Engaging And Addictive
M. Hencke | New York, NY United States | 07/27/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a must see anime. I watched the first volume and I wasn't too sure what to think. It takes some adjusting to it in how it blends moods and genres a bit. Its a very strange mix of Ai Yori Aoshi type humor and fan service with the gore and darkness of something like Berserk and the psychological turmoil moments in Satoshi Kon's Paranoia Agent. Once you get to the end of the first volume and view the first episode in the second volume you'll be hooked though...Trust me. The blood and guts are laid on pretty thick (although not the worst I have ever seen in an anime but pretty strong just the same) and the storyline/characters are dynamic and have riveting -- haunting histories and back stories. I found myself thinking about these characters days after I watched it the first time. Its a fascinating group this story follows and something tells me this show is headed towards a very tragic conclusion; which quite honestly I'm not too sure I'm all that prepared for...Anxious to see what happens in Volume 3!"
ALL SHE NEEDS IS A FRIEND
Sesho | Pasadena, TX USA | 07/18/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"As Vector 2 of Elfen Lied begins, Mayu, the young homeless girl that Kouta and Yuka took in last volume along with Nyu, has run away. She no longer wanted to be a burden on them. As she wanders the streets we see through flashbacks how she ended up as a runaway in the first place. Also on the loose is the pyschotic operative that Lucy dismembered in the first volume, newly reconstructed with cyborg attachments. He goes rogue and is out to revenge himself on Lucy, but how to find her? Another of Lucy's victims shows up and one of Kouta's professor's at college recognizes Nyu as one of his family, but is it really true?
There is really nothing like Elfen Lied out there in the anime world right now. It's a mix of a lot of anime conventions such as memory loss, harem comedy, superhuman fighting, fan service, and shojo. While having all these different genres juggling for your attention seems like a recipe for disaster, Elfen Lied mixes them all together in an entertaining and sometimes disturbing way. You get the same feeling from it as when you read the Battle Royale manga. It might be bloody and violent but there is a poignancy and sadness underneath it all. What is fiction but to put characters into extreme situations and see how they react? It's just that in this case, things are taken to the ultra-extreme. It is a great and thought-provoking show because while it has its sentimental edge, it also shows the horror and callousness that brings about murder."
I'm in love
maraudinggloominati | las vegas, nv | 09/01/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"started watching this series when my husband and i were in the music store and were taking a browse through ZIA's brand new animation aisle when we came across vector two. knew we'd be breakin into the story a little late but were so intrigued by the cover art, just had to buy it! that was the end of that...not a but a few days after vector 1 was on it's way from amazon and we went ahead and downloaded english subtitled versions for the rest of the series. both vectors do not disappoint...and i'm on the edge of my chair waiting for the last two vectors to complete our collection...by far my new favorite!"