Wednesday 25 January 2012

Elfen Lied

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Transmitted:July 2004- October 2004
Country of origin:Japan
Genre:Japanese animation, Super powers, Sci-fi / horror themes
Starring:Sanae Kobayashi, Chihiro Suzuki, Mamiko Noto
Rating:5/5
No. of seasons:1

Quite simply one of the most astounding pieces of TV I have ever seen. Beautiful, disturbing, sweet, harrowing, violent, charming, graphic, sensitive. The paradoxical nature of the elements makes for an absolutely spellbinding experience.
The premise - the show starts with a high security alert at a secure facility. A young girl is seen escaping, nude, but with some kind of strange, torturous looking device on her head. As heavily armed soldiers approach her, they are ripped to pieces by an invisible prescence, in a most graphic fashion.
So the scene is set.
The young girl is a Diclonius - a human with horns - and the soldiers were destroyed by her ability to produce 'vectors', invisible, super strong appendages that shoot from the body like extra arms.
If it all sounds a little odd, it is, but it does all make sense.
Simply put, this is tour de force TV, quite unlike aything you would ever see from Western TV companies, and essential viewing.
Just brilliant.

Find an episode guide here:

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