“Elfen Lied” was no doubt a popular series back in the mid-2000s, but I believe new anime fans who are curious about this series, will no doubt enjoy it! “Elfen Lied – The Complete Series” is recommended!
Click here to purchase this Blu-ray on Amazon
TITLE: Elfen Lied – Complete Collection
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 2004
DURATION: Episode 1-13 + OVA (350 Minutes)
BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, Japanese and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Subtitles: English
COMPANY: Sentai Filmworks/ADV Films
RATED: TV MA VS
Release Date: April 6, 2021
Original Creator: Okamoto Lynn
Directed by Kanbe Mamoru
Series Composition by Yoshioka Takao
Music by Konishi Kayo, Moka, Kondo Yukio
Character Design by Kishimoto Seiji
Art: Ito Akira
Chief Animation Director: Kishimoto Seiji
Anime Production: Arms
Featuring the following voice talent:
Suzuki Chihiro/Adam Conlon as Kohta
Kobayashi Sanae/Kira Vincent-Davis as Nyu/Lucy
Arimoto Kinryuu/Andy McAvin as Director Kakuzawa
Hagiwara Emiko/Cynthia Martinez as Mayu
Nakata Jouji/Jason Douglas as Bandoh
Hosoi Osamu/Jay Hickman as Kurama
Hirata Hiroaki/John Swasey as Professor Kakuzawa
Kawakami Tomoko/Luci Christian as Mariko
Noto Mamiko/Nancy Novotny as Yuka
Matsuoka Yuki/Sasha Paysinger as Nana
Nabatame Hitomi/Shelley Calene-Black as Shirakawa
Lucy, a beautiful young mutant, is bred by the military to be the ultimate weapon. Now, with government killers on her trail, the disposition of a five year old, and a hair trigger for ultraviolence, Lucy and her young friends must unravel the dark secret of her legacy before it’s too late.
Back in 2002, Okamoto Lynn’s “Elfen Lied” made its debut on Shueisha’s “Weekly Shonen Jump”.
The series would be serialized from 2002-2005 and collected in 12 tankobon volumes and an anime series produced by studio Arms was broadcast in Japan from July to October 2004.
The series was licensed by ADV Films and would become one of their best selling anime series in 2005.
And since then, the series would become a cult classic and would be released on DVD and Blu-ray numerous times. And now the series has been re-released by Sentai Film works featuring all 13 episodes plus the Episode 10.5 OVA.
“Elfen Lied” would begin with dead security forces with their body parts strewn around. A nude girl with long pink hair and horns known as “Lucy” kills everyone that comes into contact with her and as she is to escape the laboratory facility, a sharpshooter manages to shoot towards her head (that has a metal helmet) which knocks Lucy off to the ocean.
Meanwhile, in Enoshima Island, Kohta arrives and meets with his cousin Yuka, who have not seen each other for eight years, as Kohta arrives to study with Yuka at a university.
While at the beach, they spot a nude girl with pink hair and horns who doesn’t know how to communicate but saying “Myu” over and over.
Yuka introduces Kohta to his new living area and invite Myu to stay. The two don’t know how to communicate with the mysterious girl, calling her “Myu”. When Kohta find his seashell given to him by his deceased sister, Myu takes it and breaks it. This angers Kohta who kicks her out of the living area.
But Yuka, worried about Myu, decides to look for her. Meanwhile, police visit the area and are asking if Kohta has seen a girl with pink hair and horns and Kohta lies and tells them he hasn’t. This makes Kohta wanting to find Myu.
Meanwhile, the laboratory has hired mercenaries to find Lucy and when they find her, to shoot and kill her.
And through the series, we learn about the Diclonii species, who become deadly at a young age thanks to their invisible, deadly arms known as “vectors”. And a species that can lead to the decline of humanity.
VIDEO:
“Elfen Lied – Complete Collection” is presented in 1080p High Definition. And is no doubt an old school anime series that looks great on HD. Featuring vibrant colors, I didn’t notice any significant softness while watching the anime series. But for the most part, “Elfen Lied” looks great in HD!
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“Elfen Lied – Complete Collection” is presented in Japanese and English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Dialogue is crystal clear and dialogue is crystal clear and the surround channels showcase various action sequences in an immersive soundscape.
Subtitles are in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Elfen Lied – Complete Collection” comes with the following special features:
- Episode 10.5
- Clean Opening and Ending Songs
This is the third time I have reviewed “Elfen Lied”. Once back in 2005, again in 2014 and here I am again reviewing “Elfen Lied” in 2021.
First, I want to preface that this is an anime that immediately shows you that this will be an extremely violent anime series in its first few seconds. We see body parts and blood all over and it doesn’t take long to show that this is not only an extremely violent anime series, but a series that one shouldn’t grow attached to its characters, not knowing if they live or die.
I can remember watching “Elfen Lied” for the very first time and being shocked because it’s an anime that has the typical makings of a harem anime series, with cute girls, naive boy but instead of going the perverted route, Okamoto Lynn’s storyline is about the violence and fear of this new species, but also a love story with a sadistic killer and a naive boy who wants to protect everyone.
You do have elements of a harem and the dramatic love triangle, and a storyline of what happens when other Diclonius go after Lucy. The science behind the project and the twisted nature of those who work in the laboratory and the on/off sadistic killer, Lucy (aka Myu) who is a Diclonius who shows nothing but hatred towards humanity, but yet when she’s in Myu mode, she is naive and loving.
The series despite its action and violence is a captivating series from beginning to end. When you start to find out each person’s backstory, it’s quite tragic and Lynn Okamoto was able to capture “love” but in a different type of way.
“Elfen Lied” is a love story but it’s also a love story built upon violence, tragedy and really f’d up things that you can’t imagine.
And how the story comes along together, it does work! And watching it again in 2021, the anime series does hold up in terms of storyline and picture quality.
Included in the “Elfen Lied – Complete is an episode 10.5 which focuses on the Diclonius Nana and I’ll leave it at that, as I don’t want to spoil the anime series at all.
Overall, “Elfen Lied” is an anime that holds up considerably well over 15 years later since the anime series made its debut. It still ranks up there for a captivating anime series with a lot of bloody violence thanks to Okamoto’s captivating story.
“Elfen Lied” was no doubt a popular series back in the mid-2000s, but I believe new anime fans who are curious about this series, will no doubt enjoy it! “Elfen Lied – The Complete Series” is recommended!
Click here to purchase this Blu-ray on Amazon
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