Elfen Lied

How to describe this wonderful, wonderful anime?

First, the disclaimers- this anime contains nudity. Not in the way that most do-it's not sexual, it's just matter of factly there. There is a lot of very graphic violence- the first episode shows just about the worst of it, if you can stomach that, you'll be ok.

OK, on the the good stuff- this one is seriously gorgeous. Even the violence and blood is strangely beautiful. Backgrounds are beautiful and detailed, colors are varied and bright (but not too bright) characters are well drawn. The intro is based of Klimt paintings, too, and is quite beautiful in itself.

The story begins when Lucy, a Diclonius, escapes from an island facility but is shot and falls into the water. (The series explains exactly what a Diclonius is) When Lucy awakens on the beach, she has a different personality. She is child like and can say only "Nyu," which becomes her name. She is found by Kouta and his cousin, who take her home and take care of her. Of course, the secret organization has to send people (and, eventually, other Diclonius) after Lucy/Nyu. Yup, it gets messy.

The anime is available on DVD (a full set will be released soon, in both Japanese and English audio. This is one of the few anime's I like as much with English voices as the Japanese ones. Kira Vincent-Davis, Lucy/Nyu's voice, has plaved Osaka in Azumanga Daioh, Misaki in Angelic Layer, and a bunch of other characters.

There is an OVA, too, which I recommend watching between episodes 10 and 11. The one I have has only a Japanese track.

As you can imagine, this is a darker anime, but it has happy/funny moment too. Overall, one of my favorites so far!

Full Moon wo Sagashite

The last complete series I finished was Full Moon wo Sagashite (52 Episodes). I expected a kids anime along the lines of Tokyo Mew Mew, and I was mostly right. Honestly, I was not all that impressed with the show in the beginning, but decided to stick it out because it's a good multi tasking anime - I can watch it and do other things, and won't miss too much. You can tell a lot by the character's voices and such, and the show isn't totally dialog Dependant like some shows.

The premise is a little depressing at first- a 12 year old girl (Mitsuki) sees some shinigami (death gods- though in this series they're not frightening) that tell her she only has a year to live. In the meantime, they help her live live to the fullest by turning her into a 16 year old, and when she's 16 her throat cancer is gone and she can sing. Her alter ego, Full Moon, becomes an overnight sensation. A lot of the show is happy fluffy episodes about her singing career. Towards the end, the show gets much more serious, but, to be expected from a kids anime, there is a happy ending.

The music in the show grew on me. Full Moon's singing career consists of a grand total of 4 songs, so you'll hear the same 4 songs over and over and over and over. One song in particular is used throughout most of the episodes - Full Moon's rival even sings the same song! It can get old fast. But, the quality is pretty good, and much of the time the song comes at the end, so you can just stop the episode and go to the next one.

Geoff and I really liked Full Moon wo Sagashite in part because there's resolution at the end- so many animes just end, with no real resolution. It drives me nuts!

First Post

I'm starting this little blog both as a way to use the blogger service and a place to post quick Anime reviews- not only so I can talk about what I am watching, but also so I'll remember what I have watched!

If anyone would like to blog with me, please let me know, and I'll add you to the list.