1. Anime Deutsch Untertitel
2. Elfen Lied Anime Deutsch Download Itunes

Elfen Lied Episode 9. Elfen Lied Episode 9 English Subbed at gogoanime. Category: TV Series. Directed by Kinji Yoshimoto, the anime aired twelve episodes in Japan from April 2 to June 18, 2009 on AT-X, with subsequent broadcasts on Chiba TV, Sun Television, and Tokyo MX. The series aired uncensored on AT-X, while being heavily censored on other channels. Read more about this topic on MyAnimeList, and join in the discussion on the largest online anime and manga database in the world! Join the online community, create your anime and manga list, read reviews, explore the forums, follow news, and so much more! (Topic ID: 34837).

Queen's Blade (Japanese: クイーンズブレイドHepburn: Kuīnzu Bureido) is a series of visual combat books published by Hobby Japan inspired by the licensed works from Firelight Game Company's Lost Worlds. First published in 2005, it features erotic and sexually suggestive depictions of an exclusively female cast of characters. (There is particular emphasis on the large, jiggling breasts, erect nipples, hourglass figures and ample buttocks of many of the contestants.) The overall plot of the game revolves around a tournament called the Queen's Blade, which is held once every four years to determine a Queen.

Since its original release, this title has evolved into a media franchise, spanning four manga adaptations, three anime adaptations, three light novels, and a video game adaptation. This title was followed by a sequel Queen's Blade Rebellion (クイーンズブレイド リベリオンKuīnzu Bureido Riberion), featuring all-new characters as well as remakes of previous characters, and a supplement called Queen's Gate (クイーンズゲイトKuīnzu Geito), featuring licensed characters from other games and series. In turn, Queen's Blade Rebellion will be followed by Queen's Blade Grimoire (クイーンズブレイド グリムワールKuīnzu Bureido Gurimuwāru), a new series featuring a different story, with more details still to come. Figures of the characters made by various manufacturers, such as Kaiyodo with their Revoltech series, have also been produced along with several memorabilia. A new project including a new anime series featuring new characters in an original story has been announced under the name of Queen's Blade Unlimited (クイーンズブレイド UNLIMITED).^[2][3]

• 2Media

Story[edit]

In the Continent, a tournament called the Queen's Blade is held once every four years to determine the most beautiful and powerful Queen. Held in Gainos (ガイノスGainosu, also Gynos), the Queen's Capital, various fighters from all over the Continent travel to the Capital to defeat Aldra, the current Queen. The overall story of Queen's Blade focuses on Leina, the heiress of the esteemed Vance Family and next in line for the throne, as she travels to Gainos, encountering many other warriors also competing in the Queen's Blade for their own intentions.

The original gamebooks feature characters designed by many popular artists, including Hirokazu Hisayuki (My-HiME), Kazuhiro Takamura, and Eiwa.

Media[edit]

Gamebooks[edit]

• Series 1 (Leina and Risty) - Released November 25, 2005.^[4][5]
• Series 2 (Irma and Nowa) - Released December 28, 2005.^[6][7]
• Series 3 (Tomoe and Echidna) - Released June 9, 2006.^[8][9]
• Series 4 (Menace and Elina) - Released September 29, 2006.^[10][11]
• Series 5 (Airi and Leina 3D) - Released December 22, 2006.^[12][13]
• Series 6 (Nanael and Cattleya) - Released March 16, 2007.^[14][15]
• Series 7 (Nyx and Melpha) - Released June 29, 2007.^[16][17]
• Series 8 (Melona and Claudette) - Released October 18, 2007.^[18][19]
• Series 9 (Ymir) - Released February 15, 2008.^[20]
  • A limited-edition second-player color version of Ymir was distributed exclusively by online hobby shop Post Channel.^{[citation needed]}
• Series 10 (Aldra and Alleyne) - Released June 20, 2008.^[21][22]

At Anime Expo 2010, Hobby Japan announced that English translations of the gamebooks will be released in North America.^[23] There exist English versions for the characters Alleyne, Melona, Nanael and Tomoe.^[24]

Anime[edit]

An anime adaptation of Queen's Blade, entitled Queen's Blade: Exiled Warrior (クイーンズブレイド 流浪の戦士Kuīnzu Bureido: Rurō no Senshi), was produced by ARMS. Directed by Kinji Yoshimoto, the anime aired twelve episodes in Japan from April 2 to June 18, 2009 on AT-X, with subsequent broadcasts on Chiba TV, Sun Television, and Tokyo MX. The series aired uncensored on AT-X, while being heavily censored on other channels. Six DVD and Blu-ray disc volumes were released by Media Factory between June 25, 2009 and November 25, 2009,^[25][26] each DVD/BD volume containing one of six OVAs. A second season, Queen's Blade: Successors to the Throne (クイーンズブレイド 玉座を継ぐ者Kuīnzu Bureido: Gyokuza o Tsugumono), aired on AT-X and other channels from September 24 to December 10, 2009. Six DVD/BD volumes were released by Media Factory between December 22, 2009 and May 25, 2010,^[27][28] each containing six OVAs which continue from the first six.

