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Comments
That was absolutely hilarious. And now I must watch this show.
Posted by Nina at February 12, 2005 07:37 AM
200.228.226.130
That was beautiful. *snif*
Posted by Lisa Jonte at February 12, 2005 10:06 AM
69.107.82.189
Ugh, I made the mistake of watching the first several episodes of this myself before I apparently grew a brain and stopped downloading more of it.
But its not entirerly without its high-points, afterall the girl urinating all over herself and the blatant female abuse was chuckle-worthy.
Posted by SarahSoffer at February 12, 2005 10:38 AM
209.89.32.247
I'll never understand people who are like "This is SO terrible! Let's Watch it!"
I never had any desire to see elfen lied. It's reputation leads it's reviews to be trustworthy in most intelligent forums. I don't know where you get your reviews.
Don't get into the habit of bashing bad anime. You'll start doing to so much that you bash all anime and can't tell the difference. I've seen it happen.
Now then, seeing that you went to all that trouble... what have you seen that was good lately?
Posted by Psychomelody at February 12, 2005 11:22 AM
151.201.151.213
Wow, it looks quite craptacular. Something to see when I see it for 5 bucks on dvd somewhere. I know ADV's licensed it, so it's already rearing it's ughly head across the ocean.
It's an overly violent harem anime. Like Fist of the Northstar and Love Hina combined. That's just wrong.
Anyhoo, try Mahoromatic for a similar WTF effect. I also recommend Najica Blitz Tactics, which though not as overtly offensiive/bad as these two, is special in it's own way .
Posted by Andre at February 12, 2005 11:49 AM
142.166.247.122
I don't understand why that blue blob thing is trying to kiss her.
Posted by Clio at February 12, 2005 01:36 PM
24.69.255.237
That helmet is FUCKING cool. Everything else is kinda stupid and shitty, but that helmet is just so cool .
Posted by Mikhail Lvovsky at February 12, 2005 03:55 PM
68.239.140.76
I don't undertsand people that think criticizing crap will make me ultimately hate everything.
And NFIT wasn't really conceived as an anime review feature. I was kind of planning to do "Sex: The Annabel Chong Story" next. Because Jesus, she deserves it. You want to talk about negative first impressions...?
Watching terrible crap on purpose is a little like slowing down to gawk at traffic accidents on the freeway. Some people just do it. Some people can't imagine why they would. To each her own.
Posted by spike at February 13, 2005 10:57 AM
68.252.164.79
Nah, I just don't want to get my fancy white gloves dirty.
You'd probably get along with my friend Steve. He made me sit through "Hercules in New York" with it's original dub. That's more like a terrorist attack than a car crash.
What I was secretly trying to get out of you was what series or whatever you've seen lately that was really good. A contrast, if you will.
Posted by Psychomelody at February 13, 2005 11:52 AM
151.201.151.213
"Elfin Lied" means "Elf's Song" in German. And you are correct...everything sounds better in Japanese. Especially pitches for shows about naked women stripped of their personalities to become cock whores for uptight Japanese men who inexplicably can't get laid despite at least three normal women clamoring for his thoroughly mediocre self. *wheeze* *pant*
Posted by Random Useless Trivia Boy at February 17, 2005 09:54 PM
67.175.206.201
I'd suggest watching the entire series before you pass judgement. With the name, and the premise, I was reticient about watching it at first; then someone whose opinion I trusted pointed it out to me -- and I'm glad they did.
The story is very good. You don't realize why he didn't think the horns were weird till later. It's a short series, but I wish it had been longer. No complaints other than that.
Oh, and think of the nudity as a way of separating the diclonius' from normal people -- it's just a blase way of saying "Hey, look, we're not human! Look at me! Not a human here!"
Posted by Ishaar at March 8, 2005 11:43 PM
216.63.104.219
*lol* I always have to laugh at idiots who write shit after watching only ONE bloody episode. Elfen Lied is a great anime with many deep messages but of course you couldn´t see this as you watched only ONE bloody episode!
BTW:
The title "Elfen Lied" indeed makes sense, just read the german poem and watch the WHOLE FUCKING SERIES!
Posted by B-Tight at March 11, 2005 02:29 PM
84.169.81.1
Yeah okay will-do chief.
Posted by spike at March 11, 2005 04:26 PM
66.73.2.144
We watched just enough of the series to see the little jail-bait mutant get torn to pieces. That was fun. But it didn't look like anything entertaining was happening in the next episode, so we quit.
It was already pretty obvious that is was a pretty typical piece of cliché-ridden pap: A little bit of the magical girlfriend trope, a little bit of the ownable woman, bit of catgirl, bit of loli, the de rigueur childhood friend bullshit, and a heaping helping of T&A. The only unique thing about this series seems to be that it's got a bit more blood in it. Which is nice and all, but it doesn't come close to making the formulaic nature of this cartoon bearable.
Posted by Matt at March 16, 2005 02:13 AM
68.20.32.102
This anime is fucking great.
I watched all of it, and I'm not sure now, which is my favourite, this or Hellsing
It has tons og blood and gore, and some nudity, but that's not all it's about.
The storyline itself was great, I think. It may look a little confusing at first, which is why I'm guessing so many people don't like it, but once I watched around 8-9 episodes, I finished the rest in one run.
The characters were great, - I got really involved with them, and very emotional at times. I cared for Kouta, Yuka, Nana and Lucy. And got did that little girl make me angry.
So all in all:
Great.
Posted by GZ at March 17, 2005 06:19 PM
81.15.33.129
hehehe :twitch: :twitch:
Let's hope I don't meet you. It's probably best if you live in Australia or something so that it will be hard for me to hunt you down :) :twitch:
Best anime I've ever seen.. Clichéd? Matt, Matt, Matt what are you thinking, this is possibly the most original series out there.
If you actually saw more than one episode and tried to read into some the underlying themes (perhaps your brain is incapable of this?) then you would understand why so many people call this a great anime.
Greatest anime out there? Quite possibly, remember kiddies you should be angry at your parents - they never told you there was such a thing as blood, paedophilia and violence in the real world? I'll tell you now - there is. No need to get upset about it.
Remember - there's more to anime then Dragonball Z... :)
Posted by Optical at March 28, 2005 06:16 PM
81.157.6.178
Threats of violence from internet strangers are an effective means of making me change my mind.
Jeepers. The blog hasn't had a tantrum magnet this potent since the National Geographic entry. I'll have to pan more unwatchable crap in the future.
Posted by spike at March 28, 2005 06:32 PM
68.252.192.46
Thanks for the reply ;)
Didn't mean to come across as a physco or anything :twitch:
I was trying to get across my strong feelings for just how good this anime is.
Don't get me wrong I know of quite a few people who didn't like this anime or just found it wasn't for them. However they came to this conclusion after watching most if not all of the 13 episodes.
I personally feel to label something unspeakable garbage after seeing one episode is not the best way to sum-up an anime.
I guess I'm right when I say you enjoy watching anime - this is why I find the way you have written the article, well, strange. I personally give all animes I watch a chance, generally watching at least 5 episodes to see if things pick up.
Upon looking around your site, you seem to be a talented artist - so I would be lead to believe that you would want to promote this kind of thing - but it strikes me that someone new to anime or perhaps to Elfen Lied will see this blog and be put off by it. This would be a bad thing, as they may miss something which in my opinion definatly deserves a watch.
I really think you should find some time to watch the rest (or at least a few more episodes) of this anime. I think you may be suprised at just how well it develops - like I say, in my opinion this is the best anime I've seen, I wouldn't want you to miss out on something that you may enjoy (even I admit the first episode was kinda violent, pretty much all blood and gore - and when I saw it, I was also thinking .."Is this anime gunna be any good..?". But it gets better with every episode - if you dont cry at some point during the last episode, then you're not human ;) ).
Even if you don't write up on your experience with the rest of the anime, I still think you should see it.
Thanks for taking the time to read this long ass post. ;)
Posted by Optical at March 28, 2005 10:50 PM
81.157.6.178
I agree with Optical - the best anime I have ever seen as well. I was put off by reviews of all of the blood and gore, but I gave it a chance and was hooked after the first few episodes. This series really makes you feel strongly for the characters, for the nice ones and the "evil" ones. Very, very, very well done and for those of you out there who have only watched a few episodes, try a few more. It's not as shallow as naked girls and bloodshed, really.
