Anime Elfen Lied

[Dagger]

I am [i]so[/i] jealous. My copy hasn't even shipped yet! :animedepr

Heh, I was expecting them to take that kind of angle on the series. Apparently it worked pretty well with Gantz, despite the ridiculous release scheme. To be honest, I don't really care how they market the show--my only concern is that people will think that it isn't anything more than a gore-fest. But good word-of-mouth (and Elfen Lied already has plenty of that) should be more than enough to combat such assumptions.

Well... at least I have the first volume of Gunslinger Girl to comfort me as I await Elfen Lied. That's something, I suppose.

~Dagger~

[Bloodseeker]

I rented volume one through netflix, and I just watched it. Some notes:

-Its going to be hard to stop calling it Elfen "Lied". Elfen "Leed", huh...

-This show's soundtrack is even more depressing than .hack//SIGN's.

-The first five minutes was one hell of a bloodbath! :)

-Say hello to the world's weirdest harem...

-I'm indifferent to Kouta. He seems like a paint-by-numbers character so far.

-I think that Yuka might just earn herself a place in my elite "anime characters that I want to be beat the crap out of" list if she doesn't change between now and the end of the series. Selfish b*tch.

-Am I the only one that laughed when that commando guy backhanded that girl for walking up behind him?

-Speaking of the commando guy, I knew right when I saw him [spoiler]that he was going to get it bad. The stuck-up asshole usually does.[/spoiler]

-Also speaking of the commando guy, [spoiler]something tells me that he'll be back to cause trouble for Kouta and Nyu.[/spoiler]

-Nana already seems like a fairly cool character. [spoiler]I'd be willing to bet that things wouldn't have turned out so badly if Miyu hadn't decided to run in between her and Lucy.[/spoiler]

-The doc that had been running experiments on Nana wasn't as bad as I thought he'd be. And this is why you don't believe fan-made comics...

-This is the first anime that I've rented from Netflix that I actually intend to buy. Awesome stuff.

I've got some notes on Lucy/Nyu too, but she's going to be up before long in my Best Anime Girl Tournament, so I'll save my comments on her until then so that I don't feel like a broken record.

And you know that fan-made comic that I just mentioned? [url=http://www.elfenlied.net/strips.html][color=blue][u][i]Pretty funny stuff.[/i][/u][/color][/url] Not exactly accurate, but still funny. (BTW, that italic underlined blue text is a clickable link, in case you couldn't figure that out.)

[QuincyArcher]

Just picked up vol.1 and the collectors box earlier today, i had it preordered at a local Suncoast and got it for $29.99 and i had a little $5 off coupon thing so i got it for $25 all together. For something from ADV im slightly unimpressed with the whole package. The artwork is mostly pretty plain on the box and dvd case, just a bunch of smatherings of blood and a couple pictures of Lucy/Nyuu. Not much in the way of extras on the dvd either, But i guess i can't complain... the series itself isn't hindered in any why by stuff like that. I still prefer Geneon's releases, they tend to put a lot more effort into the artwork on the boxes and cases as well as the DVD menus.

[Bloodseeker]

[quote name='QuincyArcher']Just picked up vol.1 and the collectors box earlier today, i had it preordered at a local Suncoast and got it for $29.99 and i had a little $5 off coupon thing so i got it for $25 all together. For something from ADV im slightly unimpressed with the whole package. The artwork is mostly pretty plain on the box and dvd case, just a bunch of smatherings of blood and a couple pictures of Lucy/Nyuu. Not much in the way of extras on the dvd either, But i guess i can't complain... the series itself isn't hindered in any why by stuff like that. I still prefer Geneon's releases, they tend to put a lot more effort into the artwork on the boxes and cases as well as the DVD menus.[/quote]

*drip* *drip* *drip* *splat* *squish squish*

Yeah, that menu sucked.

[Dagger]

[quote]-I think that Yuka might just earn herself a place in my elite "anime characters that I want to be beat the crap out of" list if she doesn't change between now and the end of the series. Selfish b*tch.[/quote]
That's a slightly surprising reaction. I liked Yuka at first, but as the show went on, she started to annoy me more and more. Although I can't say I ever really hated her. Still, it's interesting that you saw through her (so to speak) from the very beginning.

