Anime Review: Elfen Lied

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… (Sources from ANN)

Episodes: 13 + 1 OVA

Hello everyone!, I am back with another Anime Review for you all! Yeah, I am sorry about not doing a review in a long time... But as you read from last Blogs... I was on vacation and it was pretty hard for me to watch Elfen Lied when I was out... But I can confirm now that I have finished the anime and I am ready to review it for you guys!... Hope you are anxious! ^^

Elfen Lied, a story that revolves around two main protagonists of the story... Lucy/Nyuu and Kouta... Now I know this anime is famous for a lot of things I hear... And also a lot of people turn away from it as well... There are reasons why I can see why people turn away from the anime... Just by the first episode, the gore is throughout the whole episode... From the moment it starts... Decapitations and Disembowelment's happen throughout the first episode... Nothing is really meant to be explained on what happens here but it basically shows how Lucy got out of where she has been confined most of her life... The reason why... Is cause she is a Diclonius...

A Diclonius is a human that is born from any normal human that has one slight different indication that it is a Diclonius... And that would be the horns... Diclonius are meant to be killed if they are born... The one reason why is because they are committed to come down from god to wipe out the current homo-sapien race and then to build their own... I don't want to say much more cause I do not want to spoil any parts of this anime if you haven't seen it yet...

As I said before, this anime is famous for its first episode... Mostly due to the harsh gore and nudity that is preludes for the watcher... Funny story (sorry to get off track), I was talking to my friend a few days ago and asked her if she ever watched the anime "Elfen Lied"... She spoke back saying how she only seen a few scenes from it... I believe she said it was an AMV (Anime Music Video)... But she talks about a few scenes of her "killing everyone without a reason." Now of course I laughed about this... But due to this factor, she hasn't even started to watch it yet cause of the first episode... And I swear, to the people who passed this after the first episode should REALLY go back and watch this anime straight forward... The first episode does not explain anything that goes on in the anime...

Okay, now that I have put that aside I would like to talk about the story after the infamous first episode... Kouta and Yuka go to the beach one day to find out that there is a girl in the ocean that is bleeding out her head... This women is Lucy... Or so it is?... Kouta and Yuka bring her to Koutas Inn and watches over Nyuu... They named her Nyuu for one main reason... Lucy lost most of her memory after the gun shot hit her helmet and put her unconscious... So loosing all her memory she only can say "Nyuu!"... So Kouta keeps her in the household... And later in the anime Yuka also starts to live in the house hold as well... To keep "watch" over Kouta and Nyuu... Cause she believe they are doing indecent things...

Now for the story... This anime really delivers a lot that I can't even go into cause it will spoil most of the story... The flow of this anime is very great and the story will draw you in... My only complaint really about it is a lackluster backside story about the Diclonius'... They really don't get explained about "why" it has happened... Maybe there is no answer to that... But I feel that there could of been a reasoning about the Diclonius' being born in the first place... But like I said... With that aside... The story is superb...

The characters are very lovable as well... Even with the gore and nudity that is throughout the anime... You will bond with each character well and understand each ones feelings also... New characters will be brought into the anime as well that makes a few shifts into the storyline also... Overall, the characters of the story are likable... Nothing really to "flashy" though... Don't expect some originality from the characters... But expect a great story that fills in with great characters...

(NOTE: Next paragraph may include SLIGHT story revealing... Read at own risk ^^... Skip if so...)

The conclusion to this anime was well done also... It really has kind of a "cliffhanger" ending which makes you think... And I realized after watching the conclusion a few times on what went on... I will not explain of course since it would give up the storys pretty good ending... But I have also read from sources that the Manga has extended from the anime stories conclusion... So if that is true... I would of love to see an extension to this anime... But still, even with the ending it has... Still pretty good in my eyes... And everything is explained well...

With all the positive notes I have gave on this Anime... It's clearly to say that Elfen Lied is a superb anime... But I still have a feeling it isn't for the casual watchers of anime... Some of the grotesque scenes and nudity may have a viewer loose interest in this pretty quickly... And it's a shame, since this anime delivers so much for only thirteen episodes... Great story, great characters, and a good ending... This anime is an unforgettable adventure...

(NOTE TO ALL READERS: The preview for "This Ugly Yet Beautiful World" will be up sometime later tonight probably. Thanks for the wait!)

Overall: 9.5/10

Next Review: This Ugly Yet Beautiful World

Anime Preview: Elfen Lied

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… (Sources from ANN)

Hey guys, just want to give you a little special gift... Today is my birthday and I am out right now on vacation... It is a nice place here... Internet isn't great though... Took me about 20 minutes just to get here to give you guys a special preview today!...

