Elfen Lied Vector 1 - Otaku Anime Network
- Otaku Anime Network
- Ju Leon
- 06/29/05
- click here
Review Feature Presentation:
Special thanks to ADV Films for sending me a copy for a review for this site. First of all, this isn't for kids at all. Innocence is push to the limits. This series starts off with blood! It's an emergency, Lucy has espace from her cage. Somehow, nothing is able to stop her. One day, Kohta & Yuka found her wash ashore at the beach, but she isn't the same killer girl anymore. She is a strange girl with horns sticking out of her head, so cute, so innocence, but she is not really human at all. She got two personalities: Nyu, a sweet innoncent girl that only says 'nyu' & her dark side, Lucy, twisted, deadly, blood gushes out when she appears. There is no reasoning with her, just out to kill. This is where no one should cross Lucy when she appears, she got deadly psychic arms hat can ripped pretty much everything in her path. Both of these personalities are in constant battle, sharing the same body. Unknowning, Kohta & Yuka left her stay at Kohta's house. Back at the lab where Lucy was held, no one knows what happen & trying to locate her before she brings terror to the polulation. Can anyone stop her? Be prepare for the killing. However, even with all this chaos, there are moments that is sweet & even sadness.
Video:
ADV Films did a very great job. I found no problem, the image are clear & the color looks perfect. To top things off, the series is feature on Widescreen format. If you got a Widescreen TV, you're going to enjoy this even more. There is some watermarks done for the introduction & ending credits (they are translated in English). Each episodes are separeted into 5 parts: the introduction, part A, part B, ending & the preview for the next episode! The episodes are on a different track, so there will be a small loading time when you move on to the next episode. Also, at the very end of the last episode, you will get to see a preview on what is to come on the next volume. I do note that you can skip all those warnings & logos when you first load the DVD by just pressing the 'Menu' button on your remote control.
Dubbing: English: The dubbing is really great. It's about 85% of the original Japanese.
Audio 01: English 5.1: Unable to test it, since I don't have a 5.1 surround system, I can't really say much.
Audio XX: English 2.0: Just letting you know, there isn't an English 2.0 audio track on this DVD. This is artificially made from the 5.1 audio track, that's why I noted it as 'XX'. I found no problem with the audio, but I bet it would be alot more interesting with the 5.1.
Audio 02: Japanese 5.1: Unable to test it, since I don't have a 5.1 surround system, I can't really say much.
Audio XX: Japanese 2.0: Just letting you know, there isn't an Japanese 2.0 audio track on this DVD. This is artificially made from the 5.1 audio track, that's why I noted it as 'XX'. I found no problem with the audio, but I bet it would be alot more interesting with the 5.1.
Subtitle:
ADV Films have selected a great font, very easy to read. They use yellow for the introduction, ending themes & the Japanese dialogue & white for Japanese signs & text. There are two tracks of subtitling. One track is for the sign subtitling & the other one is for the Japanese dialogue. I might note that every odd numbered episodes, the intro & ending subtitles are in English, while the even numbered episodes are in Japanese on this volume.
Menu Option:
The menu is also in widescreen format, but if got just a regular full screen TV, it will display in that format with no problem. It reflects the theme of this bloody series. The menu looks like a doctor's chart that you see in the newspaper, along with designs of Lucy. You can also see blood dripping down. There isn't a 'Play All' or a 'Screen Access', but a selection of one of the 4 episodes, 'Set Up' & 'Extras'. There is also a 'Preview' for the next volume of this series. The background music is like a heart beating tone, which is kinda creepy.
DVD Extras:
There isn't much extras on it, just a non-credit opening & ending. There is also a cool art gallery, which are the characters & original production artworks.
Packaging:
Since Lucy is a killer, yet she looks so innoncent, the cover just reflects that. You see Lucy, barely covering her sexy body, with the red hand that symbolized her carnage. On the back, you see the other side, Nyu, in a cute look. However, blood are all over it. The insert has the same image as the cover, but as an extra bonus, there is even an interview with the director, giving an insight to this bloody series. The DVD disc itself is the one that tops it all off, the hand with blood dripping down.
PC Viewing:
Watching it on the PC is the same as watching it on the TV. Very clean, no problem at all, very little pixel (little squares popping in & out), both normal mode & full screen mode. The sound is just great. Since the episodes are on different tracks, it will take time to load when you move on to the next episode. Like on your regular DVD player, you can skip the warnings & logos when you load the disc, just use the 'menu' option to go to the menu screen.
Overall DVD Rating:
It's blood & gore, with body parts ripping apart. If you don't have the stomach for that, this isn't for you.
Posted on Wednesday, June 29, 2005 (Archive on Friday, July 29, 2005)