An OVA series, called Queen's Blade: Beautiful Fighters (クイーンズブレイド ～美しき闘士たち～Kuīnzu Bureido ~Utsukushiki Tōshi-tachi~), was announced on the May issue of Monthly Hobby Japan.^[29] The series takes place after the events of the Queen's Blade tournament but before Rebellion, and chronicles the characters on their separate paths. The episodes were released on six DVD and Blu-ray volumes from August 25, 2010 to March 30, 2011.^[30][31]

In North America, the first and second anime adaptations are licensed by Media Blasters under the respective titles Queen's Blade: The Exiled Virgin and Queen's Blade 2: The Evil Eye.^[32] The first season was released between May 18 and October 26, 2010 as three DVD volumes, each containing four episodes,^[33][34] while the second season was released between May 24, 2011 and July 19, 2011 as two half-series volumes.^[35][36]Blu-ray box sets of the two seasons were later released on February 15, 2011 and September 27, 2011, respectively.^[37][38]Sentai Filmworks has licensed the Beautiful Fighters OVAs and will release them on digital and home video formats.^[39] On May 11, 2017, the channel Toku announced that the first season would be broadcast on its channel beginning June 5, 2017 through August 21, 2017.^[40]

The opening theme for the first season is 'Get the Door' by Rie Ohashi, while the ending theme is 'Memories and Promises' (思い出と約束Omoide to Yakusoku) by Ayako Kawasumi, Mamiko Noto, and Aya Hirano, the voices for Leina, Tomoe, and Nanael, respectively. The opening theme for the second season is 'Empty Sky' (墜ちない空Ochinai Sora) by ENA while the ending theme is 'buddy-body' by Rie Kugimiya, Yuko Goto, and Kanae Ito, the voices for Melona, Menace, and Airi, respectively. For the OVA, the ending theme is 'Bitōshi Carnival: Taoreru Toki wa Maemuki ni' (美闘士カーニバル～たおれる時は前向きに～) by All 19 Beautiful Warriors, consisting of the entire female voice cast of the series.

Manga[edit]

An anthology comic of Queen's Blade was published by Hobby Japan with four volumes released between April 25, 2007 and February 25, 2008.^[41][42] A manga adaptation centered on Leina illustrated by Kabao Kikkawa was serialized in the October 2008 issue of Media Factory's seinenmanga magazineMonthly Comic Alive.^[43] Three volumes were released between February 2, 2009 and January 23, 2010 under Media Factory's Alive Comics imprint.^[44][45]

Another manga adaptation of Queen's Blade illustrated by Iku Nanazuki called Queen's Blade: Hide & Seek (クイーンズブレイド -Hide&Seek-), began serialization in the December 2007 issue of Comp Ace. A spinoff of the original, the series centers on Elina searching for her older sister Leina, and it introduces Frolell, a servant of the Vance family who travels with Elina on her journey to bring Leina back. Five volumes were released by Kadokawa Shoten between June 26, 2008 and June 26, 2010.^[46][47]

A third manga adaptation, called Queen's Blade Struggle (クイーンズブレイド ストラグルKuīnzu Bureido Sutoraguru), is illustrated by AstroguyII and began serialization in the December 2007 issue of Dengeki Black Maoh, and continued in Dengeki Maoh after the latter stopped circulation, albeit with new chapters delivered bimonthly. The first volume was released by ASCII Media Works on March 27, 2009,^[48] with four volumes currently available as of February 27, 2012 under their Dengeki Comics imprint.^[49]

Light novels[edit]

A light novel adaptation of Queen's Blade, called Queen's Blade: Sword of Unicorn (クイーンズブレイド　ソード・オブ・ユニコーンKuīnzu Bureido: Sōdo obu Yunikōn), is written by Eiji Okita with illustrations by Eiwa. The first volume was released on April 27, 2007 by Hobby Japan under their HJ Bunko imprint,^[50] and released five volumes until November 1, 2008.^[51] A bonus novel called Fierce Battle! Queen's Blade (激闘！クイーンズブレイドGekitō! Kuīnzu Bureido) was published on March 1, 2008, with illustrations provided by Hirotaka Akaga.^[52]