So from the votes it is easy to say that Elfen Lied was the chosen one of the three... Now I really can't recall much about this anime... And since I am not able to view the first few episodes I will give you my preview from distinct memory... Now from what I remember, Lucy, one of our main characters of the story is being used for an experiment because she is a Diclonius... Which from the summary they are born into this world from a selected few who possess abnormal abilities... I remember that from the Diclonius... Whenever one is born, they will have to be killed... Do to the fact that they are supposed to cleanse the world from the current race and build a more superior race... So from the beginning... Lucy our main character escapes from her experiments from a laboratory... She falls into the water and drifts away to shore... Kouta and Yuka, one of our main protagonists of the story, find her washed away at the beach and take her into Kouta's household (Originally an Inn)... But "Lucy" looses all her memory from what she really is and is named "Nyuu" for the fact that she is only able to say this word when she washed up to shore... But Lucy is still hidden in her...

I know I basically just extended the summary more than anything... But I did remember some parts of the first episode that I could recall... But I will be back home Saturday to start watching this anime! So I should be finished by sometime next week. Kudos everyone!

Anime Update: September 27th, 2010

Hey everyone, I hope everyone had a great week and for the people who are going to school... Then hope you guys are doing well heheh ^^... Well I would like to state an announcement really quick before I go to bed... It really isn't much of a bad announcement but my birthday is in three more days... So if you guys want... Wish me a happy birthday in the comments... Now for the real news... Do to the fact that my birthday is coming up in three days, I will be going on vacation for it... I will be gone for about a week... So that means no Anime Review this week guys... Ohh no, don't cry! ^^... I will be back next Monday to throw out a preview for you guys! ^^...

Now since I had to state the bad news... I will give you some good news... I will reveal the next three animes that I will be reviewing next!... Now I would like to name this segment "To_Ashes Anime Re-Watch Review" for one reason... These three animes I have seen before... But I mostly forgot each one cause it has been years since I seen them!... So let me introduce the three animes I will be revealing for the future... Also, Leave in the comments or message me which one I should review first when I come back! ^^

Maburaho (Re-Watch)

)

This Ugly Yet Beautiful World (Re-Watch)

Elfen Lied (Re-Watch)

Kudos guys! And hope everyone enjoys their week! Have a good week everyone and I will be back next week to post again!

To_Ashes

Mini-Anime Review: I Love You, Baby

Summary: Kippei Katakura is a high school playboy who would flirt with any girl he sees. His life was turn upside down when one day, his 5-year old cousin Yuzuyu shows up at his house after her mother had seemingly abandoned her. And now, Kippei has been handed the task of taking care of Yuzuyu for the time being, and he must learn how to become the "mother" that Yuzuyu needs. (Source by ANN)

Overall:

+ Heart-warming story.

+ Yuzuyu is cute and helps the story progress.

+ Character development is important.

? No flashy magic or physiological moments.

- The way the plot progresses, it could actually start getting boring for some.

-- No "real" conclusion hurts this anime BIG TIME!

Now originally, I was going to make this the next "full-scale" review I was going to do... But since I did finish it just a little while ago... I feel like I may share this with a Mini-Anime Review... Kippei is a "playboy" type guy who has every girl falling for him at school... But alas, soon into the anime he learns he needs to take care of his cousin Yuzuyu... A 5 year old girl whose mother "abandoned her"... Now the plot is based upon this... One thing I had to question... Is when Kippei did get the privilege to take care of her... It's like her knew her for his whole life... From basically day one, he takes care of her like like they been together for months... As Yuzuyu wants to do something, he lets her do it... Since he is a playboy in school and all the girls are after him... You think his personality would be slightly similar towards Yuzuyu as in "not caring enough" or stuff on that line... Another thing also, there is a lot of crying in this anime... Expect about enough tears to fill a pond! ^^... This anime is not for everyone... It doesn't have any flashy moments or "Wow!" Moments as well... It is a laid back anime that follows an everyday life of Kippei and Yuzuyu and other personal things that I won't get into... Overall, I thought it was quite interesting... But with the lack of an actual ending was very disappointing... Especially that there is 26 episodes... But give it a try if you want to see something that isn't "Ecchi" or "Over the top with crazy magic!"... Nope, this is just your laid back drama fest with a hint of romance... If that isn't your type of tea... Stay away... If you think the summary sounds interesting or some of the stuff I have said... And can get over with the disappointing "ending?"... Give it a possible watch.

