Elfen Lied

Name: Elfen Lied
Type: Television Show
Episodes: 13, 1 OVA
Rating: Mature
Runtime Per Episode: 25 min
Director: Kanabe Mamoru
Produced By GENCO VAP
Year Produced: 2004

A Serious Warning:
This is a very graphic anime, no matter what anyone might say, me included.  I may make jokes about situations, but this is not something that should be taken on lightly (unless you're a gore junkey).
There are more than a few things in this anime that are beyond the pail for an average, unprepared viewer, and I implore anyone not 100% sure about it to not take the chance (unless, as I said before, you have a high tolerance for gore, nudity, and other inhumane scenes/implications/situations).

That being said, I'd also like to downright state that this story is something that should be experienced, so if you don't think you handle watching it, then I'd recommend reading it (I'll provide a link or two at the end).  I'm afraid that it's not a story that you can appreciate by looking at a summery on Wikipedia... or here (duh), and because of the overall message that it sends, you'd do well to understand it.  I think I'll read it again too, actually.

Despite what some might call excess blood, gore, and nudity, Elfen Lied is what I call a must-see, and not just that, it's also an absolutely a must-read.  The manga by Okamoto Lynn is extensive and utilizes an art style that is unique and strange for these genres of anime (those being horror and alike).

Now the anime covers about half of the manga, taking bits a pieces out of the later halves, and then resolving with a different ending.

For obvious reasons, the anime was not aired in the U.S. as far as I can tell, despite the fact that there was a strong desire to by the Programming Director (look at Wikipedia or whatever if you want to know more), though it was later released.


In a quiet, island research facility, something terrible has happened.  For some reason, a test subject has gotten free of her restraints... and doesn't seem too happy about being restrained in the first place.

Using some strange kind of power, this test subject, named Lucy, is now roaming through the installation, trying to find her way out.

She's the quiet type, but that doesn't stop her actions from being loud... and... red.

Now I'm no doctor, but that's too much blood to be coming out of three people (trust me, it's three people).

Emotionless and very deadly, the facility's staff use everything they've got to try and stop Lucy, but can't even scratch her as she cuts through them.

When she finally gets to the front door, they box her in, but someone in the control room (also filled with dead bodies for unknown reasons) unlocks some kind of emergency, way too convenient side-doors, and Lucy goes out into the open air.

...What the hell?

... where she is hunted from afar.

Vectors?

The sniping attempt fails to kill Lucy, just blasting the helmet off her head, and her unconscious body falls into the ocean below.

Back on the mainland, a college student named Kouta has just arrived in town.

While walking up some stairs to his favorite place to watch the ocean, he is called to by his cousin Yuka, who's been looking for him at the train station.

As you might have been able to tell, Kouta has been here before, when he was a child, but that hardly matters right now.  What's more important is that Yuka, who's had a crush on him since childhood, drags Kouta down to the beach for a trip down memory lane.
But what they find is a little more interesting than some rather depressing memories of Kouta bulling his younger sister.

... um, hello?

Are those... horns?

Why yes they are!  Not in the conventional devil sense, but rather in the kind of cute, kitten way.  Nyan!

With an obvious head wound, and probably severe trauma, this naked girl was the beginning of a very interesting road for Kouta and Yuka.

Different from what I was expecting it to be, this anime was more than I bargained for, then again, it was my fault for watching it at night.  I just got sucked in and ended up having a monstrous headache from the sound piping into my skull.

The character development took a more hasty approach than I probably would have normally liked, but I knew that they needed to cram a lot of information into a short period of time, so I'll let it slide.

The character development was not so great to one of my favorite characters out of the manga.  In the anime, they only took him a little further than his starting place (I'll tell you who it is during the spoiler part).

That being said, if you go into an anime expecting the in-depth detail you'll get out of the manga, then you'll be disappointed at the least.

The art was a lot different than the manga.  Elfen Lied was Okamoto Lynn's first manga, and it's easy to see his progress as an artist through the story.  The anime had a different approach, it kept the moe-ness that Lynn started off with (one of the things that made this manga unique was it's lighter art style combined with the heavy storyline and scenes).

As far as I'll say, there were at least two animation styles combined into this anime (or at least into scenes of it).  I don't know if it's right to say this, but there you go, I already have.

There was the normal animation style for pretty much everything, but during the fight sequences, there was a special style that was preformed to create the vectors.

