So Woolie actually smashed that pool cue over your shoulder. Bennet, I don't think that was an accident. Did you diss Reboot at some point in your life?
If there's one thing about this series I can say, it's that the vectors are terrifying, not in how they look or what they do, but the what could happen to someone with them. I think a lot of people, myself included, would be scared out of their minds of the idea of facing someone with an invisible force that could dismember or kill you in an instant, and there'd be nothing you could do about it because you can't see it, and thus can't avoid it. This was later surpassed by the series Inuyashiki, in which the villain, Shishigami, has the power to kill people with mind bullets that can shoot someone anywhere as long as he knows where they are
1:50 Woolie doesn't need no weapon. He killed a guy once while playing football. Then he went to the guys funeral and told his mom: "This is what you get for letting your boy play with killers."
Just right now, kids are 2deep4u so they need to show the world they don't think gore is mature, because they like psychological series with symbolism full of deeper meanings.
This was me when I found this anime yet I won’t lie this anime cemented my love of anime. In my list of anime that made me the fan I am at different stages in my life as an anime fan this is the third in a series of 4 or 5 : dragonball into inuyasha into elfen lied into darker than black into allison and lillia into hyouka.
I don't have a problem with the quantity of children killed in the show, and don't think that on its own should be anymore if a problem than adults, or anything else being killed. The problem was with how forced it was. Most of the violence just being there for shock factor is the problem.
Yes. Most, If not all of the violence portrayed in Elfen Lied is meant to hone in on the "humans can be so cruel" idea that the show so likes to inform its audience. It comes off as so incredibly forced and unnecessary most of the time that I can't describe it as anything other than shock factor. Or just violence for the sake of violence. I'm not condoning the use of violence in fiction. But it just goes to show that Okamoto (the author) doesn't know how to write a meaningful story.
+Marcus Falco Whether you have witnessed cruel people or not isn't really relevant to the point made. I stated that the portrayal of violence in this show doesn't amount to much other than to push forward the idea of humanity's indescribable capacity for cruelty. The idea of nurture vs. nature as Sage mentioned. There are other ways to portray that than with simply showing gore, death, and rape on screen. The show's display of its violence at most points is unnecessary.
Derp For some reason, I can't see the person's comment you're responding to. Anyway, I agree with what you said. I was just sort if rebutting Sage's complaint about the quantity of children being killed, being an issue in and of itself. I agree with him that there's too many naked children, and most of the rest of what he said.
I know it's complicated to prove, but if there's a case, what if you're intending to do shock value. Should you proclaim it to the heavens like Fist of the North Star or should you put it front and center like Violent Jack? I do get when you feel something is pretentious or insincere it's a hard thing to brush away. Even in media that's well made.
agreed, i long since stopped weighing child death in fiction as worse than adult death, because bad writers seem to like using it as a crutch. coughmasseffect3openingcough
Mark did the voice for necalli for Street Fight 5 which in turn the Super Best Friends huge fighting game fans, had mark on there podcast.. but i don't get the woolies beef with bennett on violence jack, maybe its an in-joke.
I always found Elfen Lied pretty schizophrenic, as schizophrenic as its lead characters. It's like two different stories/anime slapped together. One is trying to be a schlocky harem anime, the other, a dark, bloody sci-fi tale of horror and gore. And the two do not really mesh together.
I think one of the problems with Elfen Lied is that there was a chance for some amazing morally gray areas. The manga is mostly to blame here. It would have been great if it focused more on that not all diclonius are evil and not all humans are good. Another thing that bugged me was Lucy's back story and personalities. Lucy just kills Kouta's family out of jealousy and that was it. If done differently, Lucy would have gone to kill Kouta's family, with prompting from the diclonius voice, but stop herself from actually doing it. She would have seen the loving family Kouta has and realize that killing them would only bring her temporary happiness. Then the diclonius research institute, having been monitoring her, shows up and uses this as an opportunity to show some faceless government that the diclonius are a threat to humanity. They brutally murder Kouta's family and make it look like a diclonius attack. Lucy witnesses this and has a mental breakdown. Now regarding her personalities, both the manga and anime have just the 'lucy' 'nyuu' and 'diclonius voice'. The manga does have a Kaede personality, but it's negligible. What should have been done was have Kaede as the original personality, Lucy being born from the extreme emotional trauma, and Nyuu from the blow to the head. The voice would just be a separate entity attached more to instinct since it's not a fracture of the original personality. The Lucy personality would exist to protect Kaede from emotional pain, and the Nyuu personality would be there to protect her from physical pain.
Coming from a die hard fan of the series, very good, respectable and professional review. I really appreciate you being able to respect the series and it's fan base despite your dislike for the show, something I think we need more of in critics nowadays.
Remember that time Woolie killed that guy? Yeah. Now he joined the Ustabaiaz in order to kick Bennet unconcious as he tires to become one step closer to Shin Woolie. ... Man, I hope there are enough Zaibatsu fans here to get that.
That puppy scene was what disturbed me the most about this anime. And yet, a small group of people online will defend that scene and say "those kids don't deserve to die despite what they did to Lucy's puppy". IMO, those bullies deserved it. I know they're just around 10 or 11, but Lucy had every right to kill them for what they did, or at least she had every right to lash out on them. Well, what do you think will happen if you kill someone's dog or even go as far as sexually assault someone's kids? Heck, what would John Wick do if he was put in the same scenario as Lucy?
I discovered Elfen Lied at that awkward time when the hormones were raging and I couldn't really watch porn. So, Elfen Lied filled that role. I also loved the extreme violence. These days, I still enjoy it, but for the life of me, I couldn't really say why. The nudity is novel at best (thanks, porn!) and while I love hyper-violences now and then, I'm not really a fan of anything else in the anime. The art style is boringly simplistic, the story isn't engaging, the characters are annoying at best and forgettable at worst. And yet, I still love watching it, and I know not why.
The sequence between Bando and Mayu has by far the best moment in the whole story (including the manga), when she hands Bando the note he gave her with his phone number saying she's being attacked and she needs him to keep his promise of helping her for saving his life. He gets really pissed but keeps his promise after she throws it to his face saying he's all talk and has no honor. Still makes me laugh to this day.
Question: What is the helmet Lucy is wearing for? It doesn't contain her vectors, nor does it cause any sensory deprivation, the only thing it did was stop the bullet she got shot with so instead of dying she got a split personality due the concussion; so I ask again, what is the helmet for?
i was kinda wondering that to subconciously, but your right, all it did was prevent her from dying.............which was not a function of the helmet from what we saw here. What the hell does it do?
It prevents her from seeing. She can feel around with her invisible arms, but those are actually only about 5-6 feet. Unlike a blindfold, she couldn't simply take it off or slice through it since vectors can't cut through metal as we saw with the doors. Of course they COULD have just permanently blinded her.
Putting the helmet on Lucy to keep her from seeing and hearing makes the most sense, but since she seems to easily be able to walk around the base killing people left and right makes me doubt it.
Claudia Lomelí She can still hear because she turns her head towards sound. She seems to be feeling around using her "vectors" like a blind man with a walking stick.
I'm still not sure the helmet was intended for sensory deprivation, I mean, again, it would make sense if it was, but she really doesn't have a lot of trouble moving around, even without her vectors. Something tells me she only has it because the artist thought it would look cool.
I always liked the Elfen Lied manga mostly because it felt like it felt like it was trying to subvert the harem trope, and considering it was published right as the harem trope was getting reaaaaallllly popular is was really ahead of it's time. But now that every other horror manga does the thing where it shows horrible people doing horrible things to show how horrible they are, it does seem pretty ridiculous. I hate anime that is produced during the same time the manga is, I know they do it because they want the anime to promote the manga. But stuff like this happens, where the story is cut short or changed so much that manga and anime are two totally different stories. Or you get an Attack on Titan situation, where it takes years for season two to be produced.
indeed, they need to stop doing it, though i look at the Attack on Titan situation as a compromise, cause that means at least it doesn't end in dumb ways. it's better than what happened with say the first Hellsing Anime (whose series was lucky enough to get a redo.). about the only series to get away with it mostly unscathed is Fullmetal Alchemist.
I watched this anime years ago...then repressed trying to remember it. Then I watched this review and the memories started following back to me. Thanks for the review Sage. XD
Never watched the show, read the Manga through a dare and I have to say the Manga is no style and substance and I hated it til today. that's 10 hours of my life I never got back.
Maybe Elfen Lied is just one of "let's look into how much dark a dark side of humanity can get" things. Most of us are normal and live in relative peace and don't know incredibly dark parts of humanity firsthand but we know how some people are fu#$@% up and this anime explores it in its own way... and the point about it not answering it's question... maybe that's it? We don't really know why faced with certain situation one person will turn bad and another will be enforced in believe that being kind to others is the key.