A light novel based on the first anime series, written by Okita and illustrated by Tsumotu Miyazawa, was also published by Hobby Japan, and released two volumes between August 1, 2009 and October 1, 2009.^[53][54]

Video game[edit]

Anime Deutsch Untertitel

A role-playing game called Queen's Blade: Spiral Chaos (クイーンズブレイド スパイラルカオスKuīnzu Bureido: Supairaru Kaosu) was developed by Bandai Namco Games for the PlayStation Portable. It was released on December 17, 2009, and features all-new characters and an original storyline exclusive to the game in addition to recurring characters from the original series. A limited edition of the game, called the Gekitō Pack, was also released, featuring a Cute figure from Figma and a bonus character voice CD.^[55] A sequel, Queen's Gate: Spiral Chaos, was released as part of the Queen's Gate series of works.

Other[edit]

• Queen's Blade Fan Disc: character dress-up software published in 2006.
• Queen's Blade i: A mobile phone game using game rules from the combat picture book series. Service host by DigitalMediaLab,Inc. and it supports FOMA 703i and 901i series. Carriers include NTT DoCoMo. The service seems to have been discontinued since.
• Queen's Blade Collection Card ver.2.0: A currently-produced card series with individual biography cards for each character (minus the Rebellion series so far), plus artwork cards and bubble gum.
• Three visual books called Queen's Blade: Beautiful Fighters Biographies (クイーンズブレイド美闘士列伝Kuīnzu Bureido: Bitōshi Retsuden) were released by Hobby Japan, narrating the backstories of the fighters before the tournament:
  • Picture Scroll of the Musha-Miko (武者巫女絵巻Musha-Miko Emaki), illustrated by Eiwa, released on Abril 28, 2007.^[56]
  • Tome of the Ancient Princess (古代王女の書Kodai Ōjo no Sho), illustrated by F.S., released on February 15, 2008.^[57]
  • Adventure of the Exiled Warrior (流浪の戦士冒険記Rurō no Senshi Bōken Ki), illustrated by Hirokazu Hisayuki, released on February 28, 2009.^[58]
• A databook called Queen's Blade: Perfect Visual Book (クイーンズブレイド パーフェクトビジュアルブックKuīnzu Bureido: Pāfekuto Bijuaru Bukku) was released by Hobby Japan on June 27, 2009. Aside from compiled illustrations from other official sources, the databook contains extended profiles on the fighters, a 'world guide' detailing many of the Continent's locations and the 'endings' of each character, or how their stories are resolved in the Queen's Blade arc, sometimes leading into the Queen's Blade Rebellion arc.^[59] The book is licensed under the title Queen's Blade: Perfect Visual Collection in North America by Vertical Publishing.^[60]
• Queen's Blade: The Duel: A collectible card game with Queen's Blade characters, later expanded with a few of the Queen's Gate and Rebellion characters and renamed to Duel System TCG. Released by Megahobby in 2008.
• Queen's Blade: The Conquest: An RPG Browser game featuring the Queen's Blade characters made by Aiming in 2012, with plans to be expanded with Rebellion characters. It is free-to-play, though items can be bought to progress faster and reduce cooldown time.

References[edit]

