Ranked #923

Mnemosyne: Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi

My first review or this site, and here on I plan to write reviews mostly to series that I feel are being unjustifiably bashed in previous reviews by other members.

Mnemosyne has been noticeably losing viewers as the numerous fanservice dedicated scenes become more evident, but since fanservice has become a staple in recent anime mostly due to commercial reasons, it is pointless to dislike a series based heavily on the amount and harshness of those.

One of the strongest points of the series is the interesting portrayal of immortal beings and the evolution of society and technology throughout the multiple decade time-skips between each episode, the aging of mortal characters and their long but passing relationship with the main characters. Compared to most other anime that do have long-living characters in their host, Mnemosyne presents a much more realistic and accurate view on the aspect, arguably comparable to that of the western classical RPG Vampire: The Masquerade.

The antagonists, while not presenting many, if any, noticeable original characteristics not seen in other works, manage to stay mysterious to the end, with very little of their motives, personalities and goals being apparent to the viewer, as well as their natures and origins, resulting in interesting but often small revelations occurring in every episode, successfully enticing the mind of the public.

The protagonists, as immortals, largely resist changes in personality and habits, and, as previously mentioned, maintain interesting relationships with the supporting cast, aware that those are fragile just as the lives of innumerous beings they have watched fade away throughout the ages, but also not treating them as disposable or of low value. Both are shown as having a substantial amount of knowledge, and as preserving the memories of those who were important to them. The main character's fighting ability is not as great as one would expect, but is overally consistent, without noticeable bursts of martial geniousness or inexplicable failures on sure-win situations.

In the end, Mnemosyne can be viewed as a like-it-or-hate-it series, as it's merits are notable, it also requires a lot from the viewer to be appreciated, specially on the western side of the globe, due to it's heavy graphics and plot. It might also become a vanguard work, opening more space for future similar anime to bloom. read more

Okay, this is my first anime review, bear with it.

Mnemosyne is a truly orginal anime. I have never seen anything like it ever before. Each episode takes place in a different time frame and jumps decades at a time from episode to episode. What's more, the surrounding environment changes along with it. Technology developes, buildings that were once prominent become dilapidated and destroyed and charaters age.

The story seems to be complicated at first, but once it ends, the whole picture seems to fall into focus. The story surrounds a woman named Rin Asogi who runs a consulting agency with her friend Mimi and pet dog Genta. The thing is, they are both immortal from a plant called Yggdrasil which releases spores that if entered into a woman, makes them immortal and they can live for practically forever. But if it enters a male, they become angels and can only live for a short amount of time. When both are near each other, the female is sexually attracted to the angel and asks of him to "devour" her.

Eventually, Rin meets Kouki Maeno in the first episode and throughout the series, the Maeno family becomes the key element in the story along with a demigod Eipos who is adiment on eating Rin's timespore.

The art direction is fantastic, although the memory flashbacks kind of make it hard to see and understand what is going on. But that is the point of it all, since memories can become fuzzy and hard to remember.

The sound is great since you can hear every action shot, explosion and gut-wrenching scene quite clearly.

As for characters, they are well diverse and well thought out and have a different spin on personality as well as leaving some family resemblance when it comes to the Maeno family.

I thoroughly enjoyed this anime. Although some spots become difficult to understand when you start each episode. But overall, it was very good to watch and I highly recommend it for those of you who enjoy something aside from mainstream anime and don't mind nudity, action, explosions, etc.

Mnemosyne is one of a kind. read more

“Mnemosyne”, also known as “Mnemosyne: Mnemosyne no Musumetachi”, is a six episode series containing a mix of supernatural, science fiction and horror elements. What will no doubt strike most viewers about this series are its explicit horror and sexually tinted scenes.
Considering these horror and sex scenes, as well as the themes behind them, “Menomosyne” is only suitable for mature viewers. Those who do watch will be treated to a dark series that holds some very interesting references and concepts, both apparent from its visuals or integrated in its plot.


The series' time frame spans over sixty years, the first episode showing us events that occur in 1990 while the last episode takes place in 2055. Some flashbacks even give us a glimpse of events involving the main characters that took place many centuries ago.
The story follows Rin and Mimi, the various people they encounters and the overarching plot around mysterious phenomenon involving Yggdrasil, everything is slowly unravelled piece by piece to come to a conclusion in the final episode.

In the beginning of the series, Rin and Mimi run a detective agency, as such the first episodes seem to be more independent mystery tales that reveal little about the girls' true nature and nearly nothing about the overarching plot. Gradually more pieces are added to the puzzle and the whole plot becomes clear during the final episode when its fully explained and the intention of those that were pulling the strings behind the shadows becomes clear. This can make the final revelations a bit of a paradoxical experience for the viewer.
On one end, as everything is explained to the audience about the mystic nature of immortals, angels and Yggdrasil, it is rewarding to finally see the bigger picture of the series. On the other end since it was initially so vague that it seemed almost absent during the first episodes, most viewers who have developed a bond with the main heroines are more likely to focus on what becomes of them and may feel more alienated in regards of the overarching plot and its impact on humankind, even though it does involve the main characters.

