Forum - View topicShould I keep Witch Hunter Robin or Elfen Lied...or both?
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Thanatos01s2
 Posts: 231 |
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So I was at Best Buy today and both of these animes were only $40 (WHR) and $30 (EL) and I bought both of them.
My question is which should I keep? Is one better than the other? Or are both worth keeping? I just don't watch that much anime anymore and I want to make sure I pick up only good stuff. My favorite animes are: Ghost in the Shell Full Metal Alchemist Gungrave Full Metal Panic X Rurouni Kenshin Outlaw Star Trigun So I like a little bit of comedy, a fair amount of action, and I love story. (such as GITS and gungrave, where you get a lot of story and some awesome action) I like darker toned animes, so I know Elfen Lied fits that but what do you guys think? Which should I keep, or both? |
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coffee
 Posts: 170 Location: Florida |
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I've never seen WHR, but definately keep Elfen Lied, it has the compleeling story mixed with action and comedy that you said you like. I'm positive you'll enjoy watching it, only the people that can't stomach violence or situational nudity (you'll see) say it sucked. One last thing worth mentioning is the outstanding artwork and soundtrack.
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Eruanna
 Posts: 451 Location: Canada |
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Um, whats wrong with keeping both?
Anyways, Iv never seen Elfen Lied, but Witch Hunter Robin is one of my favourites. But its fairly slow passed and takes a while for the plot to really pick up, so if you want fast, action packed, from what I have heard Elfen Lied is a better choice. But if you want a thoughfull, suspensfull mystery, then go with Witch Hunter Robin. |
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digitalkikka
 Posts: 462 Location: Chicago, Illinois |
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I'd say just keep them both but if you can only pick one, I'd choose Elfen Lied. I own both of them and enjoyed each one, but I don't think WHR is one I'll be watching again. EL on the other hand, is one I could see myself watching again.
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archangelunder7
 Posts: 29 |
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i'd say keep them both. i did.
that's not to say a i really like both. since i was deeply disapointed with witch hunter robin in general. it seems ok, but just doesn't have that edge to grab my attention, and a lot of the episodes are kinda filler episodes. i'll keep it for now, but i doubt i'll ever wach it again. it's a shame really, because it could have been so much better. in elfen lieds case, i felt the show itself was really good, depsite the rediculous levels of unessessary nudity and the dodgy open ending. there are some really beautiful premisises involved in elfen lied, and the story itself is fairly engaging. only i feel the way it is portrayed lets it down a little. again, it's a shame, that certain elements detract from the story and cheapen it. |
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d.yaro
Posts: 528 |
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Tough question. Elfen Lied is a terrifying work that keeps its viewer reeling. It's not just the violence that produces that effect (the opening sequence is a bloodfest). There is pathos, horror and tragedy in the story too. The "Pandora's box" angle of the story involved a couple of characters I developed a distaste for but that's about my only criticism of the series.
Witch Hunter Robin on the other hand is a meandering piece that works the suspence and intrigue aspect to achieve its effect. The players were government agencies, the Catholic church(sic) and individuals with uncertain loyalties and affiliations. I suppose it would serve as a corollary to Ghost in the Shell: SAC with religious mysticism and occult-like elements replacing high-tech, though the conspiracies are not as intricate. All in all, I'd say if you really need to make a choice then I'd say keep Elfen Lied depending on how dark you want to go with the horror aspect. Last edited by d.yaro on Mon Mar 05, 2007 12:32 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Hisdon
 Posts: 411 Location: Poquoson, VA |
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Even though the Elfen Lied ending is basically filler since it doesn't cover the entire manga, its a great ending and won't disapoint you at all. Like the others said, its a real dandy.
WHR on the other hand, I had to force myself to watch at least four episodes of before becoming extremely bored with it. It felt like there was no direction with it at the start and I rapidly lost attention. Maybe it gets better later in, I don't know, never bothered to continue. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18589 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Of the two, Elfen Lied is the superior production in almost every respect, especially visuals, music, and sound production. It is also far, far more graphic; in fact, it represents the top end of the scale when it comes to (non-sexual) graphic content. You'll have to decide for yourself how much that matters to you.
Witch Hunter Robin does have its merits and is a pretty cool series, especially if you like a Goth feel. However, it flounders in "monster-of-the-week" mode for most of its first half before developing a serious plot. It's worth getting, but if you have to choose between the two and the graphic content isn't an issue then EL is the better pick. |
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Thanatos01s2
Posts: 231 |
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Witch Hunter Robin seems to have the same consensus from what I have read here and elsewhere. I can afford both but I really don't need both...I have so much anime as it is
 Trying to cut back on spending money on anime.
