Brynhildr in the Darkness

[Kraco]

http://i.imgur.com/Bejuqti.jpg

"When he was a child, Murakami was infatuated with a girl he called Kuroneko. She insisted on knowing about aliens and having met them, but no one believed her, even young Murakami was skeptical. One day, she decides to show him the aliens, but an accident occurs and Kuroneko dies while Murakami is left seriously wounded in the hospital.

Years go by and Murakami obsesses on finding proof of the existence of aliens because of a promise he had made with Kuroneko. Then, one day, a new transfer student comes to his class, who not only looks a lot like Kuroneko, but is named Kuroha Neko!" -Manga-Updates

Genres: Action, comedy, seinen, mystery, romance, sci-fi, tragedy
Links: Official (http://www.vap.co.jp/gokukoku/) | AniDB (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=10069) |ANN (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=15757)
Download: Episode 1 - HS (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=540019)





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Considering this is from the creator of Elfen Lied and the genres weren't anything weird, I had no choice but to check this show out. I can't really compare how much I liked this to Elfen Lied as my objectivity wouldn't reach 10%, but still I'll venture to say this didn't begin as boldly. Nevertheless, this looked vaguely interesting on its own, and considering the author, I guess blood will be spilt. Actually already was, even if it was something as silly as a girl slapping a foolish guy enough to send blood flying...

Anybody could see the similarities between the stories, but let's give this a chance to show if it can stand on its own. I'll keep watching for now, though so far a couple of other shows this season impressed me more.

[David75]

As I stated in the generic thread for the start of the season, I was a little put off by that last scene.
I did react too, to the blood flying quite high to the window.
Somehow, Kuroha Neko could be one of multiple clones.
Regarding moles, I was wondering if they were not tatoes too. After all the dots were small enough that with the right color it would be hard to clearly tell... unless you watch very closely which I doubt the guy did at the time.

[NeoCybercoin]

Plus it was raining and if she is the same girl than she could easily have the same marks but people do grow so maybe it moved more to her right and thus still being underneath her clothes.

[Kraco]

Episode 2 - HS (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=542646)





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These witches are even worse off than the diclonius of Elfen Lied. The total scumbag scientists are the same, though. Apparently the witches are dying in any case, whether they are captured or not. A single press of a button and they die all the more gruesomely.

I don't think this story will have a happy ending, haha.

[NeoCybercoin]

I expected a more gruesome scene with her melting like that. But at least they did show that.

[MasterOfMoogles]

I hope we don't end up with more shoujos turned to goop :(

[NeoCybercoin]

This is what happens to the girls who are captured again. Unless they got some awesome power I take it. And a bunch of them escaped so I think we will be seeing more....goo girls later.

[Ryllharu]

[HorribleSubs] - Brynhildr in the Darkness 03 (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=545388)

Dissolvable girls makes for easy disposal! No mess cleanup! Order your witch today!



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Well, it was a slow first two episodes, but it has finally picked up and my interest has officially been piqued. Passed the three episode test.

It wasn't too hard to guess that Neko would still be his childhood friend. I had initially assumed that her moles were removed by the lab, but them moving on her boob as she developed large ones works fine too. Murakami having a perfect memory is a bit lame though. That's like Japan's go-to special ability for male characters. Would have been better if he said something like, "My uncle worked there, and I asked him one time. We'll use the internet to look up what that code means." The execution here, "I read it in a book once that I was looking at for no reason, my memory is perfect," felt like a bit too convenient to maintain believability.


That said, I'm really hoping the pills are something completely commonplace, like baking soda, aspirin, or ammonia. The girls are manipulated to no end anyway, it's not hard to make the leap that they could be cheaply controlled by their "death suppressants" being a miracle drug to them and a rounding error to the lab that created them.

[David75]

You mean it could be K Vitamin, like the antidote for anti-rodent poison? And the device they use to enhance their powers creates such poison.
Why do I think about that? Well, because I think I read that rodent poison causes major bleeding in said rodent and the antidote is K Vitamin.