Beckie
Posted by Beckie at April 12, 2005 12:49 PM
204.87.63.254
You gay ass stupid small dic fucker...LOL...you only saw one episode? How stupid...it's one of the best anime I ever seen.
(Yeah, this'll make me change my mind.
They kind of kids this anime attracts says more than I ever could about the utter crap it is. Thanks for sharing, sweetie.
Sorry about my small dic. :( Next time I'll just use a fist, K? But you gotta cut out the squealing before my neighbors get the cops on my ass again.
<3
spike)
Posted by J at May 11, 2005 12:43 PM
207.200.116.72
Writing it off after one episode? Your loss, I guess. Hope your premature ranting makes you feel big and important.
(Sure does. Thanks for posting!
-- spike)
Posted by SFF at May 12, 2005 05:46 PM
68.187.216.116
Meh, as many have said above, you shouldn't judge an anime on one single episode. It picks up and gets a lot better afterwards, especially after the middle.
Posted by Torte at May 18, 2005 05:56 PM
81.230.88.203
How about watching the rest of it. This anime was rated in the top 20 anime's on most anime lists and actually gets a hell of a lot better than the first episode. Actually it starts getting really good, and explains just WHY he took her home. I think you should be shot for being a bad reviewist.
(I deserve to die for disagreeing with you about crappy anime!
What's a "reveiwist?"
--spike)
Posted by Garstoth at May 22, 2005 07:53 PM
24.177.145.125
The pointlessness of disagreeing with someone on their own review aside, It's a great and emotional series (I think some of my chest hairs just fell off), Your loss I guess. I really viewed the nudity in this show with about as much perversion as I would michelangelo's sistine chapel piece, you know, except with nubile young anime girls rather than adonic roman men and their adoration for god's teensy little finger. I guess I can't say much else but cmooon....cmooOOOoon!
Posted by P3lvi5 at June 14, 2005 07:34 PM
66.41.70.114
The movie starts out pretty typical... lots of violence lots of nudity... The episodes that followed were at times a bit slow, I told a buddy of mine (when I was watching the middle episodes) that it was a bit boring, but when I saw how it connected with the last few episodes, I found it to be a great anime. Overall I would probably give it an 7.5-8 on a scale of 1 - 10. Definetly a descent watch... good ending... middle a bit bland at times.
Posted by XJ900 at July 31, 2005 02:00 PM
24.54.248.18
Well that was kind of funny, but your still an idiot for writing a review with only having watched 1 episode. Your opinion is pretty much invalid. I did like that picture with the caption "Japan: Keepin' that pimp hand strong" good stuff.
For future reference the name "Elfen Lied" or "ElfenLied" is from a German poem and it translates to "Elf Song". So now you know where the name came from.
(I guess the "Negative First Impression Theater" part of the title was too many syllables, huh.
S'okay. A lot of anime fans have trouble with big words. -- spike)
Posted by MXH89 at August 11, 2005 03:54 PM
69.205.160.146
Spike, your review was a delight and devastatingly funny.
After being drug through the first 4 episodes your review of the first episode gets a 'ditto' for the next three episodes. My mini review of the first four episodes: the hyper violence and lewd T&A doesn't flesh out a storyline that is astonishingly slow and thin.
To those giving credence to the naysayers: Spike's review of the episode he watched is dead on and applicable to the first four episodes.
Nothing like being told to watch 2 1/2 hours of a series before it 'gets good.'
Unless someone posts a synopsis explaining how the plot evolves into more than an excuse for an animated pronfetish I wouldn't waste my time watching another episode of Elf Lied.
--
That said, I felt the same about almost 90% of Trigun but somewhere near the end of Trigun a whole different aspect of the anime was revealed and there was actually some larger symbolism attached, though belatedly and in a way that made it seem like one writer/director quit and a more thoughtful writer/director picked it up late in the series.
Nonetheless, taking less than an hour of 'good' plot and stretching it to 5 1/2 hours with pointless, repetive filler isn't for the viewer that expects more from their anime.
Posted by Hermit ;-) at September 1, 2005 06:14 AM
71.111.150.199
I just love how everyone was all "zomg noez dont bash, it best series ever, give it a chance" ...an that's it. No reason, no backing, no strong points in its defence, just "watch it all cause fanboy tells you to", ugh. Don't get me wrong, I vaugely enjoyed it and find this review (which I stumbled upon whilst looking for the Elfen Lied poem where an Elf thinks it's being called something I'm not going to attempt to type nor look up, but that's the connecting reference, it's also what the Declonius are called in this show...at some point. Yes, in adition to Declonius. Don't ask why.) just about as entertaining since at least Spike's put some substance in his comments and laced it all with some good ol' sardonic wit. "Killer floating stabby-stab pen" haha, yes.
My first impression? "Oh fuck, it's a full out naked assassin version of Chobits". Just think about it, infants mentality with the ability to shout one word, which for no obvious reason becomes her name, which is then instantly accepted like second nature by all others present. That feeling changes slightly on the way through, but it still maintains that background essence. Even with what plot it does unravel, they could have done more with it.
Spoilery spoiler; so Lucy's the "Declonius queen" or somesuch...meaning? All I saw her do with it was blow more people up and become the centre of attention for all sorts of evil science guys and other Declonius' which contrary to what some science guy said, something about them needing her for somesuch, all try to capture/kill her under evil science guy order, who's not actually evil because they're trying to stop these horned mutant humans from wiping out mankind and creating their own new-human race. Or ARE THEY? Dun-dun-DUN.
It's probably one of those neglected cases of "half of what the manga tells you properly" that so many anime fall into, but either way, the more I think about it, the more they could have built on certain things.
So...I'm going to stop thinking about it now since it's been an gone.
Posted by Mikeido at September 1, 2005 07:43 PM
88.109.103.38
Eight years old is too old. That's why I'm so attracted to anime girls, see? because they can't say no. like children.
It makes a lot of sense when you think about it that way. I sure SOUND like a pedophile. Hell, YOU figure it out.
Posted by KAKAROTO- at September 5, 2005 06:42 PM
201.154.6.184
Seven-year-olds would be fine, too. I'm not picky. Just lonely. So lonely.
Posted by KAKAROTO- at September 5, 2005 06:56 PM
201.154.6.184
Or six-year-olds.
Posted by KAKAROTO- at September 5, 2005 07:23 PM
201.154.6.184
I wish I could date five-year-olds.
Posted by KAKAROTO- at September 5, 2005 07:39 PM
201.154.6.184
(You're boring. Except now you're boring and banned.
Tsk, sir. You are a pedophile. I can't imagine what posessed you to write all that. I should report you to the proper authorities before you kidnap any unsuspecting toddlers and attempt to glue egg cups to their foreheads.
FOR SHAME.
:)
-- spike)
(PS: AOL address. LOL. shoulda figured. )
Posted by KAKAROTO- at September 5, 2005 07:57 PM
201.154.6.184
I am more pathetic than i tought lol
Posted by KAKAROTO- at November 4, 2005 02:55 PM
201.127.5.80
This is the best anime video I've ever seen. No matter, that there is moch of violence. At firs I like Anime videos, and the second is that I there is a lot of emotions. Yes, I think that emotions are dominating there over a violence in a strange woy, you know...
Posted by Martins at November 28, 2005 04:19 AM
85.254.147.8
My penis is small and smells of prawns
is that ok
Posted by KAKAROTO at December 7, 2005 05:12 PM
200.95.46.64
Now this is a review I can get behind as Elfen Lied is indeed all-around terrible. I'm almost glad he didn't get to see the notorious puppy scene, which is perhaps the cheapest attempt to offend people I've ever seen. In my opinion, EL is only worth watching for the trash factor, like a crappy B movie.
Posted by thatoneguy at December 8, 2005 06:33 AM
84.178.75.116
I prefer child bestiality porn to anime.
Posted by KAKAROTO- at December 9, 2005 07:23 PM
200.95.46.64
Haha I love it when Anime otaku nerds pretend not to care but still react when people are bashing their beloved Japanese cartoon show. This is one of the reason why people will enjoy bashing and make fun of subcultures such as anime because they get a rise out of fanboy fury.
I enjoyed EL a lot and I find this review funny. Whats wrong if other people have diffrent views from ours?
Posted by Markus at December 10, 2005 06:53 AM
210.213.247.187
Yeah you should watch the rest of the series, it's a little cliché at times but the story develops well if you enjoy a plot with few holes and many twists.
