Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne (2008) User Reviews

Honestly, it's kinda meh. (Contains only mild spoilers.)

[glumski · 7/10 · 30 June 2021]

Things I liked: + Overall premise of immortals and their evil counterparts.

+ Time skips between episodes, giving rise to both early nineties nostalgia and cool SciFi ideas.

+ Interesting development of the side characters that tie the episodes together.

+ 45 minutes per episodes, leading to more in-depth storytelling compared to the typical 22 minutes.

+ The female characters weren't just romantic interests but actually well-developed.

+ The Noir atmosphere worked well.

+ The action scenes were pretty cool.

Things that were fairly meh: ~ The English voice acting ranges from good to, uh, not good.

~ The overall plot felt oddly disjointed; the endgame really didn't have much to do with the beginning.

~ The animation style was kind of weird. I'm not sure what exactly bothered me but I found the depiction of faces unappealing and the depiction of breasts off-putting.

~ The violence and gore felt a bit gratuitous in many parts.

~ I didn't find a coherent moral of the story. There was a bit of aloof preaching at the end but it came out of nowhere.

Things I disliked:

• There are many series and animes where nudity appears natural and makes sense. This is not one of them.

• Once again, yuri relationships are harmless fun, but as soon as a real man comes around, true sparks fly.

• The secret superpower was being a hermaphrodite all along.

• So many allusions to rape.

If you want an interesting story with touching characters, lots of violence/gore and nudity, and a firm moral, just watch Elfen Lied instead. This one feels like it's trying too hard to incorporate all the writers' fetishes.

A rather good sleazy kind of anime!

[Irishchatter · 8/10 · 12 May 2018]

To be honest, I never expected to see an anime who involves a woman who really is so confident and acts like such a interesting character. Although I wouldnt call Rin the first female interesting character I've ever seen. Integra Hellsing from the anime "Hellsing" is pretty much the same as her, but a lot more serious and doesn't take crap from no one. Whereas Rin just doesn't give a toss and is pretty much laid back in that sense.

You know, I really thought that Rin and Mimi were going to turn out as a couple because you could see they were flirting a lot. They were saying that Mimi was bisexual and Rin was heterosexual but i totally disagree through. I think both girls are bi like they do have a little intimacy even if they try to show it. I was actually surprised that Rin ended up having a child with Tajimamori like i felt they didn't really match well as a couple. Just my opinon like this kinda did give me a surprise lol!

Interesting anime, I'll give it a 8/10!

A mix of horror/mystery/Film Noir-ish/weird bondage gore?

[nathan-517 · 10/10 · 25 March 2010]

This series is definitely unique, I don't think I've ever seen anything like it, I did enjoy it though. It was hard to follow in some places, confusing in others, and just freaking weird all around.

The series revolves around Rin Asogi, a immortal P.I. who keeps getting tangled up in a supernatural conspiracy that involves her more than she knows.

There is a lot of weird twists and turns in the story that honestly keep you confused, even after the end. After watching it once, I suggest you watch it a second time, just to get a better understanding. The thing I like most about this series though is that it jumps right into this "world" and doesn't waste time with character development or how everything works, it just lets you figure it out on your own.

I read somewhere that it is a "Tech-Noir" series, I don't know exactly what that means but what I think it means is that even though it's not in the 40's-50's it still holds a Film Noir mood and it does feel like an old mystery movie.

Throughout the whole series there is intense female nudity and graphic bondage, and rape that isn't put in subtly, but it all ties into the plot so it's not just put in there for fun.

Finally, I add that you will either love this series or get so confused you don't like it. But I suggest you watch it, cause it is shockingly original and it's pretty awesome in it's own way.

