Why is elfen lied so highly rated and popular?

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It's gory and has anime tiddies while still being pretty accessible for people who might not be as familiar with anime.

I think it was the second anime I watched all the way through. I didn't go into it with any grandiose expectations (or really any expectations at all) and I was satisfied with what I saw.

Jun 3, 2015 1:25 PM

#53

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Jul 2014

472

I just feel that criticism should be more like: It was melodramatic, it actually used plot convenient amnesia and dissociative disorders, the characters weren't realistic, it used absurd coincidences as plot devices.

Those are ALL valid criticisms of Elfen Lied. Although all of the above also apply to Monster, which is a critically acclaimed series on MAL because people don't constantly bash it on online forums.

If you ever wanted to write a generic Elfen Lied bash review, 4chan /a/ actually has a copy pasta to use whenever anyone says anything positive about Elfen Lied. Just use Control C, control V. It takes no effort and no critical thought at all. That's exactly what Aryanagi did and he has the 2nd highest rated review of Elfen Lied on this site!

Jun 3, 2015 1:29 PM

#54

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Jul 2014

472

@ PureBlues SF,

My first anime were Speed Racer, Gatchaman, and Voltron around 1994-95. I didn't like what I saw. That is why I only started really getting into anime with Pokemon and DBZ around 1997 or so.

Jun 3, 2015 6:41 PM

#55

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Jul 2018

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literaturenerd said:
@ PureBlues SF,

My first anime were Speed Racer, Gatchaman, and Voltron around 1994-95. I didn't like what I saw. That is why I only started really getting into anime with Pokemon and DBZ around 1997 or so.

I've enjoyed anime since I was a little kid, but I didn't get into the habit of actually watching stuff from beginning to end until a few years ago. Let's just say I had an extremely shitty attention span until I was in my mid teens :p

I acknowledge all of the issues Elfen Lied has, but like I said, I had absolutely zero expectations going into it, so maybe that just caused me to be more lenient. Definitely agree on the whole criticism thing, because most people don't seem to do that. That's hardly exclusive to just this show, though.

Jun 10, 2015 7:30 PM

#56

oooo3333

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Aug 2014

4372

Because of the wincest, this anime went from a 3 to an 8

Jun 29, 2015 3:07 AM

#57

SadBiscuiit

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Apr 2015

681

The gore, some nudity and fanservice might be one of the reasons why many people love it despite the obvious flaws Elfen Lied has.

Oh well, I'll just watch the first 5 minutes of the first episode again...

“Even if the attention isn’t forever, I’ll keep singing.”

Jul 2, 2015 11:41 PM

#58

future_dose

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Jun 2015

56

The plot and theme was attractive .It has a moral .Lucy and Nana have pink hairs. Though Kouta is really dumb as Lucy was a mass murderer but he beat everyone for her even nana who never hurt anyone as he was biased .ut I like the character of Kurama and nana .The thing I loved about is was that they all know something which the other needs like memories.

Jul 2, 2015 11:54 PM

#59

Cecil2235

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Jun 2015

141

You aren't suppose to expect character development your watch it for the crazy ass bitch ripping people apart and mabe the lil twisted love story lol

Jul 3, 2015 11:17 PM

#60

davinci12

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Sep 2014

1057

It was the first of it's kind. It's over a decade old now, hasn't aged to well at all. It's also not fair to call it shit because without it you wouldn't have a lot of the stuff you see today. it's like comparing a video game from 2003/4 and calling it shit based off today's gaming standards (Graphics, controls and so on). But, I guess I can't expect people from MAL to put THAT much thought into things they watch.

davinci12Jul 3, 2015 11:25 PM

Aug 7, 2015 5:56 PM

#61

MMiyamoto

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Jun 2015

297

I decided to watch this show after I had read many people calling wonders about how great it was, one of the best, bla bla bla. All I've got to say is this is the worst show I've seen by far.