Great review Bennett! You took a rather balanced and fair position despite most critics either gushing or just shitting on it. Elfen Lied is an oddball anime with some bizarre choices, a very limited budget, and plenty of aspects that could be considered flaws including its contrived coincidences and melodrama. It also just so happens to be my favorite anime of all time.
Lucy's "evil" side is actually her natural impulses as a Diclonius Queen. She's genetically programmed to eliminate humans and propagate her species. The problem of the show not addressing the questions it raises comes from the manga being as shallow as his author. The whole purpose of the story is for Kouta to gather his harem. One indication of that is how absurdly evil everyone but Kouta and his harem are. The children at Lucy's orphanage are the best example of that. I can accept without any problem that the kids hated Lucy (it's stated later in the story that said hate is a genetic reaction of humans against the Diclonius species), but only complete cartoon psychopaths would murder a puppy the way they do and manically laugh as they do it. Cruelty to animals is considered an early warning sign of psychopathy, but those kids go so far as to be literal inhuman monsters that would make Hannibal embarrassed. In fact, he would probably have them for dinner.
Honestly I wish the Manga had been adapted into an anime in modern times. Like for example, with Made in Abyss, the anime censors some of the grossest parts of the Manga while still getting the story across wonderfully. I feel like the anime of Elfen Lied in modern times would have been able to remove Kouta and his cousin being incestuous and focused in on the story of Lucy being the Queen of the Diclonius and how she had that inner voice compelling her to remake humanity. That story was so interesting. **Spoilers for those who haven't read the Manga** Lucy is definitely a combination of Nurture and Nature and the Manga does a great job of showing how her three personalities are evidence that both things are important to how a person acts. Her "Instinct", the inner voice compelling her to kill everyone, is her base nature. "Lucy" is the personality that was nurtured along with her inner nature due to how she was raised, which resulted in her being violent and apathetic and lonely. However, Lucy learns that she does not want to kill everyone, thanks to her third personality, Nyuu. "Nyuu" is the personality that was nurtured to be kind and sweet and innocent, who isn't influenced by her base nature. I really wish all of that had been further explored in the anime.
I remember thinking the anime was cool and Lucy lovable as a teen, but when I look back to it, not so much. It felt like a cheap exploitation of what teens want, with the philosophical bullshit to pretend to be deeper then it really was.
ELFEN LIED- one of the most disturbing and extreme cartoons ever made! It makes SOUTH PARK look like a kids show and WALTZ WITH BASHIR look respectable and that’s why I appreciate the work so much and holds a special but sinister place in my life and younger years.
I don't know why but there's something about Elfen Lied that I still like. I think the animation and colors for the anime adaption served it well, because when you look at the manga art style it reminds me a bit of Love Hina or late 90s art styles. I have also read the manga and the story just goes so much deeper than I ever would have guessed from the anime. I'm unsure if I would ever want the rest to be animated but for what it is...it's not so bad. To this day it's still in my top 10 favorite anime opening videos. Just absolutely gorgeous theme song and Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" adapted to fit Nyu/Lucy and there are some really hard dark subjects being brought up which I actually felt in my chest once I got swept up in the story and took the fan service for what it was; I accepted those bits and even found them entertaining because I'll be honest with you, they weren't drawn badly, and I didn't feel titillated when Nyu/Lucy was naked because when Nyu was nude I only saw someone with the mind of a child and with Lucy it was more like...it was just natural, not sexual. She was never sexual when she was naked, at least not on purpose. Also, Bando is redeemable a tiny bit, at least in the manga. Yeah to me Elfen Lied is simultaneously very exploitative, shallow, plot-thin and ecchi while also being dark, a tiny bit thrilling, psychological, and pretty unique. I'm of two minds of it, and I think the anime helped confuse me more how I feel about it .
Oh god... listen, JJBA has a lot of strong points, but the animal death ratio is way too high. (RIP Danny, Iggy, and every other poor animal that's met its end on the anime and in the manga.)
Sage's critique of Bando at 18:30 is pretty much the entire problem with Elfen Lied. The story (especially after The Unnamed Man appears in the manga) goes so extreme with the violence, torture, gore, sexual innuendo, etc. that the questions the story raises about how people develop morality get drowned out and whatever personal drama it attempts is rendered ironically hilarious.
Elfen Lied was a soul-crushing manga to read, but I had to finish it just to get it over with. I couldn't watch the anime. The writing is abysmal, the characters are awful, and as you point out Sage it never answers the questions it poses.
I only recognized Linkara and Woolie. I found Takahata, Antfish and Zitoisneato from searching names from the end credits. I got too many hits on "Erin Frost" and "Pete Metzger" to ID (Though I feel I should know the latter)
Congrats on this being the 150th episode! I have seen this show once back in 2013 when it was on Netflix. And when i finished it after three nights, I had thought that the show was very depressing but remembered really liking it.
Bennett was far more balanced than the average 4chan or myanimelist reviewer. The fact he doesn't just shit on popular punching bags and doesn't just circle jerk popular anime like Eva is one of the reasons I love his reviews.
i agreed sage review here was sound. He pointed it out its flaw while making people aware of why some of us enjoy it. ( i enjoy it during the initial viewing when i was younger but after further consideration the flaw really hurts it. I really didn't get the main mastermind motivation either. I mean that race was reproducing steadily with the females impregnating males who intern preg normal women. Its not the best way of reproduction but it is a way to reproduce. ) curious what a pure breed would be l ike
That's because Sage is a TRUE reviewer. He weighs out strengths and weaknesses meanwhile peppering in his own opinion on the thing. He can see positive aspects in things he doesn't like, sometimes even hates. That is an admirable quality he has that holds him over other reviewers who go for the pure indignant rage and bile.
I discovered Elfen Lied after the Death Battle between Lucy and Carnage and recently finished watching the series. Like you said, this isn't a mainstream anime, so I did go in expecting it to be more extreme than the usual anime I watch. I liked it overall; really emotional and tragic. The problems I do have are mostly the plot threads that went nowhere, like the Director being a Diclonius or his son's assistant being brought in to help the facility. And I agree that Baldo felt wasted after his first fight with Lucy; we didn't even get to see their rematch. The weirdest thing for me though was Yuka and Kota's relationship; I kept yelling at the screen "You're cousins!"
My husband and I tried to watch this series when we were still dating, because our friends wouldn't shut up about how great it was. It was so draining that we couldn't finish. This anime just sapped us both, and gave us nothing in return.
Elfen Lied was one of those shows I watched back when I was 13-14 and going through my extreme depressive and misanthropic stages. it served as a sort of outlet and made me feel justified for hating the world. However, as I got better and made more friends, the cracks in the plot and characters showed, and I just wrote it off as edgy trash with some good music... now I sort of an more just "meh" about it, I suppose.
The fact that out of the people from the beginning only Sage has remained relevant (AND likeable) and Linkara has become the lightbringer, speaks a lot about how creators must change with time.
I'm surprised that you never talked about the voice acting in the show. Most people who love the show will still admit that both the Japanese version and the English version of the anime have sup-par performances. I'm not saying that the acting is horrible but when I first saw the show's subtitled version even I could tell when it's obviously off even though I can't speak the language. The English version infuriated me when I tried watching clips of it after seeing the Japanese version all the way through. The subversion is at least decent enough where it's not too distracting and the animation and sound effects can take center-stage and disturb the viewer during the gory sequences. The dub easily could have been better than the sub but alas all they did was an attempt to imitate the original and became far more problematic. I can notice way too many lines that sound off. It ruins the show for me.
The only good thing about Elfen Lied is that it gave us the webcomic "Nana-chan's daily life". I'm wondering if it was really supposed to be "Lied" (song) and not "Leid" (suffering). And speaking of moe and brutality, wouldn't Hirugashi be perfect for Anime Abandon? Because man, it's horrible to watch.
"A show that misses more than it hits can be forgiven if those hits go for a long way. Even the greatest batters in history fail 70% of the time, so it basically comes down to this; are you the kind of person who remembers the home runs or the strike-outs?" That's the kind of logic I go by when I appreciate titles such as Sonic, Naruto, Sword Art Online, Korra and RWBY, which have just as many, if not more faults than hits. I choose to let myself appreciate the hits rather than let the misses or those who only focus on said misses ruin the experience for me. While I can respect putting that logic toward Elfen Lied, I think this show may be a bit too messed up for me after only 30 minutes discussing it for better or worse.
This is why Dark Fantasy (Berserk, Game of thrones, Claymore, the Witcher,...) and Dark Sci-fi(Alien, most of GRRM Sci-fi novels) are hard to write and most creator of this genres failed. Just because you but Rape, child murderers, Necrophilia,... into it, doesn't made it mature and do the genre justice. They need to made good characters that reflects the worlds that they are building but still have something that contrast it and made people cares about them. Sure you can write a bunch of asshole as the main characters (like Guts in Berserk, or Littlefinger,..) but they have to be like-able while fitting into the established world. Which Elfen Lied failed.