You should stay with the Japanese version on this.  Although it managed to get an English cast, it wasn't anything exceptional.
Actually, you should make a point to watch the Japanese version, at least of episode 12.  The creator Okamoto Lynn makes an "appearance" as "Special Guest", whatever the fuck that means.  If you can figure it out please tell me.  The best I can figure is he's the SAT member who actually says something.

I'm betting it's the guy who says this, since he the only irregular in the list of people who spoke during the episode.

The beginning theme was something opera, and therefore, not to my liking.  It was also repeated endlessly through the course of the anime.  It's not a bad song I suppose, the melody's melancholy, but kind of interesting.  I just wasn't thrilled with it, that's all.
Another thing about the opening was that those images are adapted from a painter named Gustav Klimt.  I don't understand the significance of that, so don't ask me.
That being said, I did kind of like the ending theme.  It was a cool riff and stuff like that is usually more important to me than the words.

If you still want to watch this, please do, but refer to the opening section of this post again, just to make sure.

Elfen Lied Minitheatre

Coming up next!


Kai Doh Maru!

K-ON!

Name: K-ON!
Type: Television Show
Episodes: 13, 1 OVA, 6 Shorts
Rating: Any Age
Runtime Per Episode: 24 min
Director: Yamada Naoko
Produced By Pony Canon, Kyoto Animation, MOVIC
Year Produced: 2009

A must-watch for anyone who's a fan of J-Pop or weird song titles K-ON! is another one of my all time favorites, and as such, must be reviewed on this blog.
Adapted from a 4-koma manga created by Kakifly, this anime is cleared for a second season beginning sometime this year (that's to say 2010)!


Yui is just entering high school.  She's uncoordinated, direction less, and a klutz, but she's excited about entering a new high school none the less.

Mad Skillz?  Yes, yes they are.

Upon her arrival, Yui is bombarded with club applications and posters for dozens of various clubs and groups.  Now I don't know if clubs are a required part of Japanese high school life, but there you go.

Unable to decide on her own, Yui is left in a quandary, and her childhood friend Nodoka's only advice to her is to find a club fast, or she'll become a NEET.

NEET is a United Kingdom (though it has obviously spread out to Asian countries like China and Japan) term for someone who stays at home and lives off their parents through their twenties.  What it actually means is Not in Employment, Education, or Training (NEET).

Supported and motivated almost entirely by her younger sister; Ui, Yui is probably already half-way there.

That's Ui.  She bears a striking resemblance to Yui.

Yui's not the only person who's having trouble finding a club, or should I say that Yui's not the only person who's having trouble settling for a club.

Ritsu is also a freshman new to this school, and she's got a plan.  Since the graduation of the seniors last year, the Light Music Club (the "Keion" (K-ON) Club (roughly phonetically)) is going under.
Since clubs require a minimum of four members to continue being clubs (maybe it's a credit thing), the Light Music Club (with zero), is doomed unless someone can save it, and that someone is Ritsu... and her childhood friend Mio!

Too bad Mio's already found a club for herself; the Literature Club.

Rejected.

They are close friends, with a lot of history and... somewhat of a physically violent relationship.

Ritsu convinces Mio to abandon her original plans of joining another club, and gets her into the Light Music Club.  Now all they have to do is wait for at least two more members, one or which shows up after only a day of waiting!

Mugi was on her way to join the Chorus Club, but was (like Mio) abducted into the Light Music Club by Ritsu... well, more like Ritsu's stupidity and Mio's reaction, which Mugi thought looked fun.  One more!

In an act of Club Spirit, they decide to go home and create fliers, bringing them back the next day.  Ritsu's is chosen from among the batch and hung up.

As Yui is walking through the courtyard, a poster catches her attention, the poster for the Light Music Club.

When she tells her Nodoka about her plans to join the club because the word "Light" implies easy, Nodoka isn't exactly sure what's in store for Yui.  And so Yui submits her application, and the Light Music Club prepares for her arrival.

When Yui arrives at the LMC, she's made up her mind to tell them that she can't join after all... mainly because she can't play guitar... she actually can't play anything, but after a lot of sweets, they convince Yui to stay to watch them preform.

Burn.

Despite her opinion of their performance, Yui decides to stay because they looked like they were having fun.

And thus the Light Music Club is saved... for now, or at least until Ritsu forgets to turn in another vital piece of paperwork.