Aug 15, 2015 10:35 PM

#62

clevername03

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Jul 2014

17

It makes me sad that this is now the cool show to hate on MyAnimeList. Especially considering far more idiotic shows like Death Note, Mirai Nikki, and Attack on Titan get a free pass for some reason.

Aug 28, 2015 10:08 AM

#63

ishiZY

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Apr 2015

285

Organs + bones + head pieces + overstyle + classic + Lucy/Nyu + Lilium song etc = 1 of my fav since I started to watch it. probably high most of ppl will find there something what he like. The end of can be flustrating for many spectators, for me also too, but it's very original & I think it's most correct end cuz of Lucy sins...

Is it GreanPeace? I don't think so - whine to your parents or tell'em to buy sth for ur buttpain. Those ppl won't help you.

.. ..

Aug 28, 2015 10:11 AM

#64

Konte

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Jan 2015

944

Dc4Vp said:
For my part I just liked the characters and agreed with their motivations for the most part.

^this....

Aug 28, 2015 10:27 AM

#65

Dariamus

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Jun 2015

390

PrOxAnto said:

JabonHR said:
It used to be babby's first edgy show until Attack on Titan came along.

Pretty much.
People want to watch anime for the first time, and get surprised by the "ecchiness" of the show and gore at the same time.

Don't need anime to get both in the same show. Movies like I Spit on your Grave have been around for a long time.

Neither blood nor nudity have much of an impact on how much I like/dislike a show, as long as the scenes fit the story. That said, I enjoyed Elfen Lied, but not as much as I enjoyed Mirai Nikki.

DariamusAug 28, 2015 10:32 AM

Aug 28, 2015 12:21 PM

#66

Deathko

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Jul 2015

12542

To be honest it's a bad anime. It tries so hard to shock the viewer that you'll end up in your seat with a pop-corn bucket laughing at dismembered lolis. It has some merits (the opening and a couple serious subjects the anime manages to tackle decently -incest notably). Other than that, the characters are dumb, the plot and universe are inconsistent as fuck (lol @ the .50 handgun doing more damage to the shooter's robotic arm than to the target), the humor is... hmm.
Still managed to somehow enjoy it but calling it a good anime would be a serious stretch.

Aug 31, 2015 2:11 PM

#67

Senator

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Nov 2013

97

clevername03 said:
It makes me sad that this is now the cool show to hate on MyAnimeList. Especially considering far more idiotic shows like Death Note, Mirai Nikki, and Attack on Titan get a free pass for some reason.

^ this

Feb 15, 2016 4:58 PM

#68

kI4synVCfn7PMH4w

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Nov 2013

800

masochist-chan said:
It's original.

It's based on a manga.

Feb 15, 2016 4:59 PM

#69

kI4synVCfn7PMH4w

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Nov 2013

800

It's baby's first edgy anime, before the Madokas and Attack on Titans.

Feb 15, 2016 5:19 PM

#70

gabrielrroiz

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Oct 2014

2909

literaturenerd said:
I just feel that criticism should be more like: It was melodramatic, it actually used plot convenient amnesia and dissociative disorders, the characters weren't realistic, it used absurd coincidences as plot devices.

Those are ALL valid criticisms of Elfen Lied. Although all of the above also apply to Monster, which is a critically acclaimed series on MAL because people don't constantly bash it on online forums.

If you ever wanted to write a generic Elfen Lied bash review, 4chan /a/ actually has a copy pasta to use whenever anyone says anything positive about Elfen Lied. Just use Control C, control V. It takes no effort and no critical thought at all. That's exactly what Aryanagi did and he has the 2nd highest rated review of Elfen Lied on this site!

monster never used absurd coincidences to drive the plot and the characters were fairly realistic in that show i have no idea where this comparison is coming

Feb 15, 2016 5:19 PM

#71

gabrielrroiz

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Oct 2014

2909

BonerBender said:

masochist-chan said:
It's original.