I dont care if it failed trying to be a dark fantasy or if this anime is wrong on so many levels, it makes up for it with its solid antiheroic lead and themes of social alienation, prejudice, and the meanings of humanity, which is why it has a cult following and has been influenced in other tv shows.
As per usual, I find it kind of amusing that people like Bennett are more disturbed by naked bodies than they are of said bodies being ripped to pieces. Though in this case I can forgive such an attitude a little more, because I would describe this anime as "Gorenography". It revels in its level of ultra violence and the misery of its characters to near fetishistic levels.
Elfen Lied was my first anime outside of the typical Pokemon / Yu-Gi-Oh sort of deals. I was 11 at the time (9 years ago) and I only watched it purely for the gore and didn't really pay attention to anything because edgy 11 year old. I might go back to the series to look at it from a very different perspective but I'm not sure. Good review!
Wait, wait wait.... Sanguine Games, makers of Ironclaw, my favorite Tabletop RPG system are the viceroy of Bennettopia? When and how?! Also congrats on 150 episodes Bennett, well done.
I hate this anime. I hate it. People kept saying how deep and mature it was and it was just shock exploitation, terrible harem melodrama and a guro lolicon fetishist's wetdream. But I wasn't done with it, I went and read the MANGA too. Which is about a thousand times worse as far as weird harem fetishization (tell me diaper girl isn't a fetish) and hilarious, awful melodrama goes. It's such a fascinating, badly written look into a diseased mind. I didn't find it emotionally draining so much as a fucking trainwreck I love to hate. Sorta like Twilight. Bennett. You should review Lain. I bought it back in the day, I still have that original Pioneer DVD boxset, and have loved it ever since. It's within your cutoff timeframe (it was released in '98 I think?) and it has so much of those delicious philosophical layers you could guys could sink your teeth into and have you rapid-talk about.
Sai it wasn't a harem. only two girls had feelings for the dude. the other girls who are only 13 / 12 do not try to presue him and looked up to him like a big brother. what do you mean lolicon. where was there lolicon in this anime. nana being shown naked wasn't to be taken as sexual. she was naked because all she was an experiment and was treated as an animal. nudity in elfen lied was never suppose to be sexual. it was shown to show innocents not fan service.
I think, quite possibly, the fact that Benett had a pool cue break over his back *instead of snapping on the weak point* was quite possibly the best part of this episode. Not that this episode was bad, because it was great, but because thats fucking amazing.
Take out the weird hair, horns and super powers, and it's essentially just a story about a girl who is bullied and grows up to be a serial killer who hits her head, regresses to amnesiatic semi-retardation, and has to be taken care of by the son of two of her victims. ...The rest is just shallow, gratuitous violence and nudity.
I actually like Elfen Lied, I think the music is an awesome melody and I often listen to it. And I relate to Mayu, I was abused by my stepfather growing up. And bullied often as a kid. True I didn't have pink hair and horns or supernatural powers, but I felt like an outsider a lot. So seeing an anime that showed these issues made a connection with me, and it will always have a place in my heart.
Yeah, and plus kids ARE that cruel. Although I could watch the dub because.....well, listening to Chris Patton bludgeoning a puppy was not very pleasant. And the dub sucked.
Corrine Bourgette im glad I'm not the only one who feels this way about the anime.Ive gone through the same situations as you did and Elfen Lied was what helped me in some ways deal with issues.I felt like I was able to relate with Lucy and Mayu (was not sexually abused but was verbally,physically and emotionally abused) in some ways.I look past all the gore and nudity that everyone brings up when it comes to this anime, the hell?It's anime, you will see some titties. I just see a charecter who in some ways had gone through a hard life like mine.
I will give you credit as a guy who doesn't care much for Elfen Lied. You gave a fair and reasonable review. I'm in the camp of thinking it's one of the finest pieces of art in any medium. I actually gave you a like, because you were fair.
I love Elfen Lied, but I can see why other people wouldn't like it. And I personally can't stand the manga. People always say how much better it is than the anime, but they're wrong. It's just... Just ew. One thing that always bothered me about the anime that Sage didn't mention is that Yuka and Kouta find a naked, mentally incapacitated girl on the beach, and they never ONCE call the police. Yeah, that would have been the wrong thing to do since it would've gotten Nyu hauled back to that facility again, but they didn't know that! It never even occurred to them! WHY DON'T PEOPLE IN ANIME EVER CALL THE POLICE???
dragonkeeper19600 I agree with this guy it has a lot of flaws but i can see how it's still appealing. I also laughed my ass off at the forest Gump and leather face comparison.
Here is a question, should Princess Bride be considered a cult film? On one hand, it is extremely popular, well-known, and quotable, but on the other, it is odd and didn't do well at the box office.
I'd have to say no, it's a little too popular to be considered cult in my eyes. People remember it a little too much and it has grown a lasting legacy, much like Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory (1971), which also did poorly when first released. But hey, it's just my POV so whatever.
I think it shouldn't. I mean if you think about it, it's very popular. And also being odd and not doing that we'll originally in the box office describes nightmare before christmad, and I would not consider that a cult classic
box office means nothing towards cult classics. most cult classics are there because of their success after their box office launches. Princess Bride is/has been a cult classic since the 90s' and its been well received... despite whoever said it, its not "well known enough" to rid it of its classic nature.
I have to say a very solid review. Years back one of my friends of a friend showed us the first episode of Elfen Lied since he was into it and yeah..... the weird mix of extremes did throw me off. And hoenstly all I've seen of it (another one of those reviews most of the anime reviewers on the site have talked about from former JO to still around Animerica) kind of shows it's a series not really made for me. But I do appreciate you digging up why this works as a cult series and why it's a series that is made for a very specific crowd even if you don't happen to be a part of it. Not a lot of jokes but pointing out how much of a tool Bonto is and the weird cousin incest is good stuff. My only real complaint about this is the fact that you don't bring up your very old Elfen Lied Abridged series. Cause honestly I think that work even predated your video game reviews or at the very least how I first found about your work and I'm sure a bunch of other people. I know you mentioned it on Anime Abandon before but that would of been the perfect thing to bring up here for the anniversary to point out how far you've come. Since yeah in your Elfen Lied Abriged days you did have a lot more bad taste and shocking sort of jokes and it'd be interesting comparing how you were back then to how you were now. Granted a lot of that series isn't available now but again it'd be something worth bringing up for how far you've come on this anniversary of the show. But with 150 done and more to see how you keep this show going cause it's your destiny... did I just reference the Pokerap of all things? Weird.
Aah, I remember my first experience with Elfen Lied, 13 years old, not knowing what Anime was, and dragged to my Private School's club by a friend, only for THIS to be the first anime of the school year.
Barely made it through the first episode. Considering my age and the fact that the first episode of SEED Destiny was enough to horrify me, I'm surprised at how quick I forgot about it.
"Elfen Lied" was the first anime I technically ever watched so it has this special place for me. It's not perfect, far from it, though I also believe it's nowhere near as bad as some put it. But dang it, I still love it nonetheless. And yes, I've also read the manga, which was also one of my first in that category, and liked it there as well. Also, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't this be the newest series Sage has covered here? I'm failing to recall any show that aired past 2004 that he covered. Closest would be "Eiken" which started in 2003 and ended in 2004.
I remember watching a bit of it and from what I heard, it does sound interesting but good lord, the scenes with the schoolkids are just ridiculous. First, when I was a kid, if some brat was this unnecessarily mean and violent and said something as dorky as "you're totally not a human", he wouldn't be the head of the bullies, he'd be the one everyone avoids and laughs at for thinking he's so cool when he's such an asshole in every meaning of the word. Second, what kid murders puppies?! Have you ever SEEN how kids react to puppies? Even the ones who genuinely are assholes think hurting puppies is a special kind of fucked up. Again, if a kid suggesting killing one, especially one belonging to someone they know, he would no longer be the kid everyone laughs at, he'd be the one everyone beats up for even considering something like that.
I have to simply say wow and thank you. I have been watch anime abound for few years now and have found it helpful and uplifting by some finding a way to put some joy in me , no matter how bad my week has been. so I find it big surprise and joy to see you review these anime for 150ep and to yourself, Gabe and Mark.
+Vvonter True, but with Madoka, you continue watching because of a genuine interest of how it will end. With this, it's like the show is daring you not to hate it.
Skyrogue19 Madoka gets good until episode 3. I don't know. Les Miserables anime has 12 episodes of child abuse it might not be as explicit but is a draining watch regardless. Elfen Lied at the very least adds some shlocke to keep you invested.