Overall: 6.0/10

Anime Review: Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase

Summary: Photographer Kohei Morioka, while on assignment for a magazine devoted to the occult, enters a dark castle in Germany where he encounters a young vampire girl named Hazuki who tries to turn him into her servant. While Kohei doesn't succumb to Hazuki's will, he does set her free from the barrier keeping her in the castle. He is surprised to find her living with him in Japan. (Source by Wiki)

Episodes: 25 + 1 Extra

Moon Phase is a different anime from what I have normally done in the past... One clear thing is this is my first review on a "Vampire" type anime... This anime setting starts off you by a castle in Germany... We see our protagonist Kohei going to the castle for investigation do to the fact he saw a female character on top of the castle... It turns out when he gets there all hell breaks loose as Hazuki (Luna is also her other "self") butler Vigo decides to go forward with his promise and keep Hazuki safe... Everything starts off as Kohei breaks the orb that bounded Hazuki from leaving the castle in the first place. The story truly begins when Hazuki is at Kohei's house... Which is also his Grandfathers that he lives with...

The story of this anime mostly consist on "Trying to get back Hazuki to her Castle."... Now the plot does very well keeping on topic with this... But you start to feel something is missing... As the vampires are to get Hazuki back... They also learn that Kohei is the "Vampires Lover"... Which means he is invincible to any type of Vampire "Kisses" (Bites in our term)... And the consumer of his blood will gain a massive amount of vampire power... So the topic then leans towards a "Get Hazuki back... And kill Kohei." Which I do like the change of pace... And also the setting does change much later in the anime for a specific reason but I won't spoil that for you guys to enjoy ^^... Overall, the story was decent and you could follow it fairly well...

(NOTE: Possible Spoilers In Next Paragraph... Read At Your Own Risk!)

Most of the characters of the anime are like-able in their own ways... But to tell you the truth, most of the characters do strain away from being original to any aspect... But you will still have nice connection with each character of the story... One character that comes to mind which was one of my favorite in the anime is Arte; also known as Artemis... She does start off as a villain in the anime and is Hazuki's sister... But to keep from spoiling her appearance anymore, she sadly only appears in the last few episodes... So from being a villain, to becoming a main character, just for the anime to end with a lot of questions built up for Arte's side of the story... Sadly, most of your questions won't be answered and it is a shame... But in the end, you will bond with most of the characters in the anime which will keep you mostly to watching it.

With an anime like this you would want a nice settled ending correct?... Well this won't disappoint TOO MUCH... Only reason why I could say this is, well, it is a very predictable ending... And nothing like "Wow, I didn't see that coming!" Really will be in your mind at all... The ending is cookie cutter basic with no flash...

Overall, this anime was still enjoyable for me to watch... But it really isn't for everyone... The story will seem to pace very slow or becoming very "boring" to others... And with a conclusion that really makes you kind of forget about the last episode... It is kind of easy to turn away from this anime... But alas, I did enjoy this as I watched it... And I would say for the people who have not seen this or heard of it... I say give it a try... You may enjoy the drama and the short but flashy action scenes as well... Kudos everyone! ^^

Overall: 7.0/10

Next Review: *In Next Preview*

Mini-Anime Review: Kamisama Kazoku

Summary: Samatarou Kamiyama is the son of a god and must live in the human world with his family to learn about them, in order to become a better god when the time comes to succeed his father. His closest friend is Tenko, Samatarou's guardian angel since birth. One day he falls for Kumiko Komori, a girl who just transferred to their school, and decides to win her heart without relying on any of his relatives' godly powers, oblivious to the fact that Tenko herself has a crush on him. (Source by Wiki)

Overall:

+ The story is well done.

+ To follow the role of God is kind of a cool concept.

+ Funny moments.

+/- Conclusion is okay.

- Many un-original characters come in play.

- Those "wow" moments don't start until last few episodes.

As you can see, I did enjoy the story... And I did like how the story was based upon gods and goddesses... Also being funny in its own way I had a few laughs and smirks here and there. The conclusion of this anime was alright... It basically answered everything you need to know for the short 13 episode anime... But the ending still was very un-original... Such as the characters, even though the gods and goddesses were like-able, the supporting characters are VERY forgettable... But even so the story was pretty good and the struggle with "Boy and Girl" is set in this normally... Give it a shot if you want a filler!