It's based on a manga.

x men has the exact same premise and there is absolutely nothing original about this series

Mar 4, 2016 5:37 AM

#72

HiImAnAlien

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Oct 2012

95

I really thought this show was garbage and thought I'll never watch it, it actually made me feel disgusted when I read and watched clips of it before, because I thought it was all just gratuitious violence in the most repulsive way possible.I hated this with a passion way before actually watching the show.
Surprinsgly to me, now I watch it and actually like it.

Ok, first off the criticisms are for the most part valid:
-The characters are some of the most idiotic I saw in any anime, and not simply in the letting their emotions standing in their way, but in simply making retarded decisions or acting unrealistic without any reason.
-The characterization are simplistic as well and so are the characters design.I mean, they're either pure innocents or psychopats.At least at first.I mean, the good side of the main character isn't simply innocent, she acts like small kitten.
-The violence is exagerated, unrealistic and overall in a really bad taste.

So, why do I like it because of this:
-It's actually simple to watch despite dealing with heavy topics, which I realize is not a plus, but it explains its popularity in part.
-The background story of the main psychopatic character is actually very good and has a heavy emotional weight.
-The main character is cool, and this is important of course.
-The background drawing unlike the character designs, actually look very good.

But I think it's mainly the story behind the main character and the emotional weight it carries that it's the show biggest quality.

To be honest it has such huge flaws that -unlike let's say Evangelion, Akira or Ghost in the Shell- I actually understand people giving very low grades to this (unlike the afore-mentioned anime were those people just act like idiots here they are more justified to give extreme scores).
But somewhere there's a story that actually seems to come from a sincere place.
Sort of like Evangelion but much poorer executed, people who call this series "pretentious" aren't aware that despite all the shock factor, there are some genuine feelings put into this.

So yeah, it's a mix bag for sure.

Mar 4, 2016 11:49 PM

#73

ghstindashamploo

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Dec 2014

226

Elfen Lied is doo-doo of the highest order. Worst anime I've ever watched.

Mar 5, 2016 12:07 AM

#74

zombie_pegasus

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Oct 2014

15239

Have you ever played GTA while ignoring the missions and instead running people over and shooting hookers? That's essentially what Elfen Lied is. It's not deep or mature, it's just a way to satisfy our bloodlust. It's fun watching people die in physically impossible ways. There were attempts made at being philosophical, but they weren't the main point of the anime. If you're ever burnt ants or made up stories about G.I.Joe infiltrating Barbie's house then you know exactly what the appeal of Elfen Lied is. The fact that it's seinen is a bit silly considering how childish the series is, but I guess kids aren't allowed to watch stuff like this anyway.

Apr 10, 2016 9:13 AM

#75

NekoNekota

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Apr 2016

1

You can say that Elfen lied is somethig... I didin't liked the first episode because of his drawing, but it had something that cashes your eye. In the end of firs episode I was wondering, what will hapen next and ended watching it all in one roll. The drawing was wonderful and the fight sceens were epic. :)

Apr 14, 2016 11:38 AM

#76

Sparteh

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May 2014

1207

I will be fair. Animation, voice acting and plot adaptation were horrible, but I still gave it 10/10. Why? Because Elfen Lied is kinda like a symbol for the older generation of viewers. It invokes a sort of feel of closeness to us.

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Apr 14, 2016 12:17 PM

#77

crestofhonesty

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Oct 2014

1766

Lanvidia said:
People get too absorbed in the gore-filled dramatic atmosphere to notice how stupid the characters are.

This. Also the same can be said for series like Your Lie in April (expect with classical music and abundant melodrama).

now playing :: tides of man - keep me safe

Apr 26, 2016 4:30 PM

#78

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literaturenerd said:
1. Why is it highly rated? It isn't. It is rated a 7.98 below Naruto and even Bleach. The vastly inferior Mirai Nikki is rated an 8.22.

2. Why is it popular? Among current anime fans, it isn't. It is the official go-to punching bag of every otaku born from 1995-2005. Yet the same newfags think Code Geass is a God Tier anime.

