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Elfen Lied, episodes 5-8
Did you think that this series couldn't get any worse? YOU WERE WRONG.
Mayu (the homeless one) leaves Kohta's house because she "doesn't want to be a bother" to him or Yuta. It is revealed that she was sexually abused by her step-father, and that's why she ran away from home (her mother didn't believe her, and told her she was a bother).
The police find Mayu, but so do Kohta and Yuta, and they take her back home with them in the rain. Mayu cries about what a bother she is, and her mother allows her to legally stay with Kohta. Mayu begins attending school.
Yuta and Kohta attend lecture together. It is revealed that Yuta turned down attending better universities so that she could be with Kohta, the cousin she's in love with. Nyu is attending lecture with Yuta and Kohta, and then the professor recognizes her. He cancels class, tells Yuta and Kohta that he is Nyu's uncle, and tells them to leave.
Kohta and Yuta do not question this story at all, and despite Nyu's screaming Kohta's name (I think the first time she's said any word besides "nyu"), they leave her alone with the professor and go home.
Of course, the professor knows Nyu because of the experiments performed upon her - he was involved in them. She is soon naked and tied up, and crying. He tells her that they will be the new "Adam and Eve."
At home, Mayu is the one to suggest that Nyu's "uncle" might be lying (it makes sense that she has the inclination to distrust male authority figures). Yuta takes this opportunity to ask Kohta if he would cry if she was the one who was gone. He calls her an idiot, and tells her not to ask him things like that.
Threatened, Nyu's "Lucy" personality wakes up. The professor wants her to kill humans and then repopulate the world with dicloniuses like herself. She decapitates him, telling him she doesn't need him. Probably the only female empowerment moment of the entire series.
Kohta leaves the house, telling a submissive Yuta to stay behind. The professor's assistant has the pleasure of showing Kohta to his laboratory. On the way, she remarks that her boss has the tendency to stare at her butt. WHY IS THIS NECESSARY? IT IS NOT.
After seeing the professor's dead body, Kohta has a flashback to lots of blood, and a childhood-version of himself. He forgets what he was saying in mid-sentence. DO I SENSE PTSD?
It is revealed that Nana's (the girl who got all her limbs chopped off) "Papa" killed his daughter when she was a baby because she was a diclonius like Lucy and Nana. Because of this, his wife committed suicide. Oh, he has angst, so let us pity the sick fuck who takes part in the experiments that created Lucy and Nana.
Yuta and Kohta have a romantic interlude outside of a shrine. AND WHAT DOES YUTA SAY TO BE THE ROMANTIC JUST-BEFORE-THE-KISS LINE? "I don't mind being your property." I JUST....WTF. FOR REAL. WTF. I don't even know what to say to that. WHAT. THE. FUCK. Luckily, there was a general outcry in the room while we watched this during Club. At least the audience is capable of being indignant on some points.
Nana is alive, and has been given tons of money by her "Papa," who hopes she can get away from the people trying to kill her, and survive on her own. She has prosthetic limbs that she can pop off at will, and sometimes they pop off all on their own. An assassin finds her and shoots her with heavy bullets. She keeps repeating, like a mantra, "Papa told me not to fight, and I'm trying to obey. I'm trying to be a good girl."
The director of the diclonius project calls Lucy a queen bee. Apparently, people like Lucy are said to suffer from a "vector virus," which makes them a diclonius.
My prediction, with these Kohta flashbacks, is that Lucy is the one who killed his little sister. POSSIBLY, "director" man/Nana's "Papa" is Kohta's father, and that's why Kohta doesn't have parents any more. He's suppressing horrific memories. Either way, Lucy was involved for sure.
Mayu finds and befriends Nana. Because this harem anime needs another girl living with Kohta.
When Nana sees Nyu, she attacks her. Nana cries when she is scolded by the others, saying "I didn't do anything wrong!" about one hundred times. Nana tells Mayu about Nyu's "Lucy" side; it remains to be seen if anyone ever cares about the fact that they're living with a psychopathic mass-murderer.