Gore and erotica galore, but a gem nonetheless

[rabbyclare · 9/10 · 16 January 2009]

Mnemosyne will probably be most known for its extremely explicit and disturbing gore and erotic imagery, and no doubt that will turn many viewers off to the series. However, throughout its 6 episodes this series didn't cease to surprise and impress me with the breadth AND depth of knowledge and trivia, as well as a well-constructed plot that slowly culminates over the 5 hours or so of running time. The series begins in seemingly typical anime fashion -- an imaginative setup of a group of immortals as a vehicle for over-the-top fan service and exciting action sequences. Admittedly, after the first episode, I thought I had a good idea what kind of anime this is going to be. However, every episode after that gave me something new to look forward too, and did not disappoint my growing expectations each minute through the film. I recommend this film to anyone who can stomach how graphic its scenes are, and are not too lazy or un-observant to fill in the interesting, subtle gaps left purposefully by the script.

***Spoilers below*** The protagonist of the story is Asougi Rin, a stunning woman in her twenties with a killer body. Honestly, the size of her breasts alone will trigger a "fan service no plot" alarm in most experienced anime viewers. She is one of many immortals who, at some point of their lives, absorbed a Fruit of Time from a tree (Yggdrasil) that spreads these fruits like spores throughout the world. Women who absorbed this fruit will regenerate and live forever in the exact state at which they absorbed the fruit. So, like one other character in the series, someone who absorbs the fruit right after massive injuries will retain those injuries forever.

Rin and her assistant Mimi (another immortal who looks like a young teenage girl) run a private investigations office together. Mimi is very skilled with computers and technology, while Rin as we soon discover is a master of martial arts. Their time in the office together is usually light and sprinkled with jokes and a suggested lesbian relationship. This is a stark contrast to the frequent gory injuries and torture usually sustained by Rin (It seems her enemies are usually extreme sadists). Their work usually starts off innocuous (in the first episode, Rin was out looking for a lost cat), but quickly become tangled in bigger and bigger problems (from an illegal lab cloning humans, assassinations of political foreign visitors, to the end of the world. Yup, the usual.).

The private investigator pattern continues for 4 episodes, where more and more of Yggdrasil's mysteries are unveiled. As the viewer, I enjoyed picking up each subtle clue and putting together more of more of the big picture. Towards the end of the series, immortals and angels (men who absorb the Fruit of Time turn into power savage winged creatures whose sole purpose in their short lifespan is to seek out immortals and eat them, as we discover later. They are one of the few true threats to an immortal woman.) plot elements come together in a sadistic plan to destroy all mortal humans. The pacing of the anime series, I felt, was excellent. 6 long episodes were just the right amount of time to deliver all the information to the audience, and the OVA medium (Direct-to-home video) allows the production crew to basically put anything they want onto the screen.

The characters in this series show distinct and fascinating development. Since at least 10 years of time pass between each episode, we see all the secondary characters age and change, while the main characters remain pretty much themselves. That, in addition to the changes in the environment made provided meaningful passage of time. By episode 3, for example, the world painted by the series has become that of the near future. It is a fairly stark, yet not unrealistic future where many people are lost in immersing online games -- 2.0 as the anime calls it, with reality being 1.0, and those lost in between trapped in "1.5". The characters also use more and more compact cell phones. The beauty of it all is that Mnemosyne never forces these changes down the viewer's throat. The characters behave just as you'd expect from someone who has grown accustomed to the technology over the years: perfectly at ease, and using each piece of equipment in a matter-of-fact way. This show knows its direction, and it also knows to respect the viewers' imagination in only giving a few interesting tidbits about the world, just enough for us to piece it all together.

Rin and Mimi (and a few other immortals) go through 3 generations of Japan over the course of the run. One of the secondary characters in the first episode, Maeno, who was found as a lost and helpless human clone, get married and have kids. In the 3rd episode, the male lead is his son, and in the 5th episode his granddaughter. The director did a very good job portraying teenagers who are fundamentally good people in this series. Too frequently do Japanese animes portray a flat, annoying brat as a kid. In this film, however, I clearly felt that despite being rebellious as teenagers tend to be, the youngsters are compassionate, smart, and capable. That brings me to another thing I enjoyed -- the characters, good guys and bad guys both, don't do outrageously stupid things like in most movies. Thanks to that, the plot rarely loses momentum because we're not overcome with frustration by how these people act.

Finally, the script uses a variety of mythical and factual trivia that are accurate! That sealed the deal for me in giving this series an excellent recommendation.

