Spring RTS Engine

Hmm... just watched the series. Interesting. I was expecting the gore, but I was a little surprised by the amount of nudity - and much of it underage, at that. Isn't that illegal or something? Or is that just if it's a RL human? Still a little weird, IMHO.

So... what's with the incest, anyway? The kid and his cousin?? Wrong in too many ways to list.

Don't get me wrong though, I enjoyed the story and everything. At the end, I want to believe that Lucy lives, and there's all that symbology with the music box and clock indicating that "evil lucy" is gone while "good lucy" survives. The horns are broken off, perhaps as a symbol of her evil-ness being destroyed.

On the other hand, logically I think she dies. The way I saw the last few moments, when the guns start going off, she threw up her "arms" and just let it come. Evil Genius Scientist guy wanted to use her to spawn a ton of horn-people, right... and there was all that rather unkind stuff she did... so maybe she figured the world would be better off without her. But did she know about evil genius scientsit-man's ambitions?

So what are your thoughts on the ending? I wish there was more closure. I could take the open end of the story, but what really burns me is that, at any time there could be a sequel/spinoff/movie/ova/whatever that'll just screw things up.

As much as I don't like seeing good things come to an end, if they must end, I like it when there's answers given for everything and you're not left hanging. It's like it's a season finale... just with no returning season. I wonder if perhaps a second season was planned, but canned for some reason? You know how tv bigwigs are - they like to cancel anything with any originality.

I think the shadow in the door frame is a dicloninus. If you notice, the dog barks at every diclonius when he first meets them. He barks at Nana, barks at Lucy ext...

Also Nyu always was playing with the clock, and it just starts working at the end...and you know what? Those japanise LOVE ambigious endings...I've seen five animes and two of those had endings that were clear and concise and actually wrapped it up, those endings being "Main charicter is shot and dies" and "They all graduate to collage!"

The three others end in real ambigious, weird ways...and it bugs me the more I think about it.

The more I think about this story, the more sad I realize it is. Very well-written. *sniff* Why'd you make me watch this, you *******!!!

So assuming my theory is correct and she just threw up her arms and let them kill her... why did she only throw up two arms? She's got four. What was she doing with the other two? That's the only thing I can't really put my finger on... either let yourself die, or kill them all, pick which one, don't surrender with two arms and kick ass with the others...

Two arms for defence, two for killing! Two to stop bullets and two to tear the enemy asunder!

"The more I think about this story, the more sad I realize it is. Very well-written. *sniff* Why'd you make me watch this, you *******!!!"


Muhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaah!

Gungrave next.

Eh?

YOU HAVEN'T SEEN GUNGRAVE?

FLCL, boys.

Yeah FLCL is good but they only made six episodes.

I did see FLCL and...that...show...broke...my...mind...

Am I the only one who doesn't like the name of that show?

Earlier I really nailed down what left me so deeply troubled with the series' ending. I've already forgotten my conclusion... not getting enough sleep. Anyway, here's what I remember: It's not just the open-endedness of it... it's the feeling like there's so much more to be told, and it had to be cut short. After doing some reading, the manga apparently went on for quite some time after the anime ended... in fact, the last few episodes of the anime weren't even based on the manga, since it was actually ahead of the manga by that point...

I could live with not knowing whether or not lucy died, or any of the other things. I don't mind an open-ended story. There's just something... so wrong... with having so much unsaid though.

I'm left with all these questions that should've been answered, but at the same time shouldn't have been, since the last episodes were basically non-canon. So the Lucy that wrenched my heart and who may have sacrificed herself... just never took place.

Damn it all, I want a redo. Seriously, cut off that last episode and pretend it didn't happen, I want a proper ending. The story can only wear on for so long, so another 13 episodes probably would be unrealistic, but why not at least have another 3, for a total of 16 episodes. That would be a good run, and at the rate the anime shot through the manga timeline, most of the important stuff could be compressed into those.