[quote]-The doc that had been running experiments on Nana wasn't as bad as I thought he'd be.[/quote]
You're referring to Kurama (the quiet, polished-looking guy with glasses), right? He's definitely my favorite male character in the show--although given that the only other main choices are Kouta and Bandou, I'm not sure if this should really be considered a compliment, haha.

[quote name='Bloodseeker][url=http://www.elfenlied.net/strips.html][color=blue][u][i]Pretty funny stuff.[/i][/u][/color][/url'] Not exactly accurate, but still funny.[/quote]
It's even funnier for those who have also seen Gunslinger Girl. I love the artist's portrayal of Henrietta. :animesmil

~Dagger~

[Bloodseeker]

[quote name='Dagger']That's a slightly surprising reaction. I liked Yuka at first, but as the show went on, she started to annoy me more and more. Although I can't say I ever really hated her. Still, it's interesting that you saw through her (so to speak) from the very beginning.[/quote]

I don't see why that's surprising. [spoiler]First, she complains about Kouta forgetting about his [b]early childhood[/b] promise that he'd come and see her in a year. Fine, she's emotional and a little unreasonable. However, Kouta explains himself, and he has one of the most legit reasons possible for forgetting... huge personal tragedy. He had to go through all this crap almost right after she left. First his dad died, then his sister got sick and died shortly thereafter. Its no wonder that the memory of those events "override" the memory of some seemingly insignificant promise. I'm also guessing that there's something wrong with his memory (with his reaction to Nyu when he first met her), but I don't know that for a fact yet.

However, rather than completely acknowledge her selfishness and doing something about it, she continues to feel sorry for herself. Sure she thought about her selfishness, but that's only step one, and nowhere near fixing it.

Further more, she felt really jealous about Kouta taking care of Nyu, a girl that appears to be completely like a child, unknowing of speech or of how things around her work. Common sense tells you that a child (especially one that looks old enough to take care of herself) isn't going to survive in the world. (And that goes double when you consider that they live around biker gangs.) Again, she acknowledged that she really shouldn't be jealous of Kouta's kindness, but she didn't take any steps to fix the problem. If you don't do something about your problems, you might as well have never noticed them at all. Same end result, right?[/spoiler]

If those two things alone aren't huge signs of selfishness, I don't know what is. (though from your comments, I gather that it only gets worse)

[boxybrown305]

[COLOR=DarkRed]I agree with Yuka, but as dagger said, it was a feeling i developed over the course of the show. The reason for her jealousy about Nyuu, is that [SPOILER]Yuka loves Kouta (in [I]that[/I] way)[/SPOILER], which you'll find out specifically later. And if you sympathise with Kouta about his loses, wait till they portray how his family died.

As for the box, i agree it was pretty basic. The extras were nothing special and the menus were very basic, but i generally buy it for the anime alone, so it doesn't make much difference to me. The only thing i had with it, is that it is represented as some "Bloodfest 2005" or something, as i've said before.[/COLOR]

[Bloodseeker]

Yeah, I kind of figured that. Something about [spoiler]Yuka wanting Kouta to squeeze her tits. But incest is fairly common in anime, anyways.[/spoiler] She's still a retard for getting so upset over Nyu, though.

Don't say anything more about how Kouta's family died...

Edit: You know that link that I put up that lead to the comic strip? Try taking a look around that site. Especially at the "Intro Art" section. I can't say that I ever would have guessed...

[Dagger]

The first time I saw the OP, I recognized the style of art, but I'd have been quite hard-pressed to identify it with Gustav Klimt. It would have been nice if ADV had given us actual liner notes instead of just a single-sheet insert. I was pleasantly surprised that they included an interview with the director, though. It's pretty funny that he has trouble grasping the concept of "moe," although I have to say that I sort of sympathize with his confusion.

On that note, my copy of the volume 1 plus artbox set [i]finally[/i] came in. I think the box looks a whole lot nicer in person; the hidden vectors on the black background are a particularly nice touch. It just looks and feels high-quality, and I'm grateful because in days past ADV never made chipboard boxes for series any shorter than six or seven discs.