My first episode from this channel was the Grave of the Fireflies Review. I've watched most of this man's reviews and consider myself a fan. Thank you Sage for the countless hours of dedication and hard work you've put into your channel. Here's to another 150 episodes.
Let's see.... "Elfen Lied the abridge is not funny" "You made me loose my bat!" "I like your game reviews better" Uh.... Something, something, title cards, something... "Son of a bitch!!" The only one I can't make out is the title card bit. Oh and let's not forget - "Violence JACK!!"
Elfin Lied has the best written characters and most certainly the saddest back stories of any anime. The manga is still to this day my favorite of any story in any form of entertainment media.
16:56 to 17:05 -this is the reason I have trouble getting invested in superhero movies and a good chunk of superhero TV shows. If the Green Arrow, Flash and Supergirl were out roaming around fighting crime, monsters, aliens and corrupt evil government black ops, most normal people would be like "RIGHT ON! RIGHT ON! RIGHT ON!" But the media likes to just assume we'd be wet-yourself-scared of these kinds of people. Not only would the regular normies be all for it, but if I had a kid who had some kind of super power, I'd be actively encouraging of them to do the most good possible with it. I wouldn't be telling them not to conseal, not feel. Or, as they said in Gundam SEED "If I have the power to make a difference I should put it to good use."
Yeah, that schtick has gotten just silly. "Oh man, Green Arrow killed those men, he's a murderer" "Aren't the people he killed kill far more people and the police couldn't do shit against them?" "MURDERER!" "And hasn't he stopped doing that anyway?" "Killer!" "I'm clearly not going to have an intelligent conversation with you." It's especially egregious with the Avengers. "Let's try to put limitations on these people for events far beyond their control (Except Tony Stark, who did do some stupid shit admittedly.) despite the fact they are the only reason things didn't get worse than they did. I AM SO SMART! I AM SO SMART! S M R T, I mean, S M A R T!" I especially like the part where they think they can regulate the Hulk, who is uncontrollable, and Thor, who is a fucking Norse God who would laugh at you if you tried it.
In "Arrow", the titular Arrow persona is a vigilante murderer. Yes, he kills people the police couldn't handle...but he's still breaking the law AND killing people (which also breaks the law) which is why the police want to capture him. You know, that entire "enforce the law" thing that police do? Yeah, that's kind of their job. In fact, The Arrow is told FLAT OUT by Officer Lance that, yes he's making a dent in crime. And for that the police force appreciates his efforts. But he's not above the law, he doesn't get a free pass to kill whoever he wants because they looked at him funny. And in fact when Oliver actually STOPS KILLING PEOPLE, Officer Lance starts making good on his promise and The Green Arrow persona (note the name-change) becomes a symbol of HOPE for multiple seasons.
In the first season. And then sporadically (albeit unintentionally in most cases) throughout the next couple seasons. In the 4th and 5th seasons, lethal force is often reserved for very very specific cases as a "last resort".
I never understood the appeal of this anime. Only thing I got out of it was that it was formulaic, exploitative, pretentious crap. Any single one of things can be tolerable, and sometimes good, but all together...nope.
We live in a world where Woolie actually hit Bennett with a stick. That is awesome.
Waitwaitwait... WOOLIE's in this episode?!
We also live in the world where Super Best Friends Zaibatsu broke up.
Gotta take the good with the bad I guess.
crazyinsane500 but let’s not forget: They gave us Metal Wolf internationally.
@@Comkill117 Their sacrifice shall not be forgotten.
so that's who that was. but who was everyone else? i recognize Linkara
So Woolie actually smashed that pool cue over your shoulder.
Bennet, I don't think that was an accident. Did you diss Reboot at some point in your life?
On the opposite spectrum, did you praise the Reboot game during the last year or so?
aHAAHHA tHIS IS WHAT i WANTED TO SEE
+Mellow★Zeroh & Bennet took it like a boss
There were no pies left after that party was over.
nah, he just invited Woolie for Breakfast
Woolie the Liar killed my Anime reviewer
GET THAT PIE STEALER!!
Wow, Woolie almost killed another man.
He's too dangerous!
+RippahRooJizah Well, he is black.
/s
WordoftheElderGods
So am I.
I'm coming for you.
what do you mean? I left mine on the window to cool of....
its gone!!!!!
If there's one thing about this series I can say, it's that the vectors are terrifying, not in how they look or what they do, but the what could happen to someone with them. I think a lot of people, myself included, would be scared out of their minds of the idea of facing someone with an invisible force that could dismember or kill you in an instant, and there'd be nothing you could do about it because you can't see it, and thus can't avoid it.
This was later surpassed by the series Inuyashiki, in which the villain, Shishigami, has the power to kill people with mind bullets that can shoot someone anywhere as long as he knows where they are
1:50 Woolie doesn't need no weapon.
He killed a guy once while playing football. Then he went to the guys funeral and told his mom:
"This is what you get for letting your boy play with killers."
Elfen Lied is the perfect anime/manga to find in middle school. It's got everything a 2deep4u 14 year old could want for a 'mature' anime.
Just right now, kids are 2deep4u so they need to show the world they don't think gore is mature, because they like psychological series with symbolism full of deeper meanings.
+@@guillermodebaskerville7117 And Elfen Lied is terrible potrayal of that.
Yeah, started like that....
This was me when I found this anime yet I won’t lie this anime cemented my love of anime. In my list of anime that made me the fan I am at different stages in my life as an anime fan this is the third in a series of 4 or 5 : dragonball into inuyasha into elfen lied into darker than black into allison and lillia into hyouka.
Just like Evangelion.
I don't have a problem with the quantity of children killed in the show, and don't think that on its own should be anymore if a problem than adults, or anything else being killed. The problem was with how forced it was. Most of the violence just being there for shock factor is the problem.
Yes. Most, If not all of the violence portrayed in Elfen Lied is meant to hone in on the "humans can be so cruel" idea that the show so likes to inform its audience. It comes off as so incredibly forced and unnecessary most of the time that I can't describe it as anything other than shock factor. Or just violence for the sake of violence. I'm not condoning the use of violence in fiction. But it just goes to show that Okamoto (the author) doesn't know how to write a meaningful story.
+Marcus Falco Whether you have witnessed cruel people or not isn't really relevant to the point made. I stated that the portrayal of violence in this show doesn't amount to much other than to push forward the idea of humanity's indescribable capacity for cruelty. The idea of nurture vs. nature as Sage mentioned. There are other ways to portray that than with simply showing gore, death, and rape on screen. The show's display of its violence at most points is unnecessary.
Derp For some reason, I can't see the person's comment you're responding to. Anyway, I agree with what you said. I was just sort if rebutting Sage's complaint about the quantity of children being killed, being an issue in and of itself. I agree with him that there's too many naked children, and most of the rest of what he said.
I know it's complicated to prove, but if there's a case, what if you're intending to do shock value. Should you proclaim it to the heavens like Fist of the North Star or should you put it front and center like Violent Jack?
I do get when you feel something is pretentious or insincere it's a hard thing to brush away. Even in media that's well made.
agreed, i long since stopped weighing child death in fiction as worse than adult death, because bad writers seem to like using it as a crutch.
coughmasseffect3openingcough
You don't fuck with Woolie!
Zaibatsu Represent
NOBODY FUCKS WITH US
He abuses animals and steals pies for a living
+ImmaLittlePip That's a myth, created by the Ustabiaz
WAIT FUCKING WHAT?!?! WOOLIE WOOLZ??!
ikr!!!
it's mahvel baby
Woolie!!
Mark did the voice for necalli for Street Fight 5 which in turn the Super Best Friends huge fighting game fans, had mark on there podcast.. but i don't get the woolies beef with bennett on violence jack, maybe its an in-joke.
Stealing pies and assault
Woolie's rap sheet grows
I always found Elfen Lied pretty schizophrenic, as schizophrenic as its lead characters. It's like two different stories/anime slapped together. One is trying to be a schlocky harem anime, the other, a dark, bloody sci-fi tale of horror and gore. And the two do not really mesh together.
That's my exact problem with Highschool of the Dead.
@@nightmarefanatic1819 don’t get me started on how many times reis explained the whole chess thing over and over and over
I think one of the problems with Elfen Lied is that there was a chance for some amazing morally gray areas. The manga is mostly to blame here. It would have been great if it focused more on that not all diclonius are evil and not all humans are good. Another thing that bugged me was Lucy's back story and personalities. Lucy just kills Kouta's family out of jealousy and that was it. If done differently, Lucy would have gone to kill Kouta's family, with prompting from the diclonius voice, but stop herself from actually doing it. She would have seen the loving family Kouta has and realize that killing them would only bring her temporary happiness. Then the diclonius research institute, having been monitoring her, shows up and uses this as an opportunity to show some faceless government that the diclonius are a threat to humanity. They brutally murder Kouta's family and make it look like a diclonius attack. Lucy witnesses this and has a mental breakdown. Now regarding her personalities, both the manga and anime have just the 'lucy' 'nyuu' and 'diclonius voice'. The manga does have a Kaede personality, but it's negligible. What should have been done was have Kaede as the original personality, Lucy being born from the extreme emotional trauma, and Nyuu from the blow to the head. The voice would just be a separate entity attached more to instinct since it's not a fracture of the original personality. The Lucy personality would exist to protect Kaede from emotional pain, and the Nyuu personality would be there to protect her from physical pain.