I like dark anime but I like anime that is psychological and based around military tactics, such as the list I wrote above, that is what I am really into. But I am not one of those guys that has to have nonstop violence, I actually like how ghost in the shell does the 2 episodes of talk and then one kickass action episode. I like that formula. I thought that WHR might fall into this category but I guess you guys say it really doesn't, eh? I mean from what I saw WHR seemed a little like FMA, is that really far off? Also I only like to buy series that I can watch over and over again, do you guys feel either of these two series is like that? I have been pondering both series for quite awhile...I just don't want to waste my money, like I did on Saiyuki, Excel Saga, and yes even Evangelion. (I hated evangelion, but please don't derail the topic to that discussion) Also graphic Content is no biggy for me, dosen't bug me at all, I have seen it all, it is pretty hard to disturb me. Thanks again for all the input! 
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Eruanna
Posts: 451 Location: Canada |
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No, it does. It actually falls into that catagory very well, and if thats the kind of anime you like, you should enjoy WHR very much. It dosnt get very good reviews because it is so slow, and as has been mentioned above, the first half is plagued by "Monster of the week" syndrome. However, this portion of the series is used to get the veiwer more familier with the characters before it sets into its real plot, and when that real plot picks up, it hooks you. As I said, it is very slow passed, which is why alot of people find it tedious and boring. As has also been adressed, it dosnt have the best artwork. When I first saw it it took me a while to get used to the low budget style. All that said, it is still one of my favourites. It has its faults, but it has excellent character development and an eerie sence of suspence. Well, I think its worth buying anyways. I happen to own the entire series, and I still love it. However..
No. It isnt a thing like FMA. Not a bit. No silimarities come to my mind at all. So if a FMA type thing is what your looking for, maybe this one isnt for you. |
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Buster Blader 126
 Posts: 1207 Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada |
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As others have mentioned, WHR is slow-paced, and the "case of the week" formula plagues the first 10 episodes. Though if you can perservere through that, you will find an interesting story with an intricate plot. WHR was my flagship title, and it remains as one of my favourite titles (my 2nd favourite, in fact).
Judging from the anime that you've listed, you might like Elfen Lied more than Witch Hunter Robin. Elfen Lied has more action & is IMO more psychological in that sense, if that's what you're into. Anything else has otherwise been already said by others. I'd keep both, but if you must pick one, then Elfen Lied might be the way to go. |
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7995 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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I've seen and own both series and like them both a lot. I'd just recomend watching them and then deciding what you want to do with them, though I'd keep them both, as each was extremely entertaining but for different reasons. EL for the eye candy, great characters, and twisted story and WHR for the action, mystery, and excellent characters.
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Randall Miyashiro
 Posts: 2451 Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park |
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I believe you will find a decent cross section of fans for these two series. Most will agree that Elfen Lied is the more intense of the two. The main advantage that Robin has is it's amazing style and atmosphere.. I love the high contrast and general color palette that Robin uses. The visual style reminds me of Ergo Proxy which I rank amongst my favorites for aesthetics. The music for Robin compliments the visuals very well. I also like the slower pacing of this series that might not agree with some. The main problem is that the characters are rather emotionally detached and too cool fot their own good.
Elfen Lied's character designers are a tad too cute for my taste and the garish coloring make it look even more cartoony, The ending credit song is painfully Jpop-ish and some of the household comedic situations lean towards the juvenile. Despite the more generic visual style of Elfen, the series has some really intense moments. There are many points where this series will have you on the edge of your seat. |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18589 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Yeah, that was my one problem with the series: cutesy character designs in one of the bloodiest TV series (yes, it actually aired!) ever made. I loved the use of color otherwise, however. And yes, as someone else noted, some of the antics going on at the house do resemble a harem comedy at times. But Randall's also right about the intensity level in EL. This is the one of the very few anime series that I could point to as being a truly effective horror tale. And it deals with some very, very dark issues, too. It should also be pointed out that WHR is double the length of EL, which is much of the reason why the latter is much more tightly-paced than the former. (Some of the earlier episodes of WHR do feel like they're filling out a series that probably should have only been about 20 episodes.) Once it gets into its second half, though, WHR rocks. |
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Thanatos01s2
Posts: 231 |
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The only reason that I have ever been hesitant to EL is because it seems like it is a lolita anime. And I find those disgusting. But I think I will probably keep it since it does have the general consensus of being so highly rated. Is it a lolita?
As for WHR I am still a little wary, is it a little like Chrono Crusade? with the whole first bunch being "monster of the week" and then the story gets really dark and REALLY good? Because if it is like that then I would keep it. Also to answer the questions of those of you who are asking why I don't just watch them. The answer is that they are both still sealed so I can return one or both if I decide against keeping them. |
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