"We won't pick on you for long today, Horns. We've still gotta pick on Eddie Brock, Lex Luthor, and that other weird girl they call Creepy Carrie before lunch time!"
Our intent is to have fully fleshed out, fanmade transcripts of all fourteen (as of 2015) episodes of the Elfen Lied anime, its English-language dub in specific. This means that in addition to the dialogue, there will be "stage directions" to describe the scenes.
This transcript will be of the English language dub for the anime, with the subtitles in English as well. "Stage directions" will be noted in brackets. Subtitle dialogue, where it differs from the English dub text, will be marked off by parentheses next to the English version. The absence of a subbed dialogue marker simply means that the dialogue is the same in both versions.
Translation and transliteration issues will be discussed in the section after the transcript is done. To clear up confusion, the DVD edition of Elfen Lied recently released by ADV's subsidiaries will be used, so the subtitles listed are the official ADV translation. Please keep this in mind regarding any translations, as both the dub dialogue and English subtitles will be written as they are spoken/written on screen. In ADV's translations, some characters names are romanized as Kohta, Bandoh, etc.
These transcripts, in their previous dialogue form, originated from: http://animetranscripts.wikispaces.com/ and the debt to that site is freely and gratefully acknowledged.
Elfen Lied Episode 8: The Beginning ~ Beginn[]
Prologue[]
[ After being hit by Nana, Nyu crashes into the foldable screen in the foyer, knocking it down and breaking it. Yuka rushes to her side in a panic. ]
Yuka: Nyu!
[ As Yuka helps Nyu sit up, the hair covering Nyu's face at first has it seem as though Lucy will wake up again, but instead, she lifts her head and offers a soft "nyu?" to Nana's confusion. ]
Nana: What!?
Nyu: Kouta!
[ As Nyu reaches for Kouta, Nana throws her bag to the side. ]
Nana: I'm not gonna play your little games! You won't fool me like you did last time. ( SUB: This isn't a joke! It's not gonna work like that time! )
[ Nyu drops her hand, and her head suddenly droops as well. Mayu runs up to her in concern. ]
Mayu: Nyu! ( SUB: Miss Nyu! )
Yuka: Nyu, are you okay? Are you hurt? ( SUB: Nyu, are you all right? Hey, Nyu! )
Nana: Why is she... ( SUB: Why? )
Kouta: Hey! ( SUB: Hey... )
[ Nana turns around to face Kouta after he gets her attention. He slaps her, bringing a squeak out of her, and Mayu and Yuka look over at the two. Nana, her cheek bright red, is momentarily in shock from being struck, then glares up at Kouta, who doesn't back down from her gaze. ]
Nana: Don't you dare hit me! ( SUB: What was that, all of a sudden?! )
Kouta: Then you better not touch my friend. Tell me, why did you do that to her? ( SUB: That's my line! Why did you... )
[ Mayu is suddenly beside them and clasps her hands before holding them over her mouth. ]
Mayu: I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It's my fault that this happened. Oh, Kouta, I'm sorry! ( SUB: I'm sorry. I'm sorry something like this happened. Mr. Kohta, I'm sorry. )
[ Mayu holds her face in her hands as tears spring from her eyes. Beads of sweat trail down Nana's face as her friend doesn't take her side. ]
Nana: But why? ( SUB: Why? )
[ She steps back a little to point back to where Nyu still appears to be unconscious in Yuka's arms. ]
Nana: Why all the tears?! She's the one who's bad! Why is it that everyone is taking Lucy's side?! ( SUB: Why?! She's the one who's bad! Why does everyone stand up for Miss Lucy? )
Mayu: Lucy?
[ Mayu looks over at her, confused and with her eyes still tearful. ]
Nana: She is the bad one, not me! ( SUB: She's a very bad person! )
[ Nana visibly deflates and looks from one person to another in her loss for explanation for the circumstances. ]
Nana: I'm good. Why doesn't anyone see that? Can't you see? I'm the good one. ( SUB: Why? I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't do anything wrong. )
[ Nana begins to silently cry, and Yuka continues to try and reach the still unconscious Nyu. ]
Yuka: Nyu! Nyu, can you hear me?! ( SUB: Nyu! Hey, answer me! )
Kouta: What's wrong?
[ Kouta quickly hurries over to the two girls out of frame. ]
Yuka: I think she's unconscious! ( SUB: Looks like she's lost consciousness. )
Kouta: Nyu? Nyu?! Wake up! ( SUB: Hey, Nyu! Wake up! )
Mayu: Oh, no. ( SUB: Um... )
[ Nana runs out of the house, but Mayu doesn't immediately run after her, though she does hold out a hand for her to stop. ]
Mayu: No, Nana! Wait! ( SUB: Hey, Miss Nana! )
_______
Act One[]
[ A ways away from the Maple House, Nana stands on the stairs leading down to the street. She holds her hand so the back of it is against her eyes as she cries. ]
Nana: I didn't... I didn't do anything wrong, so...why does everyone think I'm bad? ( SUB: I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't do anything wrong, so why? )
[ She looks up to see Mayu trotting down the steps with a barking Wanta alongside her. Nana frowns and her eyes tremble with unshed tears, and as Mayu comes closer, she holds up Nana's purse in her hands. ]
Mayu: You left, but you forgot your bag. ( SUB: You forgot your bag. )
Nana: I don't need it!
Mayu: What?