That sounds a lot better... and now I want to see that rewrite...
Coming from a die hard fan of the series, very good, respectable and professional review. I really appreciate you being able to respect the series and it's fan base despite your dislike for the show, something I think we need more of in critics nowadays.
Woolie has since said that that breaking of the pool cue was totally legit. Bennett took a bump.
Lucy still scares the shit out of me to this day, it's like a stand if it had like infinite amount of arms that can cut you to pieces
I love how Woolie continues to have the most lore out of all the Best Friends.
Remember that time Woolie killed that guy? Yeah. Now he joined the Ustabaiaz in order to kick Bennet unconcious as he tires to become one step closer to Shin Woolie.
...
Man, I hope there are enough Zaibatsu fans here to get that.
We all know pie stealing is a far worse crime.
Yessssss
Wait, so Linkara is part of the Ustabiaz?
DeadBoneJones
Takahata summons new allies.
*****
"But you know what? Biker Mice from Mars was a great show."
That puppy scene was what disturbed me the most about this anime.
And yet, a small group of people online will defend that scene and say "those kids don't deserve to die despite what they did to Lucy's puppy". IMO, those bullies deserved it. I know they're just around 10 or 11, but Lucy had every right to kill them for what they did, or at least she had every right to lash out on them.
Well, what do you think will happen if you kill someone's dog or even go as far as sexually assault someone's kids? Heck, what would John Wick do if he was put in the same scenario as Lucy?
I discovered Elfen Lied at that awkward time when the hormones were raging and I couldn't really watch porn. So, Elfen Lied filled that role. I also loved the extreme violence. These days, I still enjoy it, but for the life of me, I couldn't really say why. The nudity is novel at best (thanks, porn!) and while I love hyper-violences now and then, I'm not really a fan of anything else in the anime. The art style is boringly simplistic, the story isn't engaging, the characters are annoying at best and forgettable at worst. And yet, I still love watching it, and I know not why.
Maybe because it's better you think it is, and those are just excuses you tell yourself because the trend on the internet now is hate it?
Love Sex Drugs no it's not. It sucks and is depressing and gory for the sake of being depressing and gory... and incesty.
Um... isn't this the recipe for a future serial killer?
its 2004 of course the art style is simplistic :)
its the music .. it fucks with your brain
Geez Woolie you went Def Jam on Bennet's ass XD
+Mellow★Zeroh It was Rage's cousin, Anger of Montreal.
He's channeling his stand
That pool cue was probably pre-cut
at least I'd hope so
It's Woolie we're talking about here. If it was pre-cut he'd switch it out for a real one
Watch until the end, it was precut but it did not break at the planned spot :P
The sequence between Bando and Mayu has by far the best moment in the whole story (including the manga), when she hands Bando the note he gave her with his phone number saying she's being attacked and she needs him to keep his promise of helping her for saving his life. He gets really pissed but keeps his promise after she throws it to his face saying he's all talk and has no honor. Still makes me laugh to this day.
Question: What is the helmet Lucy is wearing for? It doesn't contain her vectors, nor does it cause any sensory deprivation, the only thing it did was stop the bullet she got shot with so instead of dying she got a split personality due the concussion; so I ask again, what is the helmet for?
i was kinda wondering that to subconciously, but your right, all it did was prevent her from dying.............which was not a function of the helmet from what we saw here.
What the hell does it do?
It prevents her from seeing. She can feel around with her invisible arms, but those are actually only about 5-6 feet. Unlike a blindfold, she couldn't simply take it off or slice through it since vectors can't cut through metal as we saw with the doors. Of course they COULD have just permanently blinded her.
Putting the helmet on Lucy to keep her from seeing and hearing makes the most sense, but since she seems to easily be able to walk around the base killing people left and right makes me doubt it.
Claudia Lomelí She can still hear because she turns her head towards sound. She seems to be feeling around using her "vectors" like a blind man with a walking stick.
I'm still not sure the helmet was intended for sensory deprivation, I mean, again, it would make sense if it was, but she really doesn't have a lot of trouble moving around, even without her vectors. Something tells me she only has it because the artist thought it would look cool.
I feel cheated! On the base of the thumbnail, I was expecting a review of Gustav Klimt's famous painting The Kiss!
"If Forest Gump yo-yoed between himself and Leatherface," I would definitely pay to see that.
I always liked the Elfen Lied manga mostly because it felt like it felt like it was trying to subvert the harem trope, and considering it was published right as the harem trope was getting reaaaaallllly popular is was really ahead of it's time. But now that every other horror manga does the thing where it shows horrible people doing horrible things to show how horrible they are, it does seem pretty ridiculous.
I hate anime that is produced during the same time the manga is, I know they do it because they want the anime to promote the manga. But stuff like this happens, where the story is cut short or changed so much that manga and anime are two totally different stories. Or you get an Attack on Titan situation, where it takes years for season two to be produced.
indeed, they need to stop doing it, though i look at the Attack on Titan situation as a compromise, cause that means at least it doesn't end in dumb ways.
it's better than what happened with say the first Hellsing Anime (whose series was lucky enough to get a redo.).
about the only series to get away with it mostly unscathed is Fullmetal Alchemist.
Oni Queen or the series gets multiple anime projects that try to make up for one bad season (kuroshitsuji)
I watched this anime years ago...then repressed trying to remember it.
Then I watched this review and the memories started following back to me. Thanks for the review Sage. XD
Elfen Lied: Style over Substance.
Come at me.
Style only in the opening
The test is garbage
Meh, that's your opinion. As long as it's yours: own it. You're entitled to have one.
read the manga, saw episode 1 of anime....
pretty much accurate.
that is not a bad thing if done right, this is done right
Never watched the show, read the Manga through a dare and I have to say the Manga is no style and substance and I hated it til today. that's 10 hours of my life I never got back.
Maybe Elfen Lied is just one of "let's look into how much dark a dark side of humanity can get" things.
Most of us are normal and live in relative peace and don't know incredibly dark parts of humanity firsthand but we know how some people are fu#$@% up and this anime explores it in its own way...
and the point about it not answering it's question... maybe that's it?
We don't really know why faced with certain situation one person will turn bad and another will be enforced in believe that being kind to others is the key.
This anime is only important to me because of the opening title sequence and theme song bc it's truly gorgeous ngl
Woolie breaking a pool cue over Sage's back brought me back 'ere
Great review Bennett! You took a rather balanced and fair position despite most critics either gushing or just shitting on it. Elfen Lied is an oddball anime with some bizarre choices, a very limited budget, and plenty of aspects that could be considered flaws including its contrived coincidences and melodrama. It also just so happens to be my favorite anime of all time.
The Feels: The Anime? More like LAWL OMG SO EDGY: The Anime.
Nah, That would be Darker Than Black.
Lucy's "evil" side is actually her natural impulses as a Diclonius Queen. She's genetically programmed to eliminate humans and propagate her species.
The problem of the show not addressing the questions it raises comes from the manga being as shallow as his author. The whole purpose of the story is for Kouta to gather his harem. One indication of that is how absurdly evil everyone but Kouta and his harem are. The children at Lucy's orphanage are the best example of that. I can accept without any problem that the kids hated Lucy (it's stated later in the story that said hate is a genetic reaction of humans against the Diclonius species), but only complete cartoon psychopaths would murder a puppy the way they do and manically laugh as they do it. Cruelty to animals is considered an early warning sign of psychopathy, but those kids go so far as to be literal inhuman monsters that would make Hannibal embarrassed. In fact, he would probably have them for dinner.
"to many kids getting butchered"
NOT ENOUGH.
Honestly I wish the Manga had been adapted into an anime in modern times. Like for example, with Made in Abyss, the anime censors some of the grossest parts of the Manga while still getting the story across wonderfully. I feel like the anime of Elfen Lied in modern times would have been able to remove Kouta and his cousin being incestuous and focused in on the story of Lucy being the Queen of the Diclonius and how she had that inner voice compelling her to remake humanity. That story was so interesting.
