2014-07-02

Brynhildr in the Darkness

Brynhildr in the Darkness (極黒のブリュンヒルデ) is a 13 episode fantasy action series based on the manga of the same name by Lynn (Rin) Okamoto who also created Elfen Lied.  The series aired in Japan in the spring of 2014.

    Murakami Ryota is a senior in high school who hopes to work in the space industry.  He is carrying on the love of astronomy help by his deceased childhood friend, Kuroha Neko.  10 years earlier Neko had died trying to save Ryota and the burden of her death has weighed heavily on him since.  When a transfer student who resembles her shows up he does everything he can to make her remember him.  The transfer student, however, has no recollection of ever meeting Ryota.  In the evening of her arrival she visits the remote observation building where Ryota spends much of his time to warn him of his pending death.  Not wanting to believe her, he breaks his word and heads home only to be caught in a rock slide.  Moments before his life ends, the transfer student appears and, using mysterious power’s, obliterated the boulder about to crush them.  She confides in Ryota that she is a witch but to stay away from her if he wants to live.  Not satisfies, Ryota follows her home to discover a paraplegic girl and a lot of blood.  The transfer student shows up but Ryota is able to convince her to let him help.  They tell him they ran away from a secret project that is transforming girls into witches via an implant in their neck.  Their time is running out as the medicine that keeps them alive is almost gone.  Feeling drawn to the girl who looks like his lost best friend and his inherent nature to help others, Ryota decides he's going to help these girls stay alive and protect them from this shadow corporation.  Little does he know the danger he is getting himself into.

    It took a lot to actually watch all of this show, there was a bit of fan service and a ton of cosplay characters.  It was mildly a harem story, but not really.  What got me was the brutality and the mystery surrounding the witches.  But in the end, the mystery wasn't that good; in fact the last 1 and a half episodes were pretty weak.  All of a sudden this whole other faction of Catholic people show up and start wrecking shop out of nowhere and you get into weird proto-alien life and...yeah it got stupid pretty fast during the climax.  The anime was shoddy at best and really not worth the time.  There were a few moments of excitement and intelligence, but overall, a shoddy follow up to the excellent Elfen Lied.  Something tells me the manga had more information and they decided to pare it down with the anime but I don't care enough to read the manga to find out.  I should go watch Elfen Lied again...

    The series was simulcast via Crunchyroll in North America; I have no idea on any sort of disc release at the time.  The manga is not currently being published in North America.


No comments: