It’s actually a romance story, but one in which unchecked power and cruelty have warped love into a horrible tragedy.
The protagonist, Kohta, is a troubled young man who returns to a place he stayed as a child to attend school. He moves into a closed-down restaurant, which he has to maintain for his family. Yuka, his cousin, also attends the university and moves in with him. She has romantic feelings for Kohta, but he is unable to return them. In fact, he can’t remember any of their happy childhood moments because his memories have been blocked by a horrible tragedy which occurred on the last night that he saw her. The event, in which his father and sister died before his eyes, has left him a gentle and kind but fragile person. This frustrates Yuka, who can’t understand why Kohta won’t return her affections and doesn’t even seem to notice them.
The main character in the story is Lucy, a mutant Diclonius who has four telekinetic arms (called vectors) which are very strong and fast. As a young girl, Lucy was mercilessly tormented. She has no sense of empathy, and kills people with no sense of remorse. The story begins with her escaping from a secret institution where Diclonii are kept in tight security, and are basically tortured under the pretense of scientific research. During the escape, she sustains a head injury, and when she is found on the beach by Kohta and Yuka, she has lost her memories and vocabulary. Since the only sound she can make is “Nyuu”, Kohta and Yuka call her that. They take her back to the restaurant, and begin taking care of her. But within the innocent young girl, a monster still lurks...
The thirteenth episode ends with Lucy leaving in a weakened state to confront the soldiers, presumably going to her death. But at the very end, we see a shadow on the door of the restaurant. Since the secret laboratory still exists, there is room for the series to continue.
Characters/Character Development: 10/10
Again, masterfully done. The characters are tragically flawed; Lucy/Nyuu with her split personality, Kohta with his fractured memories, a young girl named Mayu who has run away from an abusive home, and a homicidal mercenary named Bando who hunts Lucy. Yuka is fairly normal but cannot understand the bizarre events unfolding around her. At first the characters’ reactions seem strange, but as the series progresses we start to understand why they behave like they do.
Art/Animation: 9/10
The opening sequence of Elfen Lied is one of the most wonderful pieces of animation I have seen. The rest of the series is also very well done, with smooth animation and attention to detail. Even the menu screens are excellent – spooky music and sound effects, scary pictures.
Sample Screenshots:
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/elfenlied/el02.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/elfenlied/el03.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/elfenlied/el01.jpg
The following two images show graphically explicit violence;
please click to see the original picture:
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/elfenlied/el04sm.jpg (http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/elfenlied/el04.jpg)http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/elfenlied/el05sm.jpg (http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/elfenlied/el05.jpg)
Music/Sound: 10/10
The opening song, “Lilium”, is a Gregorian-chant sort of thing that just stuck in my head from the moment I heard it. The lyrics are in Latin. Even if you have no desire to watch the series, I suggest you look up the song on youtube and listen to it. It’s that good. The ending song is a pop tune with the lyrics “Baby I wanna be your girl”, which is ironic once you understand what’s going on.
Additional Comments or Warnings:
Have I used the words "tragic" and "horror" enough yet? This is not a happy story. The first episode starts with a teenage girl walking around naked, tearing people apart with her telekinetic powers. Blood in this series flows by the bucketful. Young girls are manacled naked to walls and subjected to scientific experiments, people (including children) get their arms and heads pulled off, and there’s even a scene where a puppy is beaten to death. There’s also a graphic depiction of child molestation (which I thought was unnecessary, I figured out what was going on without that). The series is rated M for good reason.
Overall Anime Rating: 10/10