Anime Elfen Lied

[Dagger]

I really wish I hadn't eaten dinner while watching the first episode of Elfen Lied. That was a rather bad idea, all things considered.

Others have said that this series does for shounen romance what Narutaru did for Pokemon, and they're basically right. The main character is a cute guy called Kouta who, together with his equally cute female cousin, encounters a naked, pink-haired girl who looks oddly like a Chobit. She has the requisite catlike ears and can only say "Nyu," so Kouta ends up naming her Nyuu.

Unfortunately for him, Nyuu's other personality (Lucy) is a psychotic killer with unfathomable supernatural powers. In certain ways, Elfen Lied feels like a less annoying version of This Ugly and Beautiful World. Despite having [i]much[/i] more nudity, it doesn't exactly reek of fanservice--which could be due to the fact that most of the aforementioned nudity is juxtaposed with scenes of graphic decapitation and disposable characters being snapped in two like sticks.

The violence is suitably sickening, but it ends up having a lot less impact than it should. Most of the carnage seems inescapably cartoonish. If its direction demonstrated a greater degree of restraint and its super-bright color palette was toned down, Elfen Lied would be far more disturbing.

~Dagger~

[Okita]

This is an odd little gem that nearly slipped by me without notice, by it's title alone I would have imagined a fantasy series or other such standard adventure pack, to my surprise, the series is something that completely blew me out of the water.

The main character happens to be a weapon of mass destruction name Lucy (as per the standard law of anime: in the form of a cute little girl) who at the beginning of the show is in the process of escaping from the top secret lab where she is being held.

Injured during the escape, she never-the-less managed to make her getaway (and in the process received a split personality via a head injury). From there she is rescued by Kouta and his cousin Yuka, who gave her the name of Nyou because (big surprise!!!) she can't speak save to repeat the monosyllabic phrase of 'nyou' (can you say 'chi' people?).

As you can see, superficially, the beginning of the series has a lot of resemblance with Chobits, however (and this is a HUGE however) this anime is SO riddle with violence and angst that I must clearly warn away any faint of heart. (Because that faint heart will most likely be stressed beyond tolerance level by the first ten minute of the show.)

Some scenes in this series are brutally violent, we are talking about graphical spine ripping, head decapitating, body crushing violence without any attempt at discreet censorship. It also contains partial nudity and disturbing psychological profiles that are obviously aimed at a more adult audience.

The atmosphere permeated throughout the show is extremely nostalgic and melancholy, which reminds me of Saikano, the music score also helps enhance this atmosphere; fairly slow paced with an emphasis on string instrument, it fades quietly into the background yet still remains distinct and memorable.

The intro song is a slow and melancholy solo of the series' theme song that reminds me of a Latin church hymns, and the surprisingly uplifting ending by Chieko Kawabe rounds up a very strong musical presence.

The theme of the show has a tendency to make you feel melancholy, and as I mention earlier reminds me of Saikano. This gives me a dreadful premonition concerning its ending. Getting emotionally attached to character that could very well die (especially with the degree of callousness that life is treated with in this series) can be a seriously depressing thing.

Despite this hesitancy, I am looking forward to more of this series; it shows great promise of being at least equal to the likes of Saikano, and the shocking violence factor gives this an almost Eva quality.

I earnestly recommend fans of Saikano to give this a try, its a gem!

edit: my god dagger! is there ANY series you haven't covered yet??? =P

[Dagger]

[quote name='Okita']edit: my god dagger! is there ANY series you haven't covered yet??? =P[/quote]

Oh, it's all part of my master plan to take over the world. ;)

I think it would be interesting to compare Elfen Lied with Gantz, except that I never managed to get past the first episode of the latter series (and the version I did watch had been mercilessly censored).

One of the best parts of episode 1 was when Nyu [spoiler]broke Kouta's shell.[/spoiler] It was the sort of scene which practically screamed "insert heart-warming moment here," and thus what actually happened came to me as a total surprise. I admire Elfen Lied for its emotional intensity and relative realism. Nyu's childlike mind is accompanied by equally childlike behavior, and not just for the sake of showing skin--she plays with her clothing [i]and[/i] pees on the floor.

A lot of people seem to feel that the [spoiler]secretary's death[/spoiler] was somewhat excessive, but I found it... well, refreshing. Few anime would dare to [spoiler]dispose of a cute female character so quickly and savagely.[/spoiler]

I've seen screencaps from the next few episodes, and I'm (nervously) looking forward to watching them. Elfen Lied has piqued my interest in the manga series on which it's based; I think this level of violence just might work better in manga form.