**Spoilers for those who haven't read the Manga**
Lucy is definitely a combination of Nurture and Nature and the Manga does a great job of showing how her three personalities are evidence that both things are important to how a person acts. Her "Instinct", the inner voice compelling her to kill everyone, is her base nature. "Lucy" is the personality that was nurtured along with her inner nature due to how she was raised, which resulted in her being violent and apathetic and lonely. However, Lucy learns that she does not want to kill everyone, thanks to her third personality, Nyuu. "Nyuu" is the personality that was nurtured to be kind and sweet and innocent, who isn't influenced by her base nature. I really wish all of that had been further explored in the anime.
I remember thinking the anime was cool and Lucy lovable as a teen, but when I look back to it, not so much.
It felt like a cheap exploitation of what teens want, with the philosophical bullshit to pretend to be deeper then it really was.
ELFEN LIED- one of the most disturbing and extreme cartoons ever made!
It makes SOUTH PARK look like a kids show and WALTZ WITH BASHIR look respectable and that’s why I appreciate the work so much and holds a special but sinister place in my life and younger years.
I don't know why but there's something about Elfen Lied that I still like. I think the animation and colors for the anime adaption served it well, because when you look at the manga art style it reminds me a bit of Love Hina or late 90s art styles. I have also read the manga and the story just goes so much deeper than I ever would have guessed from the anime. I'm unsure if I would ever want the rest to be animated but for what it is...it's not so bad.
To this day it's still in my top 10 favorite anime opening videos. Just absolutely gorgeous theme song and Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" adapted to fit Nyu/Lucy and there are some really hard dark subjects being brought up which I actually felt in my chest once I got swept up in the story and took the fan service for what it was; I accepted those bits and even found them entertaining because I'll be honest with you, they weren't drawn badly, and I didn't feel titillated when Nyu/Lucy was naked because when Nyu was nude I only saw someone with the mind of a child and with Lucy it was more like...it was just natural, not sexual. She was never sexual when she was naked, at least not on purpose.
Also, Bando is redeemable a tiny bit, at least in the manga.
Yeah to me Elfen Lied is simultaneously very exploitative, shallow, plot-thin and ecchi while also being dark, a tiny bit thrilling, psychological, and pretty unique. I'm of two minds of it, and I think the anime helped confuse me more how I feel about it .
17:36
Dio: I've taught you well kids
Kids: Thanks Dio-sama
OMG IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE!!!
+TheUndefeatedMagician damn those flesh buds
+The Archivist that would actually explain a lot
+fingrid the fuck is that supposed to mean
Oh god... listen, JJBA has a lot of strong points, but the animal death ratio is way too high. (RIP Danny, Iggy, and every other poor animal that's met its end on the anime and in the manga.)
Sage's critique of Bando at 18:30 is pretty much the entire problem with Elfen Lied. The story (especially after The Unnamed Man appears in the manga) goes so extreme with the violence, torture, gore, sexual innuendo, etc. that the questions the story raises about how people develop morality get drowned out and whatever personal drama it attempts is rendered ironically hilarious.
Elfen Lied was a soul-crushing manga to read, but I had to finish it just to get it over with. I couldn't watch the anime.
The writing is abysmal, the characters are awful, and as you point out Sage it never answers the questions it poses.
LOL, I recognize Linkara, Woolie, and Takahata
I only recognized Linkara and Woolie. I found Takahata, Antfish and Zitoisneato from searching names from the end credits. I got too many hits on "Erin Frost" and "Pete Metzger" to ID (Though I feel I should know the latter)
And had I not routinely skipped the end credits, I would've known Erin is Sage's title artist. I would assume Pete is similarly connected.
2:40 for those coming from the most recent Woolie VS Silent Hill
Congrats on this being the 150th episode!
I have seen this show once back in 2013 when it was on Netflix. And when i finished it after three nights, I had thought that the show was very depressing but remembered really liking it.
I personally like Elfen Lied but I still really liked Sage's review.
Bennett was far more balanced than the average 4chan or myanimelist reviewer. The fact he doesn't just shit on popular punching bags and doesn't just circle jerk popular anime like Eva is one of the reasons I love his reviews.
i think his review was more complete that average MAL wannabe critics, and i was hoping he would trash the show like he did with Evangelion.
i agreed sage review here was sound. He pointed it out its flaw while making people aware of why some of us enjoy it. ( i enjoy it during the initial viewing when i was younger but after further consideration the flaw really hurts it. I really didn't get the main mastermind motivation either. I mean that race was reproducing steadily with the females impregnating males who intern preg normal women. Its not the best way of reproduction but it is a way to reproduce. ) curious what a pure breed would be l ike
That's because Sage is a TRUE reviewer. He weighs out strengths and weaknesses meanwhile peppering in his own opinion on the thing. He can see positive aspects in things he doesn't like, sometimes even hates. That is an admirable quality he has that holds him over other reviewers who go for the pure indignant rage and bile.
That's ok why do we live in a world now that you have to agree with every point in order to like someone's critique or that person.
Will there ever be a Jin-Roh review? That would be pretty interesting.
Already did it. benthesage.com/anime-abandon-jin-roh-the-wolf-brigade/
Can't seem to find it on your youtube channel though
I believe it had to be removed to accommodate CZcams Content Standards. It's still viewable on his personal site, as he linked above.
+Altamyr it even deleted the berserk review
think you would ever review Guy?
I discovered Elfen Lied after the Death Battle between Lucy and Carnage and recently finished watching the series. Like you said, this isn't a mainstream anime, so I did go in expecting it to be more extreme than the usual anime I watch. I liked it overall; really emotional and tragic. The problems I do have are mostly the plot threads that went nowhere, like the Director being a Diclonius or his son's assistant being brought in to help the facility. And I agree that Baldo felt wasted after his first fight with Lucy; we didn't even get to see their rematch. The weirdest thing for me though was Yuka and Kota's relationship; I kept yelling at the screen "You're cousins!"
Same here buddy
(hums "Duelling Banjos")
My husband and I tried to watch this series when we were still dating, because our friends wouldn't shut up about how great it was. It was so draining that we couldn't finish. This anime just sapped us both, and gave us nothing in return.
Did you like Hetalia? The first season it's my ultimate guilty pleasure.
So Lucy is an edgier, gorier Mewtwo?
Was not expecting Woolie to appear.
Me neither, wtf was he doing there?
matt stands right next to him.
I don't think so because there is no Punisher hat on him.
They talked about on last week's podcast. They were at a con together.
I also didn't expect Woolie to bring the hurt on Bennett... *OUCH!*
Elfen Lied was one of those shows I watched back when I was 13-14 and going through my extreme depressive and misanthropic stages. it served as a sort of outlet and made me feel justified for hating the world.
However, as I got better and made more friends, the cracks in the plot and characters showed, and I just wrote it off as edgy trash with some good music...
now I sort of an more just "meh" about it, I suppose.
The fact that out of the people from the beginning only Sage has remained relevant (AND likeable) and Linkara has become the lightbringer, speaks a lot about how creators must change with time.
I'm surprised that you never talked about the voice acting in the show. Most people who love the show will still admit that both the Japanese version and the English version of the anime have sup-par performances. I'm not saying that the acting is horrible but when I first saw the show's subtitled version even I could tell when it's obviously off even though I can't speak the language.
The English version infuriated me when I tried watching clips of it after seeing the Japanese version all the way through. The subversion is at least decent enough where it's not too distracting and the animation and sound effects can take center-stage and disturb the viewer during the gory sequences. The dub easily could have been better than the sub but alas all they did was an attempt to imitate the original and became far more problematic. I can notice way too many lines that sound off. It ruins the show for me.
The only good thing about Elfen Lied is that it gave us the webcomic "Nana-chan's daily life". I'm wondering if it was really supposed to be "Lied" (song) and not "Leid" (suffering). And speaking of moe and brutality, wouldn't Hirugashi be perfect for Anime Abandon? Because man, it's horrible to watch.
Higurashi*? When Cicada Cries?
Please. Review Jojo's Bizarre Adventure OVA 1993.
He could do the 2000s and '93 ones, together they tell at least a more complete story.
i'll never underSTANNNNNDU why they realase it in such a bizarre way
He's twitter that he would if he could get the last 3 dvds.
Za Warudo has changed since this OVAs.
if he doesnt review it, then it must be the work of an enemy stand !!! or he trouble finding a copy
(Slow clap.) Thank you, Sage--you summed up my problems with this anime better than I ever could have.
Here's Elfen Lied in a nutshell: Look at me, I'm so edgy, but I'm also artistic! Cry! Dammit! Cry!
Also Elfen Lied: The light scene from Devil May Cry 1.
@@solidoptimus0129 Only difference is Devil May Cry can make me care about what happens.
This is pretty much "I didnt get Elfen Lied" in a nutshell.
"A show that misses more than it hits can be forgiven if those hits go for a long way. Even the greatest batters in history fail 70% of the time, so it basically comes down to this; are you the kind of person who remembers the home runs or the strike-outs?"