Nana: Don't act like my friend! You're as bad as everyone else! ( SUB: I hate you! Everyone treated me like a bad person! )
[ As she turns to leave, Mayu grabs at her wrist to try pulling her back. ]
Nana: Let go of me! ( SUB: Let me go! )
Mayu: No, Nana! Wait! ( SUB: No! )
Nana: I said let me go!
[ As Mayu continues pulling, Nana's prosthetic arm suddenly pops off, and the force has both girls falling back away from each other. Mayu lifts up Nana's arm, looking at it curiously, then screams. As Wanta watches in concern, she continues to screech as she runs down the stairs, still holding the arm. The two girls are then sitting together at a nearby temple. Nana's curled up with her knees to her chest, facing away from Mayu, and Mayu holds Wanta in her lap. In the foreground sits a statue of Jizo. ]
Mayu: You know, you're the one who messed up back there. Nyu didn't do anything to deserve that. ( SUB: It was you who was wrong, doing something like that to Miss Nyu so suddenly. )
[ Nana sits upright and quickly turns around to face her. ]
Nana: You're wrong! She deserves so much worse! ( SUB: But she's a very bad person! )
Mayu: Uh, not to change the subject, but why'd you call her Lucy? Her name's Nyu. ( SUB: Um, you called Miss Nyu "Miss Lucy" earlier, right? )
[ Nana utters a little "hmph" and turns her gaze to the side. ]
_______
[ A helicopter flies closer to the island holding the Diclonius Research Institute. On the helipad far below, red lights continuously blink to signal the landing spot. The helicopter lands, and Arakawa steps out onto the helipad with the wind from the propellers jostling her hair. In her hand is a bag containing Professor Kakuzawa's severed head. The helicopter takes off once she's a few steps away, the wind flinging her lab coat up around her, and as it flies away, her eyes widen as a sudden bout of nausea washes over her. Though she makes it a few more steps, she then crouches down to let the airsickness wear off. ]
Arakawa: This sucks. I'll never ride that thing again. ( SUB: This really sucks. I'll never ride something like that again. )
Shirakawa: I've been waiting for you.
[ Arakawa lifts her head to see Shirakawa not far away. The next shot has Arakawa walking in a hallway, her eyes shifting from left to right, and the two sets of footprints and following shot of Shirakawa in front indicate she's leading her through the facility's halls. Arakawa holds up the bag containing Professor Kakuzawa's head. ]
Arakawa: Why would you make me come all this way just to make a delivery? You could just come to me, couldn't you? ( SUB: Why do I have to com all the way to deliver something like this? All you have to do is come and pick it up, right? )
[ Shirakawa doesn't answer, to Arakawa's dismay. ]
Arakawa: But I guess this is some kind of abduction? ( SUB: This is almost abduction, isn't it? )
[ Again Shirakawa is silent, and Arakawa lifts up her own arm to gauge her body odor. ]
Arakawa: Man, I don't know how long it's been since I've taken a bath. ( SUB: Oh, man. I wonder how many days it's been since I've taken a bath. )
[ Shirakawa stops in front of a pair of doors, and Arakawa puts her arm down in a hurry. ]
Shirakawa: Director Kakuzawa is waiting for you.
[ Arakawa nods, and the doors open. Inside, Professor Kakuzawa's head is revealed from the cloth containing it, eyes still turned up and the tongue lolled out. ]
Director Kakuzawa: There can be no doubt. ( SUB: Certainly... )
[ Director Kakuzawa folds his hands behind his back as he stares down at the head. Arakawa awkwardly rubs her head, and Shirakawa stands off to the side with her hands clasped in front of her. ]
Arakawa: I suppose that settles things. You won't mind if I go home now. ( SUB: Now the matter is settled, right? Will you let me go home now? )
Director Kakuzawa: Go home?
Arakawa: I'm sure I should offer you my condolences, but given the circumstances, I'd rather end all this cloak-and-dagger stuff and just go home. ( SUB: Properly speaking, I should offer my condolences, but I was suddenly called into a place like this and... )
[ She puts her arm down, and Kakuzawa lifts his head from staring at his son's head. ]
Director Kakuzawa: It is I who should offer you condolences. ( SUB: The person who should offer condolences is me. )
[ While Arakawa is wondering what he means, Director Kakuzawa adopts a cruel smile as he removes a handgun from his coat. He cocks the gun and points it at her, and Arakawa jerks in surprise. She lifts her hands up in front of her. ]
Arakawa: Wait! Wait, hold on! You don't wanna do anything rash, right? Right? ( SUB: What? Hey! That's dangerous so put it down. Hey... )
[ She looks to Shirakawa, who only bears an ashamed look as she closes her eyes. ]
Arakawa: How can you just stand there and let him do this to me?! ( SUB: Hey, you. Don't just stand there and... )
Director Kakuzawa: You've seen too much. ( SUB: You saw these. )
[ She turns back to Kakuzawa, confused. ]
Arakawa: Are you talking about the horns? ( SUB: These? You mean the horns? )
Director Kakuzawa: Smart girl. You must understand I can't turn you loose knowing what you know. ( SUB: So I can't let you just go on with your life. )
Arakawa: Are you kidding me?! ( SUB: You gotta be kidding. )
[ She turns and runs away in a panic, and Shirakawa winces as a gunshot rings out. ]
______
[ The screen cuts to Mayu looking at Nana in disbelief, having heard her explanation of who Lucy is offscreen. ]
Mayu: No, you're wrong! You've got to be. That isn't Nyu. ( SUB: That can't be true! No way...Miss Nyu is... )
Nana: It is true. She escaped from the lab and killed a lot of people along the way. She ripped off my arms and legs when I came to look for her. ( SUB: It's true. She escaped from the lab and killed a lot of people. My arms and legs were sliced off by her when I came to look for her. )
Mayu: She couldn't do that, even if she wanted to. ( SUB: I can't believe something like that. )
[ Nana jumps off the raised porch of the temple and goes to stand in front of Mayu just off the curb. She removes her right false arm, shocking Mayu. ]
Nana: We aren't human. It isn't just the horns that make us different. You can't see the differences. ( SUB: We're not ordinary humans. Not only do we have horns, but... )
[ Two of her vectors come out from behind her to hover in the air around Mayu. ]
Mayu: What is it?