Then again you seem to dislike this sort of anime (or anime in general?) so p'raps you'd best steer clear of this one.
Either way, you definitely got the "first impressions" part right about the title; you got a bad impression from an anime which turned out to be more than okay after watching the whole series from start to end.
Posted by josh at December 12, 2005 10:31 AM
220.238.182.162
See below.
Posted by Yo at December 14, 2005 09:04 PM
201.127.5.234
I posted twice because I don't understand how blogs work. :) Please ream my virgin hole. :D
Posted by Yo at December 14, 2005 09:04 PM
201.127.5.234
Yeah, I definitely almost laughed myself sick when I read this. Quite a funnily acurate representation of the first episode.
Posted by schiz at January 2, 2006 01:30 AM
141.151.190.161
I don't know how many people will be reading this at this point, but I thought I'd post my thoughts. I have no qualms with this review, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
I find Elfen Lied to be among the best anime I've ever watched. I don't appreciate the excessive nudity, but that aside, this was so great. The first episode doesn't help promote watching the rest of it too much, except if you share my curiosity after seeing the doctor not get killed with the rest of the men around him as Lucy walks by.
The aria "Lillium" used in the opening is a beautiful melody, a bit somber, but quite lovely.
This anime is not at all a harem anime, good selling point there, I got bored of those after my first, perhaps because I'm a girl and I'm not into that fantasy.
For anyone that hasn't watched and would rather not have some key points spoiled, don't read further.
Kisaraki, aka "Clumsy Girl", was killed for a reason, which is revealed later on in the show in a flashback to just after Lucy's initial capture. Lucy promised the good doctor that she would take away everything he cared for, she noticed his concern for this person and promptly began fulfilling her promise.
The puppy scene... sickened me, as it was meant to, it sickened Lucy as well, thus why she went ballistic on the kids.
The characters were very well developed throughout the anime. Also the emotions that drive the show were portrayed very well, this was the biggest thing for me in watching Elfen Lied.
Posted by Serra at January 25, 2006 05:58 PM
24.10.136.201
My girlfriend is a big anime fan. She allways respected my opinion that I do not like them, but this series she kepped bugging me about every chance she got.
So, we watched it together(yes, I'm a sucker for her^^) and from the first minute, I was hooked. We watched all 13 episodes the entire day, and I never felled such strong emotions for fictional characters. The nudity was quite tastefull, the violence was...not that good for the guts, but this series was never about those. It was about fammily, friendship and love, but more so, it was about the dark nature of humans. There where so many hidden messages, I sometimes asked my girl to explain what something means. As the plot reveals itself, I got sucked in even more. And we both cried at the ending.
I am not saying you should like it, I mean, we all have our opinions. I wouldn't have watched it if I wasn't a fan from ye olde poem in the first place. But I am glad I did, and am looking forward to more japanese animated goodness with her.
And by the way, even tough I strongly disagreed with it, your review was damn funny. My compliments.
Posted by Bas at January 27, 2006 08:07 AM
83.118.2.5
mi madre es un puta. Facil y gorda, tambien.
~_^
Posted by ads@qwe.com at January 30, 2006 10:13 PM
83.132.236.94
How can you! This is one of the best anime series taht has been made. Are you really that insensitive and un attentionall to notice that?
Posted by Sork at February 4, 2006 05:18 PM
81.232.144.29
Thank god I can recognize this as a humor written review and not a serious one, unlike many others it seems.
I can't remember how many times I laughed reading this over, just knowing it was going to bait people...and then I scrolled down to see you allowed comments. BEAUTIFUL!
Elfen Lied is an amazing series, all though too short at just 14 episodes. I'm going to have to check out your other "borings" (that IS what Blog means) and see if you have other hilarioius posts
Posted by RiceBeaterz.com at February 11, 2006 01:01 PM
65.100.150.216
a lil boy that thinks he can tell that "elfen lied" is a lame anime cuz he have watched the first episode ?
the anime isnt about nude you lil horney boy
and learn to write in english before you critisize anything !
I just dont get what was bad about it ?
Loved every single momen of this anime - you just probably said it would suck from the sec it was on [or u just love dissing good anime's while loving the lil kids shows - hmmm ... i dont know which but i bet that is what you like :)
Didnt even watch all the episode and thinks he can say if its good or not ...
BAKA !!!
(This is probably my favorite comment yet. FYI. -- spike)
Posted by Afro at February 13, 2006 07:25 AM
82.81.77.37
Uh I though the review was funny but I really enjoyed the anime. But some one up the list said somethin about this wouldn't be good for some one who doesn't know about the anime to see cause it might throw them off. In short I said give it a chance.^^
Posted by zombie at February 13, 2006 04:21 PM
66.153.207.10
Everyone who thinks this is a dumb or boring show because they watch the first episode or not even the whole first episode should give it a bit more of a chance. This is the best anime show ive seen. I read your review and thought it was funny because of how much you saw of the show and you feel that seeing the first episode is enough to rate the whole 13 episode show. Anyway basicly what im saying is give it a chance and you might like it.
("your crazy"? My crazy what? DYING TO KNOW. -- spike)
Posted by yourcrazy at February 14, 2006 05:31 AM
24.141.150.191
Shame on you…
Spike, I’m so sorry for you. You think you can review an anime after one episode. Elfen Laid is one of the best animas out there. If you lack the mental capacity to fallow a plot line then you need to go back to Bugs bunny or the Road runner. You spent more time making this blog then you spent watching the show. Too Shame.
You must be lonely man if you judge every thing by the first 20 minutes of it. If all you saw was the first episode you would think the rest of the show was only about nudity and valance. But if you spent the time to watch the rest of the movie you would have realized ( if you can do that… realize things) that the valance and the nudity is what makes them scary and different.
The first part of the fist episode is so violent so you get the idea that these things are the epitome of evil. The rest of the series show you that they are not the evil ones, we are, and by the end of the show all the “evil monsters” regret what they did and don’t kill any more. Example (as some one asked for proof of plot) The most “evil” of the monsters is the daughter of one of the main characters, she is evil the last seen of her is of a human scientist blowing her and her father up with the bomb that he put inside of her. By the end of the show the “evil” people are not the horned girls but the so called good guys. By the end of the movie all the girls want to do (all 3 of them) is to live in piece.
The nudity is set of in the beginning as a device to get you to notice them as not human, and it worked. If you’re so shallow all you noticed was the nudity then you have not grown up past the little boy that giggled at words like PP or tits. I am sorry for thows who trust your reviews.
To Spike and all others who judge a book by its cover….
It’s better to keep you mouth closed and have people think you’re an idiot then open your mouth and prove it
10 out of 10 stars for this anime… watch it
P.S. If you read this far ( I don’t think you will read past the first sentence) please respond back.
Posted by Square at February 19, 2006 06:51 AM
71.193.161.210
i think all the animes are nice ^^. but talking seriously, it wasnt that bad, it was? i liked it, it wasnt the best in alll the planet but was pretty nice. and yes y almost cryed at the end. if i take your word seems like you dont like any anime. thats sad. well then, elfen lied makes me pass a good moment, and i like that!! bye!
Posted by Pollish at February 19, 2006 03:33 PM
200.117.180.71
I watched this show because someone did an aswome fan comic about the character Nana, while i realized the show wasn't that good. i kept watching it with the attitude, "gee i can't wait to see who gets decapitiated TODAY"
Posted by Monev at February 22, 2006 06:12 PM
72.226.224.167
Followed a link here from the Kung Fool site. Haven't seen the anime in question. I found the review highly amusing, pointing out with an excellent wit exactly what is wrong with some of the common cliches in Japanese animation, which do, in fact, seem to appear in the episode.
Then I got to the comments, and wound up giggling like a Japanese schoolgirl who just met her first tentacle monster. The first rule of ANY artistic endeavour is to know your medium. Know its strengths, its weaknesses and its requirements.
This is an episodic anime. Episodic fiction is HARD, folks, for a very simple reason--in addition to the series being a satisfying whole, each individual episode must also hold up to critical scrutiny on its own. And nowhere is this more crucial than in the pilot/opener, where you need to 'sell' the whole of the series to the first-time viewer. Someone who gets hooked on the first few episodes will likely forgive a one-time poor showing in the middle, but a first-episode failure is death to a series.