3. Why is this such a gateway anime? It was never intended to be a gateway anime! The people who liked Elfen Lied, didn't first watch it at age 6 because their elder sibling was being a jackass and forced them to watch it. For Otaku born 1985-1991, that anime for us was Evangelion...and we fucking HATED it. That's why every anime forum in the late 90s/early 2000s called Eva garbage. That is why Elfen Lied is rated higher on animenewsnetwork, the site people used before MAL and was last used in about 2006. Watch Bennet the Sage's review on Eva. That's what everyone said about Eva in my peer group, even though it wasn't really fair and we focused on snarking more than actually appreciating what Eva did well.

4. Why was it ever popular? Yes it had flaws, but it actually did some things really well. It dealt with themes like "is repentance and forgiveness possible for even the most horrible crimes?" We were used to Punisher style characters who only killed "bad guys" but we weren't used to someone who killed innocents, but then actually felt deep remorse and searched for penance, ultimately being reborn and getting a 2nd chance. It showed the dark sides of humanity that we don't feel comfortable discussing: pedophilia, animal cruelty, human experimentation, discrimination, etc. Most anime didn't try address those topics and most still don't. We were used to X-men where humans discriminate against mutants for no reason, yet children with ungodly powers and undeveloped restraint somehow never kill people. Only a few mutants are clear cut bad guys and everything is purely a Manichean good and evil. Elfen Lied had flaws in its execution, but was a fucking MASTERPIECE compared to X-men! It showed the extremely uncomfortable and un-PC truth about how society would likely react to a new race that actually is physically stronger and more dangerous, developing great strength at a young, still emotionally undeveloped age. After Eric Frien shot and murdered 2 police officers and fled into the woods in an attempt to re-enact Rambo, police punched him the face and took him in alive despite the fact he never surrendered and was armed with 3 guns at the time. Why didn't they just shoot him 87 times? Because they hadn't been brainwashed into seeing him as a "beast" with the strength of "Hulk Hogan" who is impossible to take down without shooting dozens of times. Police looked at a vicious double murderer and they saw McLovin, and weren't scared. "We don't need to shoot this guy, he's a joke! lol" Same with James Holmes, Jared Loughner, and countless others. Police see black youths and instead of McLovin they see Broli. "Quick, empty your clips before he kills us all with his bare hands! It's the legendary Super Saiyan!!!" Diclonius mutants are euthanized, kept in labs, horrifically experimented on, and kept naked to deny them any semblance of humanity...which are all things humans have actually done before to each other. This is all while having characters like Kurama who ARE given sympathy and shown to actually believe his actions are right. Both humans and mutants are shown to have both good (Nana, Kouta) and bad (the Kakuzawas, Tomoo) members. Usually discrimination in anime or Western cartoons wasn't given such balance...and honestly they still don't for the most part, with some exceptions like Eve no Jikan.

5. Is Elfen Lied really THAT bad of an anime? No. not really. Stop taking 4chan seriously kids! It was never meant to be serious, or the place where you go to learn how to "fit in" online and what anime to love and which to hate. Instead of trying to become an "anime elite" in 5 minutes by learning to regurgitate praise and hate for given series, actually watch anime and understand that gaining real expertise takes time. It is more than just learning to say Angel Beats and Elfen Lied are cancer and Legend of the Galactic Heroes is the greatest!

This is the best post in this thread. Thank you.
People simply jump on the bandwagon of hate without critically thinking about the deeper themes of the series (which aren't even that hard to find; but OH NO!!! IT GOTS BLOOD AND BOOBIES!! SO FUCKING EDGY GET DAT SHIT OUTTA HERE! IT BAD!!1! LET GO AND WATCH SUPERIOR ANIMU LIKE TEH MONOGATARI SERIES XDDD)
People sit down to watch Elfen Lied expecting to hate it. And voila, what do ya know? They end up hating it.
I'm not saying that everyone needs to enjoy it. But for fuck's sake, even if it's not your cup of tea, stop bashing on the show for no reason than to fit in with the MAL circlejerk. Form your own opinions, think critically, and enjoy the fucking show.

ghstindashamploo said:
Elfen Lied is doo-doo of the highest order. Worst anime I've ever watched.

