Elfen Lied: anime review

Title: Elfen Lied
Genre: sci-fi, horror, drama
Released date: July 25, 2004 – October 17, 2004
Episode: 13
Director: Mamoru Kanbe
Animated by: Studio ARMS
Comment: Elfen Lied starts when a mysterious girl with horns escapes from a research facility, leaving a big pile of dead body behind. She is found by Kohta and Yuka at the beach and is taken to their home. I’ve seen countless of violent films and anime and I didn’t mind since they were the stories of adult but in Elfen Lied the violence is done on children. The anime also contains explicit nudity. The character design and atmosphere of the anime is colorful and bright but the bloody scenes (like heads and body parts torn off) often occurs so sudden that I felt as if I was punched hard in the face. Some scenes involve torture and even rape done to girls. These violence and nudity will surely turn a good number of viewers away. I don’t blame them since I was disturbed as well (at least initially).

But beneath the blood and gore, there is one good anime which is definitely worth watching. The drama is intense and the characterization is complex; each character had their problems to solve. Lucy, the mutant girl, had been mistreated since childhood for having strange horns and inhuman power. She later becomes a merciless killer but also had hidden alternative personally as Nyu who is innocent and harmless. Kohta experienced terrible loss in his childhood and he has been running away ever since by unconsciously forgetting and denying the very existence of the events and his meeting with Nyu eventually forces him to confront his past. Mayu is a runaway because she was repeatedly raped by her own stepfather. Other supporting characters like Nana, Yuka also have depth and developments. The script contains many interesting concepts such as the discrimination of the people by their difference and its terrible consequences, the purification of human race, the extreme contrast between human’s compassion and hatred. The anime also discusses about domestic violence. The strong graphic violence and nudity are probably put into the anime to reflect these concepts.

The animation is a technical achievement and the music is really beautiful especially the opening theme, Lilium. The ending is a bit unsatisfactory because some loose ends are left unsolved. Conclusion: the explicit content of Elfen Lied helps make the anime standout but it may also turn many people away. In which case, it is such a shame because Elfen Lied is anything but disappointment (for adults only, of course).

Rating: B

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Le Chevalier D'Eon: anime review

Title: Le Chevalier D'Eon
Genre: action, horror, supernatural, historical
Released date: August 19, 2006 – February 24, 2007
Episode: 24
Director: Kazuhiro Furuhashi
Animated by: Production I.G
Comment: Le Chevalier D’Eon begins when Lia, D’Eon’s sister, is found dead in the river with the word ‘psalms’ on her body. D’Eon, driven by sorrow, anger and Lia’s spirit, sets out to investigate his sister’s death without knowing that the path he has chosen will lead to the darkest and deadliest secret of all.

Although magic plays vital role in the story, Le Chevalier D’Eon still manages to make numerous references to the real events and people. Actually, the supernatural part helps connect the anime to real events in several cases. This is the best part of the series and it would be much more entertaining if the viewers knew at least some part of French history. D’Eon’s gender in history is controversial because there are records of him as both male and female. In the anime, he is possessed by his sister’s spirit and he actually switches back and forth between both genders. During the end of the series, he even lives as a woman in order to avoid being recognized by the authorities. The fate of Maximilian, Robin and King Louis XV are also referred to the history which is amazing.

Despite these clever historical references, Le Chevalier D’Eon fails to capture the viewers’ interest in many parts especially in the middle of the series. The story drags, slows and the main characters, excluding D’Eon and Lia, are quite flat and not that interesting. Some events in the anime happen for apparently no reason or they are not well explained and left the viewer in puzzlement. For example, the reappearance of Count Saint-Germain as a monstrous undead in the last episode is totally out of place or the very existence of Belle, the talking skull, in Queen Marie’s possession is just irrelevant to the story. The long anticipated revelation comes late in the last few episodes with enormous intensity and shock. I must say it is worth the waiting but I doubt if anyone is patient enough to watch the series until one reach the anime finale. The animation is well done although the sword fight scenes are a little slow and choppy. Conclusion: I personally admire this anime for its wild imagination. It has more than enough good things to offer to the viewers but unfortunately the anime stumbles too often before reaching the sensational climax.

