NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Elfen Lied

Elfen Lied (エルフェンリート Erufen Rīto^?) is a Japanese manga series created by manga author Lynn Okamoto. A thirteen-episode anime television series adaptation based on the manga was produced by the studio ARMS and broadcast on TV Tokyo from July to October 2004; the anime was later licensed in North America on DVD by ADV Films. The anime started before the manga was complete; as a result, the plot differed between the two, especially towards the ending of the story. In 2005, a special original video animation, written to occur between the tenth and eleventh episodes of the series, was released. The title is literally German for "Elves' Song", or more properly translated "Song of the Elves", and takes its name from the poem Elfenlied and the German word lied, a classical-romantic poem or musical work. Eduard Friedrich MÃ¶rike (Ludwigsburg, September 8, 1804 â€“ June 4, 1875 in Stuttgart) was a German romantic poet. ... Italic text:This article is about the poem by Eduard MÃ¶rike, for the anime TV series, see: Elfen Lied Elfenlied (lit. ... Image File history File links Elfen_Lied_001. ... For other uses, see Drama (disambiguation). ... â€œHorror storyâ€ redirects here. ... Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the wide-ranging thriller genre. ... This article is about the comics created in Japan. ... Lynn Okamoto ) is a mangaka. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Shueisha ) is a major publisher in Japan, headquartered in Tokyo. ... Seinen not to be confused with adult )) is a subset of manga that is generally targeted at an 18â€“30 year old male audience, but the audience can be much older with some comics aimed at businessmen well into their 40s. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Weekly Young Jump (é€±åˆŠãƒ¤ãƒ³ã‚°ã‚¸ãƒ£ãƒ³ãƒ—, ShÅ«kan Yangu Janpu), launched in 1979, is a weekly Japanese magazine that publishes various manga in each issue. ... TankÅbon ) is the Japanese term for a compilation volume of a particular series (such as a manga or a novel series, magazine articles, essays, craft patterns, etc. ... TV redirects here. ... AnimÃ© redirects here. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Genco is a japanese company based in Tokyo, Japan. ... This article needs copyediting (checking for proper English spelling, grammar, usage, etc. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... ADV Films logo ADV Films is the home video publication arm of A.D. Vision based in Houston, Texas. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_Zealand. ... Madmans Logo Madman Entertainment is an Australian company that specialises in the distribution of Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... The logo of TV Tokyo. ... is the 206th day of the year (207th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Artwork commonly used to promote the series, mocking up Lucy being shot int the head in episode one, inspired by Gustav Klimt paintings. ... Artwork commonly used to promote the series, mocking up Lucy being shot int the head in episode one, inspired by Gustav Klimt paintings. ... Original Video Animation ), abbreviated OVA ), is a term used for anime titles that are released direct-to-video, without prior showings on TV or in theaters. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... ADV Films logo ADV Films is the home video publication arm of A.D. Vision based in Houston, Texas. ... Artwork commonly used to promote the series, mocking up Lucy being shot int the head in episode one, inspired by Gustav Klimt paintings. ... Artwork commonly used to promote the series, mocking up Lucy being shot int the head in episode one, inspired by Gustav Klimt paintings. ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the comics created in Japan. ... Mangaka ) is the Japanese word for a comic artist. ... Lynn Okamoto ) is a mangaka. ... AnimÃ© redirects here. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... The logo of TV Tokyo. ... North American redirects here. ... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc - see Etymology) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ... ADV Films logo ADV Films is the home video publication arm of A.D. Vision based in Houston, Texas. ... Original Video Animation ), abbreviated OVA ), is a term used for anime titles that are released direct-to-video, without prior showings on TV or in theaters. ... Italic text:This article is about the poem by Eduard MÃ¶rike, for the anime TV series, see: Elfen Lied Elfenlied (lit. ... Lied (plural Lieder) is a German word, literally meaning song; among English speakers, however, it is used primarily as a term for European classical music songs, also known as art songs. ... This article describes the ancient classical period: for the classical period in music (second half of the 18th century): see Classical music era. ... Romantic music is defined as the period of European classical music that runs roughly from the early 1800s to the first decade of the 20th century, as well as music written according to the norms and styles of that period. ...