Overall: 7.5/10

Anime Preview: Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase

Summary: Photographer Kohei Morioka, while on assignment for a magazine devoted to the occult, enters a dark castle in Germany where he encounters a young vampire girl named Hazuki who tries to turn him into her servant. While Kohei doesn't succumb to Hazuki's will, he does set her free from the barrier keeping her in the castle. He is surprised to find her living with him in Japan. (Source by Wiki)

Hey everyone!... I would like to confirm and say this is my first "Vampire Anime" review I will be doing... And also I have seen this one in the past about 3 years ago... But as a normal person does, they forget it I may say ^^... But this is a preview of Tsukuyomi...

Tsukuyomi takes place at the start at a castle... It is a castle that is in Germany and is known for its secrets and sorts... One day photographer and protagonist Kohei Morioka decides to go check the castle out... He then finds that there is a young girl who he spots sitting on top of the castle... For as he is, he decides to investigate the following day as the picture he took didn't show her in the picture... When investigating in the castle, Kohei shortly finds the young girls and surprise to everyone... Shes a vampire looking for a servant... And to be a servant you need preform "The Vampires Kiss" (As we know, a bite.)... She introduces herself as her name Hazuki... She preforms the Vampire Kiss... And then Vigo (Hizuki's butler to protect her), gets angry we can say... The attack ends with Kohei being victorious for breaking a glass globe... When he returns to his home in Japan... He then sees Hazuki decides to put herself to living with him and his Grandfather...

Now I can briefly remember this anime very little... Since it's been a long time... But I can say I will probably be interested in watching it again... And I believe I will enjoy it as well... The review should be up around next weekend guys!... Kudos everyone!

(NOTE: I may be announcing something sometime next week I have been thinking of... If I decide I want to do it I will announce it sometime next week! It's something good not bad, don't be worried ^^...)

Anime Review: Seto no Hanayome

Summary:The story of Seto no Hanayome revolves around a young teenage boy named Nagasumi Michishio. One day during his summer vacation at Seto Bay, Nagasumi is saved from drowning by a mermaid, Sun Seto. Under mermaid law, however, either the mermaid whose identity was revealed, or the human who saw the mermaid, must be executed. In an attempt to save both Nagasumi and Sun's lives, Sun's family, which is the head of a mermaid mafia group, reluctantly decides that the two are to be married. (Source by ANN)

Episodes: 26 + 2 OVA's

Seto no Hanayome or in English known as "My Bride is a Mermaid" is what I will be reviewing today... Yeah I figured since I finished the anime a lot quicker than expected to send all you a guys review today while I can... The story is based around Nagasumi who one day gets pulled under the sea from a possible tide... What then happens is a mermaid by the name Sun saves him while he was getting pulled down... Later she arrives at his grandmothers door step to introduce herself to the family... And also shocking the family saying she is Nagasumi's Fiancee... Everyone being in shock they still respect his role to become married to Sun... But afterwards respect became despair as they figure out Sun has a connection with the Yakuza... Her father being the head boss of the Yakuza... An interesting life begins for Nagasumi and the others...

The story of this anime takes place in the first few episodes at the grandmothers house... But shortly after that will change to Nagasumi's... I completely loved the story of this anime... Each characters personality and trait was so unique from each other that you will fall in love with each character... No joke... The characters personality's span very from from each one... So characters of the story you will bond with very quickly and they never seem to get boring at all... They just keep on giving more and more antics that will make you laugh very hard that you may just tear! ^^...

The story paces very well also... You will notice a few parts that you may question when it happens... But basically most of the stuff that happens has its purpose which leave very few plot holes throughout the story... The story runs best when Sun decides to go to Nagasumi's school... Of course I won't spoil what happens in between these events but you will find yourself smiling and laughing on what happens... The school seems to show mainly throughout the anime... There are few episodes here and there that changes the setting mostly which is nice... Overall the story will have you laughing and smiling...

Did I mention this anime is funny?... It is really really hilarious on what happens throughout this anime... The antics that happens throughout the anime get funnier and funnier... Which each moment you will bond more and more with the story... And with addition of more characters that come into place of the story as it proceeds is great as well!

I must admit, it was really hard for me to stop watching this anime... It was one of those animes that make you say "Ohh wow, I think I will just go one more episode..." And then you realized you ran yourself through 5 more episodes... You will love the story line as well... And the conclusion will not disappoint at all... It ends very well and you will be wanting more... It is very funny and like I said before... You will bond with EVERY character through this anime... Overall, I have to say watch this anime if you want to have an amazing laugh and a great story to follow that up... I recommend this to any watcher of anime... Success! ^^

Overall: 9.5/10

Next Review: Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase *NOTE: This is a Re-Watch for me.*