Nana: I'm going to show you. ( SUB: I'll show you. )
[ Wanta barks in agitation, and four of Nana's vectors rush forward as she tilts her face down. ]
_______
[ Arakawa stares wide-eyed into the air in shock. ]
Arakawa: Hey, you really shot me. ( SUB: He really shot. )
[ Shirakawa opens her eyes and breathes out a small sigh. ]
Director Kakuzawa: You don't wanna die, do you?
[ Arakawa turns to the side and hunches over, revealing he's shot her in the right shoulder. She holds her other hand against the wound, but it doesn't stop the bleeding. The blood quickly turns most of her lab coat's sleeve red. ]
Arakawa: Stop playing games with me! Can't you see I'm bleeding?! ( SUB: Don't ask something so obvious! It's bleeding too much. )
[ Kakuzawa tilts his head to the side slightly. ]
Director Kakuzawa: Then, your only choice is to obey me. ( SUB: Then readily obey me. )
[ That gets Arakawa's attention, as she's quickly turning her head toward him. ]
Arakawa: Huh?
Director Kakuzawa: I want some truthful answers from you. Who was the other witness? ( SUB: First answer my question. Who was the other person? )
Arakawa: What are you talking about?
[ She turns to face him fully, still holding her shoulder. ]
Director Kakuzawa: The other person who saw my son's body. We confirmed a second set of footprints at the site. ( SUB: The other person who saw my son's body. We confirmed footprints other than yours at the site. )
Arakawa: Yes, you're right. There was another witness. He was a student who came to see the professor. ( SUB: Certainly there was one more person. It was a student who came to see the professor. )
[ Her arm is bleeding extensively enough that her right hand is coated in blood, and drops of it gather into a small pool by her feet. ]
Director Kakuzawa: His name? ( SUB: What's his name? )
Arakawa: After what I saw in the lab, I can hardly remember his face! I don't know his name. ( SUB: Because of what happened, I don't even remember his face well. Much less his name. )
[ Her eyes widen somewhat as another wave of nausea hits her from losing so much blood. ]
Arakawa: I feel so sick. ( SUB: I feel sick... )
[ Arakawa falls to her knees, but Kakuzawa's gaze is hard and indifferent. ]
Director Kakuzawa: I see. Such a shame. My son told me you were an excellent scientist. ( SUB: I see. That's a shame. My son told me that you were an excellent scientist. )
[ Arakawa falls to the floor, and Kakuzawa lowers the gun. He turns around to face the window behind his desk, and Shirakawa looks over at the scientist on the floor with concern etched in her face. Arakawa lies in a much bigger pool of her own blood, and her glasses have fallen off from the fall. ]
Arakawa: Oh, I just remembered.
[ Kakuzawa turns his head a little at her murmur. ]
Arakawa: The student... I remember he said he was looking for a girl he had left with the professor. ( SUB: He came to find the girl he left with the professor. )
[ That gets his full attention, and he turns his head more to the side to look right at her. ]
Director Kakuzawa: He was looking for a girl? ( SUB: A girl? )
Arakawa: When we went to the lab, she was gone. Nowhere to be found. ( SUB: When we went there, she wasn't there any more, thought. )
[ Arakawa's eyes fill with tears. ]
Arakawa: Is this all there is for me? An anonymous virgin bleeding to death on the floor? This can't be it. Can it? ( SUB: Will I die in obscurity in a place like this still being a virgin? I can't accept that... at... )
[ She utters a little gasp, then seems to die as she lies limp against the floor with wide eyes. ]
Director Kakuzawa: Shirakawa.
Shirakawa: Yes.
[ Shirakawa takes a phone from her coat and dials a number before holding it to her ear. ]
Shirakawa: This is the director's office. Please send the medical team. ( SUB: This is the director's office. Send a medical team immediately. )
[ Arakawa lifts her head, and she smiles nervously as she looks up at Kakuzawa. The right side of her face is coated in blood, as she was lying on that side. ]
Arakawa: Are you going to save me? ( SUB: You will save me? )
[ Kakuzawa is turned around again to face not only her, but his son's severed head. ]
Director Kakuzawa: On the sole condition that I have your full cooperation... ( SUB: On the condition that you cooperate with me... )
[ He reaches up to turn his son's head around to face her. ]
Director Kakuzawa: ...in the place of my son. ( SUB: in place of my son. )
_______
Act Two[]
[ The Jizo statue sitting across the street from Nana and Mayu is cut in half by Nana's vectors, and its top half slides off the bottom half to the ground. Mayu tenses up, surprised. ]
Nana: Lucy and I were born with hands that are nothing like the ones you humans have. ( SUB: From birth, we have different hands from what you have. )
Mayu: Hands?
