Elfen Lied

I encountered a silly (and touching) little comic-strip somehow a few days ago, which I found out was based on an anime. Though I usually don't like animes, the character from the comic was awesome and from the show so I checked into it.

Yeah, after reading about the story and seeing a few screencaps I ended up getting all 14 released episodes and watching them in a convulted order (one day I'll watch them start to finish...anyway).

I really don't like anime all that much but this shit just rocked. Everything was so cool, the opening song is so serene and sets the mood quite well. The characters are interesting and the animation is decent. The voice acting is great and the dialouge, at times, is funny, especially when hearing the words in Japanese with the English translation at the bottom.
Seeing a guy screaming "SHIT! THAT LITTLE GIRL TRICKED ME" in Japanese while flailing his arms around and shooting off a gun is pretty damn funny.

Ok, the whole thing about Yuka wanting her cousin Kouta is a bit..odd but hey, the Japanese eh...

Nana is my favorite character in the whole show, she's just the best.

I liked Nyu but Lucy was better (Nyu and Lucy are the same person but two personalities, Nyu is infantile and can barely speak, at first she can only say Nyu which is why that is her name) because she was just so damn brutal. Let's just say the first episode, the opening scene is quite a good introduction to Lucy. Bando, a soldier sent after Lucy is just plain whacko. Also, he really does not want to lose his balls, even if it means humanity is fucked :-P

Anyway, I just wanted to know if anyone here has seen Elfen Lied and what they thought of it. If you haven't, what do you think of anime in general? I personally don't care for it, but honestly if the story is good enough and the acting is good, I'll watch it.

http://www.elfenlied.net - info on the series.

I haven't seen Elfen Lied myself, but I've been hearing a lot about the characters (enough that it might spoil it for when/if I ever see it). I am a pretty big anime fan, and I'd certainly indulge my desire to buy more anime if I had the money.

Oh, and El-Hazard is an awesome series.

WildWeasel said:

I haven't seen Elfen Lied myself, but I've been hearing a lot about the characters (enough that it might spoil it for when/if I ever see it). I am a pretty big anime fan, and I'd certainly indulge my desire to buy more anime if I had the money.

Oh, and El-Hazard is an awesome series.

If you like anime this one should be a treat IMO. I wish I could get all 14 episodes dubbed in English...

If you've watched Elfen Lied, go read this little fan strip:

http://manga.clone-army.org/nana.php?page=1&lang=

It starts out humorous (and retains some black humor throughout the comic) but later on...well...just read it all. It really got to me.


But yeah, anime is an industry as big and varied as Hollywood or the music industry. It's just as silly to say "I don't like anime" as it is to say "I don't like movies" or "I don't like music", for obvious reasons.

I'm sure there will be a lot of people mentioning all the good stuff so I'll just name one that's pretty obscure: Dead Leaves. It's a 50 minute movie, by the same makers as FLCL, only approximately five times as over-the-top. Yes, I know you think that's not even possible, but believe me it is. If you're looking for some of the extremes that the anime industry has to offer, go watch Dead Leaves.

Oh, and just so you know, the cast consists only of deformed mutants. One of them has a rock drill for a dick. No schoolgirls or spikey-haired emo teens here. Go watch Dead Leaves.

Nikanoru said:

If you've watched Elfen Lied, go read this little fan strip:

http://manga.clone-army.org/nana.php?page=1&lang=

Dear Lord, not that thing again! I just got done ranting about that comic on another forum...I'll spare you all the torture of ranting about it again...but seriously, comics like that just enrage me to no end. I hate the "dark/black humor" approach all these online comics are taking these days.

Nikanoru said:

If you've watched Elfen Lied, go read this little fan strip:

http://manga.clone-army.org/nana.php?page=1&lang=

Hey, I got an idea. Why don't you read the first post in the thread?

Anyway, the fan strip was... odd. The funniest part was the one with, "IS THIS COMEDY?!??" As for the anime itself, I haven't read anything unique about it. It contains the same dartboard storyline that most popular anime has. Now Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo-- that's some funny shit right there.