At first glance it may look like the horror and sexual scenes are there just as selling points to brand the series and fit it in the horror or sexually explicit category, an impression that could even be reinforced when one realizes the meaning behind most of this horror and lust towards the latter half of the series. Yet I found they end up giving the series more depth and add weight to its themes of (im)mortality and human desires. Not only do those scenes explicitly reference to psychological themes or hold sociological meaning, they also tell us more about the characters involved, which may cast a more grim light on some but makes them that much more interesting and involving characters.
Much like the excessive horror and blood spilling in “Elfen Lied” served another purpose than just showing gore, which became clear as the series progressed and ultimately gave it a deeper meaning, especially for its characters.


The cast of “Mnemosyne” is rather small, which makes it easier for us viewers, seeing the limited number of episodes. Most are quite interesting, even when little is known about their pasts, the way they're presented and act shows more intricate and complex characters than the average bland two dimensional characters. Some even offer us quite daring and grim persona.

Rin of course gets the most attention and development, while Mimi is an interesting character, she clearly remains a supporting character to Rin.
Being immortal, Rin especially seems to almost seek out situations where she will encounter physical harm, her body often suffering atrocious injuries. While Mimi is more reserved towards dangerous situations, like Rin she too is no stranger in seeking out the extremes of physical pleasure, certainly sexual pleasures. In the end it's made apparent that being immortal can also be seen as a curse, cut off from one of the very foundations of what it means to be human, one's mortality and finity, the girls can often only thrive or feel alive by seeking out extreme physical experiences and emotions, be it through suffering or pleasure. Paradoxically, their hearts and spirits are shown to remain as those of every other person, while somewhat desensitised towards certain concepts that normal mortal humans face, they became perhaps even more sensitive to others. When they are finally able to bond with someone and feel true emotions such as love, any joyful or painful emotions there seem to be felt even more vivid than for mortal humans.
More disturbing in that aspect, no doubt intentional, was the emotional torture executed on some of the characters, showing that physical pain while great and lethal, can still pale in comparison to mental anguish for which no true deliverance exists, especially when there is no deliverance to be found for it by death.

Portrayed as a strong female lead, who is not only smart and cunning but has terrific martial art skills, Rin is voiced by Mamiko Noto, whose subdued and soft voice could be seen as ill fitting but actually offers a nice contrast and adds indispensable depth to Rin's character by making her not only appear more serene and experienced, but also gives her the aura of a soothing mother figure. This gives Rin a believable mix of strength and vulnerability, of passion and serenity, of distance and attachment.

Mimi's character seems a bit more standard but also turns out to be quite interesting. Mimi's bond to Rin seems to be quite deep and even amorous at the start of the series, but later on those amorous and lustful feelings seem to have given way to a deeper and different attachment. Ultimately Mimi fights to protect and save Rin, the way Rin had once fought to save her.


While the bloody horror scenes should still be stomachable by most, the sadism exhibited in some scenes can be stomach churning. Some characters are repeatedly tortured and mutilated in such sadistic ways, it forms a dark and dire sketch of the inhumanity and levels of sadism some can display. It may seem a gratification or even celebration of sadism, inflicting pain and sexual abuse. A theme that was also touched upon in “Higurashi No Koro Ni”.

Next to the horror, there are many sexual themes and sexually tinted scenes, from near explicit sex scenes to the mutual effect immortals and angels have on each other. All immortals are women and the only real treat to their immortality are angels, males that posses superhuman strength offset by an extremely short lifespan. Devoid of any logical and normal reasoning, angels act as wild beasts that seek out immortals and devour them. Immortals are vulnerable to angels due to their overwhelming physical reaction to them, when close to one, they become utterly defenceless and lust to be embraced by them.
The sexual references are quite obvious, men are referred to as mindless beasts whose power is to subjugate and conquer women, women who regardless of their own powers such as continuing the circle of life, become lustful creatures unable to resist men.

Its story also expanding into the future, “Mnemosyne” shows us an interesting view of mankind's future with a contemporary spawned idea of how the digital world permeate and eventually blend in with the real world.


Animation by Xebec and Genco throughout all the episodes is good, with most focus on the female characters and the realistic, detailed backgrounds. The difference in care and attention of the animation between different scenes can be apparent sometimes. In some scenes where naked bodies are shown, they are not always drawn that well. Some of the horror scenes that would have been too gory and no longer look convincing enough if directly shown, use clever tricks of shading and suggestion.
Overall, the animation of “Mnemosyne” is good, though I did miss a bit of the beautiful animation of Rin and Mimi in the last episode, near the ending sequence, it didn't seem as well cared for as in prior episodes. On many occasions the animation of Rin and Mimi is quite sublime, such as the view of Rin leaning against a stone pillar in the opening sequence.


The soundtrack of “Mnemosyne” is fairly good, the hard rock track accompanying the opening sequence immediately sets the trend for the more raunchy and hard hitting horror and sexual parts of the series. The remainder of the soundtrack does a good job at setting the mood and accompanying what happens on screen, though a more eerie soundtrack could have worked just as well but risked making the series a bit too dark.


I definitely recommend “Mnemosyne” to those who want to see an engaging story with an interesting lead character and aren't afraid of gore or sexually tinted scenes because regardless of those scenes, they emphasise some of the more interesting themes the series holds. And if you're watching it just for the horror and nudity, you'll no doubt be satisfied as well. read more

This is the first complete OVA anime I've seen and, without a doubt, one of the best animes out there. Just a first glance at this anime's early sequences and it's clear that this one is just not for anyone. Mnemosyne contains the whole package: nudity, profanity, strong language, strong sexual themes and intense violence. So discretion is advised, this anime is exclusively for mature audiences.