That's the kind of logic I go by when I appreciate titles such as Sonic, Naruto, Sword Art Online, Korra and RWBY, which have just as many, if not more faults than hits. I choose to let myself appreciate the hits rather than let the misses or those who only focus on said misses ruin the experience for me.
While I can respect putting that logic toward Elfen Lied, I think this show may be a bit too messed up for me after only 30 minutes discussing it for better or worse.
This is why Dark Fantasy (Berserk, Game of thrones, Claymore, the Witcher,...) and Dark Sci-fi(Alien, most of GRRM Sci-fi novels) are hard to write and most creator of this genres failed. Just because you but Rape, child murderers, Necrophilia,... into it, doesn't made it mature and do the genre justice. They need to made good characters that reflects the worlds that they are building but still have something that contrast it and made people cares about them. Sure you can write a bunch of asshole as the main characters (like Guts in Berserk, or Littlefinger,..) but they have to be like-able while fitting into the established world. Which Elfen Lied failed.
Shut up, it's elfen lied
@@cameliongrim183 So, it's true.
I dont care if it failed trying to be a dark fantasy or if this anime is wrong on so many levels, it makes up for it with its solid antiheroic lead and themes of social alienation, prejudice, and the meanings of humanity, which is why it has a cult following and has been influenced in other tv shows.
@@cameliongrim183 That's fine and all but that won't stop me and others from pointing the issues the anime has.
@@Appleeatpie97 but still, i only like this because it has a cult following
As per usual, I find it kind of amusing that people like Bennett are more disturbed by naked bodies than they are of said bodies being ripped to pieces. Though in this case I can forgive such an attitude a little more, because I would describe this anime as "Gorenography". It revels in its level of ultra violence and the misery of its characters to near fetishistic levels.
Elfen Lied was my first anime outside of the typical Pokemon / Yu-Gi-Oh sort of deals. I was 11 at the time (9 years ago) and I only watched it purely for the gore and didn't really pay attention to anything because edgy 11 year old. I might go back to the series to look at it from a very different perspective but I'm not sure.
Good review!
Sometimes rewatch a series can help you, specially if you had it in a high-esteem. Also, you watched when you were 11 years old? That's though, man.
You should review Higurashi When They Cry :)
That would be great, but it might not be for a long while.
+CAPTAIN OUTRAGEUS 2006
+CAPTAIN OUTRAGEUS www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=m.imdb.com/title/tt0845738/&ved=0ahUKEwibjanP0_PNAhVDPT4KHS1yDGkQFggcMAA&usg=AFQjCNE_wtGQj1Q9rD5NmJtpZsMOPbUSvQ&sig2=fNv9qiQpXyDjDrZACeaGNA
awww when they cry is one of my favorites :P
+CAPTAIN OUTRAGEUS Are you sure? I'm pretty sure they are making that " Higurashi Outbreak " unless it's already out.
Wait, wait wait.... Sanguine Games, makers of Ironclaw, my favorite Tabletop RPG system are the viceroy of Bennettopia? When and how?! Also congrats on 150 episodes Bennett, well done.
I hate this anime. I hate it. People kept saying how deep and mature it was and it was just shock exploitation, terrible harem melodrama and a guro lolicon fetishist's wetdream. But I wasn't done with it, I went and read the MANGA too. Which is about a thousand times worse as far as weird harem fetishization (tell me diaper girl isn't a fetish) and hilarious, awful melodrama goes. It's such a fascinating, badly written look into a diseased mind. I didn't find it emotionally draining so much as a fucking trainwreck I love to hate. Sorta like Twilight.
Bennett. You should review Lain. I bought it back in the day, I still have that original Pioneer DVD boxset, and have loved it ever since. It's within your cutoff timeframe (it was released in '98 I think?) and it has so much of those delicious philosophical layers you could guys could sink your teeth into and have you rapid-talk about.
not to mention i'd love to see him talk about the reason the anime was made in the first place during.
Sai it wasn't a harem. only two girls had feelings for the dude. the other girls who are only 13 / 12 do not try to presue him and looked up to him like a big brother. what do you mean lolicon. where was there lolicon in this anime. nana being shown naked wasn't to be taken as sexual. she was naked because all she was an experiment and was treated as an animal. nudity in elfen lied was never suppose to be sexual. it was shown to show innocents not fan service.
Can't show naked butt, can show head being ripped off. CZcams, always makes sense.
Am I the only one who found Elfen Lied hilarious?
I think it's funny too! it's so full of itself, especially on the ultra gory scenes that try to be super serious.
The puppy bludgeoning remains one of the most hilarious scenes in anime. It's so stupid, I love it.
Bennet did considering he made a parody series out of it.
I just find it boring
no. its the best comedy in anime history
Yeah.....
I have not watched this show since middle school.
And now I am kinda disturbed that middle school me watched this.
Hey, it's Woolie! The presence of the zaibatsu grows! you cannot ignore it's girth!
I think, quite possibly, the fact that Benett had a pool cue break over his back *instead of snapping on the weak point* was quite possibly the best part of this episode.
Not that this episode was bad, because it was great, but because thats fucking amazing.
Figures Woolie's cameo would involve him bringing grievous bodily harm to someone else. Like that guy he killed in the football field.
Take out the weird hair, horns and super powers, and it's essentially just a story about a girl who is bullied and grows up to be a serial killer who hits her head, regresses to amnesiatic semi-retardation, and has to be taken care of by the son of two of her victims.
...The rest is just shallow, gratuitous violence and nudity.
I actually like Elfen Lied, I think the music is an awesome melody and I often listen to it. And I relate to Mayu, I was abused by my stepfather growing up. And bullied often as a kid. True I didn't have pink hair and horns or supernatural powers, but I felt like an outsider a lot. So seeing an anime that showed these issues made a connection with me, and it will always have a place in my heart.
Yeah, and plus kids ARE that cruel. Although I could watch the dub because.....well, listening to Chris Patton bludgeoning a puppy was not very pleasant. And the dub sucked.
Corrine Bourgette I hope you have a good life now despite your strife with your stepdad. Don't let the past judge who you are now.
Corrine Bourgette im glad I'm not the only one who feels this way about the anime.Ive gone through the same situations as you did and Elfen Lied was what helped me in some ways deal with issues.I felt like I was able to relate with Lucy and Mayu (was not sexually abused but was verbally,physically and emotionally abused) in some ways.I look past all the gore and nudity that everyone brings up when it comes to this anime, the hell?It's anime, you will see some titties. I just see a charecter who in some ways had gone through a hard life like mine.
I will give you credit as a guy who doesn't care much for Elfen Lied. You gave a fair and reasonable review. I'm in the camp of thinking it's one of the finest pieces of art in any medium. I actually gave you a like, because you were fair.
You mentioned Serial Experiments Lain
I now love you forever
I love Elfen Lied, but I can see why other people wouldn't like it. And I personally can't stand the manga. People always say how much better it is than the anime, but they're wrong. It's just... Just ew.
One thing that always bothered me about the anime that Sage didn't mention is that Yuka and Kouta find a naked, mentally incapacitated girl on the beach, and they never ONCE call the police. Yeah, that would have been the wrong thing to do since it would've gotten Nyu hauled back to that facility again, but they didn't know that! It never even occurred to them! WHY DON'T PEOPLE IN ANIME EVER CALL THE POLICE???
dragonkeeper19600 mange was better, it's fix the problem it poetry Lucy as villain protagonist instead tragic hero .
dragonkeeper19600 I agree with this guy it has a lot of flaws but i can see how it's still appealing. I also laughed my ass off at the forest Gump and leather face comparison.
21:10 Truly "The worst she can say is No." moment of all time
Those outtakes would certainly explain why Sage's scream was so genuine when Woolie hit him with the pool cue.
ever notice that lucy's escape and mewtwos escape in the pokemon movie are kinda similar
Here is a question, should Princess Bride be considered a cult film? On one hand, it is extremely popular, well-known, and quotable, but on the other, it is odd and didn't do well at the box office.
That would perfectly describe The Room but nobody questions its cult status, so I'd have to go with yes
I'd have to say no, it's a little too popular to be considered cult in my eyes. People remember it a little too much and it has grown a lasting legacy, much like Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory (1971), which also did poorly when first released. But hey, it's just my POV so whatever.
I think it shouldn't. I mean if you think about it, it's very popular. And also being odd and not doing that we'll originally in the box office describes nightmare before christmad, and I would not consider that a cult classic
+John Leatherwood Actually that has been labeled a cult classic cause by that logic Invader Zim wouldn't be yet it is.
box office means nothing towards cult classics.
most cult classics are there because of their success after their box office launches.
Princess Bride is/has been a cult classic since the 90s' and its been well received... despite whoever said it, its not "well known enough" to rid it of its classic nature.