WildWeasel said:

Dear Lord, not that thing again! I just got done ranting about that comic on another forum...I'll spare you all the torture of ranting about it again...but seriously, comics like that just enrage me to no end. I hate the "dark/black humor" approach all these online comics are taking these days.

They are? :/

Then again, most of the comics I look at these days are game-related. The last two that I've looked at that WEREN'T game-related were Alien Loves Predator and Dominic Deegan. And the author of the latter apparently went emo and decided that a mushywushy storyline was more important than the lovably god-awful puns and other bits of humor that had become a staple of the comic.

Damnit, I have the opening song to this stuck in my head and it's accompanied by images of the goriest scenes in the show.

Heh, it's funny that such a serene, lovely song could conjour such images of brutality but it just makes me love the song even more. The "saints" version is pretty damn awesome too (and longer) but just doesn't have that certain something the title song has, which is probably the last part, which is my favorite (can't you tell?)

Numbermind said:

Hey, I got an idea. Why don't you read the first post in the thread?

Anyway, the fan strip was... odd. The funniest part was the one with, "IS THIS COMEDY?!??" As for the anime itself, I haven't read anything unique about it. It contains the same dartboard storyline that most popular anime has. Now Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo-- that's some funny shit right there.

HAHA oh, nice work by me. I thought the first poster meant he had read the official Elfen Lied manga.

I sure know how to make myself look smart. Damn.







Poor Nana.

Nikanoru said:

HAHA oh, nice work by me. I thought the first poster meant he had read the official Elfen Lied manga.

Poor Nana.

Nah, I'm not into manga, plus I'd just be looking at pictures unless there was English translations.

I've seen episodes 1-10 and enjoyed it. It's not a heart-warming tale to say the least... some of the backstory made me cringe (the bullies and the dog in episode 8). Still, it's unusual enough to keep my interest.

I guess I've been around anime enough when I can recognize japanese voice actors, even though I can't understand the language. The japanese voice of Bando is also the person who played Alucard in Hellsing.

Oh yeah, and regarding comics... here's one based on a series that's rather easy to make fun of, but still hilarious:

http://www.atomictoy.org/comics/buttlordgt/buttlordgt.html

Bando was awesome, really funny guy.

The person who did the voice for Nyu / Lucy is awesome. Her work with Lucy is perfect, IMO.

Wow I accually found those funny.

EDIT: Nah not after the first few.

Technician said:

Wow I accually found those funny.

EDIT: Nah not after the first few.

Which ones? The Nana one or that stupid Dragon-Ball Z thing?

The Nana one. I understand it and found it quite entertaining. As topic; Im not at all a anime fan but I did really enjoy the eps I have seen of Elfen Lied.

Technician said:

The Nana one. I understand it and found it quite entertaining. As topic; Im not at all a anime fan but I did really enjoy the eps I have seen of Elfen Lied.

Yeah, that comic rocked. If I hadn't read that comic, I don't think I'd ever have seen or heard of Elfen Lied, heh.

What a sad comic.

The show is a thrill ride off all anime theme cramed into thirteen episodes and they still have enough time to develop strong characters. Since I don't watch anime this was a treat to see that these cartoons can be more then just generic kid shows. Thank you BBG for introducing it to me.

Um, how do you get subtitles for the animation?

Edit; Oh wait, I'm watching the trailers. DUUUURRRR!

Edit2; Um, where can I download the episodes?

I suggest buying the set, but best way is a file sharing program.

hmm. Thank you kind sir.

Technician said:

The show is a thrill ride off all anime theme cramed into thirteen episodes and they still have enough time to develop strong characters. Since I don't watch anime this was a treat to see that these cartoons can be more then just generic kid shows. Thank you BBG for introducing it to me.

Hmm, if that surprises you then I think you have a completely wrong idea of this whole industry. Pokemon and Yugioh aren't exactly considered standards, you know. If anything, I'd even consider Elfen Lied kind of childish and cliche, even if I do like it a lot. The animation wasn't particularly anything to write home about either, IMO.

If you're really unfamiliar with anime, there's a whole lot of examples of series that transcend well above the level of Elfen Lied in terms of maturity and animation quality.

Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo are two names that spring to mind immediately, probably because I'm a fan of those. But there are many that can even be as simple as a schoolgirls' everyday life, and still contain philosophy at depths that no western animation could ever dream of. Then there's stuff like FLCL, that simply goes over the top, yet has a very mature look and feel to it, and quite a complicated storyline if you dig deep enough.

Oh, and I'll just say it again: Go watch Dead Leaves. It's only a 50 minute movie. It is insane. If you watch it, you will understand the insanity.

That goes for everybody who reads this. ;)





PS: http://link removed/ is a great site with a comprehensive list of all the new fansub releases that come out every day. Just do a search for the series you're looking for. Though it's not really suited if you're looking for older anime.

Nikanoru said:
[BIf you're really unfamiliar with anime, there's a whole lot of examples of series that transcend well above the level of Elfen Lied in terms of maturity and animation quality.[/B]

Sorry, but I really don't care. The story is funny, awesome and just so well-played out.

Yeah, there may be better made animes in terms of quality of animation and stuff but that doesn't mean shit. It's all about characters and interest.

Also, I requested the removal of your link, as you are probably unaware that links to sites containing copyrighted media (this means TV shows, OVAs and all that other garbage).

Save yourself from Bloodshedder, his name is apt

Loved Cowboy Bebop. Never payed any attension to Samurai Champloo

BBG said:

Sorry, but I really don't care. The story is funny, awesome and just so well-played out.

Yeah, there may be better made animes in terms of quality of animation and stuff but that doesn't mean shit. It's all about characters and interest.

Also, I requested the removal of your link, as you are probably unaware that links to sites containing copyrighted media (this means TV shows, OVAs and all that other garbage).

Save yourself from Bloodshedder, his name is apt

Oh I agree that Elfen Lied is great, I said I liked it a lot. I was just telling Technician that if Elfen Lied made him surprised that there are series out there that are more than just kid's cartoons, then he hasn't seen the tip of the iceberg. Didn't mean to argue with you. ;)

Also, I wasn't aware that fansubs of unlicenced anime were considered copyright infringements as well. Guess that's sort of a grey area we shouldn't go near then. Sorry about that.





Technician: Samurai Champloo was done by the same makers as Cowboy Bebop. It's pretty good.

ARGH GET OUT OF MY HEAD

OK, show of hands: who actually checked this out after BBG posted this?

Now I'm anticipating this coming out in English-- purists be damned; if I have to read while I'm watching a movie, I can't enjoy what's going on on-screen. I know Vol. 1 of 3 is out so far... any word on the rest of them?

Of course, my dumb ass had to download the one with Spanish subtitles. Now I know more Spanish than I ever cared to.

Bucket said:
OK, show of hands: who actually checked this out after BBG posted this?

As opposed to independently before he did?

Now I'm anticipating this coming out in English-- purists be damned; if I have to read while I'm watching a movie, I can't enjoy what's going on on-screen. I know Vol. 1 of 3 is out so far... any word on the rest of them?

Heh, I hoestly can't stand dubbing even on toons or anime or whatever (never mind movies or series, argh!)

Of course, my dumb ass had to download the one with Spanish subtitles. Now I know more Spanish than I ever cared to.

Learning Spanish is becoming important for people trading files online; it'll eventually be the most widely spoken language in the west (it could well be already), and that affects the Internet; especially in informal things like file sharing.

I believe that all 13 episodes are released in english now... I had seen 1-10 at the time this topic was made and have since caught the last three eps. There was also a 14th episode OVA, though it hasn't been released by ADV and may never be. It was only a side story, though.

myk said:

Heh, I hoestly can't stand dubbing even on toons or anime or whatever (never mind movies or series, argh!)

I enjoy watching some dubs, even though I almost always like the original more (Cowboy Bebop was one exception, as I thought it was very well done). It's like a novelty in most cases. Elfen Lied's was only decent, IMO.

EDIT: oops, double post.

I tried watching anime before, it was very painful to go through, so boring. But about this, the comic is somewhat disturbing, although the story seems interesting. I'll probably check the show out sometime.