Rating: C+

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Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (season 1): anime review

Title: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (season 1)
Genre: action, mecha, sci-fi, drama
Released date: October 5, 2006 – July 28, 2007
Episode: 25
Director: Goro Taniguchi
Animated by: Studio Sunrise
Comment: Code Geass sets in the alternate universe in which Japan was conquered by the Britannia Empire and was renamed ‘Area 11’. Lelouch, whose mother was murdered and who is the heir to Britannia Throne, accidentally runs into C.C. the mysterious woman who gives him ‘Geass’, the power to control other people’s minds. With this power, he starts the plan to destroy the empire and rebuild the world in which his beloved sister can live happily. Another leading character is Suzaku, Lelouch’s childhood friend, who disapproves of Lelouch’s idea and becomes his enemy. The two characters do everything according to their beliefs and the anime never says if any of them are good or evil. They are full of details. Lelouch is a realist, a murderer, the savior or just another greedy person trying to claim the throne. His action results in changes and hope for many and also suffering and loss for the rest including himself and his friends. While Suzaku is an idealist and sometimes pacifist but his action sometimes seems foolish. Code Geass has a very serious political issues and adult situations. I think the theme in the anime is too mature for high school children who form the main characters of Code Geass but after I let myself be carried away by the story, the feeling never bothers me again.




Code Geass keeps creating difficult situation for the characters to solve and endure. The anime introduces large group of characters who are closely connected by either blood or comradeship or friendship and they are divided into two opposite groups by different political idea. It tells the story from the point of view of both opposing factions. This division leads to endless series of tragic stories resulted from political conflicts and the war. The viewers will see friendships torn apart, families destroyed and alliances broken. While watching the series, I experienced various emotions all at once as if I were trapped in a box which was tossed around all the time. For example, I cheered for Lelouch when he won the first battle and felt sorry for his loss and then I hated him for his cruelty and for what he did to many innocent people. I ended up having mixed feeling towards him and, belief it or not, I felt like this toward almost everyone. Code Geass cleverly creates “gray characters”, who are neither good nor bad but they are very real. They all have their reasons for doing what they did. I saw them clashed and I saw them fell and I was devastated. There are many messages hidden in the story but the most prominent one is that war never leads to happy ending.

Aside from political themes, the anime is also a mind blowing military action anime. Drama and romance can also be seen hidden throughout the series. The animation of Code Geass is superb. The action scenes are plenty and masterfully executed. The first season ends in a cliffhanger and I feel like I would die of suffocation if I don’t start watching the second season soon. Conclusion: Code Geass is one of the most powerful anime in recent memory. It is serious, complex, thought-provoking and entertaining. Making an anime which has all these qualities is not an easy job at all.
Rating: A

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X (TV series): anime review

Title: X (TV series)
Genre: action, supernatural, fantasy
Released date: October 3, 2001 – March 27, 2002
Episode: 26
Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Animated by: Madhouse Studio
Comment: This one is much better than the 1996 movie adaptation. X is an epic about the judgment day driven mainly by its characters. Kamui and Fuma's story arc forms the main plot. The story starts when Kamui returns to Tokyo after his mother died in the fire leaving a final message telling him that his destiny awaits him. In Tokyo, he reunites with his childhood friends, Fuma and Kotori. Kamui's return also attracts other powerful people who are destined to participate in the war which will decide the fate of the Earth. The fourteen supporting characters, The Seals and The minion, all have their own subplots that drive the series forward. Personally, I think the stories of the supporting characters are sometimes more interesting than the main theme especially Arashi/Sorata's story arc which instantly puts Arashi straight into my top five favorite female anime character list. Another story arc worth noting is Subaru/Seishiro's. Both of them are also the leading characters from Tokyo Babylon series and their stories come to the mind-blowing conclusion in X series.

The anime extensively discusses the meaning and worthlessness of human's existence on Earth and it also contains strong environmental theme. But the most prominent theme of X is, like most of CLAMP's stories, the love that is the force behind every human's actions that can either save the world or destroy every thing. The anime's visuals are quite good, the action sequences are fun and fast but certain action sequences are reused too frequently like the shot that Arashi conjures sword from her palm or when Yuzuriha transforms Inuki into sword. What's most satisfying is the rich details of each character which is well translated into the anime. The drama and action in the anime are well balanced to satisfied both male and female viewers. Although it gets a bit slow in the middle of the series, the last 6 episodes are simply amazing with the main plot and all the subplots finally reach the end. Conclusion: X TV is an impressive adaptation of CLAMP's work that will surely please all of the fans.

Rating: B+

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