1. ^'Queen's Blade Unlimited 'Reboot' Video Anime Reveals Cast, Staff, 2018 Debut'. natalie.mu (in Japanese). Retrieved March 22, 2018.
2. ^'クイーンズブレイド UNLIMITED'. queensblade.net (in Japanese). Retrieved February 17, 2017.
3. ^'Queen's Blade Gets New Anime, Figure Project'. Anime News Network. February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
4. ^クイーンズブレイド「流浪の戦士レイナ」 (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
5. ^クイーンズブレイド「荒野の義賊リスティ」 (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
6. ^クイーンズブレイド 「牙の暗殺者イルマ」 (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
7. ^クイーンズブレイド 「森の番人ノワ」 (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
8. ^クイーンズブレイド 武者巫女トモエ (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
9. ^クイーンズブレイド 歴戦の傭兵エキドナ (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
10. ^クイーンズブレイド 古代の王女 メナス (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
11. ^クイーンズブレイド 近衛隊長 エリナ (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
12. ^クイーンズブレイド 冥土へ誘うものアイリ (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
13. ^'クイーンズブレイド 高貴なる戦士レイナ3D' (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
14. ^クイーンズブレイド 光明の天使ナナエル (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
15. ^クイーンズブレイド 武器屋カトレア (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
16. ^クイーンズブレイド 炎の使い手 ニクス (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
17. ^クイーンズブレイド 帝都の聖女 メルファ (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
18. ^クイーンズブレイド 千変の刺客 メローナ (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
19. ^クイーンズブレイド 雷雲の将 クローデット (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
20. ^クイーンズブレイド 鋼鉄姫ユーミル (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
21. ^クイーンズブレイド 逢魔の女王アルドラ (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
22. ^クイーンズブレイド 戦闘教官アレイン (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
23. ^'Hobby Japan to Print English Queen's Blade, Hyakka Ryōran'. Anime News Network. 2010-07-03. Retrieved 2010-12-03.
24. ^'Queens Blade Lost Worlds Books in English'. Flying Buffalo. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
25. ^'クイーンズブレイド 流浪の戦士 第1巻【DVD】' (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
26. ^'クイーンズブレイド 流浪の戦士 第6巻【DVD】' (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
27. ^'クイーンズブレイド 玉座を継ぐ者　第1巻【DVD】' (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
28. ^'クイーンズブレイド 玉座を継ぐ者　第6巻【DVD】' (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
29. ^'Queen's Blade Utsukushiki Tōshi-tachi OVA Announced'. Anime News Network. March 23, 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
30. ^'クイーンズブレイド 美しき闘士たち「信義！エリナ揺るぎなき絆」【DVD】　メイン出演：エリナ、レイナ、エキドナ、ほか' (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
31. ^'クイーンズブレイド 美しき闘士たち「堕天！逸楽のナナエル」【DVD】' (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
32. ^'Media Blasters Adds Queen's Blade, Ikkitousen Great Guardians (Updated)'. Anime News Network. November 5, 2009. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
33. ^'Queen's Blade: The Exiled Virgin, Vol. 1: A Single Step'. Amazon.com. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
34. ^'Queen's Blade Exiled Virgin: Beaten Path'. Amazon.com. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
35. ^'Queens Blade 2: The Evil Eye Series Part 1'. Amazon.com. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
36. ^'Queens Blade 2: The Evil Eye, Part 2'. Amazon.com. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
37. ^'North American Anime, Manga Releases for February 2011'. Anime News Network. January 15, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
38. ^'Queens Blade 2: The Evil Eye Complete Series'. Amazon.com. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
39. ^'Sentai Filmworks Licenses Queen's Blade Beautiful Warriors'. Anime News Network. 2014-08-14.
40. ^'TOKU to Air Ultraseven X Live-Action Series, Queen's Blade: Wandering Warrior Anime'. Anime News Network. May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
41. ^クイーンズブレイドアンソロジーコミックス (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
42. ^'クイーンズブレイド アンソロジーコミックvol.4' (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
43. ^'New Queen's Blade, Chaos;Head Game Manga Announced'. Anime News Network. August 4, 2008. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
44. ^クイーンズブレイド ～流浪の戦士～(1) (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
45. ^クイーンズブレイド~流浪の戦士 3 (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
46. ^'クイーンズブレイド －Hide&Seek－ (1)' (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
47. ^'クイーンズブレイド －Hide&Seek－ (5)' (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Archived from the original on August 3, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
48. ^クイーンズブレイド ストラグル (1) (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
49. ^クイーンズブレイド ストラグル(4) (in Japanese). Dengeki Maoh. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
50. ^クイーンズブレイド　ソード・オブ・ユニコーン (in Japanese). Hobby Japan. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
51. ^クイーンズブレイド ナイト・オブ・ユニコーン (in Japanese). Hobby Japan. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
52. ^激闘！ クイーンズブレイド (in Japanese). Hobby Japan. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
53. ^クイーンズブレイド－流浪の戦士－（１） (in Japanese). Hobby Japan. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
54. ^クイーンズブレイド　流浪の戦士（２） (in Japanese). Hobby Japan. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
55. ^'Queen's Blade PSP Game: Queen's Blade Spiral Chaos ~Gekitou Pack~ Premium Box w/ Limited New Character 'Cute' figma Action Figure + Character Voice CD there is another game based on queens blade titled Scarlet blade(citation needed)'. Amazon.com. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
56. ^クイーンズブレイド 美闘士列伝 第一弾「武者巫女絵巻」 (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
57. ^クイーンズブレイド 美闘士列伝 「古代王女の書」 (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
58. ^クイーンズブレイド美闘士列伝「流浪の戦士冒険記」 (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
59. ^クイーンズブレイド パーフェクトビジュアルブック (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
60. ^'Vertical Adds Stan Lee & Tamon Ohta's Heroman, Keiko Suenobu's Limit Manga'. Anime News Network. February 24, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2012.