An upbeat anime with a funny story, it's from an area that I don't usually take interest in, namely, one that focuses around girls and girls alone.  I like girls, don't get me wrong, but I'm a great fan of low humor; among those being physical humor... and sexual tension humor.
I also strangely like a little romance in animes and mangas.  I may be a man, but that doesn't mean that I can't be sensitive too... I think I'll go and cry a little... too much?  Okay, but I do like romance, since I'm girlie that way, and men should never underestimate the power a romantic movie has on a girl.

There are a few "Girl's Love" situations in there, but then again, I could probably be considered somewhat of a deviant, and am probably hyper sensitive.

The art style was cool.  It's got the right amount of chibi to make me like all of the characters, not to mention a bunch of cool faces.

... now it may be a bit of a cliche, but I am a super Mio fan.  I like long hair, and the fact that she's easily scared and embarrassed is super cute.  Like in Episode 6, when she and Ritsu were kids, and Ritsu announced to the class that Mio was left handed.  I nearly died of a moe attack.

Moe, moe, HYNGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!

That alone was enough to make me love this anime.

The music, was the best out of all the animes that I've reviewed, or probably ever will review.  Even if you're not a huge fan of anything like J-Pop (a term that I don't quite understand, it's pretty much just rock and roll in Japanese), song titles like "My Love is a Stapler", and "Fuwa Fuwa Time" will make your day.  Just think about it.  Don't Say Lazy is also a pretty cool song, actually, all of them are.

K-ON! Anime Media (1-13, Shorts)
K-ON! Anime Take (14 (OVA))

I'm sorry that I broke it up, but I couldn't find it all together in one place, in the time that I was willing to spend looking, so here you go.
The Shorts (from what I can gather) are the shorts that are included after the anime show.  Some shows have a preview of the next episode, and Slice of Life animes usually have these.

Coming up Next!

Elfen Lied!

Toradora!

Name: Toradora!
Type: Television Show
Episodes: 25, 1 Short
Rating: TV-14
Runtime Per Episode: 24 min
Director: Nagai Tatsuyuki
Produced By GENCO and J.C. Staff
Year Produced: 2008

In modern-day Japan, there is a young man attending high school.  His name is Ryuuji, and he's got more than his fare share of problems.

The first is that his father was a gangster... or Yakuza, if there's a difference.  I kind of get the idea that Yakuza is an organization like the Mafia rather than a group of unorganized thugs... but I can't really say.

Thanks to his fathers... "profession", Ryuuji has been cursed with an unshakable genetic inheritance!

His eyes, man.

This kind of eye is a common delinquent trait... that and the coat over the shoulders, the scars, the cigarette, and the bokken.  And the hairdoo is usually key.

Because of this unfortunate trait, Ryuuji is doomed to spend the rest of his school life being viewed as a delinquent, even though he is actually a calm, nice man... who can cook!  That's like... 3 out of 4 (or whatever).

God dang it.

Living in a small(ish) house in the shadow of a huge, mysterious apartment complex, Ryuuji's clean-freak tendencies shine at home, but when he gets to school, he never really has the opportunity to prove that he's actually a decent person.  All that happens is he says something and...

Doesn't sound too bad, yeah?  Well it does to him, and I suppose if your moral character were being questioned to the point where everybody thought you were a total thug, then you'd lose patience too.

... But the way I see it, if they're not going to listen to you, keep the wallet!

Living with his working mother...

Absolutely!

... and an awesome one at that... not exactly text-book mother, but funny, Ryuuji is the man of the house since his father passed away.  As such, he's learned how to cook (as previously stated), not to mention clean, sew, and generally take care of the house.  Outside of the house, Ryuuji has a severe lack of friends... save one.

Kitamura

The only person who's had the courage to stay with him long enough to learn his "secret" (oh my God, he's nice!), Kitamura is also the only person that Ryuuji can comfortably talk to in school.  Good thing he's in Ryuuji's class.

Ryuuji has a secret beyond his actual nature secret.  He (like all teenage boys in anime), has a crush that he can't speak normally to.  You might think that anime guys are lucky as hell for all the play that they get, but personally, I think that anyone who can't even chat normally with the person they like is kind of pathetic.  Actually, they're probably worse than that.

... well I wouldn't go that far.

I can understand having a problem confessing, I've had some severe fails, but the best thing about it is that if you keep trying, someone'll say "yes"!  Sounds like a pie in the sky thing, well, that's just because you haven't practiced enough.  Love (although that's a pretty heavy word for asking someone out on a date) is a difficult thing to handle.

