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Comment on When was the first time you cried over an anime?

mindbleach@sh.itjust.works ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

Quite possibly Elfen Lied, but not for anything in the show itself. It’s kind of an edgelord relic for violating every taboo it can get away with.

But the fucking gorgeous OVA, “Lilium,” has an extended version… which I did not realize I was listening to. So when the choral section continued past where the Gustav Klimt references would have ended at two minutes, I was not prepared. Admittedly this video also continues into the much-less-effective instrumental and music-box versions. The web is an archive the way a grocery store is a food museum.

If we’re counting anything short of outright weeping… yeah, Eva-01 going feral. A wave slapping against a van, and whats-her-name covering her face.

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Tb0n3@sh.itjust.works ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I’ve always been partial to the men’s choir acapella version.

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lvxferre@mander.xyz ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Lilium has an even bigger impact if you contrast the lyrics with the manga - because unlike the anime, the manga shows themes like: “what’s even a human being?”, “does evil come from nature or nurture?”, “is redemption even possible?”.

…and the lyrics are basically a prayer for redemption, I’ll coarsely translate them here:

The mouth of the just will repeat wisdom And his tongue will utter the evidence (i.e. declare judgment) Blessed the man who endures temptation Since he was tested, he'll get the crown of life Oh Lord, [you are the] source of goodness Oh Lord, [you are] divine fire, have mercy [of us] Oh, so holy, so serene So benign, so delightful, the one believed to be the Virgin (Mary) Oh, so holy, so serene, so benign, so delightful Oh, lily of chastity

It fits perfectly once you identify Lucy with the sinner: she knows she’s guilty, and she’s asking God for redemption. With Kouta intervening in her favour, always showing compassion, much like the Virgin Mary would do in Christianity.
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- mindbleach@sh.itjust.works ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I was not aware there was a manga.
  
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  - lvxferre@mander.xyz ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Yup. I actually recommend it; it still shows gore as the anime, but since it’s contextualised it doesn’t feel so edgy.
    
    Another good series from the same mangaka is Gokukoku no Brynhildr / Brynhildr in the Darkness.
    
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