[ Nana turns to face her, still not wearing her prosthetic right arm. The arm is actually sitting near Mayu on the porch, and one of Nana's vectors goes over to retrieve it. Since Mayu cannot see vectors, all she sees is the arm floating over to Nana, which has her recoiling and watching in shock as it goes to Nana's side and reattaches to her upper arm's stump. Nana flexes her arm a little to show it works before holding her hands behind her back. Two of her vectors come out from her back again. ]
Nana: We have four hands like this. I use these hands to move the arms and legs that Papa gave me. ( SUB: There're four hands of this kind. That's why I can move the hands and legs that I got from Papa. )
[ Mayu glances down to where the head and kerchief of the broken statue rest. ]
Mayu: So it wasn't a dream? Then, that man was really telling the truth. ( SUB: So it wasn't a dream. Then what that man said was also... )
Nana: Are you surprised?
[ Nana comes to sit down beside her, smiling. ]
Nana: But Lucy and I are very different, you know. I never do anything bad. ( SUB: But I'm different from Miss Lucy. I never do bad things. )
[ She gasps at a sudden realization and holds her hands on her head in despair. As Mayu watches, she lowers her head, then lifts it back up to wail. ]
Nana: Oh! Papa told me it was a secret! I told you about me! What do I do?! ( SUB: Oh! Oh, no! Papa told me that it was a secret! I told her about it! What should I do?! )
Mayu: The thing is... ( SUB: Um... )
[ Nana looks at her from the side, looking a little annoyed even, and still has her hands on her head. ]
Nana: What thing? ( SUB: What is it? )
Mayu: Well, you see, Nyu never does anything bad. She's the most innocent person I know. And she's always happy. And when I'm with her, I feel happy, too. ( SUB: Miss Nyu isn't a bad person at all. She is almost uncommonly innocent, and she always seems happy. When I'm with her, I feel happy too. )
[ Nana's brow furrows the more Mayu talks. She glances away, as if beginning to feel some regret. ]
Mayu: And those...hands? She's never even used them. You've got to believe me. Nyu is totally different from the person that you're talking about! ( SUB: Those hands... She's never even used them. It's true! Miss Nyu is a totally different person from who you're talking about! )
[ Nana lifts her head to look skyward. ]
Nana: I wonder why...
Mayu: What?
[ She lowers her head again, looking pensive. ]
Nana: There's no mistaking that that girl is Lucy. But at the same time, I don't sense her. Somehow she's different from the Lucy I know. But now, if I attack her while she's like this, I'm sure to win. ( SUB: There's no mistaking that she's Miss Lucy, but I don't sense her at all. She's different from the Miss Lucy I know. But... If I do it now, I can defeat her easily, right? )
Mayu: Nana, Don't! ( SUB: Miss Nana! )
[ Nana holds her face in her hands and whimpers. ]
Nana: I don't know! Oh, I don't know! I can't fight someone when I know she isn't going to fight back! Papa, tell me what to do! ( SUB: I don't know. I don't know! I can't fight with someone who I know isn't going to fight back. Papa, what should I do? )
Mayu: Oh, Nana. ( SUB: Miss Nana... )
_______
[ Inside the Maple House, Kouta and Yuka sit with Nyu in one of the rooms. As Nyu lies under the blanket, Kouta looks on and Yuka wets a cloth with water from a basin. She places the compress over Nyu's forehead, but it doesn't appear to ease the fever very much. ]
Yuka: The fever is still there. What should we do? ( SUB: Her fever isn't coming down. What should we do? )
Kouta: I don't know. She shouldn't have a fever from getting hit. ( SUB: Looks like it wasn't just because she was hit. )
Yuka: If she's really sick, we have to take her to the hospital. ( SUB: If she's got some disease, we have to take her to the hospital. )
[ Kouta lifts his head and immediately recalls Arakawa's words. ]
Arakawa: Patients who display the horn symptoms are immediately quarantined. We isolate them and kill them. ( SUB: Humans with horns immediately get isolated. If that happens... )
[ He looks away from her, torn on what to do. ]
Kouta: It's just too risky. ( SUB: But the hospital is... )
[ Yuka watches him a moment with worry on her face, then checks on Nyu, who's slowly opening her eyes. ]
Yuka: Look, she's waking up! ( SUB: Nyu woke up! )
[ Both of them lean over Nyu where she rests. ]
Kouta: Nyu!
[ Outside, Nana gasps and lifts her head from her hands. The shot then cuts back to Nyu's puzzled, fever-flushed face. ]
Kouta: Are you okay? Do you recognize me? ( SUB: Good. Can you recognize me? )
[ She leans forward to get a better look at him. ]
Lucy: Kouta...