Double A second power probably is something like a hypnotic effect where she's able to project any mental image.
In our case, she projects Neko's death. While the enemy is stuck in a fearsome outcome, she has the time to slaughter them with her 6 meters radius cutter...

So I guess the guy, knowing this, decided to shounen-shout to get rid of the illusion and try and keypress the hold button. I wonder if he can be fast enough though.

[Ryllharu]

Could be Vitamin K.

I'm definitely guessing it is something commonplace, but not overly abundant. The two girls we know still had plenty of pills left, while the hacker one ran out even though she has been taking pills as payment from the other escapees. This of course assumes all of the escapees divided them equally when they fled.

The two girls have been eating lots of wild herbs and plants, some of which are probably rich in Vitamin K.

The real reason I think it is something readily available is the fourth girl shown in the OP. She obviously shows up after this, so unless she's a future defector, she's surviving somehow.

[David75]

Wikipedia says that you need around 120 micro-grams a day and is covered by usual meals.
One pill could easily contain 50 or even 100 times that amount, you can't eat enough to cover one pill a day (30 hours is already quite late)
But it could be those pills contain something else. After all, trying to resupply is a plot device that can be used 2 or 3 times in 24 episodes for example.

[Kraco]

I suppose what it is would depent on whether its a genuine medicine needed to combat some side effects from their witch modifications or purely a method to control them. If the former, it could be anything, like David's vitamin K, but if it's the latter, logic would dictate it's something a bit more complicated so that escapees wouldn't be able to acquire it easily, for example an enzyme.

I fully agree on the main character dude's power coming out of nowhere and for no particular reason. It would have been at least partially remedied if it had been used in the beginning: For example saying the dude was bullied as a kid because of his unnatural memory and Neko was his only friend because of that.

[Kraco]

Episode 4 - HS (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=548144)






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I can't help but think this author has a gift for creating nasty situations, clandestine government agencies, and scumbag scientists, but the story is a bit dodgy otherwise here and there. At least I hope there's enough guile here so that the yet another transfer student isn't actually the AA+ witch the scientist was talking about but simply another one of the escaped witches.

These witches' situation is very grim and cruel, I've to say. Much worse than Stargåte's Jaffas. It's quite an interesting setting, to see how they struggle to spend their remaining days meaningfully.

Times have clearly changed: The onsen part was so censored, as opposed to the stuff in Elfen Lied. It was still much better than the usual "Kyaaa! Pervert!" scenes of the more average anime.

[David75]

Only one scene was really out of place:
You experience someone melting like icream on a hot plate right in front of you, and you do not even bat an eye.
But a slimy green thing with multiple eyes makes you shout out of fear.
Yeah right...

[Ryllharu]

At least I hope there's enough guile here so that the yet another transfer student isn't actually the AA+ witch the scientist was talking about but simply another one of the escaped witches.
...
Times have clearly changed: The onsen part was so censored, as opposed to the stuff in Elfen Lied. It was still much better than the usual "Kyaaa! Pervert!" scenes of the more average anime.
Of course she's the AA+ they sent. The girls really are naïve if they think that they can stay in a school that is obviously nearby and go unnoticed for too long. They got sold out by their peer anyway. The obvious solution to this is that Ryouta figures out how to make the pills from that tablet, removing the need for this new girl to continue to be beholden to the lab and thus betray them by feeding false reports.

I'm also assuming that the baby alien capsule is critical to the Seele-Lite's grand plan that needs to be initiated by the lab as soon as possible. The escapees obviously took it with them during transport, maybe one of them knew how important it was, definitely not our heroine, unless she forgot about it later.