You mustn't have seen many anime then.

IMSadBiscuit said:
The gore, some nudity and fanservice might be one of the reasons why many people love it despite the obvious flaws Elfen Lied has.

Oh well, I'll just watch the first 5 minutes of the first episode again...

Honestly, though? It seems that the gore and nudity are the reasons why this show is so unfairly criticized on MAL.

crestofhonesty said:

Lanvidia said:
People get too absorbed in the gore-filled dramatic atmosphere to notice how stupid the characters are.

This. Also the same can be said for series like Your Lie in April (expect with classical music and abundant melodrama).

And yet you have a No Game No Life and Himouto Umaru-chan character in your favorites? They are the LITERAL definition of cookie-cutter tropes. Fucking hell I hate the anime community. They think they are so analytical and intelligent because they jump on the bandwagon and throw shallow 'criticisms' at shows, all because it has blood and nudity in it. Grow the hell up. Blood and tits does not automatically make a show... hmm, what did that gentleman say earlier in this thread? Ah, yes, pure brilliance: "babby's first edgy show until Attack on Titan came along". Oh, and this one's a laugh: "2edgy4u" (I've never heard that one before >.>), and how about calling it, "Popular among edgy teens" as if the show wasn't mostly enjoyed by adults? Yeah, I'm totally convinced! Elfen Lied must have been 2 fucking mature for these people to handle.
The anime community sometimes...
Brb, gonna go watch No Game No Life, because I need to watch an anime with quality 'plot' and intelligent characters after indulging in the utter trash that is Elfen Lied /sarcasm

Edit:

literaturenerd said:
I just feel that criticism should be more like: It was melodramatic, it actually used plot convenient amnesia and dissociative disorders, the characters weren't realistic, it used absurd coincidences as plot devices.

Those are ALL valid criticisms of Elfen Lied. Although all of the above also apply to Monster, which is a critically acclaimed series on MAL because people don't constantly bash it on online forums.

If you ever wanted to write a generic Elfen Lied bash review, 4chan /a/ actually has a copy pasta to use whenever anyone says anything positive about Elfen Lied. Just use Control C, control V. It takes no effort and no critical thought at all. That's exactly what Aryanagi did and he has the 2nd highest rated review of Elfen Lied on this site!

Just wanted to quote this too. Really spot-on post.

removed-userApr 26, 2016 4:57 PM

Apr 26, 2016 4:52 PM

#79

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Nov 2014

9843

I loved to watch this anime when I was 10.

Apr 26, 2016 4:59 PM

#80

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Jul 2018

564612

ExTamplier said:
I loved to watch this anime when I was 10.

Wow, I take back everything I said. This is such a kiddy show, since 10 year olds watch it and all /sarcasm, again.

Apr 26, 2016 5:03 PM

#81

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Nov 2014

9843

HikariJake said:

ExTamplier said:
I loved to watch this anime when I was 10.

Wow, I take back everything I said. This is such a kiddy show, since 10 year olds watch it and all /sarcasm, again.

The show was actually on a cable on a channel where cartoons and anime for kids were shown. It did not even have a censor.

Apr 26, 2016 5:07 PM

#82

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Jul 2018

564612

ExTamplier said:

HikariJake said:

Wow, I take back everything I said. This is such a kiddy show, since 10 year olds watch it and all /sarcasm, again.

The show was actually on a cable on a channel where cartoons and anime for kids were shown. It did not even have a censor.

Well that's kind of messed up, I gotta be honest O__O

"You're watching Rugrats. Next up: Elfen Lied. Only on Nickelodeon!"

Apr 26, 2016 5:11 PM

#83

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Nov 2014

9843

HikariJake said:

ExTamplier said:

The show was actually on a cable on a channel where cartoons and anime for kids were shown. It did not even have a censor.

Well that's kind of messed up, I gotta be honest O__O
"You're watching Rugrats. Next up: Elfen Lied. Only on Nickelodeon!"