[ Outside, Nana cries out and holds her arms as if suddenly struck cold. Mayu leans toward her to see what's the matter. ]
Mayu: Nana! ( SUB: Miss Nana? )
[ Lucy continues to stare at Kouta, but doesn't say anything. Mayu leans closer to Nana outside, as Nana pants for air. ]
Mayu: Hey, Nana. Tell me, what is it? ( SUB: Miss Nana, what happened? )
[ Finally, Lucy groans softly and rests her head back against the pillow. Nana is sweating, but finally finds her words. ]
Nana: She's awake! ( SUB: She woke up! )
_______
Act Three[]
[ In Director Kakuzawa's office, Arakawa has been moved out and her blood has been cleaned off the floor. Now Kurama stands there in front of Kakuzawa's desk as the director looks out the window. ]
Kurama: I understand she was Professor Kakuzawa's assistant, but I'm shocked that you brought an outsider here. What are you thinking? ( SUB: Though she is Professor Kakuzawa's assistant, I can't believe you brought an outsider in here. What are you thinking? )
Director Kakuzawa: She's the only one who still knows my son's research. ( SUB: She knows everything about my son's research. )
Kurama: Sir, if you're wanting to develop a vaccine, I'm sure that there is a classified lab up to the task. ( SUB: The development of a vaccine for the retrovirus should be quite possible at an outside institution. )
Director Kakuzawa: Vaccine? ( SUB: Vaccine, huh? )
[ He chuckles, surprising and confusing Kurama. ]
Director Kakuzawa: I was never interested in finding a vaccine. I'm looking for the virus itself. ( SUB: What I want is not a vaccine, but the virus itself. )
Kurama: I'm sorry...I must not understand. ( SUB: I don't quite understand your intention. )
Director Kakuzawa: With Lucy forging a way, I plan to reinvent humanity. ( SUB: With Lucy at the top, I'll attempt new mankind's rebirth. )
[ Kurama tilts his head slightly, which briefly reveals one of his eyes before the light overhead reflects off his glasses and hides it again. ]
Kurama: But, sir...our mission... ( SUB: Director... You're... )
Director Kakuzawa: The human race is on a path that leads only to extinction. Of this one thing I am certain. Lucy's birth is proof enough of our decline. ( SUB: The race called mankind is certainly heading toward its end. No, it has to. Lucy appearing in this world is its proof. )
[ He turns around to face Kurama with a smile. ]
Director Kakuzawa: Don't you see how it all fits? I'm doing God's work! ( SUB: I'm God's proxy. )
Kurama: That's crazy.
[ Kakuzawa's eyes widen slightly. ]
Director Kakuzawa: Crazy? You should be more careful choosing your words, Kurama. You owe me quite a debt of gratitude. I won't tolerate any further disloyalty from you. ( SUB: I thought I told you. Don't be mistaken, Kurama. Have you forgotten your debt of gratitude toward me? You have to be loyal to me. )
[ Kakuzawa turns away from him again, his left hand in his pocket. ]
Director Kakuzawa: I understand that you let #7 escape. ( SUB: I heard that you let #7 escape. )
[ Kurama stares at him in surprise. ]
Director Kakuzawa: We'll send #35 to terminate #7 and bring Lucy back. ( SUB: We'll use #35 for #7's disposition and Lucy's capture. )
[ Kurama lowers his head and grunts, and Kakuzawa turns just enough to eye him from over his shoulder. ]
Director Kakuzawa: You disobeyed me once. It's time now for you to demonstrate your loyalty. ( SUB: You'll pay for your crime of disobeying me with that debt of gratitude. )
[ Kurama says nothing more, instead just staring coldly at him. ]
_______
[ Kouta and Yuka are still leaning over Nyu in her room. ]
Kouta: Nyu? Are you all right? Does it hurt anywhere? ( SUB: Nyu, does it hurt anywhere? )
[ Lucy sits up, but rather than answer, she just glares out from behind her curtain of hair. She pushes the blanket back and gets up to her feet, making her way for the door. However, her steps are uneasy and wobbly. ]
Kouta: Hey, wait! Where're you going? ( SUB: Hey, where're you going? )
[ There's a thud against the door before Lucy opens it, and she pauses after sliding the door open. She holds a hand to her head, and her voice comes out as a hoarse whisper. ]
Lucy: There are things I can't remember. ( SUB: Some part of my memory's missing again. )
[ She ventures out into the hallway, and Yuka goes to the door to look out after her. ]
Yuka: Where's she going? ( SUB: I wonder if she's going to the bathroom. )
[ Lucy makes it to the grandfather clock, but her steps are still wavering and she holds a hand out to keep herself steady before stopping. Kouta and Yuka are right behind her. ]
Kouta: Hold on! Where're you running off to? ( SUB: You know the bathroom's not that way. )
Lucy: I'm going to teach that stupid girl a lesson. ( SUB: I'll go and teach a stupid girl a lesson. )
[ She doesn't make it another step before she's hitting the grandfather clock and sliding down to the floor in front of it. She almost falls over to the floor, but Kouta helps keep her upright. ]
Kouta: You are the one who's acting stupid. You're not going anywhere but right back to bed. ( SUB: You're the stupid one. You have to stay in bed quietly. )
[ Lucy lifts her head to stare at him, and her expression is identical to Nyu's, blush and all. ]
Lucy: Kouta...