Lucy has a flashback to being a child. She is in some school where she was teased for being a diclonius (identifiable by the horns), and her parents hated her because she was weird. "If only I was strong," is what she says. She has one girl friend who tells her not to let the boys pick on her and beat her so much. Lucy somehow comes to own a puppy. One day, the boys come into the classroom with the puppy (Where are the teachers? We never know!). They tease Lucy, and it is only when they threaten the puppy that she actually gets angry, instead of submissive. The boys beat the puppy to death while Lucy screams and watches in horror (this is not shown, but there are sound effects). Lucy's girl friend arrives in the room, and it's revealed that she's the one who told the boys where to find the puppy (knowing that they would kill it). Lucy snaps, and kills all of them by making their heads explode. Blood covers the walls, ceiling, and everything else.
At the end of the episode, Lucy and Kohta realize that a childhood memory that keeps getting triggered is one that is shared between the two of them. A MEMORY OF DEATH, AMIRITE??
I still feel disgusted after watching this series, and once again, it's not the nudity (minimal in this batch) or the violence (Except for the puppy-beating. Apparently, even my tolerance has limits). It's watching every female character, and just....wanting to scream. I might need to watch some Revolutionary Girl Utena to feel better after this. This is one of the media-consuming experiences where about 85% of my conscious thought is something along the lines of, "I could write something much better than this."
There are only 5 episodes left in this series, and I intend to finish it out. If nothing else, I'll be able to argue with others about why it really sucks. I still don't understand why everyone likes this series. Even if the horrific gender-stuff didn't bother me, it's just really lazy storytelling. A harem anime with lots of weird shit going on for cheap shock-value, and dubious back stories rife with so much sexuality and improbable horrific shunning that I am unable to connect with the characters at all.
Mayu (the homeless one) leaves Kohta's house because she "doesn't want to be a bother" to him or Yuta. It is revealed that she was sexually abused by her step-father, and that's why she ran away from home (her mother didn't believe her, and told her she was a bother).
The police find Mayu, but so do Kohta and Yuta, and they take her back home with them in the rain. Mayu cries about what a bother she is, and her mother allows her to legally stay with Kohta. Mayu begins attending school.
Yuta and Kohta attend lecture together. It is revealed that Yuta turned down attending better universities so that she could be with Kohta, the cousin she's in love with. Nyu is attending lecture with Yuta and Kohta, and then the professor recognizes her. He cancels class, tells Yuta and Kohta that he is Nyu's uncle, and tells them to leave.
Kohta and Yuta do not question this story at all, and despite Nyu's screaming Kohta's name (I think the first time she's said any word besides "nyu"), they leave her alone with the professor and go home.
Of course, the professor knows Nyu because of the experiments performed upon her - he was involved in them. She is soon naked and tied up, and crying. He tells her that they will be the new "Adam and Eve."
At home, Mayu is the one to suggest that Nyu's "uncle" might be lying (it makes sense that she has the inclination to distrust male authority figures). Yuta takes this opportunity to ask Kohta if he would cry if she was the one who was gone. He calls her an idiot, and tells her not to ask him things like that.
Threatened, Nyu's "Lucy" personality wakes up. The professor wants her to kill humans and then repopulate the world with dicloniuses like herself. She decapitates him, telling him she doesn't need him. Probably the only female empowerment moment of the entire series.
Kohta leaves the house, telling a submissive Yuta to stay behind. The professor's assistant has the pleasure of showing Kohta to his laboratory. On the way, she remarks that her boss has the tendency to stare at her butt. WHY IS THIS NECESSARY? IT IS NOT.
After seeing the professor's dead body, Kohta has a flashback to lots of blood, and a childhood-version of himself. He forgets what he was saying in mid-sentence. DO I SENSE PTSD?
It is revealed that Nana's (the girl who got all her limbs chopped off) "Papa" killed his daughter when she was a baby because she was a diclonius like Lucy and Nana. Because of this, his wife committed suicide. Oh, he has angst, so let us pity the sick fuck who takes part in the experiments that created Lucy and Nana.
Yuta and Kohta have a romantic interlude outside of a shrine. AND WHAT DOES YUTA SAY TO BE THE ROMANTIC JUST-BEFORE-THE-KISS LINE? "I don't mind being your property." I JUST....WTF. FOR REAL. WTF. I don't even know what to say to that. WHAT. THE. FUCK. Luckily, there was a general outcry in the room while we watched this during Club. At least the audience is capable of being indignant on some points.