Also, for the particular type fans this manga is meant to appeal to (http://static.mangatraders.com/view14/142860/2e5b905cfc32f44111b1ed83fd13c694.jpg), that onsen scene wasn't censored at all. For the rest of us, maybe so. I am disappointed that Ryouta didn't go grasping at her boob to find the moles (that we the audience know are there). He's stern enough to go unphased as girls dissolve, but he can't handle boobs and "a girl's junk". Go figure.

[Kraco]

You experience someone melting like icream on a hot plate right in front of you, and you do not even bat an eye.
But a slimy green thing with multiple eyes makes you shout out of fear.



He's stern enough to go unphased as girls dissolve, but he can't handle boobs and "a girl's junk". Go figure.

It's clear he can handle death better than life. It's a result of watching his first love fall to death (as far as he knows) and living ever after with the feeling it was his fault. However, I actually think how he attacked the alien with berserk rage was a result of being shaken by the dissolving girl. He just didn't turn into a screaming, panicked wreck, probably partially because of all the adrenaline and on the other hand Neko remaining alive. In any case this whole drug thieving operation alone proves he's quite levelheaded, so it's cool he stays cool in action (at least as long as Neko isn't dying). Obviously he's a total n00b in relationships so being embarrassed is given.

[David75]

Ah, so the scene was so violent that he didn't react at first and that green thing was a way to let out all of this?
Why not.

Ryll: So they try to appeal to footfetishits. But before that onsen scene, it wasn't obvious. But I guess that would lead to women power and men inferiority. Would it also explain why those girls have to suffer so much and get killed in such ways at the hands of guys who have have a psychotic inferiority complex?

[Ryllharu]

I think it was obvious, but only in retrospect. The girls always seem to kick him in the face, not slap or punch him.

[David75]

I can't remember.

I just hope the show will remain entertaining.

[Archangel]

Episode 6 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=553275)

Did we really need to go through all that to arrive at the obvious conclusion? I thought this guy was supposed to be smart, you'd think it wouldn't take that long to figure out the utility behind the swap ability.

[Kraco]

Did we really need to go through all that to arrive at the obvious conclusion? I thought this guy was supposed to be smart, you'd think it wouldn't take that long to figure out the utility behind the swap ability.

Yeah, it took a bit too long, but not so long if you keep in mind originally his thoughts were restricted by two interlocked, negative factors: Kotori (her ability) was never a part of their plans or strategy, she was a hostile element due to Kana's prophesy. However, it's true that once Ryouta actually was with her, he should have realised her true worth as an ally (like all of us in the audience immediately did).

I'm happy Ryouta isn't totally clueless and indecisive. It was one thing to manage the drug factory robbery, but quite another to stop Neko by pressing the button. Furthermore, he even went to meet the annoying scientist with a decent plan and speech. Knowing the author I wouldn't be surprised if this scientist actually was a part of the organization handling these witches, though...

[David75]

I wonder why he didn't take an opportunity at the third button.
After all, he had a murder witch ready for the test...

[shinta|hikari]

Because he didn't want to kill?

People are generally brainwashed that way by society. It sucks and is absolutely illogical in some cases, but what can we do?

[Kraco]

He most likely considers all the witches victims, including those who are out to kill their own kind, maybe even more so as they would be the saddest sort. The witch at the factory would have just reinforced that feeling. He'd not be incorrect at all by thinking so. I imagine there are a bunch of witches so batshit crazy, as a survival strategy, they wouldn't anymore fit the bill, but so far Ryouta hasn't fortunately encountered one of that kind. He's already taking care of 4 very different witches, and especially his beloved Neko could have been used as an assassin against her will, just like this witch he chose not to slay. In short he has much sympathy for the witches.

[Ryllharu]

He wanted information out of her. None of them know where the lab is because the girls escaped on the road.

[Kraco]

He wanted information out of her. None of them know where the lab is because the girls escaped on the road.

Sure, but he didn't kill her after getting no answers either, but left her there for the cops and shady soldiers to retrieve. So, that wasn't his reason for sparing her life.

[Xelbair]

I'm 80% sure that last buttons somehow releases the witches, probably turning them human again, or it prevents their bodies from melting.