Well that being said let's start with the story. Normally a anime this long would have been separated in 12 or 13 episodes, so why is this anime cut into 6 - 45 minute OVAS? The answer is simple: is easier and less confusing to manipulate and separate time in 6 parts that it is on 12 or 13. Almost every OVA occurs in a different time lapse, the space however remains normally the same happening the main events in Shinjuku, Nagoya and Kyoto. Sometimes the location is changed by the flow of the story but mainly everything starts up within this cities. The OVAs divide in 5 different time epochs:
1st OVA - 1990
2nd OVA - 1991
3rd OVA - 2011
4th OVA - 2025
5th and 6th OVA - 2055

OVAs 1,2,3 and 4 consist in different arcs regarding story. The 5th and 6th set the conclusion and finish the anime. Each OVA alone is so impressive that you'll make haste to watch the next one. The story is manly about the life of a immortal being, Asogi Rin and her assistant Mimi. At first in seens that Rin is just a common private detective, but as the storyline develops and the main events unfold you will discover who she really is and why she is immortal.

-THE NEXT THREE PARAGRAPHS CONTAIN SPOILERS REGARDING THE MAIN STORYLINE (+OVA 3)-

Basically the story revolves around the nordic legend of the "Yggdrasil", tree of life. This legend says that this tree's roots mantain united the two worlds, the world of the mortals and the world of the immortals. And if a woman, only a woman takes one of the tree's fruit it will become immortal, while a man will become a monster and die in eternal agony. This legend is a bit changed here: the men become "angels" (monsters with red wings) and are forced to fornicate with the females which are, at the same time, inexplicably sexualy atracted to the males. After the male has satisfied his sexual desire he must kill the female in order to be able to continue his sorrowful existence by eating the Yggdrasil fruit inside the female.

Asogi Rin does not remember when did she consume the Yggdrasil fruit, in fact every certain lapse of time she forget's her memories due to Eipos (the main antagonist) influence. Sometimes when you begin watching a OVA you will not understand what's going on but the event sequence is so well put that in no time you will be enjoying the continuation of the OVA even if you don't know what's going on. And in the end the connection between the confusing and the certainty will arrive sooner or later, but it does appear in such a natural way that you won't even notice it.

One thing to point out is that you will be seeing these fruits falling from the sky all the time during the anime as well as the Yggdrasil far away on the edge of the city. I think it's kind of cool because it get's you more attached to Rin knowing that you can see what she sees. So in the end the story is amazingly well put. The changes in the legend, the different time spaces and some flashback (inputted smartly in some of the OVAs) just make one of the best storylines come alive and deliver a ultimate experience.

The characters, spaces and locations are terrific. All the anime occurs mainly in some specific cities and some time it diverts to some other locations in order to fulfill certain objectives in the story. It sounds anoying to be always located in the same city, but this is when the time dividing aspect does it's job. In the first two OVAs you won't notice anything different, having only passed one year between them, but in the third OVA you will witness the changes in the demographical, technological and style aspects. These changes are so well driven that you will be impressed on how things changed from just one OVA to another and wonder what else is going to change afterwards. Note that the last two OVAs (5th and 6th) do share the same timeline of events as well. This is undertandable, being this two final OVAs the ones that contain the main storyline and define the conclusion.

Mnemosyne art is also focused on the horror, gore, bloody and sexual aspects. The dark theme in this anime is mantained on all the episodes development and does make feel one really anxious about what is going to happen next. Gore and blood are evident in this anime. From the scandalous turns and events in the anime (wich include from body dismembering to genital-piercing tortures) to the ending song theme (Cause Dissaray), this anime will result a feast for those who love violence. In the sexual aspect this show contains just enough content to almost fall into the Hentai genre. Nudity, mid-detailed sex scenes and, from time to time, pedofile sex escenes will be a often ocurrence here.

Altasia and Cause Disarray are just the best opening-ending combination I've listened to. Normally all animes Open with a really good and powerful song but then the ending just becomes a slow and weak song that has a cool-down role. Differently from other animes, Mnemosyne both, opening and ending, are strong an powerful songs (of course my criteria funtions by my musical preferences: metal, rock, etc.). These two songs manage to create a feeling of a never ending struggle, a neverending story, this matches perfectly the immortal theme.

Passing now to the battle soundtracks I really can't get enough of the main battle theme. I mean is just so original and really does go in when it has to. The rest of the BMGs are overall good and do a well job adding more spice to the OVAs. Another thing is the japaneese voice acting, I mean Rin's voice sounds sexy and clear no wonder why, she's interpreted by Noto Mamiko (Ichinose Kotomi in Clannad, Yuka in Elfen Lied, Hecate in Shakugan no Shana, Shihou Matsuri in sola and the popular Emma Ai in Jigoku Shoujo). So it all comes down to if the music plays good in conjuction with the anime, well it actually it does, and it does rock hard without the anime as well: perfection.

There is a lot of characters in this anime. I'm in love with Rin, she's just so sexy. She's drawn to attract the male audience: exotic hair colour, big eyes, beautiful face, huge breasts and perfect all around body. The other characters are given least importance but are well drawn as well. Mimi is gorgeous too. She target's the other part of the male audience which likes a more clasic teen look: a not too llamative hair colour, moderate breast size, small body, and a all around teen look. Now the personalities are exotic and different. Mimi has the naughty-teen personality and tends to practice lesbianisn sex in one or two episodes. Rin is a special case: her main personality is quiet, confident and seductive when the situation requires it. But at some specific moments her personalitie suffers changes due to memory loss. So you will see her one episode as a loving girlfriend, then (almost all the time) as a detective or as a sexual goddess.