Elfen Lied revolves around the interactions, views, emotions, and discrimination between humans and the diclonius, a mutant species similar to humans in build but distinguishable by two cat-ear-like horns and "vectors", transparent arms which can pass through air and objects at high speed. The series is centered around the teenage Diclonius girl "Lucy", said to be the first Diclonius, becoming sadistic as a result of her vengeance and delivering it on the humans who rejected her. Often shunned by normal humans, diclonii attempt to conceal their horns. ... This article is about biological mutants. ... Lucy Lucy ) is a fictional character from the anime and manga series Elfen Lied. ... Look up sadism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Elfen Lied involves themes of social alienation, identity, animal cruelty, revenge, child abuse, jealousy and the value of humanity.^[1] The series employs graphic violence and nudity, especially the graphic opening sequence of the first episode. So far, only the thirteen-episode anime series has been licensed in the United States, by ADV Films and in Australia, by Madman Entertainment. ADV Films said the series was one of their bestselling and "most notorious" releases of 2005.^[2]^[3] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Identity is an umbrella term used throughout the social sciences for an individuals comprehension of him or herself as a discrete, separate entity. ... A man in Shanghai asks for money, holding a monkey with a rope around its neck and missing a limb. ... For other uses, see Revenge (disambiguation). ... Child abuse is the physical, psychological or sexual abuse or neglect of children. ... Jealous redirects here. ... Look up Humanity, humanity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Graphic violence is the depiction of violence in media such as film, television, and video games. ... ADV Films logo ADV Films is the home video publication arm of A.D. Vision based in Houston, Texas. ... Madmans Logo Madman Entertainment is an Australian company that specialises in the distribution of Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. ...

Story

Plot

The story is based around the Diclonius, a species of evolved humans with two cat-ear like horns and vectors, telekinetically controlled arms which resonate at a frequency to the point in which they become transparent, and have the power to manipulate objects within their range. Most Diclonius seem to be girls; male Diclonius are rare throughout the whole series (first one being the Professor at Kohta's school as seen in the manga). In the anime the female Diclonius have uncommon hair and eye colors such as red and pink unlike regular humans who have brown, black, blond, and red hair. In the manga, their hair coloring can be as diverse as a normal human's (ex. Nana and Mariko have purple and blond hair, respectively, in the manga). Artwork commonly used to promote the series, mocking up Lucy being shot int the head in episode one, inspired by Gustav Klimt paintings. ... Often shunned by normal humans, diclonii attempt to conceal their horns. ... Psychokinesis (literally mind-movement) or PK is the more commonly used term today for what in the past was known as telekinesis (literally distant-movement). It refers to the psi ability to influence the behavior of matter by mental intention (or possibly some other aspect of mental activity) alone. ...

At the beginning of the series, Diclonius are being held for storage in a facility off the coast of Kamakura in Kanagawa, south of the city of Yokohama, held by the scientist Kurama. The first of the Diclonius race, a teenage girl named by the staff as "Lucy," escapes the factory stark naked (except for a metal helmet encasing her head) and, using her vectors to deflect gunfire, effortlessly kills the security guards and Kurama's clumsy secretary in her path. However, as she makes her way out of the facility, she is shot in the side of the head by an unnamed sniper armed with a .50 caliber rifle, breaking her metal helmet and causing her to fall into the sea. Kamakura can refer to: Kamakura, Kanagawa, a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan The Kamakura Shogunate The Kamakura period in the History of Japan The Kamakura family name in Japan Kamakura Great Buddha, the Great Buddha of Kamakura Kamakura, a fictional character from the G.I. Joe series Category: ... Kanagawa Prefecture (神奈川県; Kanagawa-ken) is a geographic and political area located in the Kanto region on Honshu island, Japan. ... For the town of Yokohama in Aomori Prefecture, see Yokohama, Aomori. ...

The next morning, Kohta, a university-age school student, is moving to Kamakura to study in a university where he is reunited with his cousin Yuka. While reminiscing about his younger sister on a beach, who is later explained to have died "of an illness," he encounters the Diclonius, still naked and badly wounded in the head from the bullet round. She is somewhat helpless and, as a result of brain damage sustained from the bullet wound, is reduced to the knowledge and capability of an infant, only capable of saying the word "Nyu." Kohta and Yuka decide to take her with them, naming her "Nyu" as a result.

Kohta, who is moving into the Kaede House (which was a traditional Japanese restaurant that was inhabited by previous generations) in Kamakura, puts Nyu under his care. Nyu, still helplessly dumbfounded, has no idea of who or where she is, however Kohta and Yuka believe that they can find out where Nyu belongs, and in the meantime, keep her safe. However, after Kohta gets angry at Nyu, she runs off back to the beach where she was found. The homeless girl Mayu and her dog encounter Nyu, and Kohta traces Nyu back to the beach, discovering that Kurama has organized a Special Assault Team task force, led by Bando, a ruthless, cold-hearted soldier, and Nana, another Diclonius, to hunt her down. However, Lucy and her cold characteristics have not yet faded away; whenever she hits her head or when she is confronted with violence, she reverts to her sadistic side, and makes transitions between her two personalities throughout the series, the first of which is seen against Bando, who has his eyes poked out, and Nana, who has all her limbs ripped off by Lucy's vectors. Eventually, Kurama decides to take Bando and Nana back to Kamakura, Bando to find Lucy, and Nana to be released into the world contrary to the instructions given to Kurama to put her down. Mayu and Nana both end up living in Kohta's household, where significant parts of their past come together. The Special Assault Team ) is the official civilian Counter-Terrorist unit under the Japanese National Police Agency. ...