I hate it when a story comes to a close, not because of a lack of creativity, or a stupid story, or a lack of interest, but just because... that's the way it was done.

How old is the Elfen Lied Japanese show? Like, you suppose there would be any chance of another few episodes, or a whole new season, or, just SOMETHING? I'm seriously heartsick over being cut off so abruptly. Now I'm stuck listening to the music box theme wondering what might've been.

Personally, I don't think Lucy dies, just because (a) I don't want her to, and more importantly (b), when her horn is seen flying off, her vectors can clearly be seen in the background! So she was not shot by that point, since that would result in pain, obviously, and pain makes vectors disappear. So if she had managed to not get shot by that point, clearly she would not be shot at all - if you can stop 100 bullets, you can stop 1000. And finally, (c), when's the last time you've seen a major character on any show be killed by a redshirt? Or even a group of redshirts? It virtually never happens... not to say it's not possible, just that it's not typical artistic style.

FLCL? Short for something?

~~~

And one more thing. Why do that silhouette behind the door if there's only one possible character it could be, UNLESS there's some other possibility? I mean... like maybe lucy has this nemesis, or it's some other character that's been missing, or... OR SOMETHING. But no clue at all is given, so you either assume it's lucy, or you assume it's just for no apparent reason they decided to end the show with that shot.

Fooly Cooly. Or, Furi Kuri. Depends who you ask, and when.

I think the only thing for us to do...is to find the translated version of the manga, as the show only did half the story. On another note of "animes only doing half the damn plot" what is up with Hellsing and cutting out the Nazi's in their anime! The Nazi's were HALF THE PLOT!

Argh!



Also anyone know where to get a translated Elfin Lied Comic?

Hasn't been translated, and there's like 12 volumes of it. I just read that the anime only actually covered the first 1/3 of the story.

Also read some stuff that helped me understand the last episode a little better... I don't know if it's totally accurate, but I'm choosing to believe everything here: http://www.tv.com/elfen-lied/no-return- ... recap.html

It implies that lucy is alive, so therefore, she's alive. case closed. also, what's-his-head realizes he kissed his COUSIN and smacks her upside the head with a frying pan, jiggling the "OMG INCEST" part of her brain loose. What's-his-head marries lucy, they have 4 children, he becomes a CPA, she continues kicking ass and they both die in each other's arms at the ripe old age of 90, having lived a full life and being fully satisfied with their days. THE END. Also, the manga didn't happen. Contradict me and I'll ban you.

I found the first five volumes of the manga.

I'd just like to point out that Einstine married his cosin and I'm pretty sure at least one American presidents married their cosins (I think it was Roosevelt) and most of the rest of the world other than America is if not 'fine' with cousin cousin romance, but at least it's not illigal.

Also isn't it funny how Cyder's planned events of after the ending mirror mine in almost every way...

Doesn't cousin-cousin cause birth defects or something? I thought basically the farther you can get from your own gene pool, the better.

Finally found a copy of Lillium that I'm happy with. Guy named "DarkJedi"'s "final mix". Very well-done. Going to be listening to it for the next week or something.... *sniff* ....damn humans...

~~~

Two vectors are shown heading to the air and bullets going with them.

Aha, so she WAS fighting back. And honestly, who could kill lucy if she didn't want to die. Besides the little girl. And the guy. And the sniper. And that other guy. Besides them. Not redshirts, that's for damn sure. These guys look like they're pros, but they're inherently just cannon (vector?) fodder since you don't know their names, heh.