This is not a review of the series. It's a review of the pilot. Success or failure of an artistic work can be judged on many criteria, but one of the key rules for a pilot is, "Does it make me want to see more?" If not, then as a pilot, it's a failure.
This isn't uncommon, by the way. Firefly failed almost precisely because the first episode shown ("Train Job", which was NOT the pilot written by Josh Whedon) to the public was probably the weakest and most formulaic of the series. Likewise, Star Trek's pilot episode ("Menagerie") was also unable to build a huge audience, which is why it closed after two seasons. Is it possible that Elfen Lied is in the same category as these, a slow starter that eventually redeems itself? Sure. But that doesn't undo the fact that the first episode, in this case, failed to capture the reviewer's attention.
Insulting the reviewer just because he judged a pilot episode on the basis for which a pilot episode should be judged is a sign that the respondent is lacking in formal understanding of critical technique. Insinuating vague threats against the reviewer indicates that you really, really need to get out of your parents' basement.
Posted by Freemage at February 23, 2006 03:39 PM
163.192.21.41
So where's the rest of Negative First Impression Theater?
Your anime evisceration and the ensuing banter reminds me why I remain largely a closet enjoyer of anime....I do not want to be associated with these people in any way.
What kind of lobotomy patient does one need to be in order to proclaim this series the 'GREATEST ANIEM EVAR!'? It would appear they are incapable of rational thought and live in a very small world. While there is more to Elfen Lied than something such as.....Dragonball Z....the series as a whole is inconsistent and lacking in many respects. Andre's 'Love Hina meets Fist of the North Star' comparison is really quite accurate. In the end it seems as though the writer had one or two interesting ideas, but then had to go through the bother of making an entire story....and in the end, that story wasn't good enough to attract an audience on its own, so some gratuitous nudity is required. Shit...might as well throw in a ton of random excessive violence as well for good measure.
Nobody seemed to even mention the whole (oh yeah...spoiler warning?) thing about how the monster cat-girl things were supposed to destroy humanity by impregnating all the males, so that their children would end up being monster cat-girl things.
Posted by RickHunter at February 23, 2006 11:34 PM
68.200.2.205
Thank you Freemage
Posted by Square at February 25, 2006 07:19 AM
71.193.161.210
Heyo! followed this off of kungfoolx as well.
A couple of things: First, and most importantly, I agree with the fact that often times you need to watch more than one episode to get the jist of things.
HOWEVER 2 things.
This is "Negative first Impression Theater" - if you're looking for a non-negative complete review(or, more likely, a positive first impression), try a fanboy site.
Secondly: he's not wrong about the anime. Every new episode is another new "Romance anime" bad cliche. The parts that arent, are really interesting. However they quickly get dispoiled by Lolifetishism and Sad girls in the rain. And yes, I've seen most of it, just not the last two episodes.
In the end, I've become completely disillusioned by all the new anime streaming out of japan right now. A good chunk of it is either a DBZ clone in some way(OMG HIS POWERLEVEL IS UNSTOPPABLE) or a rehashed relationship anime.
That being said, try watching "Jungle wa hale noche Guu" (the jungle was peaceful(hale), than came Guu) , Beck(MONGOLION CHOP SQUAD), aaaand...lemme think here, sets of 3s are always good...Jungle wa hale noche guu Delux :p Satire is great and fun. OH YEA! Theres this awesome one that makes fun of relationship animes. I dont remember it, but this guy is visited by an Angel of the Future, who was sent to assassinate him because he turns all women of the future immortal, however they're stuck as 8 year old girls with huge breasts.
The twist is, She falls in love with him, and constantly kills him with her Spiked bat of doom(excaliborg) and brings him back to life. The whole series(6 episodes?) is painful to watch, but on purpose. Its very funny.
Anyways, SMOKE YOU!
Posted by t3hWired at February 25, 2006 03:38 PM
67.48.82.143
What exactly do you consider to be something good? (seriously names would be apreciated I'm new to the hole anime thing and looking for stuff that isn't garbage) I for one liked elfen lied a lot. I know what your'e saying thougth it's really dramatic all of the time and I got real sick of the openning theme playing every two minutes (ain't a big fan of the childish way sexual exploration is depicted neither). But it's still one the best show and story I've encoutered up to this point not just cause the createurs seemed to have tried to make their stuff look so sophisticated all the time (it's somewhat desperate) but cause of the links between characters, the part they play and the way the action and story unfolds ( It's yet the only thing I find intersting in every manga I watched so far and the only reson to wacth Japanese animes for me cause aside from that these show are all just more corny than American show,movies,stories in general)
I think you should watch again and no so much look at what they were trying to than what they actualy did.
Posted by F0RTERESS at March 5, 2006 02:50 PM
24.203.64.229
I just finished the elfen lied series..and your review shows how little talent you have for writing. You watch one episode and judge the series by that.....That is so childish i can't even ccomprehend why you put it on the internet. That is like reading the first 20 pages of the illiad. Yea it would seem really dull huh. (now to put freemages incorrect assumptions to rest) He didn't make any comments regarding the pilot. I never recalling reading the first episode was this, it seemed alot of things saying "This series sucks" in different words was said. Therefor he lost the status of reviewing a pilot to basing his assumption(which if you put it out on the internet for people looking for new anime to find means you carry a certain responsibility) of an entire series on the opening. I don't know any hardcore anime fans(i don't mean DBZ fanboys that think they are anime gods because of a few DBZ episodes and akira) that completely judge an anime till atleast the 5th episode. Y because something deep takes time. Shoot Trigun didn't actually gain any depth at all till halfway through...which then it gained serious religious undertones. Karas did what you want....they made the most flashy and actioned filled pilot i have ever seen. Yet i was dissappointed in it because there was no story. Catering to people who have such shallow views is why animes are getting so crappy lately.
The name elfen lied comes from a poem....It is a very dark and goes with the mood of the anime. The "Bunny Ears" are actually a type of horn where the brain is protruding from its normal confines.(hence the vectors,if you watched further you would know what those are, or invisible hands.) The reason she reverts(if you are planning to watch this anime, and plz do it is a great anime if you like seeing how bad life could be, skip this part) is due to a tragedy when she was younger involving everyone in the anime. It split her into two sides, one a psychopathic killer, the other an innocent child. The shot was a glancing blow off the helmet(head tramua causes the switch of personalities...or later in the series as each developes serious stress can cause a change.) It can be deep,if u are interested in psychological way people interact,or if u are a shallow thinker as a straight blood fest.
Now for the other stuff,
One the reason nudity seems to be casually tossed about(much like we just add girls in bikinis and little clothing in america in every movie and show) is nudity to the japanese culture is considered very different than in the western world. The guy who made the comment about relationship anime flooding out of japan, while you are right they are flooding out...but they ahve always been. The fact is most of people didn't get started on anime till DBZ(which had its fair share). BTW the anime with the angel is(can't remeber the jap name) Beat to death angel dokuro-chan. Type in dokuro-chan in google and you will find it.
For all those who say"He is entitled to his opinion." and the one who made the comment about fanboy anger...this paragraph is for you. First yes everyone is entitled to their opinion. But if you are going to share it...and make yourself to be reliable...then you need to atleast know what you are talking about as to not give false info. He lacked this area so no he doesn't have the right to come out and talk about the anime so. I hate bleach...never liked it. But you know what i watched 20 episodes of the pain before i quit...Now granted it might be a good anime and i haven't had anyone tell me y its popular so i don't write reviews. The guy talking about fanboy anger....if i seem angry i am but i am not truely a fanboy of this anime(it is good don't get me wrong but it isn't the top of my list...FMA is.) but yes i get angry about it for the same reason christians get angry when people make fun of them, or evolutionist when they get made fun of, or the cheerleaders when they do....or anyone when something important to them is slandered and trashed ruining not only the overall outlook on the thing but on the others that are involved in it. If you want to think the anime is bad....thats fine...alot of people do....but if you are gonna make that assumption after the first episode..plz keep it to yourself and don't ruin the show for people before they see it.
If this seems a little jumpy around...i apologize. It is late and i was on my way to sleep when i came across this and couldn't put my mind to rest till i said my spill.
BTW for those that said it was a really shallow anime to show t&A with blood and gore. While the story was cliche(a problem with every movie out in america...and you seem not to mind those) it has very deep and interesting psychological sides to it. You just have to have the specified knowledge or a general interest in the area too see them.