[ Inside the room Lucy left a moment before, a rectangular vase with orange flowers sits in an alcove. A petal falls from one of the flowers, and Lucy looks up at the ceiling indignantly as she lies in the bed, then looks over where Kouta and Yuka stand in the doorway. Yuka has her purse over her shoulder. ]
Yuka: Okay, I'll run home and get some medicine. ( SUB: Then, I'll go and get some medicine from my home. )
Kouta: Try to at least find something for her fever. ( SUB: If we have at least medicine for fevers... )
Yuka: I'll do what I can. Take good care of her. ( SUB: I know. Then, take care of her. )
Kouta: Don't worry, we'll be fine. ( SUB: Yeah, thanks. )
[ Yuka looks into the room at Lucy. ]
Yuka: Nyu, make sure you keep your hands off of things while I'm gone. ( SUB: Nyu, don't do dirty things again, okay? )
[ Lucy glares after her, not sure what to make of that. After Yuka's left, Kouta sits near the bed to watch her. Lucy stares at him before slowly blushing. ]
Kouta: I'll stay right next to you all night. You don't have anything to worry about. ( SUB: I'll stay with you, so don't worry and go to sleep. )
[ Embarrassed, she looks to the other side of the room before closing her eyes. ]
Kouta: We've got to do something to get that fever down. ( SUB: We need to bring your fever down quickly. )
[ Lucy's eyes flutter open and closed a few times, the reflection of a woman in an apron showing in her eye, and a female voice rings in her head. ]
Woman: We've got to do something to get that fever down. ( SUB: Let's bring down your fever quickly, okay? )
[ Lucy finally seems to fall asleep, leading into a dream of the past. The camera, holding the view of a fisheye lense, pans downward to show a woman crouching next to the bottom bunk of a bunk bed in a child's room. It's not a typical home, but rather an orphanage. On the other side of the room is a large desk with two chairs. The desk is clearly made for two children to sit at it, but only one side of it is filled with books. Inside the bed is a small girl with short pink hair and horns, clearly Lucy when she was much younger, and the woman in the yellow apron gets up and slowly walks out of the room, the floorboards creaking under her feet, when it appears the girl is asleep. She closes the door behind her, closing the room off from the light of the hall. ]
Caretaker A: Does that girl have a fever again?
Caretaker B: It's just doesn't let up with that girl. I was supposed to go out tonight. ( SUB: I wish she'd give me a break. I had plans to go out after this. )
[ Lucy, face red and slicked with sweat from a fever, opens her eyes and looks at the door as she hears everything they're saying. ]
Caretaker A: That girl gives me the creeps. She doesn't act like a normal kid. Those horns of hers are disgusting. ( SUB: She's creepy and not childlike at all. And I wonder what those horn-looking things are. )
Caretaker B: You know, none of the other children wanna share a room with her. ( SUB: Other children don't want to stay in the same room as her either. )
[ Lucy sits up slowly and bows her head, a sorrowful look on her face. The next shot shows her bed empty and the bedroom door open so light from the hallway flows in. Lucy's then walking outside near a hillside covered in stone, with small alcoves carved into them to house statues. She holds her arms as she walks, overtaken by chills, and falls to her knees before she lies down completely on the ground. She lifts her head as she hears the whining of a little dog, and the dog is panting in front of her and wagging its tail. It barks, then licks at her face. ]
Lucy: Are you worried about me?
[ She reaches up to pet the dog a couple times, and it continues to wag its tail. ]
Lucy: I'm all right. I'm used to being alone. I'm not lonely.
[ She pauses to question that, then lets her head drop against the ground again. ]
Lucy: I'm not...lonely.
______
[ In a room in the orphanage, perhaps the sitting room or cafeteria, Lucy stares mutely at her school bag. The bag and its contents have been doused with milk. Around her stand three boys: Tomoo and his friends. ]
Tomoo: Hey, freak! Hey, you, I'm talking to you! What happened to your bag? Somebody poured milk on it. It smells really gross. ( SUB: Hey, Horn! You! I'm calling you! What happened to your bag? It stinks since it's covered in milk. )
Bully A: He asked you a question, you freak! (SUB: Why don't you at least respond?)
[ The boy pushes her to the floor, and the three boys all laugh together as she lies there. ]
Tomoo: You know, I heard that they found you all alone in a field. I bet your parents abandoned you because you had those freaky horns sticking out of your head. ( SUB: I heard about it. You were found abandoned in a thicket, right? Of course you'd get abandoned since you have horns sticking out. )
[ As young Lucy tries to pick herself back up, Tomoo uses the handle of an umbrella to pull her leg out from under her and sends her to the floor again. ]
Tomoo: Oops! ( SUB: There. )
[ After she yelps and goes to the floor again, the boys begin taunting her by dancing oddly behind her. ]
Tomoo: You must be some kind of monster, 'cause you're totally not a human. You're so weird even the teachers think you're creepy. ( SUB: Aren't you the child of a demon or something, not a human? The teachers were saying that you're creepy too. )
[ Their mirth is interrupted when a little girl opens the door to the room. She gasps, then turns out into the hallway. ]
Orphanage Girl: Teacher! Tomoo is picking on people again! ( SUB: Teacher, Tomoo is bullying again! )
Tomoo: Shit! Let's get outta here! ( SUB: Crap! Get out of here! )
[ The boys flee the room, and the girl glares after them. ]
Orphanage Girl: You should be ashamed for picking on a girl! ( SUB: You're the lowest, bullying a girl! )
[ The girl runs over to where Lucy is slowly picking herself up. ]
Orphanage Girl: Hey, are you all right? Oh, no. There's milk all over your bag. That boy is so mean. ( SUB: Hey, are you all right? Oh, no. Your bag is covered with milk. He does mean things. )
Lucy: Everyone in this place is unhappy. ( SUB: Kids here are all unhappy. )
[ The girl turns to look at her, having only just barely heard her mumbling. ]
Orphanage Girl: Huh? What's that? ( SUB: What? What did you say? )
Lucy: And since they're unhappy, they're probably looking for someone worse off than they are. ( SUB: Since they're unhappy, they probably need someone who's more unhappy than they are. )
[ Lucy grabs her bag off the table and leaves the room, and the girl follows behind her. ]
Orphanage Girl: Hey, hold on!