Anime Preview: Seto no Hanayome

Summary: The story of Seto no Hanayome revolves around a young teenage boy named Nagasumi Michishio. One day during his summer vacation at Seto Bay, Nagasumi is saved from drowning by a mermaid, Sun Seto. Under mermaid law, however, either the mermaid whose identity was revealed, or the human who saw the mermaid, must be executed. In an attempt to save both Nagasumi and Sun's lives, Sun's family, which is the head of a mermaid mafia group, reluctantly decides that the two are to be married. (Source by Wiki)

Mermaids... Ahh, don't we all wish they existed?... Or do they?... Hahah... Well I must say this story revolves around a young boy named Nagasumi... The anime starts off with him basically drowning in the ocean... As the pressure pulls him down... A hand grabs him from the side... This is the hand of Sun... These two main characters will be the most important of the story... Shortly after this happens Sun's family meets the boy... Not the best greeting from her father though... Through a struggle with Nagasumi and Sun's father... He wants Nagasumi dead by all rights... He sends out a assassin to take care of the job pretty early on... Going by the name Maki... Now since Sun and all the other Mermaids can take human form pretty easily... If they would come in contact of any water... Their identity would be revealed... And Nagasumi has to protect this from happening from others seeing... I can easily say that I could enjoy this one ALOT... It is REALLY funny from what I have seen so far... And the characters have all their own personalities which is great! I feel I will bond with this one... A review will be up sometime next weekend everyone! Kudos and feel free to comment away!

(NOTE: This anime in english basically means "My Bride is a Mermaid")

Anime Review: True Tears

Summary: Shinichiro is a student living in what would be a dream come true for most high school boys, but for him is mostly a frustration. A well liked girl in school named Hiromi has lived in his house for a year along with his family. Her father was a close friend of the family, and when he died they immediately took her in. She is popular and well liked, always smiles, is talented in sports- but Shinichiro knows there must be tears inside her. Having an artistic tendency, he makes watercolours of her and thinks about wishing to ease her tears. (Source by ANN)

Episodes: 13

True Tears... A story that revolves around Sinichiro's life... He is your ordinary high school male that has a un-ordinary life... A women that he likes is in the same house hold as him... The one problem is that Sinichiro and Hiromi do not get along very well... They are very quite to one another and they distant their friendship as well...

When the story starts you do not really get a huge back story on the reason why Hiromi is at the house in the first place... But it is briefly explained well in later episodes... What has happened is Hiromi's father has passed away... So since Sinichiro's father was very grateful to keep her in the house hold due to the fact that Hiromi's father was very good friends with Sinichiro's father...

The story is actually not that bad when you get into it... It doesn't fully revolve around just Sinichiro's and Hiromi's struggles... But it also conflicts towards other main characters that pop up in the story as well... One huge main character who comes up in the story very shortly is Noe... She is a very odd girl who has a very different vision of life then Sinichiro... But Sinichiro Befriends her early on and they get together really well... Which you will start to see a struggle between Hiromi and Noe in later episodes...

There is one HUGE problem with this anime that you will catch up early on... The pacing of it is very very slow... It seems that whenever you feel like something is going to happen... It doesn't happen until the very end or close to the end of the episode... Or sometimes episode(s)... For example... You will start to see Sinichiro build feelings for Noe... But then you feel like for Sinichiro to proceed with the story... It is as slow as a slug... Now let me remind you... This is only a thirteen episode anime... So it will end pretty quickly and realize not really much happens in between each episodes... The flow is a major problem in this...

Character wise is well done... Each character you will bond with pretty much early on... But where this is a good thing... Most of the characters are kind of bland in their own way... Some of the personality's are very cliched and mostly will make you think "Been There Done That" type feeling... The only character I can easily say that is unique from the others is Noe... Since she is so distant about how her feelings are and very different of her point of view about life... She is the most like-able character of the bunch...

*Spoiler Warnings Possible... Skip To Overall If Don't Want To Be Spoiled.*

Conclusion of the anime is basic... It is very predictable and it also leaves open for a lot of questions as well that don't get answered... It seems like the Story Arc is only complete on Shinichiro's and Hiromi's storyline... Noe's is open for a lot of questions as well when you have finished the anime... So overall the ending will most likely disappoint...

Overall, it is really hard to debate on this one... It kind of hurts to see that this anime had a nice story arc to it and then the plot is proceeding at the speed of a slug... And then the conclusion will just make you feel like you put some time into this thirteen episode anime and feel like questions have not been answered... Do I say not to watch this one?... Not exactly, but just brace yourself for a pretty laid back ending with very slow pacing... It had potential, but falls short...

Overall: 6.0/10

Next Review: Seto No Hanayome