Several developments in the story are made and explained in the latter end of the series. All the characters have mysterious and tragic pasts which somehow intertwine with each other, and, as their individual stories are retold, they all come together. Mayu is revealed to have been molested by her stepfather, and Kurama is also revealed to be a carrier of Diclonius DNA. Professor Kakuzawa, Kurama's colleague and the son of his boss, is revealed to be a Diclonius just seconds before his head gets torn off by Lucy. Kurama's wife died as a result of complications after giving birth, and Kurama was almost forced to kill his newborn Diclonius daughter, however Kakuzawa's father, the head of the facility, agreed to let her live on the condition that explosives be planted inside her to be detonated if she escapes the facility and causes destruction in the human world.

Lucy's past is revealed in episodes nine and ten of the series. As a child, she was orphaned from a young age, and a mix of constant bullying from her peers and the backchat of the coordinators relating to her isolation led to constant fear and loneliness. She commits her first murders with her vectors on her classmates as they beat a stray dog (the only real friend she made) to death. After burying her pet in grief, she encounters Kohta, who takes her to a local zoo and befriends her, somehow regaining her hope in re-acquainting with humans, and opens up about her feelings to him on a set of steps near the seaside the day before Kohta leaves Kamakura. However, when she discovers his cousin (Yuka, whom he claimed to be a boy) is a girl, her inner demons tempt her in her weakness and grief, and she resorts to her murderous life seeking revenge against normal humans.

Toward the end of the series, Kurama is forced to risk the fate of both diclonius and humanity by unleashing Mariko, his Diclonius daughter and disputedly the most powerful Diclonius, to kill Lucy and return the species into hiding forever. Mariko, Nana, Lucy and Kurama all cross paths near a bridge by the seaside, where Mariko and Nana discover that they both believe themselves to be Kurama's daughter, and Lucy is almost killed by Mariko. However, as Lucy kills the search team accompanying Mariko in retrieving her, including the majority of the remaining staff at the facility, Kurama is cornered with the last three diclonius left. He chooses instead to spend a final father-daughter moment and die with Mariko as the explosives in her detonate. Nana returns to the household with Kohta, Yuka and Mayu, and Lucy sees Kohta on the same set of steps as where they had their final conversation eight years earlier, telling him her true feelings, her remorse, and how she is in love with Kohta. Lucy leaves to face the remaining assault team deployed by the facility; her ultimate fate is unknown.

Diclonius

Diclonius, in Elfen Lied, are an evolution branch off of humans (according to the manga). Their bodies are very similar to humans, the only difference being they possess two horns on the sides of their head, which are said to relate to their telekinetic powers (hinted at when Lucy only released two vectors towards several soldiers when one of her two horns was chipped off). Their powers involve the usage of invisible arms, known as "vectors." Diclonius also have the ability to detect the location of each other, such as when Kurama releases Nana from the offshore laboratory to search for and retrieve Lucy. All diclonii in the anime are girls and have red hair, however some variations exist in the manga. Often shunned by normal humans, diclonii attempt to conceal their horns. ...

In general, diclonius are a violent species, known to have a vendetta against humans, and have ambitions to wipe out the human race and popluate the world with their own species. Diclonius DNA are transferred to normal humans if the vectors of the diclonius penetrate them; an incident involving the escape of a child diclonius during Kurama's early years where the diclonius' vectors penetrated him resulted in Mariko being born a diclonius. It is disputed and contradicted during the series as to how diclonii develop this behaviour, as to whether it is part of their personality or whether it stems from abuse by humans, and evidence suggests both. In episode three, Kurama explains to Bando that diclonii are born with the intention of populating the world, and in the final episode Lucy tells Kohta that "I was born to destroy humans". However, Nana's character suggests that it is possible for diclonii to have emphathy and their characters develop as a result of their interactions with the world. The nature versus nurture debates concern the relative importance of an individuals innate qualities (nature) versus personal experiences (nurture) in determining or causing individual differences in physical and behavioral traits. ...

Regardless, the human researchers at the facility believe the diclonii to be a serious problem to the fate of the human race. All diclonii are kept in tight storage where they are tube-fed and almost never see the outside world. Lucy mentions the danger to the human race to Kohta in the final episode: "Given just five years, I can ensure that there are more babies of our kind born in the world than there are normal humans."