If anyone wish to flame me....My flame email is Lost_thoughts54@yahoo.com. Plz do so. then i will probably reply with my conterpoints(i don't reply to senseless babble, ex. Your the stupids person ever, or i am gonna hunt you down to murder you crap, you want to hit me.....I never turned down a fight and as soon as you can reach through the wires and punch me through my screen be my guest.) but if you want to debate logical points then plz down. I met my best (online) anime buddies through arguements in boards and the like.
(I didn't read any of that, Because it was boring. Yet, you read my whole review. Whose the worse writer, again? --spike)
Posted by Adam at March 7, 2006 03:59 AM
65.82.79.114
lol, watchin an anime and making a review...NERD!
(Not as cool as calling myself "inu," I admit. -- spike)
Posted by Inu at April 18, 2006 09:55 AM
201.50.25.101
this is by far the best anime i have seen
(You have redefined "pity" for me. -- spike)
Posted by max at April 29, 2006 11:14 AM
24.225.255.91
I found the whole series to be a great show. they took symbolism and built a story that is both compelling and interesting. sure there is nudity but it not for the fan service. this is a great show and if watched from beginning to end i think that most people will see that the show really has a lot more to offer then just a bloody romp thorugh japan. the characters are all well fleshed out and have real personalities. this show is a welcome change from the ususal anime that is starting to get stale.
Posted by marauder at April 30, 2006 01:14 PM
69.214.11.242
Goddangit!
I'm so glad there's at least one other person out there that outright loathes this show. Though a friend and I watched the whole first DVD, we knew within the first minute that it was gonna be bad news.
I'm curios where these people and their 'OMG PLOT = COMPLEX!!' ideas come from. Pedophilia, incest, and wanton levels of gore do not a complex plot make.
Mishmashing two wholly seperate cliches (extreme gore and harem nonsense) together doesn't make an original series, it just makes a hyper-cliche monster. A great way to make money, I'm sure, but not exactly how one goes about appeasing the highbrow audience.
Then again, when did anyone ever care about that anyway?
Posted by RuRutilcapertilcaper at May 2, 2006 07:28 AM
128.91.196.244
yo amo elfen lied. felicitaciones por tu blog... esto esta muy bueno..
soy flor, desde argentina
Posted by flor* at May 20, 2006 11:58 PM
201.252.178.116
I'm very surprised. I was linked to this site, and I realized immediately by the title of the page that you were going to comment on Elfen Lied based off your first impressions. You even went so far as to watch an entire episode before your rant, which is rather considerate of you. So I'm very surprised by the sheer number of "don't dis the show until you've seen more" comments. It's "Negative First Im[ression Theater" for a reason, kids.
The show does get somewhat better as they try to flesh out Bland Protagonist, but it never gets over its "hey guys we've got blood and tits" attitude. In fact, it toss in "they're underage tits now" just because.
Posted by Cauchy at May 22, 2006 02:58 AM
68.106.115.94
For the record, the word animeS, doesn't exsist. Plural anime (like deer for all of the rednecks) is just anime. Im neither here nor there when it comes to Elfen Lied. I am an anime fan, and it wasn't horrible, however, your stereotype of anime fans not being able to express themselves unless it's monosyllabically is a rash generalization. Point made.
"Arguing on the Internet is like running in the special Olympics, no matter who wins, you're still retarded."
Posted by JKH at May 22, 2006 03:45 AM
70.116.137.54
Lucy's Nudityi n the opening video and ending video, and throughout the entire series.
is because shes the only type of the species (Dunculouses) that can reproduce, so she is the "Eve" of her species, if she were to impregnate herself, she would be able to exterimnate the human race, by dunculouses being able to reproduce.
our "Eve", the mother of humans, was often depicted in the nude, which is the whole point of lucy's exsistence, to be the "Eve" for the Dunculouses, and make their species prosper, and humanity cease to exist.
Posted by The Dude at May 27, 2006 07:41 PM
24.192.93.216
While this anime had alot of plot holes, Annoying love triangles, and Pedophilla in it. (Fucking Mayu's Step dad...) it was still a pretty OK anime once you got past a few parts..this is not the best anime every, i have seen dozens bette rthen it...Way better.
Posted by The Dude at May 27, 2006 07:51 PM
24.192.93.216
konichi wa!
Posted by arco at June 12, 2006 09:23 AM
66.201.164.97
elfen lied is a very good series
We watched just enough of the series to see the little jail-bait mutant get torn to pieces. That was fun. But it didn't look like anything entertaining was happening in the next episode, so we quit.
Posted by arco at June 12, 2006 09:27 AM
66.201.164.97
Hi!
I LOVE THE ELFEN LIED! IT'S MY FAVOURITE ANIME (AND THE DAI MAHOU TOUGE AND THE HIGURASHI NO NAKU KORONI SO)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS SERIES IS COOL!
Posted by LuCyDiCy at June 24, 2006 12:30 PM
81.183.149.200
I doubt anyones going to read this, but owell
Dont you people think its kind of pointless to tell spike that he's stupid, or how his opinion is wrong? He's not going to change his opinion, because he created this website to create negative reviews based on first impressions, so expect most reviews to be about how the anime sucks, and don't tell him to watch more episodes then write a review, because its a first impression, which means watching the first and maybe second episode of the anime.
Certain people like certain anime. No matter how cliche this anime was, I enjoyed the storyline, and to me, thats basically all that matters. I enjoyed Saikano, and kind of enjoyed Bleach. I liked Saikanos storyline and mood, Bleach kinda developed a random fucked up storyline, but its still fun to watch now and then. I DIDNT like Full Metal Alchemist or Chobits or Rurouni Kenshin or Love Hina, you know why? Because I'm me. Chobits was almost pure cliche, FMA i just plain don't like, Kenshin becomes repetitive beyond all belief and drags on for awhile, and i just don't like Love Hina.
Again, certain people like certain anime. Getting pissed off at someone writing a negative review on an anime you like is like getting pissed off that someone doesn't like your favorite color.
And besides, everyone know the ever so popular "fighting on the internet is like competing in the special olympics. Even if you win, you're still retarded." So if someone disagrees with you, calm down, hear them out, think about what they said, accept their opinion, and shut the fuck up. please.
Posted by brian at June 27, 2006 07:24 PM
67.173.255.115
I have to say i LOVED Elfen Lied. Its definetaly my favorit so far. I was enticed throughout the whole show. Borowed the CD's from a friend after he showed me the first couple minutes of the first episode. I wasn't sure what to expect but getting home sitting down to watch this, i ended up staying up all night to watching it from beginning to end. I've seen a lot of bad and good posts about Elfen lied and i have to say most the bad posts said they didn't watch the whole thing. Really you should watch the whole thing thats what connects everything together. The last 2 or 3 episodes have to be my favorite, i even teared up the first time watching it. Don't pay so much attention to the tits, and focus on whats going and its a great show.
Posted by Kodoki at July 6, 2006 10:41 PM
63.230.0.176
I watched all of Elfen Lied.
It only gets worse. It continues taking its somewhat cool (if not original *cough* Akira, Scanners *cough*) concept of super psychics and dumps a metric ton of fanservice, anime chiches, and disturbing ecchi and loli content onto it.
It's a stupid, horrible show, but I enjoyed watching it in the same way we all have that perverse instinct to watch plane crashes and high speed chases.
I know this is really, really late to post, but there's a lot of anime fans who did the same and I wanted to give another counter point against them.
Posted by Railoc at July 14, 2006 02:57 PM
66.75.238.69
All I can really say is that some Hollywood writers must have relatives in the anime industry. All the anime with decent to great stories were more prolific before they went to digital. Most of the garbage that gets spewed onto the screen nowadays looks like a brain dead chimp with a masturbation problem was handed a word processor. This one looks like he had a furry palm in its inception.
One thing I HAVE noticed is that a lot of Japanese men in particular LOVE the whole underage nekkid girl genre. Heck, every time I see an older well dressed Japanese guy around here he's usually trying to solicit some 15yr old (male or female they don't seem to care) to "show them a good time". You know why Japan is having a population growth problem (ie, married folks aren't having kids)? The men are out here trying to score more porn or do it with anything with a hole.
Anybody that believes this series shouldn't have been given such a heavy handed review like you did should register as a sex offender or accept the fact you'll never kiss a real woman and die a lonely SOB with a large anime porn collection (c'mon guys, we all know you were watching this drek with one hand on the remote and the other on your joystick ;-)). As for the writers...lousy plot with big enough plot holes to drive a space cruiser through, 2-dimensional characters, mediocre animation...go to Hollywood. You'll fit right in. The Straight-to-Video market needs more hacks.