I think it was something like: Powerpuff girls -> Samurai Jack -> Hey Arnold -> Rugrats -> Futurama -> looneytunes -> robotchicken -> elfen lied -> blood+ -> trinity blood -> trigun. First half of the day american, second half japanese.

Apr 26, 2016 5:21 PM

#84

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Jul 2018

564612

ExTamplier said:

HikariJake said:

Well that's kind of messed up, I gotta be honest O__O
"You're watching Rugrats. Next up: Elfen Lied. Only on Nickelodeon!"

I think it was something like: Powerpuff girls -> Samurai Jack -> Hey Arnold -> Rugrats -> Futurama -> looneytunes -> robotchicken -> elfen lied -> blood+ -> trinity blood -> trigun. First half of the day american, second half japanese.

You sure it wasn't something like Adult Swim/Toonami, which only airs at night?

Either way, this image sums up my thoughts perfectly:

Apr 26, 2016 5:24 PM

#85

Vinum_Sabbathi

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Dec 2013

256

I watched it way back in 2010 when all of my standards were non existent and I remember liking it, but then everything with a lot of blood and titties was enough to impress me, I doubt I'd dig it today based on what I can remember of it

As for why it's so popular, it was one of the more notorious "shocking" anime to come out during the mid 2000s, which was the time where anime received a strong surge of popularity due to stuff like Naruto took over the internet (Which in itself was experiencing a HUGE surge of popularity with the world being taken over by it shortly after), naturally tuning in many viewers who had never seen anime before so in the search for more things that "only" anime could do Elfen Lied was easy to latch unto because everyone who watched it was saying that it was fucking insane, so it became a gateway into "edgier" anime and a more obscure style of anime than the usual long action shonen that was (Still is) so popular

Of course its insanity alone is what drove its hype - Without it, I doubt most people here would've ever even heard of it.

Apr 26, 2016 5:34 PM

#86

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Nov 2014

9843

HikariJake said:

ExTamplier said:

I think it was something like: Powerpuff girls -> Samurai Jack -> Hey Arnold -> Rugrats -> Futurama -> looneytunes -> robotchicken -> elfen lied -> blood+ -> trinity blood -> trigun. First half of the day american, second half japanese.

You sure it wasn't something like Adult Swim/Toonami, which only airs at night?

Either way, this image sums up my thoughts perfectly:

It was a regular program that featured different channels like nickelodeon, fox, jetix (god bless them), adult swim and others that I don't remember and mixing them.

Apr 26, 2016 5:57 PM

#87

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Jul 2018

564612

Vinum_Sabbathi said:
I watched it way back in 2010 when all of my standards were non existent and I remember liking it, but then everything with a lot of blood and titties was enough to impress me, I doubt I'd dig it today based on what I can remember of it

As for why it's so popular, it was one of the more notorious "shocking" anime to come out during the mid 2000s, which was the time where anime received a strong surge of popularity due to stuff like Naruto took over the internet (Which in itself was experiencing a HUGE surge of popularity with the world being taken over by it shortly after), naturally tuning in many viewers who had never seen anime before so in the search for more things that "only" anime could do Elfen Lied was easy to latch unto because everyone who watched it was saying that it was fucking insane, so it became a gateway into "edgier" anime and a more obscure style of anime than the usual long action shonen that was (Still is) so popular

Of course its insanity alone is what drove its hype - Without it, I doubt most people here would've ever even heard of it.

You really should rewatch it. You'll learn that there is so much more to Elfen Lied than the gore, tits, and 'edginess' it is commonly associated with.

Apr 27, 2016 4:01 AM

#88

Offline

Jul 2014

472

ExTamplier said:

HikariJake said:

You sure it wasn't something like Adult Swim/Toonami, which only airs at night?

Either way, this image sums up my thoughts perfectly:

It was a regular program that featured different channels like nickelodeon, fox, jetix (god bless them), adult swim and others that I don't remember and mixing them.