Main characters

Lucy (ルーシー Rūshī^?) is a teenage diclonius girl around eighteen years old. In the anime, she has four vectors with a limited range of two meters, however in the manga, she appears to have many more vectors with growing range. Within her two-meter range, she can be swift and lethal, and will use any nearby objects as high velocity projectiles to kill at greater distances. She is also capable of stopping or deflecting most standard ammunition as she concentrates on the action. Lucy has developed strong emotions of hatred and vengeance towards regular humans mainly because of how she was treated by the majority of them as a child, making fun of her horns and giving her insulting nicknames such as freak. Consequently, she discounts regular humans, claiming they are not real people. She seems to lack empathy, kills without much concern, and acts somewhat sadistically, however towards the end of the series, she begins to show remorse for her actions, especially towards Kohta. Despite this lack of concern for human life, she will not harm Kohta, her love, and Kurama, with intention to make him experience the pain she had felt. The female lead characters of Elfen Lied, left to right: Mayu, Yuka, NyÅ«, Nana This article lists the fictional characters in the manga/anime series Elfen Lied. ... A separate article is about the punk band called The Adolescents. ... Often shunned by normal humans, diclonii attempt to conceal their horns. ... A projectile is any object sent through space by the application of a force. ... Not to be confused with Pity, Sympathy, or Compassion. ...

Nyu (にゅう Nyū^?) is a split personality of Lucy that developed after a .50 BMG round ricocheted off a metallic helmet encasing her head. Nyu has a childlike personality and infantile knowledge of the world, forgetting even that she is a Diclonius and how to use or manifest her vectors leaving her a human with horns. She initially lacks spoken language skills; however, she eventually learns a handful of words and phrases until (in the manga) she can finally speak properly despite the fact she still uses the non-nonsensical phrase nyu as her catchphrase. Nyu is innocent and incapable of violent acts, a foil to the normally cold and sadistic Lucy; she is the manifestation of her "good side". Whenever Nyu hits her head or when she is confronted with violence, she reverts to her sadistic side, Lucy. Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), as defined by the American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR), is a mental condition whereby a single individual evidences two or more distinct identities or personalities, each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment. ... .50 BMG rounds and 20MM Vulcan round, with a golf ball and a stick of RAM posed to provide scale. ... For other uses, see foil. ...

Voiced by: Sanae Kobayashi (Japanese), Kira Vincent-Davis (English) Sanae Kobayashi ) (January 26, 1980 - ) is a female seiyÅ« who was born in Shizuoka. ... Kira Vincent-Davis (Born July 9, 1979 in Houston, Texas) is an American voice actress, noted for her roles in English-language dubs of anime series. ...

Kohta (コウタ Kōta^?) is around nineteen years old and enters the story when his cousin's family allows him to move in to their closed-down inn in exchange for maintenance while he goes to a local university. Kohta has repressed traumatic memories of his father's and sister's deaths during his childhood at Lucy's hands. Because of him repressing his memories, Kohta does not remember Lucy from when he met her earlier as a child. Due in part to his loss, he has a soft spot for girls in trouble and is extremely generous and protective to the girls around him. He is more forgiving in the anime, but in the manga when he gets his memories back he truly is unforgiving about Lucy killing his father and sister. For the community in Florida, see University, Florida. ... Repressed memory is one of the most controversial subjects in the history of psychology and psychiatry. ... Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event. ... For other uses, see Memory (disambiguation). ...

Voiced by: Chihiro Suzuki (Japanese), Adam Conlon (English) Chihiro Suzuki (éˆ´æœ¨åƒå°‹ Suzuki Chihiro) is a Japanese seiyÅ«, born in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan on February 17, 1977. ...

Yuka (ユカ^?) is Kohta's cousin.^[4] She is also around nineteen years old and planning to attend the same university as Kohta. She last saw Kohta when they were ten, parting ways with him on the same night in which Lucy killed Kohta's family, completely oblivious to the events following their last meeting. She moves in with him at the inn after having not seen him in many years. Having had a crush on Kohta since childhood, she is in love with him,^[5] and is therefore jealous of Kohta's attention to Nyu (and the other female characters who move in with them), to the point of being very irrational. Twice removed redirects here. ... Inns are establishments where travellers can procure food, drink, and lodging. ...

Voiced by: Mamiko Noto (Japanese), Nancy Novotny (English) Mamiko Noto Mamiko Noto , born February 6, 1980 in Kanazawa, Ishikawa) is a seiyÅ«. She is very prolific, voicing leading roles in recent series such as School Rumble, Elfen Lied, Jigoku Shoujo, Ichigo 100%, and the anime version of Witchblade. ... Nancy Novotny is an American voice actress working with ADV Films, known for her roles in English-language dubbed anime, such as Yomi in Azumanga Daioh and Madlax in Madlax. ...