Brutally great anime

[allisimlover · 13 March 2012]

I'm sure lots of people don't like this anime because it simply pushes the limits of content, such as blood, violence, sex, nudity, etc. If you're looking for a new, unique anime, that's really violent, then this anime is for you!

During the first minute of the first episode, I fell in love right away. I'm tired of all the cliché, angry-teacher-dumb-schoolgirl anime shows, or any anime that's all upbeat and cute, and simply drop dead corny. This show was screaming out my name. A unique, epic female lead who knows karate and other awesome fighting moves - just what I needed. I enjoyed the show's brutality, the characters, and the story, and the art.

Highly recommended!

"Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne" - This one's got it all, and I mean it's got it ALL...

[dee.reid · 10/10 · 2 December 2010]

"Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne" is not unlike most Japanese animation (Anime') out there: it has a weird and confusing plot, beautiful women, lots of female nudity, grotesque violence, and just plain weirdness. The good thing about it all is: it's done in a uniquely original fashion that does a good job of thoroughly keeping you on the edge of your seat, either in utter awe at all the exposed flesh or the general confusion of the overall plot, or in utter repulsion at everything you're seeing.

The show itself is also a delightful hybrid of different genres, including horror, fantasy, detective-noir, and stylish eroticism. The influences of the Anime' classic "Wicked City" (1987) and the classic American fantasy film "Highlander" (1986) are also apparent in the story.

"Rin" is only six episodes long, with each episode only about 43 minutes in length. That's more than enough to thoroughly engross you in the on-screen events. The series takes place over the course of a 65-year period between 1990 and 2055, and focuses mainly on the voluptuous, green-eyed, large-chested lead heroine Rin Asougi, an immortal private detective who takes cases along with her fellow immortal sidekick Mimi that range from the simple and mundane (like trying to find a rare stamp or locate a lost cat) to the just plain weird (like helping an amnesiac young college student to discover his true identity or helping a young man evade mysterious hired hit-men).

Rin is beautiful and sexy, in addition to being one tough little cookie; she'll kill you twice before you know what hit you, I mean, with her throwing knives and throwing chain that she has concealed on her person. She has the appearance of a young woman in her 20s, but the series tells us that she's at least a thousand years-old. She can also take a beating, a few dozen gunshot wounds, rape and even being sucked into a jet engine, and will still come out just as hot and sexy as she was before. That's the price, apparently, that she pays for being immortal and a tough female a**-kicker.

All of these cases do eventually tie into the over-arching plot in some fashion later on in the series, but the show delights in keeping you in utter confusion at the seeming randomness of certain events and things that just don't seem to connect with one another. As one previous reviewer noted, part of what makes "Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne" so intriguing as a series is that it actually causes you to think about everything that goes on and draw your own conclusions about them. Not a whole lot of explaining is done in this series (at least with regards to the exposition - why everything is the way that it is on this show, what's going on, etc., and you have to take everything as is), and the few explanations that are given do help to sort out many of the more bewildering details of the characters and their motivations.

"Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne" does contain a lot of female nudity (both rear and full-frontal), which may draw in male viewers and drive away females, which unfortunately does not help the cause of doing away with the stereotypes that Anime' is full of sex and explicit violence. But "Rin" seems unconcerned about any mass appeal nor does it seem like it needs it; the show thrives in its own general weirdness and those accustomed to such material will have no problem watching it. Much of the sex and nudity in this series ranges from bondage-torture to rape to hot girl-on-girl action to general titillation like in a seemingly pointless shower sequence to finally, procreation (again, even the explicit sexuality ties into the overall plot of the series and does have some meaning here).

Even with the outstanding blend of different storytelling genres, explicit sexuality and violence, "Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne" is one of the more unique and original Anime' series I've ever seen. The story is confusing and deliberately so, yet everything that goes on does eventually tie into the bigger picture later on. Despite the many red flags going up here, you won't be able to take your eyes off it.

I know I couldn't.