External links[edit]

• Official site(in Japanese)
• Official anime website(in Japanese)
• Queen's Gate official site(in Japanese)
• Queen's Gate: Spiral Chaos official site(in Japanese)
• Queen's Blade: Spiral Chaos official site(in Japanese)
• Queen's Blade The Duel official page(in Japanese)
• Queen's Blade The Conquest official page(in Japanese)
• Queen's Blade: The Exiled Virgin at Media Blasters
• Queen's Blade (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia

Elfen Lied (Japanese: エルフェンリートHepburn: Erufen Rīto) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Lynn Okamoto. It was originally serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump from June 2002 to August 2005, with the 107 chapters collected into twelve tankōbon volumes. Elfen Lied revolves around the interactions, views, emotions, and differences between human beings and the Diclonii, a mutant species similar to humans in build but distinguishable by two horns on their heads and 'vectors', transparent telekinetically controlled arms that have the power to manipulate and cut objects within their reach. The series is centered on the teenage Diclonius girl 'Lucy' who was rejected by human beings and subsequently wants revenge.

The series' title is German as well as Dutch for 'Elves' Song' or more formally 'song of the elves' and takes its name from the song 'Elfenlied', which is featured in the story. Elfen Lied involves themes of social alienation, identity, prejudice, revenge, abuse, jealousy, regret and the value of humanity.^[7] It is also noted for the graphic violence, emotional themes of how the characters change through, and the overall transgressive subject matter of the whole story. A 13-episode anime television series adaptation was produced by the studio Arms and broadcast on AT-X from July to October 2004. The anime began airing before the manga was complete; as a result, the plot differed between the two, especially the ending. The manga is licensed in North America by Dark Horse Comics. The anime series has been licensed in North America 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.^[8][9]

• 1Plot and characters
• 2Production
  • 2.1Anime
• 3Media

Plot and characters[edit]

Elfen Lied takes place in Kamakura and Kanagawa, and focuses on the 'Diclonius', a newly mutated species. Their appearance is similar to humans, but with several differences, namely horn-like protrusions on the forehead and the presence of telekinetic invisible arms called 'Vectors'. One such Diclonius, Lucy, is the main character of the series: Initially held in a facility built for experimentation, located off the coast of Kamakura, she manages to escape and wreak havoc, but is injured in the process, an event which causes her to develop a secondary, childlike personality known as Nyu.

Lucy is found by two locals, Kouta, who studies at the local university, and his cousin Yuka. They take her in, and become involved with the numerous, often brutal, attempts to recapture her by a Special Assault Team and a number of other Diclonius, who shift frequently from oblivious to murderous.

Diclonius[edit]

Much of the plot of Elfen Lied revolves around the Diclonii species, which strongly resemble humans; the only obvious difference is the two horn-like protrusions extending from the Temporal bone and Parietal bone regions of the skull.

Diclonii powers involve the use of invisible arms, known as 'vectors', that can grasp and impact things as if they are solid, but also become insubstantial and pass through objects. They can slice objects as well, which is how Diclonii usually kill their victims. Vectors usually have a limited range of a few meters, but the length varies among each Diclonius. Diclonii also demonstrate the ability to sense one another.

A key point of debate throughout the series is the Diclonius propensity towards violence. Many have a vendetta against humans, and have ambitions to wipe out the human race and populate the world with their own species. It is disputed and contradicted during the series as to how Diclonii develop their violent behavior, whether it is part of their genetic DNA or whether it stems from abuse by humans.

If a Diclonius vector penetrates or even so much as touches a human male body, the 'vector virus' is transferred to the human, causing their children to be born as Diclonii (when born from humans they are called 'Silpelits'). An incident involving the escape of a child Diclonius during Kurama's early years, where the Diclonius' vectors penetrated him without causing him pain, resulted in Mariko being born a Diclonius and Kurama taking precautions against a recurrence by urging Bando to be sterilized.^[10] All Diclonii (Silpelits) born from human parents are sterile and female. There is only one Diclonius that is actually capable of reproducing: Lucy, the 'queen'.

Production[edit]

Anime[edit]

When Elfen Lied was being adapted into an anime series, director Mamoru Kanbe was recommended to work on the series by the series composer, Takao Yoshioka. Yoshioka believed that Kanbe's general drawing style and composition would be ideal to adapt the manga, still in publication at the time, into an anime series. Kanbe himself, originally reluctant about joining the production, gained interest in it upon reading the manga.

While the manga was still ongoing at the time, Kanbe and the production team were forced to condense the plot of the series into thirteen episodes, even though they felt it was necessary to make more as several significant plot details in the manga which Kanbe felt he could have used to make the series more emotive were left out.^[11]

According to Kanbe, he considered Elfen Lied as a 'love story,' and he wanted to 'bring viewers to tears.'^[11] 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 production team were originally surprised by Okamoto's choice of Kamakura as a setting for the series; however, after several visits to the area, Kanbe commented that 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.^[12] This can be seen in several examples, such as on top of a set of steps overlooking the coastline, where many of the interactions between characters take place. This is used as an important device in conveying the ideas of memory and emotional association, such as the contrast between Kohta and Lucy's conversation when they were ten years old in comparison with their conversation in the final episode.