Manga

Originally serialized in Weekly Young Jump magazine, the complete manga series runs for 107 chapters spanning twelve volumes. Weekly Young Jump (é€±åˆŠãƒ¤ãƒ³ã‚°ã‚¸ãƒ£ãƒ³ãƒ—, ShÅ«kan Yangu Janpu), launched in 1979, is a weekly Japanese magazine that publishes various manga in each issue. ...

Volumes

The Elfen Lied manga has not been licensed by any company for official translation into English. In Mexico the Spanish translation is currently being published by Vid. The original Japanese collected volume releases are listed below. Look up translate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Grupo Editorial Vid (also known as Vid or Mundo Vid) is a Mexican manga and comic publisher, each volume is sold for around 50-60 Pesos (Less than 5-6 Dollars). ... TankÅbon ) is the Japanese term for a compilation volume of a particular series (such as a manga or a novel series, magazine articles, essays, craft patterns, etc. ...

Side stories

The manga also features several side stories from previous works done by Lynn Okamoto. These stories came included with the release of certain volumes of the manga as bonus material (not related to Elfen Lied) for fans of the manga to collect. A side story in fiction is a form of narrative that occurs alongside established stories set within a fictional universe. ... Lynn Okamoto ) is a mangaka. ...

In addition, volume eight includes two other stories that form part of the Elfen Lied universe.

Fan service ), sometimes written as a single word, fanservice, is a vaguely defined term chiefly used for Japanese visual mediaâ€”particularly in anime fandomâ€”to refer to elements in a story that are unnecessary to a storyline, but designed to amuse or sexually excite the audience[1][2]. It is... For other uses, see Cliffhanger (disambiguation). ...

Anime

The television series, directed by Mamoru Kanbe, animated by ARMS and produced by GENCO and VAP, ran for 13 episodes and adapted approximately the first 60 out of 107 chapters of the manga. Episodes one to eleven of the anime are in canon with the continuity of the storyline for volumes one to six of the manga, faithfully adapting most of the events happening in the latter. The last two TV episodes strayed from the manga's continuity and gave an original conclusion to the anime. The series' author, Lynn Okamoto, has a brief cameo appearance as a special guest in episode twelve. Artwork commonly used to promote the series, mocking up Lucy being shot int the head in episode one, inspired by Gustav Klimt paintings. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 â€“ February 6, 1918) was an Austrian Symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Art Nouveau (Vienna Secession) movement. ... The Kiss (original Der Kuss) was painted by Gustav Klimt, and is probably his most famous work. ... Danae DanaÃ« is an oil painting by Gustav Klimt, that he worked on from 1907-1908. ... Genco is a japanese company based in Tokyo, Japan. ... This article needs copyediting (checking for proper English spelling, grammar, usage, etc. ... Canon, in the context of a fictional universe, comprises those novels, stories, films, etc. ... In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer. ... Lynn Okamoto ) is a mangaka. ... A cameo role or cameo appearance (often shortened to just cameo) is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television. ...

Elfen Lied first aired on TV Tokyo's AT-X satellite channel from July 25, 2004 to October 17, 2004 and was broadcast again in 2005. The anime was licensed by ADV Films in the United States in 2004 and was released on DVD in 2005. A single twenty-four-minute original video animation episode was also released by VAP on April 21, 2005. It takes place between episodes ten and eleven of the original TV series, and for that reason, some refer to it as episode 10.5, OVA special, or even as episode fourteen. The special itself takes on a lighter tone and answers some questions of the early episodes rather than advancing the plot. During the Anime Boston 2006^[6] (May 26—28) convention, ADV Films acquired the distribution rights of the OVA for release in the United States. However, the OVA was never released on television and was not included in the box set released by ADV Films. The logo of TV Tokyo. ... is the 206th day of the year (207th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ADV Films logo ADV Films is the home video publication arm of A.D. Vision based in Houston, Texas. ... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc - see Etymology) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ... Original Video Animation ), abbreviated OVA ), is a term used for anime titles that are released direct-to-video, without prior showings on TV or in theaters. ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The series is currently airing in the United Kingdom on Propeller TV (Sky Digital) as part of Anime Network's launch in the UK. So far the series has aired uncut with the exception of one of Mayu's flashbacks in episode five as a result of it being related to child rape at the hands of a stepfather. While it has yet to appear on US television other than on Anime Network's "On Demand" Channel, the DVD box set confirms that the series has a rating of TV-MAVSL; the Canadian rating is 18A. The OVA episode was not released with the box set that became available in November 2006. Propeller TV is a, free-to-air television channel on Sky Digital broadcast in the United Kingdom by Image Channel Company Limited. ... Sky Digital is the brand name for British Sky Broadcastings digital satellite television service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28. ... Sexual abuse is a relative cultural term used to describe sexual relations and behavior between two or more parties which are considered criminally and/or morally offensive. ... A human ovum An ovum (loosely, egg or egg cell) is a female sex cell or gamete. ...