[Ryllharu]

I'm 60% sure it makes the thing that nests in their bodies take over completely, so they turn into murderous, lustful, psychopaths; or swell to giant size and make more of themselves after exploding (like in Slither!).

Random guessing is fun!

[Kraco]

I'm 80% sure that last buttons somehow releases the witches, probably turning them human again, or it prevents their bodies from melting.

I very much doubt that. The organization creating them is utterly ruthless and is very worried about the witches now running loose. It would make zero sense they would simply allow them to press a button in their neck and live happily ever after. They even have the drug dependency to make sure any witch running too far will die on her own. Besides, they clearly have no intention of rewarding the witches with a peaceful retirement; they are simply disposed when studied enough and/or deemed unsuitable for any profitable purposes, or as a punishment for failing.

Ryll's suggestion seems more likely. Some kind of overdrive would seem likely. Maximum performance for 15 minutes and then unavoidable melting.

[Buffalobiian]

I'm 80% sure that last buttons somehow releases the witches, probably turning them human again, or it prevents their bodies from melting.

I'm in agreement more or less with Xel here. Why go to the elusive explanation of "something worse than death" if you can just tell them what it is? I'm sure it'll scare them to the same extent if it really was worse than death. The only alternative I'm thinking about here is that it in fact isn't worse than death, and it really is all just a scare.

Though perhaps Ryll does have a point and it's the button that activates something once their "plan" is ready. Witch Instrumentality Project perhaps?

As for the deaths suppressant drug, I have always had in my mind that the girls are already dead. They were corpses already that were somehow brought back to life by the parasitic alien. If you take the alien out, they decompose immediately. The alien itself isn't quite able to prevent the rotting process however, which is why they need the suppressant.

I'm surprised that no one else thought of this.

[Archangel]

I'm surprised that no one else thought of this.

Probably because it's a stupid idea

I take it back the "already dead" theory has merit to it, it's Xelbair's third button idea that's dumb.

[Kraco]

There's no way some escaping (or otherwise too much tortured) witches wouldn't press the third button just for the heck of it when they are running out of drugs or just out of their endurance and wits. It's a stupid idea, no matter how you look at it. In the first place, the organization has no use whatsoever for such functionality. They dispose of witches that turn out too weak, fail a mission, or for any arbitrary reason. They ever remove all evidence the witches exist by altering memories or killing witnesses. So, why would they have a button to free witches? It would be a huge liability with no benefits.

The already dead theory has many merits, though. But then again, we have already seen they are already dead as humans in any case. Humans don't turn into goo in seconds.

[shinta|hikari]

I'm surprised that no one else thought of this.

Because then this will become Madoka.


So, why would they have a button to free witches? It would be a huge liability with no benefits.

True, so then either it is a fake button, a torture button they can use for interrogation, or a Gon power up button, where you get a short powerup then die afterwards. The last one is useful when you have an agent with the girl, like how Prof. X loli does.

[Xelbair]

Probably because it's a stupid idea

I take it back the "already dead" theory has merit to it, it's Xelbair's third button idea that's dumb.

It releases the alien into their bodies, away from the harnest. keeping her alive without the harnest.

[Buffalobiian]

HS - Episode 10 (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=562740)

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Interestingly in the new OP, Kana's moving fingers on her right hand. They've already revealed that she could move her body if she wanted to, so I don't know whether to interpret this as animation error or not.

The jokes in this show make up for the lackluster OP. Just light, spur-of-the-moment types.

[Kraco]

Episode 10 - HS (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=562740)




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Since she didn't appear prominently even in the new OP, and because her power would have been far too convenient, Nanami's fate was more or less sealed. I guess it's also true that it had been too long since the last girl turned into goo. Of course the good thing is that with the metal parts and maybe electronics intact, the scientist dude can now study the harness and beacon in leisure and thus be quite well prepared should there be need to save another witch with a remote controlled death switch.