A mix between a unforgetable story, over the top artistic quality, impressive soundtrack and wonderful and appealing characters gives Mnemosyne a HUGE onjoyment factor that transforms it into a ''must see" OVA-Anime. This anime will challenge your senses, unleash your hidden desires and replenish your most gory and bloody necessities. Now the only question you must ask yourself now is: are you ready to start watching Mnemosyne-Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi? read more

Story
What we basically got here is immortal people and a nice evil plot for someone "eating memories". The story seems rather original and fits nicely into just 6 45 minute episodes. We have our fair share of action and gore in this also. The ending was far from disappointing and really enjoyable. Although I somehow don't feel as this deserves a 10 and not sure why, maybe theres something missing ^^ Oh! And theres a few nice twists ;)

Art
I liked the art in this anime it matched well with the genre and the effects we're cool. It could've been better but it was nice to watch.

Sound
I don't think everyone will enjoy the OP and EP. But I loved the music and sound effects through out this anime so I'm going to have to rate it 9 out of 10.

Character
The characters seemed rather in depth and backed up by great voice acting and watching how the characters develop through out the anime was interesting.

Enjoyment
I really enjoyed watching this and the sex-content wasn't too heavy. I wouldn't class this in with hentai because it wasn't over the top. It was a nice action fantasy with some cruel content and sex. If i was to relate this to any anime...I would say...a modified version of elfen lied with less romance / emotivness and added sex. read more

Depending on your tolerance to violence/abuse/torture/blood and sexual arousement this anime will vary.

Lets start with what this anime has.
Nudity. Violence. Bloody/Gorey scenes. Time travels (In some ways). Lots of fan service. Sci-Fi.

This Anime is quite religous in terms of the art, story/concept which is taken from the gadern of edan with the fruits of life.
The storyline is not a bad one nor is it a outstanding one.
There definitly is romance even though it does not state on the genres "Romance".
You are pretty much tossed around alot of different timelines. From thousand of years ago to 2055+
Story is not in chronogical order and theres quite abit of mystery about what is going on.
The twists are not that great but aren't bad either. Enough to fool some people I would say.

Alot of torture, if you like seeing pretty girls get shot, cut, slashed, stabbed, smashed, pierced, impaled, eatten, tied up etc then this anime is definitly worth watching.

Alot of fan service. Alot of yuri/Lesbian action as well as normal sexual scenes.
One of the woman who is like a information source requires her clients to pay in sex. As well as Mimi & Rin's fooling around.

Anime is kinda sad alot of the time, many characters get tortured for very little reason if not no reason at all. One of the girls get tortured her whole life by the Eternal angel/guardian just because he wants to experience the pain himself (you will understand after you finish the anime).

I guess the anime which comes closest to this one is Kurozuka & Maybe Elfen lied.

Definitly worth watching but whether you like it or not is a totally different story. =)
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After only watching the first episode, I must say, this is refreshing. There aren't too many shows that I watch and actually have to say....."Wow, thats fucked up..." Last one was either Berserk or Ninja Scroll. This isn't a kids show by any means.

Story: I've only gotten one episode in, but there are allusions to a deeper running plot. My expectation is for mostly episodic content until probably the 5th ep. There will be more and more revealed until that point, but the 5th and 6th should be true story. Thats fine and as long as the story is eventually fleshed out while still being entertaining, its all good.

Art: what else would you expect from a show with this much gore and yuri but great art. Its sexy, and I'm talking about more than the boobies. XP It has a very dark feel and definitely needs to be watched full screen in a dark room. The higher the quality the better. Some good effects and tons of detail.

Sound: I enjoy the sound of the actors, and putting such a cute voice on Mimi is hilarious when you realize she isn't as innocent as she seems. The OP is also great, sadly I don't tend to pay too much attention to them. Something other that cheery Jpop is always nice.

Character: I'm having a lot of fun with these guys. We've got the two "ladies" who are obviously bi, a somewhat wimpy and confused guy, and enough alcohol to drown them all in. It actually looks like some care was put into these characters.

Enjoyment: Hey, this is a blast. Some good laughs )though I'm sure that some of the humor will be lost on the younger watchers (Seriously....if your mommy tucks you in at night...you really shouldn't be watching this...even if you are 30). There is a certain something that can be said for the experience of curing a hangover with liberal drinking. Theres gore, well-played nudity, dry humor, action, sexual innuendo, sadism and more. What else could you want?

Overall: If this continues to deliver it may very well be my favorite new show, and perhaps make it up there with some of my longtime favorites. Only time will tell. read more

Mnemosyne is a gory, sex-filled romp of a fantasy/sci fi anime.

The story is sort of unique, the art is amazing, the sound pretty mediocre and the characters were actually pretty good and interesting.

It gets a little 'Guh' towards the end, but for what it is, this anime was cool. And the sex scenes were awesome. So were the fight scenes. But mostly the sex scenes. The ending was unfabulous, though, and that was a disappointment.

I'm sure lots of people don't like this anime because it simply pushes the limits of content, such as blood, violence, sex, nudity, etc. If you're looking for a new, unique anime, that's really violent, then this anime is for you!