In a posting on the official Adult Swim message board, Adult Swim programming director Kim Manning revealed that Adult Swim inquired into possibly airing the series, as she was an avid fan herself and watched the entire series in one sitting. However, the censorship board revealed that the series would have to be so heavily edited ("it would have been cut to shreds") in order to air that it would have been unintelligible, and it does not appear that it will air on the channel at any time in the foreseeable future.^[7] Adult Swim is the name for an adult-oriented television programming network. ...

Production

Director Mamoru Kanbe, at that time working for VAP, was originally introduced and recommended for production of the series by the series composer Takao Yoshioka, as he believed that Kanbe's general moe drawing style and composition would be ideal to adapt the manga, still in publication at the time, into an anime series. Kanbe himself was originally reluctant about joining the product, however gained interest upon reading the manga. Lynn Okamoto ) is a mangaka. ... Takeshi Seyama is a Japanese film editor. ... Kumiko Oguro ), whose maiden name is Noma ), is a Japanese female opera singer. ... Chieko Kawabe ), born February 24, 1987) is a female J-pop singer. ... This article needs copyediting (checking for proper English spelling, grammar, usage, etc. ... The properties that make a character moe are often difficult to define but easy to recognize. ...

Kanbe originally thought that "this was a love story, and I could make it so that it would bring viewers to tears."^[8] Thus, he made attempts throughout the series to provide a contrast of emotions, commenting that he could make the violence exemplify this throughout the series. The setting in Kamakura was, according to the production team, ideal for the poignant and reflective drama in the series to unfold, as its general tranquility and geography made for a reflective and yet eerie, deep-meaning backdrop to the series.^[9]

Plot deviations

Compared to its manga original, the approach and depth of information presented by the anime involving the diclonius race differs greatly. The diclonius virus is explained in less detail with scenes such as Professor Kakuzawa's explanation of the half-diclonius status and ancestry of his family to Lucy being omitted. The diclonius characters in general are shown to have distinct limits on their vectors' quantity and range, which is not true in the manga which states that Lucy's are still growing. Kinship and descent is one of the major concepts of cultural anthropology. ...

Characters were introduced in the manga that were otherwise completely omitted from the anime series. An example of this early on in the manga is an acquaintance of Yuka's, referred to as "Nozomi-chan." Similarly, the music box playing the "Lilium" melody that is featured in the anime never appears in the manga. A musical box (or music box) is a 19th century automatic musical instrument that produces sounds by the use of a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder so as to strike the tuned teeth of a steel comb. ... Lilium is the opening theme song for the anime Elfen Lied. ...

Music

Written in Ecclesiastical Latin lyrics cited from biblical passages, arranged in style of Gregorian chant and performed by soprano Kumiko Noma. A majority of the incidental music in the anime series contains a variation of Lilium, either performed by the tenors or on pianoforte, usually during shots of scenery. Lilium is the opening theme song for the anime Elfen Lied. ... The term Ecclesiastical Latin (sometimes called Church Latin) refers to the Latin language as used in documents of the Roman Catholic Church and in its Latin liturgies. ... Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Kumiko Oguro ), whose maiden name is Noma ), is a Japanese female opera singer. ...

While being a stark contrast to the horror and drama of the series, "Be Your Girl," performed by Chieko Kawabe, is a pop-rock single and is often regarded by fans as a reflection of the relationship between Nyu and Kohta. None of the production team have commented of this usage, however. The song brought Kawabe to fame on the J-pop charts. Be Your Girl is a song performed by Chieko Kawabe, released in 2004. ... Chieko Kawabe ), born February 24, 1987) is a female J-pop singer. ... J-pop is an abbreviation of Japanese pop. ...

Reception

The series has received praise for its story and technical excellence in production quality, animation and color.^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]Due to the many scenes of nudity and gore in the series, it has drawn criticism as being "overly blatant".^[14] or "sad and forced"^[15] The boldness of the first seven minutes of the first episode have deterred some viewers and caused controversy as to its release. The first four episodes are liberally scattered with horror and fanservice, often taking the form of bloody violence and random nudity and sexual innuendo.