While perverted girls are hardly uncommon in anime these days, I somehow like Kazumi more than most of them. Her perverted lines manage to surprise me so often. And this time she got even Neko following her, suddenly asking for Murakami's virginity as well. Be a man, Murakami, and fulfill your dear Neko's wish!

[David75]

Her lines have greater joking effect, because they're not that much of a joke. After all, she'd like to lose her virginity before dying, or rather than a technical detail, try to get pleasure/feelings from an intimate relationship.

[Archangel]

Either we get no episode link or we get 2

I can't tell if Valkyria is so similar to Kuro because the artist is lazy or if there something else there, she does seem a little lacking as a main character right now so maybe

[Buffalobiian]

Either we get no episode link or we get 2



We both posted at nearly the same time.

And I'm betting that the two girls are related.

[NeoCybercoin]

What you said Buff, made me think. If Kana was moving fingers on her other hand...wouldn't that mean she hung up? Didn't she say her powers made her a cripple. I think that was something like it. So if she hangs up she should be able to move freely right?

[Buffalobiian]

What you said Buff, made me think. If Kana was moving fingers on her other hand...wouldn't that mean she hung up? Didn't she say her powers made her a cripple. I think that was something like it. So if she hangs up she should be able to move freely right?

I'm not sure how to interpret her words. To me it felt like gaining those powers caused her to become cripple. You could be right. The group would have to be put into a series of dangerous situations though to trigger it since Kana's power is a passive.

Actually.. active/passive gives me an idea. How about this: In order to receive forecasts for the people she cares/knows about, Kana has to remain a cripple. That's why Kazumi said "You could move if you wanted to", and Kana told her to keep quiet.

Kana willfully remains a cripple to keep her friends posted.

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edit: Wait, or was my "realisation" what you were going for in your post Neo? I associated "hanging up" with overuse, but I forgot that you've got the button as well. Given that Kana can't move though, I'm not sure whether she could hang up on her own accord.

[NeoCybercoin]

Yeah I was also referring to her hang-up button. But I had forgotten bout what Kazumi said bout her being able to move if she wanted to.

[Ryllharu]

Kana is paralyzed for the same reason that Neko loses her memories. It is a side effect of their abilities. Kazumi very likely was implying that Kana could walk and move, but it would mean not using her powers and probably hanging up immediately for who knows how long.

[Kraco]

Episode 12 - HS (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=567080)




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Well, that certainly rocketed straight out to the outer space with no inhibitions. It was more or less given those things were some sort of aliens, but then suddenly they needed to included Engineers and the end of all life. Right. Another pointless thing is the wardrobe of the resistance. Couldn't they perhaps move in a little less conspicuous clothes for higher efficiency? The show was getting surprisingly good, but I can't really say I'd be a fan of the revelations in this episode. Any of them. With the next episode being the last, will the scientist even have time to play any role whatsoever?

[Ryllharu]

So...this is the H.P. Lovecraft version of Elfen Lied? That's moderately disappointing.

And of course Neko can be powered up to be stronger than Valkyria...
I assume that is why Valkryia is friendly with Neko. I'm guessing that when Neko isn't restrained like she is now, she's probably equally as insane as Valkyria. They're probably both super bloodthirsty like that and get along just peachy.

That said, I was actually surprised Kotori was the infamous #1107. They were foreshadowing heavily that it was Neko. A misdirection well done.

Are we also to assume that Hatsuna isn't quite dead? Or is it that her slug thing will move somewhere else?

[Kraco]

Are we also to assume that Hatsuna isn't quite dead? Or is it that her slug thing will move somewhere else?

Or her alien is also awakening and growing into a proper man-eater monster.

[Ryllharu]

If that's the case, I suppose we have Kana walking to look forward to, as alluded to a while back by Kazumi.

Hopefully it won't break their already strained animation budget.

[Buffalobiian]

Or her alien is also awakening and growing into a proper man-eater monster.