As the anime was pre-licensed, I really have to wonder whether ADV knew what they were getting into. I'm glad it's coming to R1, but Elfen Lied is seriously going to traumautize some poor unsuspecting VAs. ^_^;;

~Dagger~

[Endymion]

Over the last week, my father and I have watched the 13 episodes of [B][COLOR=DarkRed]Elfen Lied[/COLOR][/B]. I just have to say that it's really one of my favorite series. I know I may get shot for this, but I like it better than Evangelion. There is quite a bit of gorey violence but it's not overboard, the scenes fit the series. [spoiler]I liked the different routes the storyline took bringing out the story behind the characters involved. The director sparing his daughter, when he told the secretary he killed her, and their eventual coming together and ending in eachothers arms.[/spoiler]. My two favorite characters would probably Kouta and Nyu/Lucy. [spoiler]The train scene in the later half of the series, when young Kouta, his sister and his father are leaving the area was gut-wrenching. Not too good to see your little sister torn in half and your father beheaded.[/spoiler]

Nana's story touched my heart. [spoiler] Her constant suffering made me feel sad, but the Director's caring towards her made me feel better. Mayu's suffering was a bit hard to watch as well.[/spoiler]. I really thought the series was great and would recommend it to someone who isn't faint of heart. Read your post to post here Dagger :D

[Dagger]

Hehe, thanks for posting. That was fast! :)

As you can probably tell from how I started the thread, I went into Elfen Lied with a kind of morbid curiousity. I didn't expect much from the series, other than creative and censor-defying violence. So I guess I began watching it out of little more than morbid curiosity.

But Elfen Lied turned out to be enthralling. More than that, it's a masterfully directed anime that manages to cover everything from the [spoiler]heartbreaking and terrifying[/spoiler] story of Mayu's childhood to crude, bizarre (yet oddly effective) jokes about Nana's [spoiler]prosthetic limbs.[/spoiler] It made me laugh hysterically, cry like a baby and pull countless astonished double-takes.

Elfen Lied is intensely tragic, but its tragedy doesn't weigh heavily on the viewer or overwhelm the other aspects of the series. For me, it was much more poignant and personal than Saikano, which ultimately drowns in its own sense of grandness. Had I never watched Kino's Journey, Gunslinger Girl or Boogiepop Phantom, I might even go so far as to say that Elfen Lied is the best half-length anime I've ever seen. As things stand, it's definitely earned a place among my favorite series.

I have a minor Nana obsession, haha, so I was very happy to find out about the much-rumored OVA. Apparently an "episode 14" is going to come out on the final R2 DVD. It's supposed to be Nana-centric, which I assume means it could take place anytime before, during or after the timeline of the show. I'm really looking forward to seeing it.

Of course, I'm also looking forward to buying the American DVDs. I hope that ADV does Elfen Lied justice--or at least treats it better than Gantz. :sweat:

~Dagger~

[Air]

where do you dl elfen lied 1-13?
the only place where i can find elfen lied is [color=darkred][i]link removed[/i][/color]
which only has up to 10 episodes... and btw i heard there's season two elfen lied =)

[color=navy][size=1]Please don't post links to illegal material. You are more than welcome to discuss the [i]content[/i] of fansubbed anime--just avoid linking to or referencing sites which host torrents and such. Thank you very much. ^_^

~Dagger~[/size][/color]

[Endymion]

[COLOR=Red]You're right Dagger, it is enthralling and masterfully directed. Might be why it's my favorite 13 ep. series :D . And just for the sake of it... Nyuu > Nana :devil:

@Air: From what I could gather from the company's Elfen Lied site, there only appear to be 13 episodes, other sources I went through came up negative on an additional series. But, Elfen Lied is fairly new...so it could be in the works...[/COLOR]

[Dagger]

[quote name='DarkSesshoumaru][COLOR=Red']And just for the sake of it... Nyuu > Nana :devil:[/COLOR][/quote]
I'll grudgingly admit that Lucy-sama > Nana, but Nyuu? No way. :p

Yeah, I also haven't seen anything to indicate that there will be a second season. I know some people were unhappy with the ending of the show, but I actually rather liked it. The last episode brought so many different sub-plots to one long and riveting climax. I realize the final few minutes left things somewhat open, yet I appreciate the fact that the viewer is allowed to decide whether or not [spoiler]Lucy died.[/spoiler] It was a good kind of non-closure, if that makes any sense, because there's sufficient evidence on each side to satisfy both camps.