Style and themes[edit]

In comments made by director Mamoru Kanbe on the Elfen Lied website, he stated that he intended for the anime to question and discuss values relating to 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 Kohta. Many of the themes are mentioned at the teasers at the ends of episodes.

Themes such as genocide and the attempts to 'purify' the earth from each other also appear in the anime. Both Diclonius and the human species feel the need to populate the earth with their own and wipe the other out. Kanbe quoted this in relation to the desire of humans to cast each other out and segregate one another.^[7]

Throughout the series, there is a great deal of blood and gore, graphic violence as well as psychologicalviolence. 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.'^[13] Throughout the series there are various incidences of casual beatings, cruel experimentation, and outright killing. Also, animal cruelty is present when two young boys mercilessly beat Lucy's puppy until it dies; though the act is off-screen, a copious amount of blood is shown.

Most of the episodes contain graphic violence, including instances of torture, and at one point the series addresses consequences of the rape of a child. The series also includes scenes that present female nudity and strong language (specifically in the English dub). The series juxtaposes many different tones and genres and was described by Bamboo Dong of Anime News Network as 'mixing insane amounts of violence with a heavy dose of ultracuteness.'^[14] 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^[15] and Gunslinger Girl.^[14]

Cultural references[edit]

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, including The Kiss, Adele Bloch-Bauer I, and others with similar imitating poses, colors, and patterns.^[15] In promotional art as well as in the series itself, characters make use of a famous El Greco hand symbol of outstretched fingers with the middle and ring fingers connected. The songElfenlied ('Elf Song') appears in the manga^[16] and is credited to the composer Hugo Wolf. A poem by Eduard Mörike is the basis for Wolf's version. It is taught to Nyu by the manga-only protagonist Nozomi.

Media[edit]

Manga[edit]

Written and illustrated by Lynn Okamoto, Elfen Lied was serialized in Weekly Young Jump from June 6, 2002 to August 25, 2005. The series' 107 chapters were later published in 12 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha from October 18, 2002 to November 18, 2005. The manga has been licensed by Dark Horse Comics in North America, who will publish the series as four omnibus volumes.^[17] It is also published by Tokyopop in Germany, Planet Manga in Italy, Grupo Editorial Vid in Mexico, Panini Comics in Portugal and Ever Glory Publishing in Taiwan.

Anime[edit]

A 13-episode animetelevision series was directed by Mamoru Kanbe, animated by Arms and produced by Genco and VAP. The series' author, Lynn Okamoto, has a brief cameo appearance as a guest in episode 12. Elfen Lied first aired on TV Tokyo's AT-X satellite channel from July 25 to October 17, 2004, and was broadcast again in 2005. A single twenty-four-minute original video animation (OVA) episode was released by VAP on April 21, 2005. It takes place somewhere within the timespan of episode eleven of the original TV series. The anime's opening theme song is 'Lilium' performed by opera singer Kumiko Noma and is sung in Latin and Greek, with lyrics extracted from biblical passages and Christian sources, including the Book of Psalms, the Epistle of James, the Kyrie prayer, and the hymn 'Ave mundi spes Maria'.^{[18][19][20][21]} The ending theme song is 'Be Your Girl' by Chieko Kawabe. The series was released on Blu-ray in Japan on December 19, 2012.^[22]

The anime was licensed by ADV Films in the US in 2004 and was released on DVD in 2005. During the Anime Boston 2006^[23] (May 26–28) convention, ADV Films also announced the distribution rights of the OVA for release in the United States. However, the OVA was never released on television and was not included with the box set released by ADV Films in November 2006 or in the 'Complete Collection' DVDs released in June 2009 and December 2011. When ADV Films divided their assets, Elfen Lied was remained with them and in-print. A Blu-ray Disc box set (as well as a new DVD set) was released on September 3, 2013, by ADV and Section23 Films, making it the only Blu-ray release under the ADV brand, and contains the never-before released OVA.^[24][25]