Despite employing experienced voice actors for both the English and Japanese voice casts, such as Mamiko Noto and Kira Vincent-Davis, the series drew criticism for having sub-par voice acting across the series in the English dub, as well as in the first few episodes on the Japanese voice-overs.^[11] Another criticism is that the series ends abruptly with some loose ends to the story that could leave viewers unsatisfied.^[16] Mamiko Noto Mamiko Noto , born February 6, 1980 in Kanazawa, Ishikawa) is a seiyÅ«. She is very prolific, voicing leading roles in recent series such as School Rumble, Elfen Lied, Jigoku Shoujo, Ichigo 100%, and the anime version of Witchblade. ... Kira Vincent-Davis (Born July 9, 1979 in Houston, Texas) is an American voice actress, noted for her roles in English-language dubs of anime series. ...

Despite these criticisms, Western reviewers also describe the series as "really a genuinely good watch",^[14] "a horror series of exceptional merit",^[16] "certainly memorable"^[10] and "a very special show, good and bad parts taken into consideration".^[17] Anime News Network's members rated gave the series an average of 8.43 out of 10 ("Excellent") from 3983 votes, making it the fifty-seventh best anime listed in its database and the ninth most popular as of February 2008.^[18] In the 2004 AnimeReactor Community Awards, fans voted the Elfen Lied anime as the Best Opening/Ending Combination, Best Drama, Best Thriller (Mystery/Horror), Best Fanservice and also voted Lucy/Nyu as Best Female Character.^[19] Also at the first annual American Anime Awards 2007 at New York Comic-Con, Elfen Lied was nominated for "Best Short Series". This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Fanservice or fan service (Japanese simply saabisu, service), is a vaguely defined term used in visual media â€” particularly in anime fandom â€”to refer to elements in a story that are superfluous to a storyline, but designed to amuse or excite the audience. ...

Style and themes

In the comments made by director Mamoru Kanbe on the Elfen Lied website, he intended for the anime to question and discuss values based on the way in which humans divide each other by difference, as well as the belief that atrocities such as those committed by Lucy in the series are strongly influenced by the way in which people are treated by their fellow beings. The series frequently discusses the events and treatment which define the human character in such a way, and the problems which arise from discrimination, as well as the wild contrasts between compassion and vengeance between fellow humans, through the strong vengeance of Lucy compared with her past memory of Kouta. Many of the themes are mentioned at the teasers at the ends of episodes in the series.

Themes such as genocide and the attempts to "purify" the earth from each other also appear in the anime between diclonius and humans. Both species feel the need to populate the earth with their own species and wipe each other out. Kanbe quoted this in relation to the desire of humans to cast each other out and segregate each other.^[20]

Throughout the series, there is a great deal of nudity, blood and gore, extreme graphic violence as well as psychological violence. One of the most prevalent motifs of the series is the humanity of the diclonius, especially contrasted against the inhumanity of ordinary people. One reviewer described the series as "devoted to quite a few of the darker, more callous factors of human nature".^[17] Throughout the series there are various incidences of human sadism, casual beatings, cruel experimentation, and outright killing. Nude redirects here. ... Graphic violence is the depiction of violence in media such as film, television, and video games. ... {redirect|Psychological science|the journal|Psychological Science (journal)}} Not to be confused with Phycology. ... For other uses, see Violence (disambiguation). ... Flogging demonstration at Folsom Street Fair 2004. ...

Unlike other anime which distinctively fall into a specific subcategory, Elfen Lied does not fall under any specific genre, containing elements of horror, comedy, drama, romance, action, science-fiction, and suspense. A majority of the episodes contain graphic amounts of violence and gruesome deaths. There is also a lot of female nudity and serious thematic material such as child rape and torture. The series also sometimes has strong language; the word "fuck" is used several times throughout in the English localization. Compared to the other anime of its time, the series is very radical, bold and daring in terms of its plot and content. The series juxtaposes many different tones and genres and was described by a reviewer as "mixing insane amounts of violence with a heavy dose of 'ultra-cuteness.'"^[21] The series balances its darker themes with romantic sub-plots as well as many comic moments. Elfen Lied has been described as similar to, or borrowing elements from Chobits, 3x3 Eyes^[10] and Gunslinger Girl.^[21] Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 â€“ February 6, 1918) was an Austrian Symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Art Nouveau (Vienna Secession) movement. ... The Kiss (original Der Kuss) was painted by Gustav Klimt, and is probably his most famous work. ... A subplot is a series of connected actions within a work of narrative that function separately from the main plot. ... Serialized in Young Magazine Original run 2001 â€“ 2002 No. ... 3x3 Eyes (Sazan Eyes) was a manga created by acclaimed manga artist Yuzo Takada, and is probably his most successful series. ... Serialized in Dengeki Daioh Original run November 2002 â€“ Present No. ...