I've watched a lot of TV, and this is one of the very few shows that actually affected me emotionally. I think a big part of it was the music. "A Beautiful Mind" (movie) is another one that I deeply enjoyed, again, probably strongly influenced by its awe-inspiring music.

~~~~

Ok. Lucy lives, I've decided. Not sure what realistically happened with her other horn breaking off - Symbolically, I believe it was meant to show the last of her hatred and broken spirit being put behind her, she's now truly become a human, a real person not just a killing machine, because of Kouta's forgiveness and love. Maybe she purposefully let one of the bullets through, or broke it off herself by some means. Or, since this is anime, maybe her spirit broke it off or some nonsense like that. But the point is, she's alive.

Perhaps she decided not to take any more life - that's why the soldiers were able to continue firing rather than just being torn apart. She's just defending herself. But then why would she have chosen to allow the soldiers to encouter her? There's ample proof that she can get around pretty quickly when she needs to. Maybe it was her way of saying "You can't kill me and I'm not going to kill you. Leave in peace."

Article 1:
The horn would've certainly had blood on it if she'd been mortally shot, ie, in the head. She is uninjured.

Article 2:
Her vectors are still clearly functioning at the time her horn is broken off, as shown in the background of the scene. She is not helpless, and her vectors would stop working if she'd been hurt.

Article 3:
In her last scene, she throws the bullets into the air with her vectors, not just allowing herself to be shot. If she wanted to die, she would've just stood there and taken it, no need to involve her vectors in any way.

Article 4:
She and Kouto are clearly in love. She feels for him, and she knows how she would hurt him by letting herself die. Much like the way that an individual will cling to life for the sake of their friends and family, she clearly wouldn't just commit suicide when she has finally been given the forgiveness she needs and found someone who understands her.

Article 5:
It is not stylistically consistent for nameless characters with no role in the story at all - aka "redshirts" - to kill a main character, regardless of what kind of TV or movie you're used to.

Article 6:
She says she wants to put everything else behind her and be with Kouta. This is not crazy-lucy talking, this is the real lucy, the one he knew when he was younger, before she was tortured and kept as a test subject. She's finally back with him - metaphorically - in the days of their youth. She is displaying kind emotion - meaning that Nyuu has finally been melded back into her main personality! Throughout the series, Nyuu is the purely benevolent, while Lucy is the purely malevolent. Kouta is the only one with the power to bring them together back into one - he has the power of forgiveness. Until Lucy first met Kouta, she was suriving on instinct, doing what had to be done so that she could survive. When she met Kouta, she became a real person, if only briefly. That's the real Lucy, no longer hopeless and desperate, she has someone to share her life with, someone who understands her. After her reunion with Kouta and merger of her personalities, she is finally whole again, and no longer a suicidal malevolent entity. She finally learns what it's like to be understood, and she would not throw that away for anything.

Article 7:
Overwhelming symbology - The music box stops, symbolizing the end of the series, the tale of this tortured Lucy. It's over - Lucy's suffering. The clock starts, 12:00, the dawn of a new day for the main characters, but especially Lucy and, also Kouta. An extra bowl is set out for Lucy. The dog barks as if recognizing someone. In a way, Kouta and Lucy are linked, both of them have had their minds severed in two as a result of their traumatic childhood experiences. Kouta is healed, Lucy is healed, and there's a new beginning for both of them. Lucy previously said that she would not be able to join them for "cold noodles" or whatever it was, but she would later. They're serving cold noodles. And extra bowl, for lucy. A silhouette at the door. Kouta's final words, "It moves..." referring to the clock, but also referring, by extension, to Lucy. She's moving, she's alive, she's... there.

Article 8:
No other explanation for the person at the gate exists. There is not the slightest suggestion as to who might be there. All characters are accounted for... except Lucy. Lucy is at the gate. She's either been fighting all this time, or healing, or just coming to terms in solitude. Now she's back and ready to start her new life. Nobody else could be at the gate. Everyone but Lucy is accounted for.

Article 9:
I said so.

Been playing too much Gyakuten Saiban 2.

It's a good idea to get as far away from the gene pool, true...but you know what they say about true love...

Nope, I don't. Do I want to?

~~~

Damn. When babies are born, the head comes out first. Can you imagine giving birth to a horned baby? No wonder that woman dies!