[ The girl rinses the mopped up milk out of a rag, then finishes wiping off the bag. ]
Orphanage Girl: Hopefully it'll be okay when it dries off. ( SUB: I hope it'll be okay once it gets dried. )
[ She turns to Lucy. ]
Orphanage Girl: Hey, you don't have to be alone all the time, you know. If you ever have a problem, you know you can always tell me anything. Whatever you need, I'm there for you. ( SUB: Hey, don't be by yourself all the time. IF you have a problem, you can tell me anything. I'll help you for sure. )
[ Lucy looks upward at her, surprised to hear such a claim, then bashfully tilts her head downward again as she looks away.
The scene shifts to nightfall, and Lucy sneaks out of the back door of the orphanage building while peeking around to see if anyone's around to notice her doing so. In the forest nearby, the puppy is waiting for her with tail wagging, and she offers it a small loaf of bread. As the statues carved into the hillside look on, the puppy eats the bread as Lucy crouches beside it. ]
Lucy: You were really hungry, weren't you? I'm so glad I found you. I don't know how much longer I can last in this place. ( SUB: You were really hungry, weren't you? If it wasn't for you, I might have been discouraged long ago. )
[ The puppy, having finished the bread, comes up to her and licks her outstretched hand while whining. He barks up at her after she takes her hand back. ]
Lucy: I'm really sorry. I don't have anything else for you to eat. ( SUB: Sorry, I don't have anything else for you to eat. )
[ She's interrupted by the growl of her own stomach. ]
Lucy: I guess half a lunch isn't enough for either one of us. ( SUB: I guess half of my lunch isn't really enough. )
[ The camera clips to a shot of the woods where light peeks out from behind the trees. Lucy points over to it to indicate that's where the orphanage sits. ]
Lucy: No matter how hungry you get, don't go over there. They'll be mean to you, too. ( SUB: Even if you get hungry, never go that way. They'll bully you too. )
[ The puppy looks up at her, and Lucy frowns in the direction of the orphanage. ]
Lucy: If I were stronger, I could protect you. If I was just a little stronger... ( SUB: If only I was stronger, I could protect you.)
[ The puppy whines, and in the next sequence, Lucy sits curled up in a dreamlike atmosphere. ]
Lucy: Again... I feel like... ( SUB: If only I was stronger... )
[ She looks down at her hands, then slowly reaches outward with them while tilting her head back, eyes closed. Her hands reach upward toward a light in the distance, and around her, four of her vectors fly up from underneath her. Lucy gasps as she wakes up from her dream. ]
Lucy: Feels like... (SUB: Again... )
[ An image of Lucy leaning forward with her head in her hands comes up, and four vectors are protruding from her back. ]
Lucy: Something is...changing inside me. (SUB: I feel like... something is... inside of me. )
[ She looks upward to the top bunk above her, which is covered in hand prints. As she sits up, it's revealed the entire room is covered in these hand prints. ]
_______
[ Lucy stands in the sitting room with the Orphanage Girl but appears divided on whether to talk to her or not. The girl is reading a book, but looks up as she notices Lucy standing there with a worried look on her face. ]
Orphanage Girl: What's wrong? ( SUB: What is it? )
Lucy: I...I have a problem. ( SUB: There's something I wanna talk about. )
[ There's a quick jump to skip Lucy outright telling her what's on her mind, but the girl's reaction makes it obvious what she's told her about. The girl looks up with an excited smile. ]
Orphanage Girl: No way! You have a dog?! ( SUB: Wow! You have a dog! )
[ Lucy holds a finger to her mouth with a shushing "shh" to urge her to keep quiet, and the girl holds her hands over her mouth. ]
Orphanage Girl: Sorry. If Tomoo and his friends find the dog, they'll torture him, won't they? ( SUB: Sorry. If Tomoo and his friends find the dog, they'll bully him, won't they? )
[ Lucy doesn't answer right away, having turned briefly to see if the girl's outburst was overheard outside the room, and the girl tilts her head, still smiling. ]
Orphanage Girl: Don't you worry. Hey, I can share my lunch with him too! I'll make sure I have leftovers. ( SUB: Don't worry. I'll share my lunch too. I always leave some anyway. )
[ The scene jumps to both the girls out in the woods with the dog, having brought him more food. ]
Orphanage Girl: Wow, he's cute!
Lucy: Don't tell anyone about this.
Orphanage Girl: Okay. I'm not going to tell anyone. You can trust me. ( SUB: Okay, I won't tell anyone. Don't worry. )
Lucy: Yeah.
[ Lucy smiles a little upon hearing that.
The shot then cuts to Lucy sitting at a table in the sitting room, idly kicking her feet. She's staring at a vase full of white lilies on the table when she's interrupted. ]
Tomoo: Hey, freak! ( SUB: Hey, Horn! )
[ She scowls and turns toward Tomoo, who's standing nearby with his hands on his hips. ]
Tomoo: You think you're pretty smart, don't ya? Well, you're not smart enough. ( SUB: You're a smark-aleck... even though you aren't a human. )
[ He smirks, and to Lucy's horror, her dog's yelps are heard. One of Tomoo's friends holds it by the scruff of the neck, and Lucy bolts up from her chair to try and take it away from him. ]
Lucy: You jerks!
Bully A: Where are you going? ( SUB: Oops. )
[ The other friend of Tomoo grabs her as the other two laugh, and Lucy continues to struggle to get out of his grip. ]
Lucy: Let me go! Stop it!