I'm not totally sure what I think. If we go by the manga, then the [spoiler]shadow outside the gate is a temporarily horn-less Nyuu. But the anime is different enough that it may well have been just a figment of Kouta's imagination, or someone else altogether.[/spoiler] Personally, I like to imagine that [spoiler]Lucy was able to come back and live with Kouta and the rest.[/spoiler]

~Dagger~

[Endymion]

[COLOR=Red]Hmmm... Nana was a good character. But maybe I should've put Lucy/Nyuu > Nana, or even more technical I could've put it like Lucy > Nyuu > Nana. Since Lucy and Nyuu are seperate personalities I just said Nyuu previously to mean the both sides. [spoiler]Though as the series progressed and Nyuu began to remember things and just blurt out "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" saying sorry for killing his father and sister. I think they just thought she misunderstood and made herself look like the sister to make Kouta happy. Don't know if I'm explaining myself right...Staying up late does have its downsides...[/spoiler]

[spoiler]The Manga and Anime are almost parallel until around Manga #8(I think) when the two split in different directions. That's what I've heard anyway. As for the end of the anime. I would've loved to have the profile behind the door be Lucy. And then Kouta and Lucy living happily together with the others. Yuka was cute and all, but Lucy > Yuka :D [/spoiler][/COLOR]

[Dagger]

[quote name='DarkSesshoumaru][COLOR=Red][spoiler]And then Kouta and Lucy living happily together with the others. Yuka was cute and all, but Lucy > Yuka :D [/spoiler'][/COLOR][/quote]
Heheh, I agree. [spoiler]The romantic scenes between Kouta and Yuka had their purpose, but they didn't exactly do anything for me, and then I spent a good portion of the series wondering how Kouta really felt about her. I did retain some sympathy for Yuka, though--she acts polished, intelligent, and mature, but on the inside she's a rather weak and desperate character. I don't think she has a chance of ever finding real happiness, regardless of whether or not Lucy returns to Kouta, because she just seems so insecure and emotionally vulnerable. Firmly, decisively giving up on Kouta would do her a world of good.[/spoiler]

~Dagger~

[QuincyArcher]

I just watched the first 2 episodes of this series and i have to say that im floored by it. Although the first episode was a bit more gruesome than i was expecting, it appears to be a great series with a very interesting and original plotline going for it. Although Nyuu (or Lucy is her real name i guess) really reminded me of Chii from Chobits, but thats not necessarily a bad thing.

I heard that this series was licensed by ADV? have they announced anything about the release of the first volume yet? Im dying to get my hands on this one.

[Dagger]

[quote name='QuincyArcher']I heard that this series was licensed by ADV? have they announced anything about the release of the first volume yet? Im dying to get my hands on this one.[/quote]
They haven't made any formal announcements, but they've posted an Elfen Lied trailer on their website, so you can probably expect volume 1 to come in a couple of months or so. :)

~Dagger~

[QuincyArcher]

I just finished the series. without even realizing it i watched episodes 4 through 13 without even stopping. But i loved every minute of it and eagerly await for ADV to release the DVDs. I especially loved the last episode [spoiler]when Kuruma said "that's my daughter" i was almost certain he was referring to Lucy, and when it ended up being Mariko i was blown away (i also thought Mariko was going to kill him) it was kind of a touching ending. I also really liked the closure between Kouta and Lucy and i really think she was the one behind the door at the end ;) [/spoiler] with all that being said, i hope there is a second season. there was enough left open to give them room for a second season anyway (imo).

[Dagger]

I'm really glad you enjoyed it. :animesmil

To follow up on what I said earlier, I've run into a few more signs that the Elfen Lied DVDs will be released pretty soon (though ADV still hasn't made any formal announcements). Diamond Comics, a distributor that deals with (among other things) anime and manga, recently updated with their "May" previews. To clarify, not everything on the list is necessarily slated for May--some titles may come out a bit earlier, and some may come out later.

Anyway, Elfen Lied appeared as:

ELFEN LIED VOL 1 DVD SRP: $29.98
ELFEN LIED VOL 1 DVD W/ ARTBOX SRP: $39.98

It was later confirmed that Elfen Lied would be spread out over four discs--so it's managed to escape the Gantz treatment, apparently--and that the box would be chipboard. This may be a first for ADV, as they tend to give short series flimsy artboxes, rather than the sturdy chipboard ones that come with longer anime like Peacemaker, Chrono Crusade and Full Metal Panic.