The series was aired in the United Kingdom on Propeller TV (Sky) as part of Anime Network's short-lived launch in the United Kingdom. The series was aired uncut despite stricter censorship standard imposed by OFCOM on UK cable TV. The Anime Network is streaming the series On Demand in English, German, and French.^[5] The DVD box set released by ADV Films confirms that the series has a rating of TV-MASV; the Canadian rating is 14A. In a posting on the official Adult Swim message board in April 2006, Adult Swim programming director Kim Manning revealed that despite the series' high level of controversial content, Adult Swim actually inquired into possibly airing the series, as Manning was an avid fan herself and watched the entire series in one sitting. However, the channel's Standards and Practices department would have required the series 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 since.^[26] The series was licensed in Australia by Madman Entertainment.^[27]

Differences between media[edit]

Because the manga was in production by the time the TV series began broadcasting, the manga and anime have several significant plot differences. While the manga covers 107 chapters, the anime was condensed into 13 episodes and director Mamoru Kanbe said that he intended to feature much more of the original story. The anime only follows events roughly up to about halfway through the manga, and it has its own self-contained ending. As a result, several of the characters' pasts and details of the Diclonius are not featured in the anime. In 2005, a special original video animation (OVA), written to occur between the tenth and eleventh episodes of the anime, was released.

Several of the characters in the manga do not appear in the anime, such as Aiko, who Lucy encountered before the beginning of Elfen Lied (although she briefly appears in the OVA) and the characters of Silpelit Number 28, the Mariko clones, Lucy's younger half-brother, Anna Kakuzawa and Yuka's friend Nozomi, who wants to be a singer but cannot because of a verbally abusive father and unsupporting family. There is also a difference in the characters' personalities in the anime; Kohta is much more forgiving upon finding out that Lucy was the one who killed his family.

Several properties of the Diclonii change between the manga and anime; Lucy has much fewer vectors in the anime and her destructive power is far more powerful in the manga, at the point she can destroy buildings and sink an island, and there is greater variation in hair and eye color. In the manga a Diclonius' hair color can be as diverse as a human being's (e.g. Nana and Mariko have purple and blond hair, respectively) while in the anime, the female Diclonii have a uniform red or pink hair and eye color. Diclonius genetics are also explained in greater detail in the manga: For example, Kurama explains the purpose of the Silpelits and that the Diclonius virus can only be passed into the human male to produce Diclonius offspring. Small differences in the details of the plot and characters also exist: Kurama does not die at the end of the manga and Bando loses the lower half of his body.

Reception and legacy[edit]

Reception for the Elfen Lied anime series was generally mixed to positive. Reviewers such as Tasha Robinson of Sci Fi Weekly and Theron Martin of Anime News Network praised Elfen Lied for its story and technical excellence in production quality, animation and color.^{[15][4][28][29]} Due to the many scenes of nudity and gore in the series, Dominic Laeno criticized the series as being 'overly blatant'^[2]

Martin criticized the series for having 'sub-par voice acting', in both the original Japanese audio track and the English dub of the series, although he gave it 'A-' rating for both language dubs.^[4] Martin also said that 'the series ends abruptly with some loose ends to the story that could leave viewers unsatisfied', but also said that it is 'a horror series of exceptional merit'.^[3] Dominic Laeno of THEM Anime Reviews called the series 'a genuinely good watch'.^[2] Stig Høgset, also of THEM Anime Reviews, called Elfen Lied 'a very special show, good and bad parts taken into consideration'.^[13]

The Duffer Brothers have cited Elfen Lied as an influence on the 2016 Netflix show Stranger Things. They said that Elfen Lied was like an 'ultraviolent E.T.' and noted that the character Eleven was inspired by the anime. The Duffer Brothers also cited the influence of Akira, which in turn had influenced Elfen Lied.^[30]

Elfen Lied Anime Deutsch Download Itunes

On June 12, 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Culture listed Elfen Lied among 38 anime and manga titles banned in China.^[31]

References[edit]