10/10

Cheesy, sleazy and somewhat entertaining

[cherold · 5/10 · 3 May 2011]

Mildly intriguing series has immortal women running a detective agency. The nudity, sex and gore seem to exist entirely for prurience rather than because they are intrinsic to the story being told. That's fine, but the story is not being told that well, and there were too many times where I wasn't clear on what was going on. At times this feels like a series written for people who already know the story being told.

The most interesting aspect of the series is that since the main characters are immortal, episodes can take place years apart and we can see their friend's and peers age with each episode.

This series occasionally exhibits a little cleverness, and at times it's cheesy sex and violence formula works pretty well, as in the initial episode when a woman apparently dressed in nothing but a trench coat is chased by a gun wielding woman. Enough things work that I did watch the whole series, but enough things don't work that if I could go back in time and redo my decision I would skip it.

Excellent!

[Spartanical · 10/10 · 28 March 2011]

******only the most minor of spoilers, and nothing that couldn't be guessed just my considering the concepts of immortality******

I'm blown away at the imagination of the writers. Not much in the mood to write a long review, so in keeping it *somewhat* short, I recommend watching this if you're at all interested in sci-fi and the concepts and consequences of immortality; as well as in seeing interesting and plausible views of what the future holds for us technologically.

The story line is completely original. The last show this original was Aeon Flux (not the crappy movie), though Aeon Flux was much farther "out there". Both have otherworldly characters and situations that won't disappoint, but WILL keep you in anticipation of the next episode. Each episode of Rin is a leap forward of about 25 years, so you get what are like snapshots of our planet/society from a photo album, but in reverse -- and by reverse i mean instead of glimpses into the past, you get glimpses into a future that seems to have already happened. It's very cool and very gratifying to see *non-immortal* characters suddenly 25 years further into their lives and carrying with them the same personality, but, as one would expect, filtered through 25 years of experience and experiences. They know and care for and keep the secrets of the two lead immortal characters; and continue to aid them while they can throughout their own finite lives. But they also are rooted in the life they are currently living and have cares and concerns of their own (like actual people would).

In addition to the cool story, there is also quite a bit of sexual content and there isn't much holding back on the part of the writers. The depictions of sex are much hotter and much more satisfying than any soft core porn flick you might catch on Skin-emax. But it's not really about the sex -- it's about the story and so the sex just fits in where it makes sense to the plot and to the characters. This is a show that is definitely for adults (in addition to the sex, there is much graphic violence as well), but it's for adults who haven't lost their imagination.

My only disappointment after watching this series, is that there wasn't more. I wish for the writers to continue this story with a new series. It certainly left off with much more to tell and much more I want to see.

Dreadful

[Ore-Sama · 3/10 · 14 October 2008]

Minor spoilers though honestly I can't really spoil much because there's not much of a plot or storyline to speak of.

Mnemosyne is the tale of an immortal green haired woman who is an assassin and.... then some guy who tortures women and.... yeah, it really makes no sense. It dosen't mater anyway, if you're watching this show for a good story, look elsewhere. The storyline is a convolted mess, it's like they made it up as they went along. Honestly, I think that's what happened.

The characters are bland, cookie cutter trash. None of them have anything remotely resembling a personality, the main character has no interesting qualities, never develops(not like anyone does anyway) However that's all fine for the makers, because their intention was clearly not to make a great story. Their intention was to make what can best be described as gory bondage porn. Sounds like something straight out of "Hellraiser"(of course the main difference being Hellraiser is a great horror film that actually explores it's themes, while this garbage just exploits itself) Just about every episode features woman tied up and tortured, usually the main character is among them. In the first episode alone she is tied to a chair naked while another woman stabs her repeatedly with blood flowing out like crazy. Episode two features some random girl tied, gagged and blindfolded to a chair while swords are stuck into her. I normally give a show, any show, five episodes. This was only six so hey, why not stick it out until the ending, but man, sitting through this is worse torture then anything shown on screen in this. The worst part is they try to pass off what they're doing as some kind of dark storytelling rather then exploitation. A great example would be the fourth episode where a bunch of girls are tortured while moaning "kill me more". You see, because they want to be killed more, it's different, so, it's good writing. Never mind it's never referenced or brought back to again.