Later, some people found [url=http://videovault.diamondcomics.com/update/mar_05/MAR054326.jpg][u]this image[/u][/url] on Diamond Comics' site. It doesn't look like an actual DVD cover, given the lack of a volume number or title, but it very well might be one of the sides of the artbox. If so, then I'm even more pleased.

~Dagger~

[boxybrown305]

[COLOR=DarkRed]It's official. Elfen Lied will be released by ADV on May 17th. The price information and what will be available is the same as Dagger had listed.[/COLOR]

[Dagger]

[quote name='boxybrown305][COLOR=DarkRed']It's official. Elfen Lied will be released by ADV on May 17th. The price information and what will be available is the same as Dagger had listed.[/COLOR][/quote]
Also, just to clarify, ADV ended up using different images for the volume 1 cover and the artbox than the picture I had linked to earlier.

[url=http://www.rightstuf.com/items/2005-03/28/large/delf001.jpg][u]"Vector One" Cover[/u][/url]
[url=http://www.rightstuf.com/items/2005-03/28/large/delfbx1.jpg][u]Elfen Lied Artbox[/u][/url]

I'm slightly (read: extremely) ticked off that they felt the need to jazz up the lovely artwork with added blood and stuff. Oh well. Hopefully the R2 covers will show up on the DVD inserts or something.

~Dagger~

[pbfrontmanvdp]

[quote name='Dagger']I think it would be interesting to compare Elfen Lied with Gantz, except that I never managed to get past the first episode of the latter series (and the version I did watch had been mercilessly censored). ~Dagger~[/quote]
You really can't compare both Gantz and Elfen Lied together....or at least I think there two separate series all together.

Elfen Lied deals with [spoiler] a mutated human trying to become the dominate species on the planet Earth. Of course theres a lot of blood and nudity in this...but i wouldn't try to compare in that sense to Gantz. That would be like comparing Kill Bill to Freddy Krueger. [/spoiler]

However, Gantz is basically [spoiler] a game of a selected chosen group of people after they "somewhat" die. They have to to missions based on the game system Gantz and beat what the creators couldn't. Yes this is bloody and has nudity like Elfen Lied, but once again I believe thats irrelevant. [/spoiler]

Anyway, I heard somewhere that the so called 14th episode of Elfen Lied is only being distributed on the DVD's come starting this May. I don't even know for sure if there is a 14th episode since i haven't found them on and fan subs, but if anyone knows if this is true or not I would love to know.

[Limeaide]

[COLOR=Lime][SIZE=2][FONT=Trebuchet MS]Nyan, I really want to get into this series! >.< Ever since I read about it in NewType, I've been wanting to see it. Well, it comes out on May 17th, so I'll try to buy it with my birthday money. (My birthday is on the 15th.)[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Otaku America]

[COLOR=Navy]This is one of my favorite, yet emotional anime's I've seen in a long time. Most people think the violence is too much, yet it's rated 15+ (at least according to my Rightstuf Spring 2005 catalog). Most people just expect Elfen Lied to be a gore-filled romp when Eflen Lied is actually trying to convey a message to its audience.

While EL is telling you a story it's also deciphering a very important message at the same time. I thought the plot and characters were well-developed, especially for a series containing only 13 episodes.

The message which I received while watching Elfen Lied is as follows: (Don't read until you've completed the series)

[spoiler]Nature vs. Nurture and here are my thoughts on it: All the knowledge we acquire, all the understanding we develop, everything we learn, is a product of nature. At birth, we have none of these. All the habits we form, all the tastes we cultivate, all the patterns of behavior we accumulate, are products of nurture. We are born only with potentialities or powers that are habituated by the things we do in the course of growing up. Many, if not all, of these habits of behavior are acquired under the influence of the homes and families, support ( or like many of the cases in EL lack thereof family/support ), the tribes or societies in which we are brought up.

