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Reviews

Ova

Plot Synopsis

The Diclonius, a mutated homo sapien that is said to be selected by God and will eventually become the destruction of mankind, possesses two horns in their heads, and has a "sixth sense" which gives it telekinetic abilities. Due to this dangerous power, they have been captured and isolated in laboratories by the government. Lucy, a young and psychotic Diclonius, manages to break free of her confines and brutally murder most of the guards in the laboratory, only to get shot in the head as she makes her escape. She survives and manages to drift along to a beach, where two teenagers named Kouta and Yuka discovers her. Having lost her memories, she was named after the only thing that she can now say, "Nyuu," and the two allow her to stay at Kouta's home. However, it appears that the evil "Lucy" is not dead just yet...

Story & Characters

Kota is a young man returning to a place he once knew as a child...a place that has been the source of some hidden deep pain in his soul. As he begins to piece together a new life for himself, he soon encounters a mysterious girl whose nature is mostly benign and who can only speak one word "Mew"...
In no time, other mysterious people come out of the blue to claim that this seemingly harmless young lady is in reality a murderous and violent monster known as Lucy. The bodies begin to pile up, and Kota finds himself caught in the middle of the crossfire.
Just who is this strange girl who has come into his presence? Is she actually a sadistic killer as others have branded her? And what connection does she have to a traumatic childhood he once knew? It seems that such answers will only reveal themselves in due time....

Rating

9 (very good)

Art

The art that is on display here is absolutely gorgeous, and exactly the type of animation I love to see...bright colors, expressive motions and smooth movements. This is very high quality CGI that doesn't have a real flaw that I can see. It's almost shocking to see how easily the art can switch from gritty realism to campy fun, sometimes more than once in a short period of time.

One note of strong warning: this is a very very very violent anime, and the art at times of destruction and death is as graphic as it gets. I am talking puddles of blood, organs exploding in full view, limbs ripped from the body, etc. Please be sure you can take such images before giving this one a try.

Rating

10 (excellent)

Sound

I only watched the OVA in its original Japanese and not the English dub, so I will only review the original. I found the voice of Lucy/Mew to be absolutely perfect and really drives the split personality of the character. Lucy is appropriately cold and husky, while Mew is delightfully naiive and bubbly. All of the oher character voices are also fine in their job, though I felt that Nana's voice was a little too cute and young for the tragedy that befalls her character throughout her life and the OVA, but this is a minor concern.
The music is something more of a mixed bag. The main theme, the one that Lucy hums to herself over and over again, is deliciously creepy while also staying slightly beautiful in its melancholy overtones. However, I felt that the final song played during the credits was way too energetic and pop sounding to really fit with the mood of the rest of the episodes, and probably better placed in another anime..

Rating

7 (above average)

Presentation

I'm going to be perfectly honest: I loved this anime! Without a doubt, this is the best anime I've seen in a year, and I feel it will take a major effort to top it later down the road.
Yes, it was incredibly violent....Yes, it was horribly disturbing.....Yes, it was exploitative and depressing as hell....But so what? This was the first anime that I've seen in a long, long time that I could not predict where it was going or predict how it was going to end. I had no clue...every episode was a mysterious path through a world of pure creative anticipation, and that alone is worth the price of any admission.
DO NOT watch this with or allow children to view any second of this anime!!! (Yes, it's that intense)! Also, if you are prude or totally against violence and death and the like, then avoid this anime like the bubonic plague! You have been warned...

However, if you are like me, and are able to look past the grotesque imagery and sadistic brutality of some of the scenes to see a surprising and original story that grabs you from the first 5 mins in and never lets you go, then drop everything and start watching this now. You won't be disappointed!

Oh, and if you try to claim you knew where this one was going early on, then you are a complete liar! That's all there is to it! ;-)

Rating

10 (excellent)

Final Verdict

9.17 (very good)

Reviewed by Murrman84, 2y 35wk ago