Posted by ROFLMAOinJapan at October 13, 2006 09:44 PM
207.200.116.137
Well, funny, but Elfen Lied is a very cool show and you messed up such a good Anime... If Lucy / Nyu was a real person I'd like to have her as a GF ^_^
Posted by Broken Knight at January 3, 2007 08:46 AM
213.200.227.42
my fuckin god!! have u even seen the entair anime dick head?!? this is one of the best animes ever!! yeash its weird but its cool! so beutiful! nd just to tell u u fuckin son of a bitch Nyuu/Lucy ent Psychic she has these arms called VECTORS damn did u even read the subtitles? nd FYI this manga was made by a GIRL so there nd u have no taste in anime bet all u do all day is sit on ur lazy ass nd watch t.v stupid fucker >XP
(For the record, I'm saving this post forever. I want aliens to find it in two million years after we blow each other up. --spike)
Posted by Kittymariah at January 9, 2007 11:14 AM
62.231.54.206
me again FYI elfen lied means fairy song in germanit was named this because the anime is sad but beutiful
Posted by kittymariah at January 9, 2007 11:20 AM
62.231.54.206
ohhhhhhhh.....
you are so mean...an d funny!!!! XD
I kind kike elfen lied...i'm always drawing lucy in my school books...i realy like it.
in one hand, its very cliché, but in the other, alll the caractures hava an development (excluding kouta...) and the end is really great.
"If you listen closely enough, you can heard the show starting to suck." "You know she's special cuz she's gotta wear a helmet."ah ah ah!!!!!!!
you've kill me with that one!!!
ahhh!!! ;)
Posted by MissGrgula at January 23, 2007 09:15 AM
88.157.61.198
I like dirty porn with naked girls who have split personalities and a story with no plot line in sight. I also like blood. And incest.
I'm also a an avid lesbian.
This anime happily fulfills my needs
Posted by Piko at February 6, 2007 11:28 PM
24.251.89.150
Well, its been a long time since you, Spike, orginally posted your review. I was wondering if you eventually watched the entire series. Get a different impression?
For anyone who hasn't seen this anime yet, don't let the review turn you away from this gem. Despite the negative impression given by spike, Elfen Lied is a huge hit, to me and many others. It won a ton of awards in 2004 from the AnimeReactor community arwards ceremony, including best horror and best drama, and best female character. Its also in the top ten most popular list at ANN. Also, all the Youtube postings of the series get 5 out of 5 ratings. I believe almost everyone who sees it thoroughly enjoys this anime. See for yourself.
Posted by Yakoff Shmirnoff at February 28, 2007 12:47 PM
198.189.55.20
This anime is excellent. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but definitely to a mature audience. Spike is an idiot. When he was a kid, his mother used to drop him on his head quite often. Poor Spike
Posted by Mike Powell at March 2, 2007 04:48 PM
68.117.217.5
Good god, it's still going?
And none of the anime fanboys have yet figured out that Spike is female...?
Posted by Railoc at March 4, 2007 02:51 AM
130.65.211.76
I laughed my ass off when reading your review :D
I love this anime, its the best series of anything I ever saw, and I've seen it again and again and again :P
but your comments and rants about the series or just hilarious, and, actually kindda true :P it just depends if u wanna see it as sucky or good
_Duro
Posted by Duro at March 5, 2007 02:07 PM
83.91.133.85
Out of 3216516353230 animes i have watched.....those series were #1
gg
Posted by ChronoJoy at March 23, 2007 08:27 AM
77.49.28.25
I thought some of this was kind of rude. And the part about her being psychic was wrong, psychics can't lift objects off the ground, telekinetic people can. She was a diclonius born with the ability to manipulate objects or solid materials, which is manifested through the use of limited range translucent non-corporeal arms extending out of her back, which are called vectors. And those things on top of her head are horns, though they were drawn as though they were ears.
Posted by Karyu at March 24, 2007 10:08 PM
24.110.186.74
Oh, and if you looked it up, you'd be able to understand the meaning behind the shows name 'Elfen Lied'
Posted by Karyu at March 24, 2007 10:27 PM
24.110.186.74
I enjoyed it and was engrossed in the plot. I hardly watch anime so I am very picky when it comes to what I watch. Maybe reviewers were jibbering epiphanies because it hit a nerve in them.
Something in their mind about the themes this series addresses (cruelty others, friendship and love).
The violence is gratuitous. I kept thinking to myself "WTF is this? This anime looks like shayt." It just made me want to watch more to see what would happen. I kept thinking to myself "What's their motivation?" and I watched more an more of the anime. I guess some people just don't have a curious bone in their body. My curiosity grew and grew.
Some people may think a movie/film is deep and thought provoking and others may think that same thing is as shallow as they come.
As a result of Spike's review I found myself wanting to read everybody's posts/replies to almost every poster makes an ass of themselves.
I certainly am not a "fanboy" by any stretch of the imagination.
"some woman gets slapped right off her feet into a triple lutz by the Evil Special Agent being sent to kill Lucy with such ridiculous force that I giggled"
WTF? I don't know what to think of that coming from a human being.
Posted by Douche at March 28, 2007 04:02 AM
208.120.165.201
Some people forget that this is a horror anime.
Someone siad the author is female? EHHH!! Wrong. The creator of Elfen Lied is actually male. Look it up on wikipedia as well as Elfen Lied.
Posted by Douche at March 28, 2007 04:09 AM
208.120.165.201
its the greatest anime i ever see...
the entire history just made think a lot and certainly impressed me very much..
who didnt wath it yet should do now
its very good and if realy get interested you night even (who knows!) cry ^-^, like i did.... okay im kinda embaraced now, but whatever... i dont even know you people,,,
anyway.. wath it it wont be a waste of time... belive me !
over... sen me an mail if youd like to chat a little ;D
Posted by Renan Tramontina Freitas at April 21, 2007 08:09 PM
201.26.115.231
I LOVE Elfin Lied. I cannot change the opinions of those who are *cough* stupid *cough* to not see that this is a very deep and mature anime. Perhaps if you people have ever watched the tv show 24 hours, you would understand how each element of the plot interconnects and how each character has a complex personality. I do not deny that this is an anime with nudity and violence, but the plot, as you move along with the anime, explains why this happens.
Watching just the first episode is not what a good reviewer does. In fact, if all reviewers watched only the first few minutes of everything that is to be reviewed, then the movie/TV industry would be doomed.
Those type of people disgust me.
P.S. Yes, I am Female
Posted by Saiyeni at May 21, 2007 08:00 PM
75.176.169.188
Hey tards, you're getting all bent out of shape over a SATIRICAL PIECE. Not to mention that taste is completely subjective you mental failures. Hey fat nerds, here's an idea, GO PLAY OUTSIDE.
Posted by You are all retards at May 30, 2007 01:57 AM
76.108.165.56
I think that Spike has every right to say what he said. I think that this Anime has unecissary nudity, and an insane amount of violence and gore, and if he doesn't want to watch it, he doesn't have to. I know I don't.
Posted by TokyoPop91 at June 9, 2007 02:15 AM
71.213.113.227
"I think that Spike has every right to say what he said. I think that this Anime has unecissary nudity, and an insane amount of violence and gore, and if he doesn't want to watch it, he doesn't have to. I know I don't."
True, but spike uses it as his only argument as to why it sucks. And it was only from one episode.
Frankly, I didn't like the first episode either (the escape scene was plain boring). But I watched on, just because I wanted to know what the heck was going on. 13 Episodes later (OVA included), I ultimately loved the entire story. Don't look at it as 'just' a horror story (though it's labeled as one for some vague reason), the characters are a lot more interesting, some nice plot twists, and one of the most moving endings I've ever seen in fiction.
PS: the review was an enjoyable read, but should not be regarded as an actual review, just some ridiculous bashing, thanks for the laugh ^^
Posted by Saphatorael at June 21, 2007 09:50 AM
157.193.2.211
why should people even argue damn if people only reviewed stuff that was something they thought was worth watching and thought people should see instead of starting a big fight over opinions no one ever cares about other peoples opinions anyway so its so damned pathetic
why even watch something you knew you werent gonna like try something ya like sigh people never learn at all its so hopless
im just posting cuz this is pointless as hell
end it and review stuff you like and want people to see!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!huh huh!
