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Mar 9, 2020
Elfen Lied is at its best when it's dark and grotesque, but it falls apart when it tries to be cute. I go back and forth on this show all the time, from "this is a masterpiece" to "this is irredeemable garbage". My love for Elfen Lied comes from how far it's willing to go with the material. There's graphic violence complete with gore and bodily innards being twisted, cut, and mauled. We've got nudity, child abuse, rape, animal abuse, and incest. This show hits every edginess checkbox there is; and honestly, it's hard to look away.
Voice acting
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is lacking in both subbed and dubbed formats, and the translated script is really weak. I've heard from some that the German VA is excellent, but it's not readily available with English subs, so I can't confirm. With regards to characters, Nyu may be one of the worst. She talks like a Pokemon and has less intelligence than one. I swear the show would've been improved tenfold if they made Nyu silent and removed her ecchi scenes. That's the other problem by the way; for a show as edgy and dark as this one, the attempts to be cute and silly rip Elfen Lied away from its strengths. It's very clumsy and kind of cringe.
The art is good enough, I suppose. I think it's dumb when characters spray excessive amounts of blood like a fountain for several seconds. Equally dumb is that characters get sliced and skewed right next to bystanders who somehow are too oblivious to notice.
Overall, it's fun to watch, and I really did enjoy it. Also, the opening is actually really nice. But I will never defend this series from anyone who wants to rip it apart, because it deserves every bit of criticism it gets.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Mar 9, 2020
Death Note leaves the viewer riding in suspense as it presents intellectual battles between an egotistical genius and those intent on taking him down. This is the main draw of the show. It's been said before, but calling Death Note a "cat and mouse game" is probably the most accurate way to describe it. This is one of the easiest anime shows to recommend, especially to those who are relatively new to anime.
[Story] The overall story is well written and well told. The execution isn't the best, though. Around a quarter into the show, the pace slows down
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too much and the story itself morphs into something less interesting. In the last arc of the show, the pace is too fast, leaving new characters little room to breathe and important plot details are glossed over. There's also a couple of important plot points that I just straight-up didn't like. This was mostly because they felt like the writer had written himself into a corner and then had to Deus Ex Machina his way out (in fact, the writer himself admitted to this in one of his interviews). It feels a bit cheap in those instances. If nothing else, though, the story's ending was very strong.
[Characters] Most characters are interesting enough, but most of them are pretty surface level. Misa especially is very one dimensional, despite her importance to the plot; and some important characters from the last act are severely shortened on screen time. They're all underdeveloped, except for Light himself and his main adversary, L, and a couple task force members.
[Sound] I don't think any of the OST is going to make it on a playlist of mine, but the orchestral music was powerful, and the subtly different renditions of character themes played an extraordinary part in setting the mood and excitement levels for each scene.
[Art] Nothing to write home about. The animation is competent and the art looks good.
[Overall] It's an exciting watch from start to finish with plenty of twists and turns along the way that make for a thrilling experience. It's not without a few problems, though.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Aug 15, 2019
There's some really nice art and animation. In addition to looking good, there's a fair amount of attention to detail and fluid animation. The show has a down-to-earth ambiance, which is complemented with a good soundtrack. The characters feel real and genuine, and I generally liked the dialogue and interactions. The show avoids the common trope of characters overreacting and emoting to situations. There's light humor in the show that is handled in a more relaxed and casual fashion, though this isn't a comedy and is better described as a drama.
The story is told in an unconnected arc format. Because
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of this, the show lacks continuity and doesn't really have a central thread, and it fails to properly explore what would be its strongest subject. It isn't cohesive or meaningful, and the ending lacks any real impact. The individual threads are engaging as they are presented, but the feeling is lost when the next episode "rewinds" the show to take a different path. As you may have guessed, this is typical of a visual novel, but I feel this kind of show would've benefited from a single story that spanned all 12 episodes.
I think it's good for what it is. If you know a little about the show (such as reading the synopsis), and it sounds like you'd like it, then you probably will. I just think that there's lost potential here.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Nov 16, 2017
The plot mostly takes a backseat to the many action sequences. Characters have no depth and it's hard to care about any of them. If you aren't familiar with Gantz, the story will almost certainly be lost on you in the last 5-10 minutes of the film. The ending works for this kind of movie, but it's still unremarkable. BGM is unobtrusive. Sound effects are right out of an action video game's soundbank: a bit silly, but it works.
Where this film truly shines is the monster designs, action sequences, art and animation. The CGI is really damn good: stylish
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and striking. There's a lot of attention to detail in facial animation and character reactions. The monsters are really cool, and they really nailed the "video game boss" feel with all of them.
So overall, it's easy to appreciate how awesome the movie looks and 'feels'. That alone makes it worth the watch. Unfortunately, it falls short everywhere else.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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