Anyway, it's the start of a new year at high school, and Ryuuji isn't looking forward to having to explain to a whole new class about his... not being a delinquent.  On the way down the hall, he meets his crush... well, not meets, but sees again.

Her name is Minori, and she's... energetic to say the least.  As my friend would describe it; "She's a freaking light particle!".  She's also in his class (of 2-C).  After having a brief encounter with her, during which the only thing he could manage to say was her name, Ryuuji turns away to catch his breath... and bumps into...

... Aisaka Taiga, apparently... who's not having a good day.  While listening to the whispers around him, Ryuuji manages to remember where he's heard the name Aisaka Taiga before.
P... Palm... Palm...tree?  No.  Palm... top... Palmtop... Tiger... Taiga... Palmtop Taiga!

Cute nickname.

After putting all of the pieces together, Ryuuji gets... punched for his troubles.  She must not like her nickname very much... either that or she doesn't like bumping into people.

Owned.

... she's in his class too... and she's friends with Minori!  Suddenly thing's aren't looking as grand as they first seemed.

When the day is over, Ryuuji is called into the teacher's lounge and asked to fill out the career-choice form thing.  I get the idea behind this, but I've never actually done one of these.  I kind of want to, but I prefer those tests that tell you what you're best suited to become.

Jesus, even the teacher's fear him.

When he gets back to the classroom, there are chairs and desks flying everywhere.

... Huh?

As Ryuuji looks around, he notices the broom cabinet... tottering, and then falling.  When it opens, a curled up Taiga rolls out, surprisingly managing to retain her original position.

Roll roll roll...

Choosing (wisely) to ignore her beyond the "Are you alright?" (a stupid reflex question, obviously not), Ryuuji goes and picks up his bag to leave.  There's a stuttering from the corner, and Taiga starts asking him what he's doing.

When Ryuuji tells her that he's just picking up the bag, Taiga has some kind of attack.

Okay, so maybe she's not having an attack per say, rather, she's going to attack someone.  Namely Ryuuji.

Guayahhhhh!!!

(I've got to have at least one per post)

After struggling over the bag, Taiga leaves the room, calling Ryuuji an idiot for protecting his personal property.

Later that night, Ryuuji remembers the career form that he has to fill out, and as he's searching through his bag, he finds a letter addressed to Kitamura from Taiga.  A love letter... that comes open when Ryuuji is being an idiot.

 Crap.

Well, not that it's open, I should... no, actually, in the interest of surviving, I shouldn't read it.
As he's trying to reseal it, Ryuuji discovers that it's actually... empty.
I've done bad, but this is an epic fail (as my friend would say).

Ryuuji goes to bed.  After sleeping for several hours, Ryuuji's is woken by the sound of something in the house being opened.  Since his mother's not supposed to be home yet, Ryuuji goes out to see what's going on.

As he ventures into the living room, he sees that the window is open.  As he's wondering how it got so, he figures out.  Something... small comes out of a room behind him and attacks with a bokken.

After evading being bludgeoned to death for a while, Ryuuji manages to turn on the light.

AISAKA!!

She's found Ryuuji and has come to cleanse the shame of the... thing that she put in his bag.  And she needs him to die to do that, especially since he already knows what it was.

 He he...

Now that someone knows what was in the bag, there is only one choice... well, two I suppose.

There's logic for you.

 Taiga finally stops attacking after Ryuuji yells at her the fact that the envelope was actually empty... and then she passes out for lack of food.

During Taiga's dinner at Ryuuji's place, she yells at him that confessing is embarrassing.  After she's finished yelling at him for being an idiot... she insults him for being a lower-class citizen.  When he tries to yell at her for insulting him, Ryuuji is caught off guard by her expression and decides to show her his box of shame.

It's a box filled with a bunch of stuff that he intended to give/do with his beloved.

 Um... no...?

But since he's never had the courage to tell her how he feels... none of it has, or probably ever will happen.
Ryuuji suddenly realizes that his mother's going to be home soon, so he frantically tells Taiga that he'll keep her secret, but Taiga doesn't exactly trust him.

Backed into a corner, Ryuuji tells her that he'll help her.

Ryuuji agrees... and then she says this.

I dunno about dog...

But Ryuuji agrees anyway and finally gets her to go home.

The next morning, Ryuuji gets a phone call.