During the first minute of the first episode, I fell in love right away. I'm tired of all the cliché, angry-teacher-dumb-schoolgirl anime shows, or any anime that's all upbeat and cute, and simply drop dead corny. This show was screaming out my name. A unique, epic female lead who knows karate and other awesome fighting moves - just what I needed. I enjoyed the show's brutality, the characters, and the story, and the art. And personally, I never felt such connection to an anime character before. The lead, Rin Asogi, reminds me a lot of myself: bit of a tomboy, whimsical, very independent, and also hates running! The last part was for laughs. There's just a lot of things about Rin that remind me of myself.

Each episode has its own story, but all have a connection, which fills up the puzzle of the big picture, which is really enjoyable. Each episode pushes the content limits, which makes the show take you to the edge of your seat. Unlike more anime that has episodes lasting almost 30 minutes, Mnemosyne has each episode lasting 45 minutes, or an hour if you count commercials, which is more exciting; however, there are only 6 episodes, which is disappointing, but splitting each episode in half makes it up for it, giving it 12 episodes.

Each character has their own personality and story, totally different, each one. The show sometimes has its funny moments, sad moments, intense moments, anything you can think of. Looking at all the little details, this show has everything. Highly recommended! read more

I went out on a limb when first deciding to watch Mnemosyne. But WOW!

The story is excellent! A bit confusing at times (mostly because it fast forwards 1 or (way) more years at a time between episodes), but always fantastic! Take into mind before watching that this anime can get quite bloody at times and that there are some semi hard core sex scenes/nudity. I actually found that if you subtracted those two elements the story would definitely be lacking.

Mnemosyne was a refreshing change from some of the more light hearted animes I've been watching. Most assuredly it has the potential to become a classic among the more "darker" anime. read more

My,my, this anime was hard to rate. First let me start off by saying that the plot is incredibly original. The plot being that Rin, our busty lead characters, and Mimi, our negative busted lead characters, are immortal. What does this mean? To some people it means never having to fear death, to others it means having the fear of being eternally tortured.

Many years in the future, spores are released, constantly being breathed in and out, every so often a Fruit of Immortality (special spore) is released, causing humans to become immortal. If you are sick, you are sick forever, healthy, immortally healthy. (Imagine if you were on your period? Eternally on your period)
Females turn into immortals, males turn into demons that live only a few weeks and feed on immortals. Immortals are turned on by males and cannot control them self in the presence of a male. AT ALL. If you JUST became an immortal and a male flies over head, then your shit out of luck.

I comment on this the most because this was an aspect I found interesting. The main plot is great, but there is an outrageous amount of fan service. I understand that fan service is a staple, but There were at least two FULL ON sex scenes (including oral, vaginal, and so on) where the characters names were BARELY mentioned. Meaning they weren't even SUPPORTING characters. Honestly, if your going to put TONS of fanservice at least make it relative to the storyline.


Note: If you are an EroGuru fan, your will love the anime to bits.
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First, let me get the obvious out of the way: the first two words I heard about this series were "torture porn" and it's not far from the truth. I do think there's more to the show than that, it tries to have an engaging plot beyond pure smut and the concept is actually a decent one that somewhat justifies the show's perverse tendencies. Setting aside any moral issues I might have with it, for the purposes of this review it's no different than any other kind of fanservice, especially since it's sort of justified by the show's mythos. That said, if frequent nudity, erotic moaning and women being torn asunder in various and sundry ways is a deal-breaker for you, there's no need to read this review any further because Rin: Daughter of Mnemosyne has quite a lot of that going on. You have been warned.

The visuals behind Mnemosyne are hit and miss. On one hand, the backgrounds are nice and detailed and the animation is pretty solid and consistent, but on the other the use of lighting varies wildly in quality and the character designs are a bit generic, sometimes even dipping into ugly. When it's too dark, scenes that should be gripping just come out drab, and when it's too bright they end up looking gaudy. The show occasionally strikes the right balance, but the lack of consistency can be distracting, and the choreography behind the fights are pretty lackluster to boot. It's not completely incompetent, there are some good moments, but most of the show's important action scenes tend to fall flat. Maybe I'm being too harsh, it's perfectly watchable and never looks bad, it just could've used more panache. At the very least, it has a few decent camera angles mixed in.

Maybe it'd be more compelling with better music, but it was not meant to be. Half the time the music doesn't really support the series, it just feels like it was slapped on at the end with barely any thought given. It's a perfectly good soundtrack that could have matched the tone the series was going for in theory, but there was clearly very little effort put into its integration, so the strained music direction is a real shame. Combined with the poorly executed visuals, it makes all the difference between these scenes being edge-of-your-seat thrilling and just "stuff that happens". I will say that the opening and ending are both hilariously bad Engrish songs.

The voice acting in both languages is fine, perfectly serviceable all-around, but neither really tries to go beyond the call of duty. The exception to this is Todd Haberkorn as the villainous Apos, his voice dripping with venomous obsession in a way few voice actors can nail. Stop casting him as harem leads, Funimation, he's capable of much better than that. Also, I suppose Mimi sounds better in the dub, but that might just be my distaste for moe bleeding through, I'll take Jamie Marchi's sassy performances over Rie Kugimiya's distilled cutesiness any day. I digress. For a show as dry and dramatic as this I can't help but think that more nuanced performances would have been fitting, but the scripts and acting in both languages are pretty content to just skate by. On the surface, the whole package just looks dull and uninspired.

