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?