Taiga demands that Ryuuji come over to where she is, and when he asks where Taiga, he is led out onto the veranda, and discovers that she's living in the huge apartment complex that's standing next to his house.
Ryuuji asks for some more time to finish the food.

When Ryuuji arrives at the complex, he discovers that there's only two floors.  He goes and finds Aisaka's door and presses the buzzer.

And here I was wondering who "Ai Saka" was!  Ha ha!

... I'm such an idiot.

Ryuuji discovers that the door is open, and when he lets himself in, he discovers a horrific smell.  Upon further investigation, he finds the source of the smell.

A scene so horrific or pornographic that it was mosaic-ed out.  That's bad.

Filled with the spirit of a true Filth-Fighter, Ryuuji is spurred into anger.

Ryuuji tears all around the house looking for Taiga, and when he finds her, she's sleeping again.
As Ryuuji looks around the house, he sees that it looks like nobody else is living there, which is true.
And so Ryuuji begins to clean.

After about 15 minutes, Taiga wakes up again, and when she goes to the kitchen, she finds the house is... actually clean.  When she figures out it's Ryuuji (her dog) who did it, she yells at him.
Now, I don't know if "Forced Cleaning" is a crime, but maybe it is in Japan.  Doesn't sound that bad to me.

And so they being their exciting school life together.  Taiga has agreed to help Ryuuji get a date with Minori if he'll help her get a date with Kitamura.


Let me just start off by saying that when I was going into this project, I had decided that I'd review things in kind or a random order.
I knew that there would be a Miyazaki Marathon somewhere in there, and I knew that I wanted to do a couple of other things, those namely being Mugen no Juunin, Ookami to Koushinryou, and Gankutsuou (out of the ones that I've already done).
There was also this, and the upcoming four reviews, but I had arranged them in a kind of order that I like them in (except for the third one, which I just figured I needed a break from movies).

I have to admit that I have seen this anime before, and I have just realized that it is among my favorite five (if were talking series here).  The other ones that I can tell you now because it won't spoil the surprise are Ookami to Koushinryou (as you have probably already figured out if you read my review), KissxSis, Zero no Tsukaima, and both To Aru Majutsu no Index and To Aru no Choudenjibou (for which this blog is named, and I just realized that I have not made plans to review it... shamed).

I haven't decided to review these in the near future.  KissxSis because this is partly a school engagement, Zero no Tsukaima because I just discovered it, and To Aru Majutsu no Index and To Aru no Choudenjibou... I don't know why.  There are also two others that I am reviewing in the future, but if I tell you now, it'll ruin the surprise.

That being said, I might be kind of biased here, but at least it's a positive bias.  I know I hate negative biases.

In case you couldn't see it coming, I think this anime is awesome.
It's funny and I lose it for tsundere, height-sensitive girls, especially ones played by Kugimiya Rie.  Taiga is one of my all-time favorite characters.

Close to being a typical school life anime, this was saved by the preferences and just the fact that the story (to me) was different than those typical high school love stories, and that made it cool.  Actually, this anime has received the tag of "Love Rectangle" from several people.  I didn't even know that was a thing.  Damn.

Like I said before, Kugimiya Rie (Taiga) is one of my favorite Japanese voice actresses, and she's been in a lot of other stuff.  She was the main character in the Zero no Tsukaima series, as well as the Shakugan no Shana series.  She also got the Kouta part in Midori no Hibi, which I reviewed a while back (it's not hard to find, just look for the boobs).

I loved how Taiga and Ryuuji's relationship developed, and how their friendship affected Minori and Kitamura, not to mention the others in the class.

The drawing style was a bit more anime than the manga, but I still liked it because I read the manga, got interested, then got cut off because they haven't finished translating it yet.  This is actually one of the few animes that I have actively looked for to find out what happens.

They didn't make an English version (thank God), but they did make a Tagalog version, so thank the Lord for that.
... Where is Tagalog?  I don't know, but it's apparently a country of some sort.  Either way, stick with the Japanese version.

The music was awesome.  At least the opening song was, and that's good enough for me.  Pre-Parade is a lot of fun to listen to, and even if you don't watch the anime, you should check out the song.  Kugimiya Rie leads because she can sing, and has apparently done so for several other opening songs for the animes she's worked on.

The most important thing that I can say for this anime is to be sure to watch at least the last episode to the end.  If you don't, you'll have an aneurysm.

Toradora! Minitheatre

Coming up Next!

K-ON!!