Posted by the mysterious disturbance?wtf at June 27, 2007 08:33 PM
70.19.173.127
ONE episode? Come ON how the hell would you feel if you went out of your way to write a book and it was only judged(Poorly) on one page?
Same thing. I did think this anime was not going to be that good from watching the first 3 episodes, I was not fond of the perversion momments and the child like behavior (Its why I never could watch chobits) But I continued on,and by the 13th episode I can safely say its one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen, it even moved me to tears and proved to inspire me (I was suffering an art block by the time I put it on)
I think it is a very poor decision to judge this anime soley on one episode and you should reconsider.
I really wish people would not judge things before they have seen it/all of it or atleast a good enough portion to judge it fairly.
Posted by Nie at July 7, 2007 07:52 PM
72.189.133.187
I SAW THE WHOLE SERIES and...
this IS the worst anime i have seen in my life... but then when i realized how stupid the plot was i actually thought it to be funny so i ended up watching the whole series and having a good laugh... but straight up this had the worst animation i have seen, the drawings/character designs were terrible, the story was lame, whoever wrote this was prob raped by there father at a young age...i cant possibly see how anyone can call this a good anime unless u have some serious depression goin on in ur life... n_n
Posted by Cheea Pet at July 15, 2007 11:07 PM
24.45.43.235
Okay, I'm not going to comment or anything on the review yet because it's a first impression and whatever so, yeah.
Second I'd like to point out to some of the people that Lucy/Kaede is NOT underage. She's in the 18-20 area.
Yeah.
And I thought the review was funny. =P
Love,
Sara.
Posted by Sara at July 30, 2007 11:37 AM
65.92.67.131
i liked it* i got sad at times laughed some times eh... i liked it so w/e i like watching total strangers argue on the www anyway
Posted by vicki at August 17, 2007 10:15 PM
68.22.79.68
Isn't it interesting how people like to watch others trip, then make caustic comments about them?
P.S to Spike... That fact that you declared your comments about the show's title before checking it up was adorable.
Not mocking ya but it is just so cute....
Posted by Hanson Mann at September 14, 2007 03:15 AM
202.156.13.1
Lmao. Well Spike you completely missrepresented the entire series but at least you did so in a funny , even if shallow and vapid way. Here's an idea for everyone. Watch the damn anime. If you like it good. If not, come chat with spike about how much ass you think it sucks. Thank you. Goodbye.
Posted by Blackorchid at September 18, 2007 06:35 PM
24.58.185.137
2 things,
1. wtf are you people getting so worked up for. it specifically says and i quote "BAD first impressions"and #2
2. i think this is hilarious and i am one of the greatest lovers of elfen lied on the planet. i mean dude the caption for the last picture was freakin priceless!
oh, Ps. spike you ROKK
Posted by punktard11222 at September 22, 2007 07:57 PM
70.231.44.214
Hey person who reviewed Elfen Lied you suck because Elfen Lied is one of the greatest anime series ever made. The 1st episode was like one of the best episodes ever its so freaking awesome that Lucy killed about 23 men in just 5 minutes. Plus you are not understanding that Lucy has invisible hands that she controls with her mind. ELFEN LIED GETS 5 STARS BECAUSE ITS A SERIES PEOPLE WILL LOVE SO STOP TRYING TO MAKE PEOPLE NOT BUY IT YOU JERK. Everyone please disregard this sucky reviewer Elfen Lied deserves a heck lot more than just 2 stars
Posted by Randall at September 27, 2007 08:09 AM
207.200.116.137
Actually the show has a pretty deep meaning......but then again you watched one ep so hey how would you know
Look the overall theme of the anime is actually about the family aspect more than what it is about blood and gore. All the characters in it come from broken homes, in the diclonius case no homes, after all the abuse and torment they find solitude in each other as a somewhat normal functioning family. When it is all said and done that is what this anime really is digging at. But hey you judged it after one episode so what does that say about you
Posted by Daniel Mann at October 1, 2007 03:47 AM
121.216.151.205
Nice review. To be perfectly honest, I suppose, the title does have meaning. . .
Elfenlied(Elf song)
At night in the village the watchman cried "Eleven!" (A pun: "elf" means also "eleven" in German)
A very small elf was asleep in the wood -
just at eleven! -
And he thinks that the nightingale
must have called him by name from the valley,
or Silpelit might have sent for him. (Silpelit is a character's name from an opera of Mörike's, "Eduard auf dem Seil")
(This line reffering to Nana the other diclonius(mutant) sent to retrieve Lucy. Her demeanor is calmer and, in ep 3, she is disabled by Lucy(Her arms and legs were torn off)
So the elf rubs his eyes,
comes out of his snail-shell house,
and is like a drunken man,
his nap was not finished;
and he hobbles down, tip tap,
through the hazel wood into the valley,
slips right up to the wall;
there sits the glow-worm, light on light.
"What are those bright windows?
There must be a wedding inside;
the little people are sitting at the feast,
and fooling around in the ballroom.
So I'll just take a peep in!"
Shame! he hits his head on hard stone! (Lucy is shot)
Well, elf, had enough, have you?
Cuckoo! Cuckoo! (Aftermath of brain damage and her phycological torture Nyuu is created)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elfenlied"
Also, the word Silpelit is also a class of horned mutant, whom;s genes are mixed with humans.
Posted by Sinx at October 16, 2007 06:56 PM
72.77.216.93
I have to say, I've watched the whole series and even though I didn't hate it as much as Spike did, I did not like it very well. I agree that it's fairly cliche and overdone. Near the end it had emotional and interesting points, but the only plot twist that actually surprised me was the source of Lucy's amnesia, and only because after watching up to that point, I wasn't expecting the series to be able to pull off an idea I hadn't already seen before. It was a good idea, though, I admit.
I found the light "comedic" scenes of Nyuu "innocently" doing perverted things with the hero rather disturbing, as not ten minutes before, the series was addressing a very young secondary female character's sexual abuse at the hands of her father. Fanservice and sexual abuse of children don't make a particularly good combination for me.
While Elfen Lied might have a ton of meaningfulness for someone who hasn't watched a large amount of anime, I can't say I pulled anything new from it.
Fruits Basket addresses largely the same points as Elfen Lied, and does it with niether excessive amounts of nudity or bloodshed.
The twisted Fruits Basket characters were much more believable because they were given more detailed personalities than the flat side-character humans Lucy kills off. As a result, philosophical points about the cruelty of the weak toward the weaker were much more finely addressed in Fruits Basket than in Elfen Lied.
For less bloody, naked, semi-simplistic and fanservicey addressings of humans' "evil side," see X, Perfect Blue, Paranoia Agent, Fullmetal Alchemist, pretty much any Final Fantasy game, Berserk, Blue Sub. No. 6., Gankutsuou, Princess Mononoke, and ever so many other animes.
I'd love to hear any issue this show addresses that hasn't been addressed in such excessively violent trappings before; I'm very confused as to why people think this is the greatest anime ever.
~BC
Posted by Blank C. at November 15, 2007 08:57 PM
149.130.224.145
The review is actually quite a good assessment of the series although it does leave out a few points...
I've watched the whole anime and read some of the manga and im definitely not impressed. If anything i would compare it to (of all things) a VERY bad fanfic.
The plot is actually very unoriginal, test subject escapes from etc etc due to super powers (in this case crapped up biology). Said subject is psychologically traumatized due to etc etc and needs comforting, which the protagonists proceeds to give, despite just happening to know the said subject. How often do you see this in fanfiction sites?
Eventually, due to the sheer boredom of the whole shit, the mangaka throws in a bunch of expendables whose sole purpose is to appear for all of 3 seconds and become "blood bags". Which im sure is very riveting.
The said subject gets away due to:
1) impossible boobs and tits
2) her "sudden change" into a complete innocent sex toy who squels nyu (complete with tits and boobs mention in 1)
3) the oh so kawaii gaze
4) the stupidity of the mangaka ( an ANTI-TANK BULLET PEOPLE! HELLO?!)
The fact that other diclonius' like Nana get their limbs chopped off or heads seperated fromt their bodies while Lucy gets away with two horns missing speaks volumes on this.