In case my lack of enthusiasm wasn't immediately apparent, I'll just come out and say it: I was not impressed by this series in the least. Looking at the concept on paper I can see where its modest popularity comes from, promising a sexy thriller with suspenseful battles, engaging mysteries and a unique mythos. Oh, and lots of fanservice, if that tickles your fancy. In execution, though, the series doesn't deliver. Out of all the possible reactions I was prepared for going into this series, the one thing I did not expect was that I would find it boring, and yet that is just what happened. The poor direction is undeniably a big part of it--for a show that seems to want to stand out, the fights and action sequences are pretty standard, no flair or finesse to keep the audience's interest. Even when the risk takes on a global scale the tension is nonexistent. Mnemosyne is at its best when it's being tongue-in-cheek, so why couldn't it just stick with that?

Still, even with bland execution some shows can leave a positive impression if they put out a decent story. But nope, to call the story here would be mediocre would be generous. The entire first three episodes could be removed from the story altogether with only minimal rewriting and at virtually no detriment to the overarching story. The plot drags its feet through arc after inconsequential arc that often have little to do with the ridiculous mess that's eventually revealed to be the plot, and at the end of the day it seems to sincerely want the audience to take it seriously on some level. I couldn't help but think that this should have been a feature-length film if anything, maybe that would have given it some much-needed focus. We don't need to be repeatedly reminded that vodka means water in Russian repeatedly without variation, thank you very much. Apos' final plan is absurd and pointless and half of his means have nothing to do with the end. Several twists are thrown in for no apparent reason except to make the plot more "edgy", and it gets really old really fast, especially when the dry direction gives every indication that this story really thinks it's actually going somewhere.

Moreso than its poor plotting, this series falls flat in how it develops--and doesn't develop--its characters. For a centuries-old mystery woman, Rin is simpler and more transparent than she has any right to be. She's not unlikable, she has a respect for humanity and cares about the people who are close for her, but aside from getting angry every now and again she wears her heart on her sleeve, she has no hidden depths aside from a bit of backstory in the finale that doesn't really add anything to her character. Her partner Mimi actually gets more development, and that's not saying much. The side companions they pick up over the course of the series receive much the same treatment. Kouki, for instance, has an interesting backstory that the show conveniently tosses aside for most of his screentime only to pull it back to try to milk it for some last-minute drama. To make matters worse, they're not all that fun to watch. I know this is subjective, but if the show isn't going to make its characters complex and thoughtful the least it could do is make them energized. This show waffles incessantly between silly and serious, never sticking to one long enough to leave any kind of impression.

I've nearly beaten this show to non-death, but I have to come back to the show's fanservice elements, because while I don't think the raunchy material is inherently bad, in execution it drops the show from bland and forgettable to just plain bad. I mentioned that the mythos somewhat justified the presence of fanservice in the show, and it does: the Angels are basically incubi, and while I won't spoil it, a certain pairing becomes part of a ritual that plays a key role in the series' conclusion. It's ridiculous, but with better execution I'd be willing to go with it. Rin using her sex appeal to get close to her targets on missions? That actually makes sense. Battles fought in minimal if any clothing? A bit much, but it happens. A security guard shoving Rin, the unknown and probably dangerous intruder, to the ground and trying to rape her on the spot without subduing her properly? This is getting stupid. Everyone in this show, be they human, Immortal or Angel, is ridiculous loose and horny, to the point that it often gets in the way of their common sense. This show's oversexed nature extends well beyond what's justified by the tone and the mythos, it gets in the way of the story, and it becomes familiar so quickly that it ends up becoming just dull.

I've seen plenty of series stand out positively for the amount of love and care that went into making them, but despite its unusual production history and somewhat interesting ideas Mnemosyne feels shockingly cold and apathetic. It baffles me that the makers of something so novel and daring could care so little for their baby, but that appears to be the case. It has no idea what kind of show it wants to be, the end result tries too hard to be edgy and not hard enough to be entertainingly over-the-top about it. It still has some funny moments and some cool moments, but they're not enough to be called a saving grace. The show had no right to turn out as bland as it did. read more

Violence, sex, and torture. That's what Mnemosyne is about. It favors style over substance, and shock value over both. For those of you seeking bloody fighting and lesbian sex scenes: rejoice! Mnemosyne: Daughters of Mnemosyne delivers both. For those seeking a well told story along with the fulfillment of these more primal desires: don't get your hopes up.

The protagonist of the story, Rin, runs a consulting agency with her partner (insert double entendre) Mimi. Rin is the cool and collected field agent, while Mimi is the playful flirtatious girl who helps out by being a computer hacker. Through the course of the series, there are a number of other important characters they meet and work with that you won't be able to keep track of because after the second episode the show tends to skips years or decades between each. While it is somewhat interesting to see the progression of technology across decades, it serves little purpose except to allow certain characters to age and have children in a show with limited run time. Unfortunately, this means the viewers have little time to get attached to a character before they are killed off, so we can't empathize with Rin and Mimi's loss. Did I mention that Rin and Mimi are immortal? Well they are, and they don't age, so they will remain hot and young so we aren't grossed out when they have lots of lesbian sex (often with other immortal lesbians).

There is an overarching plot to the story, but it is presented only very gradually until the final episode suddenly springs the whole thing at us. In the meanwhile, Rin and Mimi, sometimes with the help of other people they know whom we can't remember if they have been introduced, solve puzzling cases that are obtuse even in their resolution. Not that the final outcome of the individual cases matter at all to the larger picture, since the tangential link between them tends to be the involvement of a particular family (genetic, not criminal), and that another immortal often appears in order to kill Rin for reasons that are never explained, although there are repeated mentions of someone named Apos who seems to be manipulating something and being cruel and sadistic about it.

