Plot Summary:
The Diclonius, a mutated homo sapien that is said to be selected by God and will eventually become the destruction of mankind, possesses two horns in their heads, and has a "sixth sense" which gives it telekinetic abilities. Due to this dangerous power, they have been captured and isolated in laboratories by the government. Lucy, a young and psychotic Diclonius, manages to break free of her confines and brutally murder most of the guards in the laboratory, only to get shot in the head as she makes her escape. She survives and manages to drift along to a beach, where two teenagers named Kouta and Yuka discovers her. Having lost her memories, she was named after the only thing that she can now say, "Nyuu," and the two allow her to stay at Kouta's home. However, it appears that the evil "Lucy" is not dead just yet...
- Taken from Anime News Network
Story –
In terms of story, Elfen Lied really has a fresh vibe and the concept is quite original compared to some of the other seinen anime. The concept of Diclonius and how they slice of other human beings in just a flash of a second is nicely presented. However, the story in the second half could have been handled in a much better way and the characters in the story simply look like they are there because they were there. No other reason whatsoever.
Story – 7/10
Characters –
The teenagers Kouta and Yuka are naïve and they are still not aware of how the world works properly. And yes, they can be very annoying sometimes to the point that the series may begin to piss you off. Lucy’s character is nicely handled but her alter-ego Nyuu is quite a piece of work. Other characters like Mayu and Nana are so-so but there is no character development and even if there is, much more is left desired. The only character that is likable to a certain degree is the badass cop Bondo. That’s the end of the list.
So Characters get 3/10
Presentation –
The presentation is good in some parts and average on the others. The effects in the opening scene are quite amazing. The gruesome and terrible violence is a little too much but perfectly fits the bill considering the type of anime Elfen Lied is.
The designs of the characters are what I felt was little shaky and needed improvement but it is a very small issue here. The setting of Elfen Lied is quite gorgeous. The beach side mayhem being caused is something to look for and the old ancestral home of the protagonist is really nice.
Presentation-wise, I’ll give it 7/10
Sound –
Besides the opening song and the overall score which are quite brilliant, the series falls short in terms of dialogue delivery. The subs and dubs don’t even correlate to each other on so many points and it is a real shame that the series uses mostly the clichéd dialogues that get interesting at no point of time. The voice acting too is pretty mediocre and seems to be done on a low budget. The main character Kouta has a voice of a 10 year old and Nyuu’s voice is quite irritating most of the times. Bondo’s voice is nicely done but then again, he is the ONLY well-developed character here.
In Sound section, I’d give it 5/10
Overall –
Elfen Lied has some really nice and innovative concepts and imaginations. The story is also decent but what the anime actually lacks is a decent direction. It is not a gem as many would say but then again, it’s not a complete failure either.
Pros -
+ Innovative story
+ Bondo
Cons -
- Bad sound
- Sub is just horrible
- Nyuu
- Infuriatingly dull characters
Overall Rating – 5/10
Warning - The anime contains heavy nudity and excessive violence. Only for mature audience above 18.
- A Review by Kartikeya Shrivastava
0 comments:
Post a Comment