I have to say a very solid review. Years back one of my friends of a friend showed us the first episode of Elfen Lied since he was into it and yeah..... the weird mix of extremes did throw me off. And hoenstly all I've seen of it (another one of those reviews most of the anime reviewers on the site have talked about from former JO to still around Animerica) kind of shows it's a series not really made for me. But I do appreciate you digging up why this works as a cult series and why it's a series that is made for a very specific crowd even if you don't happen to be a part of it. Not a lot of jokes but pointing out how much of a tool Bonto is and the weird cousin incest is good stuff.
My only real complaint about this is the fact that you don't bring up your very old Elfen Lied Abridged series. Cause honestly I think that work even predated your video game reviews or at the very least how I first found about your work and I'm sure a bunch of other people. I know you mentioned it on Anime Abandon before but that would of been the perfect thing to bring up here for the anniversary to point out how far you've come. Since yeah in your Elfen Lied Abriged days you did have a lot more bad taste and shocking sort of jokes and it'd be interesting comparing how you were back then to how you were now. Granted a lot of that series isn't available now but again it'd be something worth bringing up for how far you've come on this anniversary of the show. But with 150 done and more to see how you keep this show going cause it's your destiny... did I just reference the Pokerap of all things? Weird.
Aah, I remember my first experience with Elfen Lied, 13 years old, not knowing what Anime was, and dragged to my Private School's club by a friend, only for THIS to be the first anime of the school year.
One of my favorite all time shows as a 150th special? 30 MINUTES? WOOT.
Unfortunately he played the dub.
Sheridan Mann who cares? Both versions suck ass anyway?
No, the sub was awesome
Sheridan Mann it... it really wasn't lmao.
Yeeeeeah, of all the anime I've watched back then, this is the one I didn't even finish, nor did I ever want to return to
Barely made it through the first episode. Considering my age and the fact that the first episode of SEED Destiny was enough to horrify me, I'm surprised at how quick I forgot about it.
+Mellow★Zeroh same
Not gonna lie, the story isn't bad, the characters are alright, and it is a genuinely well-made anime, but... I really just liked the blood and gore.
Kudos for making what probably is the most fair and kind review Elfen Lied could ever get.
"Elfen Lied" was the first anime I technically ever watched so it has this special place for me. It's not perfect, far from it, though I also believe it's nowhere near as bad as some put it. But dang it, I still love it nonetheless. And yes, I've also read the manga, which was also one of my first in that category, and liked it there as well.
Also, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't this be the newest series Sage has covered here? I'm failing to recall any show that aired past 2004 that he covered. Closest would be "Eiken" which started in 2003 and ended in 2004.
The newest along Samurai Champloo, that was released the same year, in 2004.
I think _Elfen Lied_ is one of the newer ones? It was licensed by ADV in 2005, so it's been over ten years now.
Dude! Elfen Lied was my first anime too!
I don't think it bad, just boring
You mean your first anime wasn't Pokemon or Speed Racer? That's everybody's first.
I remember watching a bit of it and from what I heard, it does sound interesting but good lord, the scenes with the schoolkids are just ridiculous. First, when I was a kid, if some brat was this unnecessarily mean and violent and said something as dorky as "you're totally not a human", he wouldn't be the head of the bullies, he'd be the one everyone avoids and laughs at for thinking he's so cool when he's such an asshole in every meaning of the word.
Second, what kid murders puppies?! Have you ever SEEN how kids react to puppies? Even the ones who genuinely are assholes think hurting puppies is a special kind of fucked up. Again, if a kid suggesting killing one, especially one belonging to someone they know, he would no longer be the kid everyone laughs at, he'd be the one everyone beats up for even considering something like that.
nah fam kids can be evil. Remember that slenderman case with the 2 girls?
I have to simply say wow and thank you. I have been watch anime abound for few years now and have found it helpful and uplifting by some finding a way to put some joy in me , no matter how bad my week has been. so I find it big surprise and joy to see you review these anime for 150ep and to yourself, Gabe and Mark.
And everyone thought it was going to be Gundam.
This is one of those anime where you think it can't get worse as you go, but it just continues to top itself.
That's also what happens in Madoka. (I'm not even trolling, things do continually get worse in that show also).
+Vvonter True, but with Madoka, you continue watching because of a genuine interest of how it will end. With this, it's like the show is daring you not to hate it.
Skyrogue19 Madoka gets good until episode 3. I don't know. Les Miserables anime has 12 episodes of child abuse it might not be as explicit but is a draining watch regardless. Elfen Lied at the very least adds some shlocke to keep you invested.
like 3rd Birthday?
Did somebody say too many child deaths? Lost children chapter of Berserk...
Poor Woolie, his salt hath melted like an ice cube on white hot steel. Price to pay for good footage though, took it like a champ Sage.
My first episode from this channel was the Grave of the Fireflies Review. I've watched most of this man's reviews and consider myself a fan. Thank you Sage for the countless hours of dedication and hard work you've put into your channel. Here's to another 150 episodes.
Let's see....
"Elfen Lied the abridge is not funny"
"You made me loose my bat!"
"I like your game reviews better"
Uh.... Something, something, title cards, something...
"Son of a bitch!!"
The only one I can't make out is the title card bit.
Oh and let's not forget - "Violence JACK!!"
Sage is reviewing an anime I have actually seen GASP
Elfin Lied has the best written characters and most certainly the saddest back stories of any anime. The manga is still to this day my favorite of any story in any form of entertainment media.
+ALJustice0 Cruel of you. I suppose I should have added "that I've seen" for more prudish individuals.
I sat through the first episode of Elfen Lied once and knew I wouldn't enjoy it if I watched further.
This is now confirmed, cheers.
16:56 to 17:05 -this is the reason I have trouble getting invested in superhero movies and a good chunk of superhero TV shows. If the Green Arrow, Flash and Supergirl were out roaming around fighting crime, monsters, aliens and corrupt evil government black ops, most normal people would be like "RIGHT ON! RIGHT ON! RIGHT ON!" But the media likes to just assume we'd be wet-yourself-scared of these kinds of people. Not only would the regular normies be all for it, but if I had a kid who had some kind of super power, I'd be actively encouraging of them to do the most good possible with it. I wouldn't be telling them not to conseal, not feel. Or, as they said in Gundam SEED "If I have the power to make a difference I should put it to good use."
Yeah, that schtick has gotten just silly.
"Oh man, Green Arrow killed those men, he's a murderer"
"Aren't the people he killed kill far more people and the police couldn't do shit against them?"
"MURDERER!"
"And hasn't he stopped doing that anyway?"
"Killer!"
"I'm clearly not going to have an intelligent conversation with you."
It's especially egregious with the Avengers.
"Let's try to put limitations on these people for events far beyond their control (Except Tony Stark, who did do some stupid shit admittedly.) despite the fact they are the only reason things didn't get worse than they did. I AM SO SMART! I AM SO SMART! S M R T, I mean, S M A R T!"
I especially like the part where they think they can regulate the Hulk, who is uncontrollable, and Thor, who is a fucking Norse God who would laugh at you if you tried it.
In "Arrow", the titular Arrow persona is a vigilante murderer. Yes, he kills people the police couldn't handle...but he's still breaking the law AND killing people (which also breaks the law) which is why the police want to capture him. You know, that entire "enforce the law" thing that police do? Yeah, that's kind of their job.
In fact, The Arrow is told FLAT OUT by Officer Lance that, yes he's making a dent in crime. And for that the police force appreciates his efforts. But he's not above the law, he doesn't get a free pass to kill whoever he wants because they looked at him funny.
And in fact when Oliver actually STOPS KILLING PEOPLE, Officer Lance starts making good on his promise and The Green Arrow persona (note the name-change) becomes a symbol of HOPE for multiple seasons.
+Anthony Hauser Wait, I only saw bits of the show because my mom watches it, but Oliver kills people?!
Buck Wade yeah, in the first season.
In the first season. And then sporadically (albeit unintentionally in most cases) throughout the next couple seasons. In the 4th and 5th seasons, lethal force is often reserved for very very specific cases as a "last resort".
I never understood the appeal of this anime. Only thing I got out of it was that it was formulaic, exploitative, pretentious crap. Any single one of things can be tolerable, and sometimes good, but all together...nope.
It's an ok show when you're an edgy teen. This was pretty much my gateway into other better series such as Berserk.
Dan O I feel like the anime was just a compilation of edgy scenes from the manga which is a more adult and better told story
@PessiOpt 9 Pretentious means making your show deep as hell with no clue about the subject you're writing about.
A thousands times over I can agree...
Happy 150th episode Bennett! Keep up the great work :D
I can't believe woolie the liar was woolie the pool que assaulter the whole time. How did I miss this.