Visually, the series is very dark, probably to convey the omnipresent brooding and ominous atmosphere of the series. For an OVA from 2008, the animation and art is good but unspectacular. Voice acting is generally well done, and the opening and closing are appropriately gritty, if not particularly memorable.

Interestingly, while Mnemosyne is a reference to the mythological Greek river of memory, the impetus behind the story is Yggdrasil, which is the world tree from Norse mythology. read more

1st review so bare with me

to start things off it is vary violent and fill with lesbian sex so 17+ to watch it

story: it was a nice story filled with random things that don't really need to be there like how they all are lesbians because becoming immortal makes you unable to feel pleasure from the opposite sex. the story doesn't really stay with a main point as it's sort of like naruto and they just do random missions and tell what happen to them to the people they meet so you learn the back story and know why they don't die. it had a well thought out ending but looking back on it might be a bit obvious about half way through the final episode

art: the show is well drawn with the blood red and not black like some anime do for some reason and you can tell boys and girls apart so you won't feel creepy after being alone with your thoughts and then finding out you thought wrong. anyway they move realistically and it's just vary good to look at

sound: the theme songs are some what catchy if there the kind of music that you're into. it is easy to here the characters speak and the sound effects are pretty real sounding

characters: they are developed and designed well and have the kid of voice you think they should. they all have good different personalities and work good together not feel fake or anything like that

enjoyment: it was fun to watch and would probably do it again if i still had them but the first time you might think it's stupid how violent it is but give it a chance you might like it although episode 5 has too much death violence and rape so it's strange to watch but it is a vary important episode so you will have to at least the first and last ten minuets to get what happens read more

I always find ratings for entertainment subjective. In one country it could be suitable for all, in another there is an age limit then something comes along that everyone can agree on. Mnemosyne: Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi is one of those. It really is adults only and I don't mean subject matter, I mean gratuitous violence, torture, nudity and lesbian sex. If you have a low tolerance for such things I would imagine Mnemosyne: Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi would not be your thing.

Getting on to the plot I have to say Mnemosyne: Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi has one of the most confusing story lines since I saw Kurozuka and in many ways, without going into detail, they are very similar. The story follows Rin an immortal woman from the 1990's to the middle of the 21st century with her equally immortal side kick Mimi as they run an investigation agency where they do anything from looking for lost pets, missing persons to breaking into top secret laboratories meeting various bad guys.

Each episode is entertaining in its own right, however, the main weakness of the anime is its central storyline where we have a tree called Yggdrasil whose fruit can enter a person making women immortal and men into Angels who eat immortal women who are quiet happy about it and are even turned on by the prospect. All the while the main bad guy, Apos, is aiming to sacrifice Rin to the Yggdrasil tree. The main problem with this plot is that I found Apos as a bad guy and character just annoying. He doesn't do much apart from trying to be sinister which is done very badly.

Fortunately most of the characters are very good and well thought out. Rin as a central character is extremely likable and we don't find out much about her until the end a fact which I liked. Mimi is a lively side kick and a computer genius. Elsewhere we have an information broker who demands lesbian sex as payment, various members of the Maeno family who help Rin and an assassin who tries to kill Rin in each episode all of whom add something to the anime.

The artwork is good yet nothing special and there is the metal soundtrack which actually fits the anime.

All in all if you have seen Kurozuka I would think you would like Mnemosyne: Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi as I would class them in their own sub-genre. They are both horror anime's yet scaring you is not what they are about.

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Mnemosyne was an enjoyable series. At first, I was a bit skeptical as to whether I would enjoy it, but after the first episode I was hooked. I wanted there to be more episodes, but then I decided the six were good enough, as there is so much story packed into those six episodes.

This is definitely not for younger viewers, and if you're impressionable or don't like violence or nudity, then don't watch it. It definitely has a lot of adult worthy content.

The story spans over 60 years of Rin and Mimi's lives, showing the friends they have, and also the multitude of people that want them dead. There are allusions to the"bigger picture" in each of the episodes, which will keep viewers watching until the very end.

10/10 Most definitely. read more

In two words; underwhelming and underdeveloped. If I haven't believed in the sincerity of the creators I wouldn't bring myself to finish it.

Artwork is nice, the usual oav quality. Storytelling is consistently boring. The issue of immortality and long time span of the oav brings in lots of potential that's rarely tapped into. There are a few plot twists which tends towards a home run then gets lost quickly.

Most interesting things are the main character Rin and background details as the time goes on. A few lifestyle changes and interfaces are introduced in later episodes, but it has been used way better in Gits:Sac and they don't effect the flow of the story much. It's not as gory and sexually exploitive as people seem to think .

All in all I felt that Mnemosyne would have worked way better in a 26 ep. series assuming some inspiration comes into play and it gets further developed. read more

Mnemosyne...twisted, bizarre, and graphic are good words to describe this set of OVAs. Despite that, this anime is both original and interesting, and almost instantaneously gripping.