When you get halfway through a series and not only the characters but even the plot has had no signifigant development, this is a very, very bad sign. Don't expect an ending that will make everything worth it either, the ending is just, whatever.

If this were advertised as a hentai or something I would've avoided it. It was advertised as a straight up anime however which I think is misleading. Sure, there's no actual sex, but are you going to try and tell me this is any different then a hentai otherwise? Actually scratch that, even hentai fans wouldn't like this. This series is so asinine and convoluted that it can not be enjoyed on any level. It takes itself WAY too seriously to be enjoyed as a "so bad it's good" campfest, and too crap to be taken seriously by anyone else. Seriously, just watch a hentai, any other hentai, and I can guarantee it will be better then this, and you will feel better for watching it then after watching this crap.

Delightfully dark anime for an older audience

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 4 July 2011]

To be honest I only watched this series because the DVD was very cheap; I hadn't got far into the first episode when I realised I had found something good. I had feared that it would be just another series with lots of gratuitous violence and nudity and while there is a fair bit of both it didn't seem gratuitous. The series follows Rin and her assistant Mimi over several years; they don't age however as they are immortal having consumed the 'Fruit of Life' from the tree Yggdrassil. While they are immortal this doesn't mean they can not die; Rin dies several times; usually in unpleasant ways... then she gets better! There is one way for the immortals to permanently die however; they can be killed by 'angels'. These aren't angels in the biblical sense but winged creatures that are created when men ingest 'fruits of life'. Rin and Mimi run a detective agency and there cases are typically fairly minor to start with but grow into something that will lead them into danger from both humans, angels and a mysterious character called Apos.

This was a really exciting series; it made a nice change to have forty minute episodes as opposed to the usual twenty. This meant each story was a decent length without spreading over several episodes. The animation looked good with well designed characters and great backgrounds; the darkness giving it a film noir quality. The stories were gripping keeping me interested through out. 'Rin' is certainly not for children or those who are disturbed by fairly bloody violence or are bothered by nudity and scenes of a sexual nature... don't worry though; there might be sex scenes but this is not a hentai series. If you are old enough and are looking for something a little darker than most anime I'd recommend checking this one out.

Grate Anime Show

[moodygh10 · 10/10 · 15 August 2011]

I Just Watch RIN Daughters of Mnemosyne And Was Grate I Love Anime That Has Horror In it Just A Grate Show But I Wish It Had More Episodes...

Even with the outstanding blend of different storytelling genres, explicit sexuality and violence, "Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne" is one of the more unique and original Anime' series I've ever seen. The story is confusing and deliberately so, yet everything that goes on does eventually tie into the bigger picture later on. Despite the many red flags going up here, you won't be able to take your eyes off it.

So If You Like Anime That Has Horror In It Check Out This Show

11/10

An underrated anime more should watch

[bhermann-40608 · 10/10 · 31 March 2020]

One of the first anime I watched. I know some people grumble about this one, but I highly enjoyed it. It involves two immortal women, Rin and Mimi, who run a private detective agency together in Tokyo, trying to solve cases, while "angels" try to hunt them down and kill them in a brutal manner. The mix of occasional erotic and gruesome visuals is likely why it is banned in China and restricted in Australia. I would tell people to keep in mind that this is not a show for everyone and could have parts some could consider cringeworthy. In any case, I would recommend this show, which is why I am adding it to my top rated shows.

Pretty good...

[hellspit3213 · 5/10 · 26 February 2012]

When I started the show I wasn't sure if I should continue or not so I watched it anyway it. The story was kind of confusing at some times but at the end it was explained what was going on and the ending was pretty good I for sure this show is clearly not for children there was so much nudity and parts that shown people having sex it felt like it wasn't needed so I skipped most of the parts that didn't have anything to do with the story. This show is kind of hard to know if your going to like it or not just by watching the first episode but if you do decide why not and give it a try you may like it if not then who cares. Over all it was a pretty good story didn't really need all of the nudity in it and the story was a little confusing but if you watch the show all the way through it will explain what happened. If you have the time and want to give it a show I say why not try it.