Cultural references

The opening and ending sequences feature artistic drawings of the principal characters. These characters are drawn in a style based on Gustav Klimt's paintings, imitating poses, colors, and patterns.^[10] The German song Elfenlied ("Elf Song"), from which the title takes its name, appears in the manga^[22] and is credited to the composer Hugo Wolf. A poem by Eduard Mörike is the basis for Wolf's version. The song does not appear in the anime as it is taught to Nyu by the manga-only character Nozomi. All episode titles have dual-titles in German. Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 â€“ February 6, 1918) was an Austrian Symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Art Nouveau (Vienna Secession) movement. ... Lied (plural Lieder) is a German word, literally meaning song; among English speakers, however, it is used primarily as a term for European classical music songs, also known as art songs. ... Italic text:This article is about the poem by Eduard MÃ¶rike, for the anime TV series, see: Elfen Lied Elfenlied (lit. ... Photograph of Hugo Wolf Hugo Wolf (March 13, 1860 â€“ February 22, 1903) was an Austrian composer of Slovene origin, particularly noted for his art songs, or Lieder. ... Eduard Friedrich MÃ¶rike (Ludwigsburg, September 8, 1804 â€“ June 4, 1875 in Stuttgart) was a German romantic poet. ... The female lead characters of Elfen Lied, left to right: Mayu, Yuka, NyÅ«, Nana This article lists the fictional characters in the manga/anime series Elfen Lied. ...

References

^ Backstage - Official Elfen Lied website (Japanese). Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
^ Solomon, Charles. "Mean Girls", New York Times, July 17, 2005.
^ ADV Films (September 28, 2005). "Great Reason To Give Thanks With Nine New Releases November 15th". Press release.
^ Elfen Lied Ep. 1: Yuka greets Kohta and then says "Yuka desu... Itoko no..."「ユカです…従姉妹の…」, which quite unambiguously translates as "I'm Yuka. Your cousin."
^ Yuka's relationship with Kohta may be considered taboo or illegally incestuous by U.S. viewers, but relationships between cousins is not considered scandalous in Japan and is a topic seen regularly in anime. See: Why is Romance Between Cousins Common in Anime?
^ Anime Boston 2006 - A.D. Vision. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2006-06-05.
^ Re: What kind of anime do you complainers want?. Adult Swim (April 27, 2006)). Retrieved on 2007-09-23.
^ Exclusive Mamoru Kanbe interview, DVD Extra - Elfen Lied DVD 1 (Vector One). Released by Madman Entertainment and ADV Films.
^ Production Note, Official Elfen Lied website (Japanese). VAP. Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Robinson, Tasha (August 8, 2005). Elfen Lied. Sci Fi Weekly. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
^ ^a ^b Martin, Theron (May 16, 2005). Elfen Lied DVD 1 Review. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2006-04-19.
^ Martin, Theron (July 22, 2005). Elfen Lied DVD 2 Review. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
^ Pierce, Travis (May 27, 2005). Elfen Lied Review. Gamerz-Edge. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
^ ^a ^b Laeno, Dominic. Elfen Lied review - Second opinion. THEM Anime Reviews 4.0. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
^ Negative First Impression Theater: Elfen Lied. Iron Circus (February 12, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
^ ^a ^b Martin, Theron (November 28, 2005). Elfen Lied DVD 4 Review. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2006-04-19.
^ ^a ^b Høgset, Stig. Elfen Lied review. THEM Anime Reviews 4.0. Retrieved on 2006-08-21.
^ Elfen Lied (TV). Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2007-02-17.
^ AnimeReactor Community Awards - 2004. Results. AnimeReactor.net (February 27, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
^ Backstage - Official Elfen Lied website (Japanese). Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
^ ^a ^b Dong, Bamboo (June 29, 2005). Shelf Life - Sound of Bounce on Free Throw. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
^ Okamoto, Lynn. Elfen Lied Volume 5 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 154. ISBN 4-08-876477-3.

id="External_links"> Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For information on Wikipedia press releases, see Wikipedia:Press releases. ... This article is about cultural prohibitions in general; for other uses, see Taboo (disambiguation). ... Incest is defined as sexual relations between closely related persons (often within the immediate family) such that it is either illegal or socially taboo. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 156th day of the year (157th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Adult Swim is the name for an adult-oriented television programming network. ... is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Madmans Logo Madman Entertainment is an Australian company that specialises in the distribution of Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. ... ADV Films logo ADV Films is the home video publication arm of A.D. Vision based in Houston, Texas. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 79th day of the year (80th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 109th day of the year (110th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 203rd day of the year (204th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 332nd day of the year (333rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 109th day of the year (110th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is one of a family of wiki-based projects run by the Wikimedia Foundation, running on MediaWiki software. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

Contents

Story GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");