That may well be the case. I'm more inclined to believe that Hatsuna isn't actually dead because those tentacles look like the healing ones that worked on Murakami, but at the same time the animation did now show her harness resetting back into the usable configuration.

[NeoCybercoin]

Neko most likely 'forgot' she was that strong since that does seem to be the side effect from using magic.

[Killa-Eyez]

Cool anime...

AWESOME 1ST OP!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQmzD5CT0ec

[Kraco]

Episode 13 Final - HS (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=569540)






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A decent ending to the show. I'd assume this was an anime original ending, although I suppose it's possible this could be but an end to an arc in the manga (the manga is still ongoing and already 9 volumes, so I doubt this covered all of it). In my opinion this felt more like an ending tailored for this show, and if it was, it wasn't nearly the worst I've seen over the years. It was a bit Hollywood with Kazumi getting saved by the regenerator, though (well, even the regenerator herself surviving).

Not a bad show. Much better than I expected.

(Gotta say those were some lousy submachine guns or far too soft and light bullets, not that the idiots using them would have been any better.)

[NeoCybercoin]

Actually....it's not really anime original. The manga's arc ended just like that. Ofcourse with lots of stuff different but the essence is the same. I could say what's different but I don't wanna spoil anything to those who read/are going to read it.
But, I am looking forward to the Blu-ray releases. All this stupid censoring when they melted really ruined it for me. The show didn't feel as dark as the manga does. At least not to me.

[Archangel]

This ending was on its own level of bad, possibly the worst i've ever seen.

[Kraco]

This ending was on its own level of bad, possibly the worst i've ever seen.

I thought you had seen lots of anime. This wasn't nearly as bad as some. The worst anime endings are those that totally defeat the enemy, or fulfill some other equivalent main objective, that the original source would take forever to solve (that is, it's the last thing that happens in the source, a long time in the future after much development). Endings like the Soul Eater anime, for example. This Brynhildr ending saw a single man and a single super witch defeated from the enemy organization, but that's it. The only other dubious things about it were Neko's easier than breathing power up and the practical resurrections, which I referred to as hollywoodism. Like NeoCybercoin verified, it was just an ending of an arc (perhaps altered), which would be the optimal anime ending if the whole source can't be animated. Nobody wants to see some filler script writing monkey imagine themselves better than the original author.

[Archangel]

These last two episode were like the show was vomiting information at us, and not even in the right order.

[Buffalobiian]

I can't call this ending good. I don't exactly care enough about this show to dissect it though so I'm going to forget this existed and move on. I'll only be back to watch Kazumi hilariously try to shed her virginity.

[David75]

I can't call this ending good. I don't exactly care enough about this show to dissect it though so I'm going to forget this existed and move on. I'll only be back to watch Kazumi hilariously try to shed her virginity.

I hope for her she got her lower half glued correctly :D

[shinta|hikari]

The manga arc ending made much more sense.

[Buffalobiian]

I hope for her she got her lower half glued correctly :D


"She's still warm."

...............-What Buff thought when Kazumi was dying a virgin.

[Kraco]

"She's still warm."

...............-What Buff thought when Kazumi was dying a virgin.

Nah. Her lower body was totally severed from her upper body. I don't think it would have counted anymore at that point. It would have been pretty much comparable to losing her virginity in a surgical operation under anesthesia. That is, meaningless.

[shinta|hikari]

I think Buff was saying that he will use the upper half. It conveniently has an empty cavity now that all her guts have spilled out, and it is still warm.

[Buffalobiian]

Nah. Her lower body was totally severed from her upper body. I don't think it would have counted anymore at that point. It would have been pretty much comparable to losing her virginity in a surgical operation under anesthesia. That is, meaningless.
I think Buff was saying that he will use the upper half. It conveniently has an empty cavity now that all her guts have spilled out, and it is still warm.

. . .


!!!!!!



-They're both warm.