Elfen Lied - Vector Oneby Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Studio
Credits Grade: 10 Lucy is a demon with four psychic arms called vectors that allow her to kill from two meters away (or further as she throws things). Nyu is an innocent, naive girl who can't communicate and depends on two college students for help. The thing is, they share the same body. Lucy escaped from the military-type testing facility she was being held in, and after escaping washed up on the shore as Nyu — all of which she was totally nude for of course. Kohta and Yuka find her, take her in, and quickly realize some very nasty military assassins are out to get her. After hitting her head Nyu slips back into Lucy, and eventually breaks out or tires out into Nyu again. As Nyu she is able to hide, and as Lucy she is able to fight against those that come after her, even one of her own kind!I was totally blown away by this anime! Lots of blood and gore as limbs are ripped from bodies in mass quantities and to torment some attackers toying a bit with sado-masicism. The story is outstanding and truly unique. I've never seen anything like this! I was captivated from the opening blood-fest and the following four episodes held me spellbound and hooked me for anything that follows. While some of the nudity is obviously fan service, some is a little more practical and even symbolic. Lucy and those like her are nude in their captivity which makes sense because things tend to get bloody around them and there is no need of clothing test subjects such as these. To see her escaping in the nude was appropriate and struck me anyway as being symbolic of a purer aspect. It was death in a pure form, or like she was an angel of death — it made her (along with her powers) seem god-like. The nudity as Nyu is purely for fan service and comedy. The anime uses a little of the one guy-many girls genre as Khota has three girls living in this ten-room house by the end of the DVD. Both the diclonius (like Lucy) so far have pink hair (while other characters have normal hair colors) and horn-like projections from their head. These give a cat-ear like appearance to them instead of a demon-like appearance, and made me wonder about the title including the word elfen when there are no elves to be seen. The animation quality is superb! Beautiful where it needs to be yet carries off the gore and military aspects quite well. The battle scenes are violent and bloody, and we do get to see two diclonius battle! Expressions and emotions are well conveyed by the characters allowing us to better grasp situations and empathize where needed. The blending of good and bad, love and violence, innocent and evil is truly remarkable. I also adore the opening song "Lilium" (and watched the opening every time because of it) which is in Latin and is based on biblical passages and the hymn "Ave mundi spes Maria" ("Hail Mary, Hope of the World") and sounds rather like a Gregorian chant. Another interesting note is that the opening is a series of images based on Gustav Klimt's painting making the opening that much more beautiful to watch. I highly enjoyed both sub and dub, but did prefer the sub — mainly because of Nyu/Lucy. All of the English voices were a good match to the originals. Elfen Lied is a dark and violent yet cute and fun series that is a must have! I can't wait to see Vector Two. Written: December 18, 2005
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