This is evident in EL, as sadly, Lucy was subjected to the aforementioned evils of human nature at a young and fragile age. She was born with a weapon and stumbled upon it; without a family for support or parents to set boundaries and teach compassion, empathy and dignity, Lucy becomes uncontrollable... murdering others with child-like benevolence and irreverence.[/spoiler][/COLOR]

[Dagger]

Having just seen it, I'm pleased to say that the OVA episode contributes quite a bit to the plot. It doesn't really function as episode 14, but actually takes place somewhere in the middle of the series. Assuming ADV has the rights to the OVA (I don't see why they wouldn't, but oh well), I hope they put it where it belongs chronologically rather than sticking it at the end.

While the first half of the OVA is mostly comedic, on the whole it's much more serious than I had been led to believe. It mainly focuses on developing the uneasy relationship between Nana and Nyuu.

[spoiler]In the second half, a little bit more about Lucy's past is revealed. Kurama also mentions Mariko. One of my few quibbles about the series was that Mariko suddenly popped out of nowhere to become a big plot device (although I still love her dearly).[/spoiler] I think those who experience the show in its proper order (with the OVA in the middle) will not have that complaint.

~Dagger~

[boxybrown305]

[COLOR=DarkRed]Wow, there is an OVA? Don't suppose you could say where you saw or baught it? I've looked around, and the best i've come up with was an unofficial rumor of it coming out in May 2005, but considering i've heard no official news, i doubt that, unless the person mistook the OVA for the series coming out or if the OVA will come out with the series.[/COLOR]

[Dagger]

[quote name='boxybrown305][COLOR=DarkRed']Wow, there is an OVA? Don't suppose you could say where you saw or baught it? I've looked around, and the best i've come up with was an unofficial rumor of it coming out in May 2005, but considering i've heard no official news, i doubt that, unless the person mistook the OVA for the series coming out or if the OVA will come out with the series.[/COLOR][/quote]
I believe that the OVA episode was released along with the final R2 disc (volume 7, or something like that).

~Dagger~

[boxybrown305]

[quote name='Dagger']I believe that the OVA episode was released along with the final R2 disc (volume 7, or something like that). [/quote]
[COLOR=DarkRed]Heh, to be honest i don't really know what that is.

Although i found something, downloaded it and gave it a peek, and it seemed to fit the description quite well. It was called the 14th episode, but i thought it might be it, and it probably was. It dealt with [SPOILER]Nana having trouble cleaning in the begining, and then had a flashback revealing more on Lucy's past.[/SPOILER] Most of it seemed like it took place somewhere in the middle of the series, though a couple small things hinted that it did take place after the series, but the way most of it went, that wouldn't make sense (i'm just going to believe that it was in between the series).[/COLOR]

[Dagger]

[quote name='boxybrown305][COLOR=DarkRed']Heh, to be honest i don't really know what that is.[/color][/quote]
Whoops, sorry. What I meant is that the so-called "episode 14" came as an extra on the last disc of the Japanese (R2J) Elfen Lied DVD release. At least, that's what I've been told. :animeswea

[quote][COLOR=DarkRed]Although i found something, downloaded it and gave it a peek, and it seemed to fit the description quite well.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]
Yes, what you described is definitely the OVA episode.

~Dagger~

[boxybrown305]

[COLOR=DarkRed]To my suprise, Best Buy already had it, so i went ahead and got the first volume with the art box, for the low price of only $27 (compared to its $40 retail price). I don't like the dubbing, which comes as no suprise, though the sub is very good quality, as expected. I am very pleased. Hopefully ADV will release the extra episode with the series, maybe even in the middle, where it fits, as a 14 episode series, instead of the "original" 13.

They really make it off to be a pure voilent, blood/guts anime. As quoted from the box-stuffer:[/COLOR]
[QUOTE]The viciously violent brand new television series. For mature viewers: Graphic violence and prolonged nudity.

ACTION-PACKED BLOOD AND GORE MAYHEM![/QUOTE]
[COLOR=DarkRed]While some of it is the necessary warning that it needs, that last line, along with the blood all over the box is a little unecessary. The whole series isn't about pure bloodfest killing or anything. I think it's just that Japanese are used to more mature themes than Americans, and at an earlier age. By this i mean that the Japanese release had art of happy girls and whatnot (even the manga covers), while the American release has pictures of girls in the fetal position, with blood everywhere. No matter where you are, this is deserving of a warning, and isn't for children/faint of heart, but i think they overdid it a bit. I had also seen the preview ADV made for EL on their site, and it was nothing but clips from the first ten minutes of the first episode, plus a few seconds of the [SPOILER]Lucy vs. Nana fight[/SPOILER]. But meh... whatever, it's all good.[/COLOR]