Nana is alive, and has been given tons of money by her "Papa," who hopes she can get away from the people trying to kill her, and survive on her own. She has prosthetic limbs that she can pop off at will, and sometimes they pop off all on their own. An assassin finds her and shoots her with heavy bullets. She keeps repeating, like a mantra, "Papa told me not to fight, and I'm trying to obey. I'm trying to be a good girl."
The director of the diclonius project calls Lucy a queen bee. Apparently, people like Lucy are said to suffer from a "vector virus," which makes them a diclonius.
My prediction, with these Kohta flashbacks, is that Lucy is the one who killed his little sister. POSSIBLY, "director" man/Nana's "Papa" is Kohta's father, and that's why Kohta doesn't have parents any more. He's suppressing horrific memories. Either way, Lucy was involved for sure.
Mayu finds and befriends Nana. Because this harem anime needs another girl living with Kohta.
When Nana sees Nyu, she attacks her. Nana cries when she is scolded by the others, saying "I didn't do anything wrong!" about one hundred times. Nana tells Mayu about Nyu's "Lucy" side; it remains to be seen if anyone ever cares about the fact that they're living with a psychopathic mass-murderer.
Lucy has a flashback to being a child. She is in some school where she was teased for being a diclonius (identifiable by the horns), and her parents hated her because she was weird. "If only I was strong," is what she says. She has one girl friend who tells her not to let the boys pick on her and beat her so much. Lucy somehow comes to own a puppy. One day, the boys come into the classroom with the puppy (Where are the teachers? We never know!). They tease Lucy, and it is only when they threaten the puppy that she actually gets angry, instead of submissive. The boys beat the puppy to death while Lucy screams and watches in horror (this is not shown, but there are sound effects). Lucy's girl friend arrives in the room, and it's revealed that she's the one who told the boys where to find the puppy (knowing that they would kill it). Lucy snaps, and kills all of them by making their heads explode. Blood covers the walls, ceiling, and everything else.
At the end of the episode, Lucy and Kohta realize that a childhood memory that keeps getting triggered is one that is shared between the two of them. A MEMORY OF DEATH, AMIRITE??
I still feel disgusted after watching this series, and once again, it's not the nudity (minimal in this batch) or the violence (Except for the puppy-beating. Apparently, even my tolerance has limits). It's watching every female character, and just....wanting to scream. I might need to watch some Revolutionary Girl Utena to feel better after this. This is one of the media-consuming experiences where about 85% of my conscious thought is something along the lines of, "I could write something much better than this."
There are only 5 episodes left in this series, and I intend to finish it out. If nothing else, I'll be able to argue with others about why it really sucks. I still don't understand why everyone likes this series. Even if the horrific gender-stuff didn't bother me, it's just really lazy storytelling. A harem anime with lots of weird shit going on for cheap shock-value, and dubious back stories rife with so much sexuality and improbable horrific shunning that I am unable to connect with the characters at all.
no subject
and speaking of Utena! I saw a *phenomenal* music video today with really great fight choreography, but I have to find out who made it. I think there's actually going to be a movie--there was a short clip of these twenty girls in their school track suits on a bridge versus a group of yakuza. The uniforms were the same as in the video. (They were playing it at the electronics store today).
no subject
OMF, Utena music video!! That would be so sweet. So what is this movie? Is it live-action, or animated?
no subject
Also, I posted it.
no subject
There overall message of the series is something you probably already know, but if not, it'll get BEATEN INTO YOUR SKULL by the time the series ends. Gah! I get it! We all get it! Shut up!
Nana is a weak character, but I don't think that's just from anime sexism. She's weak because the way she was treated never let her grow as a person, and her need for human contact made her too devoted to her father figure. I think the show is pointing out how bad that is and getting to the message that nana needs to grow by herself. also, she's matched with Mayu, who was made weak and helpless in different ways. They both in up in the same spot where personal growth is more likely.
I really liked the explanation that all the diclonius girls turn criminal because of the way they are treated, not because that's the way they are. At the start of the show the scientists are all talking about how ruthless these girls are, but really they're all girls that have been hurt and try to fight back in some way.
I hate both Yuta and Kohta. They're both stupid and their entire existence in the story has no real point.