I'm rather happy with the dub, too. Most of the characters are appropriately cast, and it's pretty solid right from the start. Kira Vincent-Davis does a good job switching between Nyu and Lucy, and she matches the rough, almost masculine tone of Sanae Kobayashi (one of my favorite seiyuu) fairly well. The character I was inclined to be most critical about--Nana-chan, of course--sounds great. Plus Kurama is voiced by Jay Hickman, who always owns in these kinds of roles, so altogether I'd say I'm satisfied. Yuka comes across as being more annoying than in the Japanese-language version... but it suits her nicely, haha.

And good lord, does this show ever look incredible in widescreen. :animenose

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

I've recently finished watching a fan subbed version of this and absolutely loved it. I was wondering what number in the mangas that the series ends at?

[Dagger]

The manga is 107 chapters long. I'm not sure how many volumes that breaks down into, though. It ended fairly recently.

I didn't enjoy the material on the second & third discs quite as much this time around--possibly because the plot devices are a lot more transparent when I know what I'm looking for. It just feels more manipulative, which is odd since I knew from the start that the show's stock in trade was manipulating the viewer. Oh well. It'll be nice to see [spoiler]Mariko[/spoiler] again.

~Dagger~

[Deranged Kikyo]

ah.. There had to be 3 three I liked best about Elfen Lied:

1) The opening. It was a break from sometimes the jrock/jpop that seemingly go with every anime, and putting it in latin was a great touch. It was short, but mesmerizing and completely puts you in the mood for the show.
2) The art and animation~ It was very high quality in my opinion, well higher quality than average which made it great to watch~
3) The ending![spoiler] I literally burst into tears throughout the last half of the last episode T_T The ending was sad, and beautiful, and wrapped it up perfectly. nana is awsome :) [/spoiler]

On a side note, I would like to know how you [everyone here] pronounces the title, since everyone i've met who saw it pronounces it a little differently:

elfen lied [like lying]
elfen lee-ed
elfen leed

?_?

[Dagger]

Since it's a German phrase, "Elfen Leed" is the correct way to pronounce the title. I believe that "lied" means "song."

~Dagger~

[Killer7]

Wooh, I just saw the first two epsiodes. Within the first two minutes thier were more loss of limbs then you can shake a stick out. Really so far thier has been no apparent story, just alot of rolling heads, but I hope that changes.

[Petie]

[font=Verdana][color=blue]Last month, I was able to see the first episode. I wasn't entirely sure about it for the first couple of minutes but it really did become interesting to watch. Had it not been on someone else's laptop, I would have probably continued watching it. And as of yet, I've been too lazy/haven't had enough time to acquire it myself.[/color][/font]

[Deranged Kikyo]

lol you're rightKiller, for the first couple episodes or so, they're mostly defining the fact " there will be maiming and extreme bloodloss in this show!"

call it a transition phase XD; maybe not, but the plot picks up, Yuka whines more [as lovable as she is] and nyuu learns to say more than nyuu [spoiler] "kouta" to be specific[/spoiler]

but i digress, you sort of have to watch the whole series or else that "really bloody anime" will ALWAYS be in the back of your mind @___@;;

lol How did you guys first find out about elfen lied? someone told you, accidently picked up the dvd, or like me saw an AMV of it and just -had- to watch @_@?

[RedMoon]

i've seen episode 1-4 and its so awsome im looking for vol 2 now of elfen lied you can help me by telling me what stores might have it i would appersated it very much :animeswea

[Killer7]

I watched up to episode 5 and the story has kind of started but the scene where [spoiler] Nana get's all her limbs torn off made me just gape. Lucy is just so inconsiderate and is a beast when it comes to fighting. My sub is terrible though, and I have had to piece together information about Kouta's relationship with his cousin ( is it just me or is thier something a little extra going on, if you know what I mean...)[/spoiler]

[FlamesFirebrand]

When I first heard of elfen Lied I saw a huge breasted women on the cover. I said is this a porno? I put it back. I took a look at it on anime network. WHILE eating dinner. I basicly lost my whole appetite but I have to say this anime reminds me of .hack and some other shows that come to mind. One thing I noticed though was that in one eposide some girl said....I wont spoil any of it. But to make a notice it was distuging but I like voilent anime and having a cute girl in it helps alot to. Anyway I give this anime a 4 out of 5 :P

[Guest Lilium]

I myself, prefer my anime to be a little more `adult`. Not in the sence of hentai but in the sence of not every two minuates someones eyes are twinkelling because someone gave them a tissue or something?!