I don't really know how "family" child molestation and nude anime chars every few pages is, but i'm willing to chance most of the people are stuck on this for the ass and gravity defying rack. (you can tell by the "u suxxors!" and "only one episode? elfen lied rox!"
Harems, always nude neko characters (oh sorry, it was HORNS right? that is so original), and excessive blood and gore just make a PERFECT combination, the fact that its japanese trying for german (elfenlied not elfen lied, DUMBASS) helps a WHOLE LOT.
So long people, you can have more ANIME tits and asses if you want, at least i'm not degenerating my brain (unlike some people i do have one).
Posted by Hinote at November 24, 2007 04:56 AM
165.21.155.114
doode tat revw suxors it was teh suxor tat was good anime u diss u r totl noob with no dic elfen lied rox it is teh shits, it pwns ur n00b a5s specily newt pr0n t&a killr psycic hot chic in episod1
Posted by Blarg!! at December 10, 2007 11:57 PM
158.65.196.167
Heh, spot on review. They should just rename Elfen Lied "When Harem animes go bad". I'd love to have been a fly on the wall at the committee meeting that came up with the plan for this pap. "You know what's missing from anime these days? Kiddie tits and Ass... hmm maybe we could chuck in some gore and violence for the hamsters in the west and all" 5 minutes and they were outta there.
Posted by DonkeyWan at December 14, 2007 09:24 AM
194.66.63.179
Let me answer most of those questions of yours:
The intro of the first episode is only there to tell you what you can expect of the series, if you don't like blood, gore and nudity then you shouldn't watch it.
The guards are actually there to prevent intruders from freeing the diclonius. Also all the the diclonius are locked in cages and someone has to watch over them.
From what I could understand, most of them doesn't even know what a diclonius is.
Lucy has a reason to chop the "clumsy girl's" head off, just watch the OVA...
It doesn't bother him that she has horns because he has seen something like it when he was a child, and that girl became a good friend of his.
you should read the poem also. The name does indeed make sense.
I watched the seires before reading this review and I must say, you really did put alot of effort into making it sound bad and setting aside the whole storyline just to point out flaws that are not actually flaws
Posted by Tauminator at December 20, 2007 05:35 PM
212.242.215.138
You've no right to criticize a show that you've only seen one episode of. I'll bet you don't even know that "Elfen Lied" is German for "Elf Song" (a real song, by the way).
Elfen Lied is for people with a brain; something you obviously don't have if all you think about when you see Lucy/Nyuu is sex. The nudity in this show was not about sexual appeal, but to show how the Diclonii (you DO know what they are, don't you?) are horribly mistreated at the lab, and to enhance the beautiful tragedy of Elfen Lied.
If you'd get your head out of your ass, you would see how good Elfen Lied really is.
Posted by Cody at January 19, 2008 05:30 PM
24.235.246.238
I bet u people must be retard to critize such a masterpiece.
I think mind of likes of u is always preoccupied with sex.
This anime is full of emotional content.it has beautifully protrayed the ugly dark side of human race
Posted by poseidon at February 3, 2008 09:46 AM
59.176.93.164
Well, its obvious you havent catched the true history of the anime. Its the best series ive ever seen on TV (ye, THE BEST, talking also upon ordinary cartoons and TV series). it talks about human experiences as a detonant to moral actions and fears. It has to be gore, cause that way you really can feel the pain. It has nudity, so you feel those girls are humans, and so, can feel pain. If you check the authors rest of novels youll see he doesnt make this gore scenes with nudity to get audience. It really has a message, like...dont know, the meaning of ''bad'', ''evil'' is just something stupid, its all related to our experiences. Its a hard anime true, but if you full see it, will see how deep it is. Im serious, best anime ive ever seen.
Posted by Linark at February 7, 2008 12:26 PM
83.63.152.216
lol i read all the comments and the 2nd 1 was funny rofl and some people need to not jack off 2 the pixs
Posted by josh at February 27, 2008 07:46 PM
66.248.46.215
I loved this anime, and no not because of the fan service. I see someone else already went to the trouble to say why it's awesome, so I won't...anyways this is the internet as you said lol. This post won't make you like the show.
Anyways the name is based off some german poem that has no relation to this show on first glance. Being German, it is spoken as elfen LEED, meaning Elvin Song.
If someone already posted that...I'm too lazy to sort through all of these comments here...
Posted by Link at March 6, 2008 10:57 PM
69.118.169.122
IT'S GOT TONS OF BLOOD AND TITS!! I LOVE IT!!!!
Posted by unheard at March 12, 2008 11:55 AM
160.39.130.18
although i loved the anime i loved his review even more XD.
some people take this stuff way to seriously
btw nice baiting...its always good to make fanitcal fanboys angry and use improper english (speaking of which sorry for any of my improper use of words or misspellings ^.^)
Posted by mrninja at March 13, 2008 10:12 PM
68.220.42.63
Elfen Lied was certainly no masterpiece. If anyone thinks that is deep and emotional, they must have the most shallow and boring lives. Honestly, most of the people who watch Elfen Lied, are 14 year old boys who have never seen blood or tits. That's the only reason why anyone would watch this crap. Blood and tits. The people who don't, are lying. Simple as that.
tl;dr
Posted by ElfenLiedSucked at March 20, 2008 08:59 PM
209.195.93.32
Hahahaha, great stuff. I've read the manga up the most recent chapter and watched the entire anime, god knows why.
I agree with you on most of what you said, although I don't believe it was *quite* as bad as you made it out to be. However, your sense of humor made me laugh, so I don't really care.
Posted by LOL@noobs at March 27, 2008 12:05 AM
70.21.8.184
Seriously people, there is a message in this. Go to my blog post and read it. The people who look at this and don't get it are probably incapable of looking past violence and perversion and peering into the true soul of the series. (blog = hajimichael.spaces.live.com)
Posted by Persian Vash at April 20, 2008 02:48 PM
75.82.174.62
I must say that your review _was_ funny.
However, I see that you didn't trouble yourself with trying to answer _why_ it was done exactly in the fashion it was, and instead got carried away by emotions expressed by the most respected "unheard". A shame, truly, but I guess a black man is just a violent negro, isn't he? And a Jew is an ugly creature secretly controlling the world?
I love when a film/series/book applies a filter right at the beggining to kicj away the especially penetrating individuals like the most revered Spike and the aforementioned "unheard" - let's take the evolution to the mental level. Thou are God.
And just a little something that just caught my eye:
"(I didn't read any of that, Because it was boring. Yet, you read my whole review. Whose the worse writer, again? --spike)"
Wow... Such a mature and witty retort.... *impressed* I guess that a short attention span is a merit you value?
Well, to each his own, I guess. *shrugs*
Posted by Sagen at May 5, 2008 05:19 PM
77.125.82.110
lol I enjoyed the show, but I just fucking loved that review! lol, very nice :)
Posted by JJ at June 7, 2008 09:50 PM
68.62.166.89
I absolutely loved the show, and I love your review. Amazingly accurate lol.
Posted by Eri at June 15, 2008 12:19 PM
65.185.164.78
The animation quality's good and i loved the theme song but....
Watched only the first episode? Smart move, as I watched the ENTIRE series in the hope that it'd improve and felt like a moron. Horrible stuff just keeps happening to people who're usually women who'er usually naked. If only there was a point...
Apart from Lucy (who happens to be retarded) the characters are one-dimensional (esp. Kohta, who's supposedly the Good Guy but comes across as a fucking jerk) and the storyline plain annoying, so loose that it's probably held together with chewing gum. If it's snuff you want though, it's right there.
The review was fucking hilarious, took away some of the pain after watching the series.
Posted by beli at June 21, 2008 11:39 AM
61.95.189.249
Holy shit, you ramble on for so fucking long. You have a good sense of humor but it eventually gets repetitive and becomes more of an annoying touch that starts to piss you off. Its kinda reminds me of the ripped pants episode of Spongebob...good try though.
Posted by vinkos at July 4, 2008 08:18 PM
76.65.35.64
I found this article through Wikipedia. Good review.
Still laughing at the whiny fanboys. Nice idiot magnet you created here.
Posted by asd at August 3, 2008 11:45 PM
85.180.67.149
I personally liked the series, but to each their own, right? Although funny, I don't look at this review in a serious way only because it is completely bias aside from your taste in writhing corpses full of bullets (seeing as how that's the only part you "approved" of).
Posted by The Anti Fl4g at October 13, 2008 12:16 AM
75.70.52.215
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