1. ^ダークファンタジーまとめ (in Japanese). Akiba Souken. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
2. ^ ^abcLaeno, Dominic. 'Elfen Lied'. THEM Anime Reviews 4.0. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
3. ^ ^abMartin, Theron (November 28, 2005). 'Elfen Lied DVD 4 - Review'. Anime News Network. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
4. ^ ^abcMartin, Theron (May 16, 2005). 'Elfen Lied DVD 1 - Review'. Anime News Network. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
5. ^ ^abSOber (November 22, 2013). 'Elfen Lied (German and French) Now Available!'. Anime Network. Archived from the original on August 24, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
6. ^'Elfen Lied South Africa Animax'. Animax. Archived from the original on July 27, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
7. ^ ^ab'Backstage – Official Elfen Lied website' (in Japanese). Retrieved December 1, 2007.
8. ^Solomon, Charles (July 17, 2005). 'Mean Girls'. The New York Times. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
9. ^'Great Reason To Give Thanks With Nine New Releases November 15th' (Press release). ADV Films. September 28, 2005. Archived from the original on March 28, 2007. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
10. ^'Deep Feelings ~ Im Innersten'. Elfen Lied. Season 1. Episode 3. August 8, 2004. AT-X.
11. ^ ^abExclusive Mamoru Kanbe interview, DVD Extra – Elfen Lied DVD 1 (Vector One). Released by Madman Entertainment and ADV Films.
12. ^'Production Note'. Elfen Lied (in Japanese). VAP. Retrieved March 20, 2008.
13. ^ ^abHøgset, Stig. 'Elfen Lied review'. THEM Anime Reviews. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
14. ^ ^abDong, Bamboo (June 29, 2005). 'Sound of Bounce on Free Throw'. Anime News Network. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
15. ^ ^abcRobinson, Tasha (August 8, 2005). 'Elfen Lied'. Sci Fi Weekly. SCI FI. Archived from the original on September 20, 2006. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
16. ^Okamoto, Lynn. Elfen Lied Volume 5 (in Japanese). Shueisha. p. 154. ISBN4-08-876477-3.
17. ^Ressler, Karen (July 4, 2018). 'Dark Horse Licenses Lynn Okamoto's Elfen Lied Manga'. Anime News Network. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
18. ^Martin, Theron (November 28, 2005). 'Elfen Lied DVD 4 Review'. Anime News Network. Retrieved 2018-10-23. ...the liner notes explain the translation and composition of the lyrics for 'Lilium:' they're an amalgamation of phrases taken from Biblical verses, hymns, and Nicholas Melchior's Alchemical Mass.
19. ^Verses 'Os iusti meditabitur sapientiam,||Et lingua eius loquetur iudicium' are from the Vulgate, Psalms 36:30, meaning 'The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom: and his tongue shall speak judgment.' (Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition). Verses 'Beatus vir qui suffert tentationem,||Quoniam cum probatus fuerit accipiet coronam vitae.' are also from the Vulgate, Epistle of James 1:12, meaning 'Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been proved, he shall receive a crown of life.' (Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition). Verses 'Kyrie, fons bonitatis.||Kyrie, ignis divine, eleison.' appear in the Theatrum Chemicum, an alchemical mass written by Nicholas Melchior, meaning 'Lord, fount of goodness, have mercy. Lord, divine fire, have mercy.'. Verses 'O quam sancta, quam serena,||Quam benigna, quam amoena esse Virgo creditur.||O castitatis lilium.' appear in Ave mundi spes Maria, meaning 'Oh how holy, how serene, how bounteous, how delightful the Virgin is believed to be. Oh lily of chastity/purity.'.
20. ^Barnaud, Nicolas (1659). 'Addam et processum sub forma missae, a Nicolao Melchiore Cibinensi Transilvano, ad Ladislaum Ungariae et Bohemiae regem olim missum'. Procesus chemici, Theatrum chemicum. Digital Library of Wielkopolska. p. 759.
21. ^Online translated text of alchemical mass, perhaps incomplete.
22. ^Loo, Egan (October 8, 2012). 'Elfen Lied Blu-ray Box to Add Exclusive Manga'. Anime News Network. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
23. ^Koulikov, Mikhail (May 29, 2006). 'A.D. Vision'. Anime News Network. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
24. ^Loo, Egan (May 30, 2013). 'Section23 Adds Elfen Lied OVA to Complete Collection Blu-ray/DVD'. Anime News Network. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
25. ^Beveridge, Chris (May 30, 2013). 'ADV Films Brings 'Elfen Lied' TV+OVA Anime DVD/BD Release'. The Fandom Post. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
26. ^'Re: What kind of anime do you complainers want?'. Adult Swim. April 27, 2006. Archived from the original on 2009-07-19. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
27. ^'ADV to license Elfen lied'. Mania Entertainment. November 28, 2006. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
28. ^Martin, Theron (July 22, 2005). 'Elfen Lied DVD 2 - Review'. Anime News Network. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
29. ^Pierce, Travis (May 27, 2005). 'Gamerz-Edge Elfen Lied Review'. Gamerz-Edge. Archived from the original on December 15, 2006. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
30. ^Duffer, Ross; Duffer, Matt (August 7, 2016). 'Inside 'Stranger Things': The Duffer Bros. on How They Made the TV Hit of the Summer'. The Daily Beast (Interview). Interviewed by Melissa Leon. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
31. ^'China bans 38 anime & manga titles including 'Attack on Titan''. Special Broadcasting Service. June 12, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2019.

External links[edit]

• Official VAP anime website(in Japanese)
• Elfen Lied (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Elfen Lied at the Internet Movie Database