Elfen Lied was a refreshing watch indeed. In japan it has gone straight to the underground. I do enjoy a bit of gore, and elfen lied was that burst of blood!!

The one thing that got me though was the fact they managed to blend adorable character design with such a screwed up plot?! Most `semi-scary` anime tend to make their characters look a bit creepy too. Evangelion is the only other anime that blends semi-cute character design into a rather screwed up series. Elfen Lied`s characters have huge adorable eyes, and sweet style that sometimes add to the facter. I think that if all the characters looked dangerous and scarry the violence wouldnt have done so much impact to me as it did.

The manga is good, however I didnt like the art at all. And being an eye candy whore it sometimes takes more than just the story line to get me going. However the manga is good and well worth the read if you enjoyed the anime so much.

I havent read the english version however, or seen the english version of the anime. So tell me if it all works out :D

[Killer7]

I am up to the last episode and here our my thoughts:

The storyline is kinda weak, all the twists and turns were very predictable. To me though, it seems like this show is supposed to be more psychological, mostly about death, evil, and the such. I do like the idea of the diclonus thing, but they don't delve deep enough into the diclonus's other then Lucy, Nana, and 35 (I forget her name). The action is very fast and uncaring, just like the diclonus's style of fighting, which is fitting. The animation is very interesting with the contrasting colorful characters and then the extreme violence. Their is something I noticed though, the pan shots use the American style, basically meaning still frames with nothing moving. I do the like the opening Latin hymn theme, which is a fresh breath of air from all those darned Jpop songs.

[Oceanborn]

*whips Killer7*
Bah. That was about the first anime with a tragic plot I loved more than Eva... Top list, very good. Pity they scanlated the manga only up to ch24, now, can't wait to see whether they will make any difference with the anime in the end. The TV ending was really nice, though. 9.5/10.

[Meggido]

[QUOTE=Oceanborn]*whips Killer7*
Bah. That was about the first anime with a tragic plot I loved more than Eva... Top list, very good. Pity they scanlated the manga only up to ch24, now, can't wait to see whether they will make any difference with the anime in the end. The TV ending was really nice, though. 9.5/10.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for that I was wondering how far in the manga, the anime had gone. I loved the anime heaps and am now searching for the manga here in Aus.

[Killer7]

The end was really touching, especially [spoiler]when the director dies with 35's explosion, also I never expected Lucy to actually sacrifice herself so she didn't have to hurt people. Of course she could still be alive, since thier was a shadow at the door (I haven't seen that before, lol) [/spoiler]

Anyway, I did learn one thing from Elfen Lied. Evil is based on a scale, the first episodes masacre may have left you thinkin that no one could be more evil then Lucy. Once you learn more about Lucy and see the [I]other[/I] diclonus though, you will know that she is not the peak of psychoticness.

[Guest Fullmetal06]

I know this topic is pretty old but I dont want to make another topic about it since theres already one here. =x But anyway, I just bought the anime not too long ago and I LOVED it. Im just wondering.. what do you guys think happened at the end? Heres what I think could have happened...

[spoiler]Ok what I think could have happened was Nana saw Lucy at the end and helped her or something. Because at the end it showed Nana walking up the stairs and then she looked up like she saw something then after the guys shot at Lucy they showed the stairs Nana was walking up and she wasnt there. And plus the person at the door at the end didnt have any horns and it looked like a girl that was tired or hurt or something. Plus Wanta was barking and happy. And they were acting like they were expecting her.. So I think she survived. [/spoiler] But thats just me.