Tomoo: I've never seen you this upset before. You must really like the dog! ( SUB: This is the first time I've seen you this upset. )
Bully B: He's right. You don't laugh. You don't cry. You're really creepy! ( SUB: You don't cry or laugh. You're creepy! )
[ The boy lifts the dog up and down a couple times to taunt her, and Tomoo follows up by leaning in toward her. ]
Tomoo: Okay, cry. Cry and start begging! If you don't, I'll make sure the puppy does the crying for you. ( SUB: Cry! Cry and beg! Or the dog will get hurt in your place. )
[ He grunts as Lucy kicks him in the stomach then stumbles back. ]
Tomoo: That was dumb! Hey, kick the dog and teach her a lesson! ( SUB: Why you! Hey, give that dog a kick. )
Lucy: No! ( SUB: Don't! )
[ The boy turns and kicks the puppy, sending it into a wall. The dog yelps and hits the floor, and Lucy stares on in shock. She continues to struggle against the boy holding her, but to no avail. ]
Tomoo: This is way better than anything we could think of doing to her. ( SUB: This is more effective than teasing her directly. )
[ He goes over to a table and picks up a vase. He dumps its flowers out before switching it over to his other hand. ]
Tomoo: Keep holding it down.
[ A mortified Lucy watches on as Tomoo bludgeons the dog to death, its whimpers and cries filling the room. Blood immediately covers the vase with which he uses to hit it. ]
Lucy: This isn't happening. Why? Why?! ( SUB: Can't be... Something like this... Why... Why? )
[ Tomoo hits the dog once more before the Orphanage Girl comes running in. ]
Orphanage Girl: Stop it!
Tomoo: What's wrong? You're the one that told us about the stupid dog. ( SUB: Why? You told us about the dog. )
[ Lucy's taken aback by this, and she turns to the girl as she tries to explain herself. ]
Orphanage Girl: Because... Because... I didn't know you were gonna do this! ( SUB: 'Cause... 'Cause... I didn't know you'd do something like this. )
[ The girls' eyes meet, and the Orphanage Girl clasps her hands over her mouth as her eyes tremble from welling tears. ]
Orphanage Girl: I'm sorry! I didn't mean to tell them! ( SUB: I'm sorry. I told them by accident. )
[ Lucy lowers her head in defeat, but she jerks as one of the boys on the other side of the room speaks. ]
Bully B: Aw, man! The dumb dog stopped moving. ( SUB: Oh? He stopped moving. )
Tomoo: Oh well. ( SUB: That was too quick. )
[ The dog's blood slowly creeps across the floor in front of Tomoo. The scene plays over again in Lucy's head as she recalls what she told the Orphanage Girl before: ]
Lucy: And since they're unhappy, they're probably looking for someone worse off than they are. ( SUB: Since they're unhappy, they probably need someone who's more unhappy than they are. )
[ The Orphanage Girl is shown holding her head in her hands. However, she appears to have a little smile on her face. Lucy's face is cast in shadow as she continues to look down at the floor. ]
Lucy: You know who isn't human? You know who isn't human?! PEOPLE LIKE YOU! ( The ones who aren't human... the ones who aren't human... are you! )
[ The boy behind her is suddenly beheaded, splattering blood all over the wall behind her. Tomoo gasps, but then more blood is spattered all over the walls in quick succession. Everything in the room is covered in blood as well, and blood even drips off of the lilies in the vase from before. The next shot reveals the carnage: Lucy standing in the middle of the room, with what looks like the puppy's corpse in her arms, and the corpses of the other children lay askew in the blood-soaked room. ]
_______
Epilogue[]
[ In the woods, Lucy's buried the puppy at the base of a tree and marked the grave with stones. She stands before it, defeated, as cicadas chirp in the background. ]
Lucy: I'm sorry. It was my fault. Why do I have to be treated like this? Just because I'm a little different? It's not fair... ( SUB: I'm sorry. It was my fault. Why do I have to be treated like this just because I'm a little different from others? Why? )
[ She grasps at her horns as if to tear them off of her head, as she realizes they're the source of her misfortune. She pauses to glare behind her, where a boy has dropped a music box. As a melancholy theme plays, the boy picks the music box up and stares at her in wonder. The two watch each other in silence as the song continues to play. ]
_______
Next Episode Preview[]
[ Lucy and Kouta continue to watch each other, Lucy's face bearing a glare and Kouta's curiosity; Lucy stares out from behind a tree with a vector sliding out as well; Kouta waves goodbye to her at night; the bus the two children ride on hits a bump, and Lucy blushes as Kouta catches her. ]
Narrator: The gears never stop spinning, yet never mesh. ( SUB: Gears never stop spinning, yet never mesh. )
[ Lucy's hit by a splash of water and Kouta laughs; Lucy sweats and appears horrified as she's sucked into what appears to be a bluish-gray void, where visions of a bandaged girl appear beside her. ]
Narrator: Even a ray of light does nothing but emphasize the depth of her own darkness. ( SUB: Even a ray of light that shone in did nothing but emphasize the depth of her own darkness. )
[ Lucy cowers on the ground and blood drips down to hit the ground in front of her, and as she looks up, she sees the Orphanage Girl, covered in blood, grinning behind her hands and pulling them away to reveal an empty eye socket, which is dripping with blood and holds a malicious glow to it; Lucy herself, at a festival, is covered in blood and stares dully out in front of her. ]
Narrator: Yet what good are memories without meaning? ( SUB: What meaning did the memory bring for the girl? )
[ A young Yuka cowers behind Kouta as little Kanae speaks up, and Lucy looks down ominously from in front of a chain-link fence. ]
Narrator: On the next Elfen Lied, Episode Nine: Reminiscence. ( SUB: Next Elfen Lied, Episode Nine. "Reminiscence." )
| ||||||||
| |||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||