The anime is extremely graphic, from torture, rape, cannibalism, with copious nudity and explicit sexual scenes. These scenes are well done by most anime standards, however, there are so many of these elements and themes that the plot is pretty obscured, leaving me wondering what the purpose of the anime was: to stuff every type of fanservice into 6 OVAs, or actually have a simple plot with a lot of graphic detail. It's pretty clear that until the last episode, the plot had already taken a backseat, as the first five episodes appeared to be more vignettes than a coherent timeline.

As for characters, I would say they're amazing. Multi-faceted personalities, well designed, with pretty coherent animation made this anime more palatable to people not so used to graphic violence. Asogi Rin seems to be the typical tough woman protagonist, but throughout the series she slips away from the stereotype and becomes all her own character.

In Short:
Pros:
- Sound effects were amazing
- Good use of blood, not too much, but not censored either
- Character design was great
- Recurring themes seemed pretty constant
- sense of time throughout the series

Cons:
- Weak plot overridden with fanservice and gore
- Plotholes that seemed to be solved incompletely or too quickly
- Animation in the last episode seemed not as clear read more

This six part OVA series was part of the 10th anniversary celebration for the AT-X channel a few years back. Knowing it aired on AT-X, it should have been pretty obvious that this show would be loaded with fanservice, but oh my, there was a lot more fanservice oriented scenes than I had expected. At the same time, though, the contents to this OVA series are sometimes extremely disturbing. Warning for anybody that watches this series, Mnemosyne is definitely for older audiences only.

Surprisingly, though, the fanservice doesn’t completely detract from the original concept for this particular anime. If anything, it only added to the surprisingly unique premises and ideas explored in this series. Mnemosyne explores some very dark, and sometimes even brutal and cruel, ideas about how human society evolves and grows, all from the perspective of an immortal being.

Some of the strongest points to this series is most definitely the representations of norse mythology, and more importantly, how it is incorporated into the actual setting. Represented by the fabled Yggdrasil tree and the immortal beings that result from it, the incorporation of norse mythology to the story gives this show a very unique flair in terms of both direction and concepts. It is especially obvious to see when you contrast the unrealistic idea of immortals with the present day society they are immersed in. Seeing our main characters, as they are immortal, witness decades of evolution of human society and technology, really does help give Mnemosyne a very unique atmosphere. The delicate balance of mixing the supernatural with futuristic technology really helps create a dynamic setting that really makes you ponder about every aspect in this show.

That being said, the immortals themselves largely remain unchanged, which provides a huge contrast to the ever changing setting, where the settings of each episode often being decades apart from each other in terms of timeline. Yet at the same time, our main protagonists are aware of the fleeting and fragile lives of regular people, and treat that with both respect and dignity. The main characters themselves are more subtle at times, and were surprisngly well thought out in terms of personality.

The major issue with this show would include both the unnecessary fanservice (although at times it was essential), and the somewhat convoluted, odd plot.

This show is most certainly fanservice heavy, with a lot of lesbian sex scenes involving our main protagonists Rin and Mimi. As I mentioned earlier, this show is extremely fanservice heavy, with boobs and naked girls making a lot of appearances after the first episode. I will admit that I was completely taken by surprise by the heavy amounts of fanservice, as the first episode was extremely deceiving with it’s notable lack of fanservice. And seriously, at least half of the fanservice scenes in this show could have been cut out with no impact on the main story. On the other hand, though, the fanservice was never blatantly stupid, and in numerous cases, did involve the main plot.

The plot of the line, in a nutshell, goes along the lines of “immortal girls who received the seed of immortality from the Yggdrasil tree is in a decades long struggle with angels and Apos”. The plot does sound odd, but at times it’s very well done. The story during the first one or two episodes really do help flesh out our main cast, but from there on out the story gets progressively more and more complex and convoluted. The story is actually pretty enjoyable to watch, but by the end of the OVA series most people will be like “lol…what just happened…?”

In the end, this series definitely isn’t for everybody. Mnemosyne is pretty much a horror anime with a lot of fanservice elements. This show is similar to other horror titles like Higurashi no Naku koro ni, Elfen lied, and horror-torture movies such as Saw and Hills have Eyes. If you can’t handle brutal scenes, this show is definitely one you should avoid. If you do watch this show, the story is rather decent, and the characters are well portrayed and developed.

Production Quality: 8.0/10

Characters: 8.0/10

Story/Setting: 8.5/10

Overall Score: 8.2/10 (Rounded down to a 8 on MAL)

Comments, feedback, and most importantly criticisms, are always welcome :) read more

Why did I watch this?

The first episode has elements of guro, lesbianism, immortality, mysticism, love across the ages, and Angels and Demons which all get raped, literally and figuratively along the next six episodes of this OAV.

It it supposed to be raw, sexy, shocking? Or is it doing all of that to cover up terrible script writing, characters coming out of nowhere (or in this case bloody orifices), animation that takes a sharp nose-dive after the first episode, cacophonous sound track, and the use of graphic sexual and violent elements to keep us in the dark to the fact that after six episodes nothing's really happened.

You follow Rin, an immortal woman, along her life. She gets raped, molested, beat up, and whatnot. You're supposed to care because she's searching for a long lost lover, accompanied by her loli lover/sidekick, meets people whose lives she royally cocks up, and is antagonized by a charismatic and sadistic enemy that taunts her at every step to make her more "delicious" for him.

And since the show is so fond of random crap here's a list of mine: Tears of the Soul, Yggdrasil, Vedic legends. Also Zombies. Lesbians. Sexual torture.

There you go. An anime that tries too hard, and fails. It can't even look good while doing it. read more