That's very interesting! This was in Russia? In the USA, Elfen Lied was availabe on Comcast on-demand package along with Gantz and other titles licensed by ADV. Elfen Lied in the US mostly spread across anime clubs from word of mouth more than anything else. It never aired on cable TV or Cartoon Network Adult Swim here. That might explain why so many of Elfen Lied's remaining fandom online are from Russia. Actually my old girlfriend liked Elfen Lied and was from Russia. She was from Snezhinsk outside of Chelyabinsk. Where did you live in Russia?

Apr 27, 2016 4:18 AM

#89

Maz

Offline

Sep 2015

3501

Really strong premise and potential, somewhat marred by the execution.
Obligatory "the manga was better" comment though.

It's an entirely different kind of flying, altogether!
It's an entirely different kind of flying.

Apr 27, 2016 8:36 AM

#90

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Nov 2014

9843

literaturenerd said:

ExTamplier said:

It was a regular program that featured different channels like nickelodeon, fox, jetix (god bless them), adult swim and others that I don't remember and mixing them.

That's very interesting! This was in Russia? In the USA, Elfen Lied was availabe on Comcast on-demand package along with Gantz and other titles licensed by ADV. Elfen Lied in the US mostly spread across anime clubs from word of mouth more than anything else. It never aired on cable TV or Cartoon Network Adult Swim here. That might explain why so many of Elfen Lied's remaining fandom online are from Russia. Actually my old girlfriend liked Elfen Lied and was from Russia. She was from Snezhinsk outside of Chelyabinsk. Where did you live in Russia?

I lived in European part of Russia, but the channel was popular (still is I think, it called 2x2) in many places. It actually led to many scandals and angry moms.

Apr 27, 2016 9:08 AM

#91

ghstindashamploo

Offline

Dec 2014

226

ghstindashamploo said:
Elfen Lied is doo-doo of the highest order. Worst anime I've ever watched.

HikariJake said:
You mustn't have seen many anime then.

Amnesia cliche, random incest subplot, superficial depth, needlessly excessive fan service. And superficial depth is being generous. Many wouldn't even go as far as to assume this show tried to communicate anything at all. Every Elfen Lied fanboy I've run into refers to the scene when Lucy's puppy is killed by those kids. What? Ok a puppy is killed by kids so Lucy murders the kids as retribution. Attach whatever thematic elements you want to that scene but the fact is the writers did hardly anything at all to bring any thematic relevance to this scene whatsoever. It's just another random happening in a sea of senseless, unscrupulous, and unsatisfying, violence. This scene in particular is a microcosm of the show in its entirety - lazy and manipulative. Btw would you not lock up a person who murders and mutilates four kids in the bat of an eye with an incomprehensible power? I would. Am I racist now? For more I'll refer you to Aryaragi's review: http://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=123595

ghstindashamplooApr 27, 2016 9:43 AM

Apr 27, 2016 9:22 AM

#92

Korrvo

Offline

Sep 2012

29206

I believe Elfen Lied was my third anime ever watched and I absolutely loved the hell out of it. Like a lot of what people are saying in this thread, it was one of the first anime I watched of it's kind.

It was just so supernatural in feel with what it showed, the art style and the music that I was able to get completely invested it.

If there were things I'd refer to as bad aspects in the show then I didn't notice or didn't care because I enjoyed watching it as much as I did.

☕ Truth be told, I'm quite proud of my house blend. To attain my flavor and fragrance, I use five different types of coffee beans. ☕

Apr 27, 2016 9:26 AM

#93

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Jul 2014

472

ExTamplier said:

literaturenerd said:

That's very interesting! This was in Russia? In the USA, Elfen Lied was availabe on Comcast on-demand package along with Gantz and other titles licensed by ADV. Elfen Lied in the US mostly spread across anime clubs from word of mouth more than anything else. It never aired on cable TV or Cartoon Network Adult Swim here. That might explain why so many of Elfen Lied's remaining fandom online are from Russia. Actually my old girlfriend liked Elfen Lied and was from Russia. She was from Snezhinsk outside of Chelyabinsk. Where did you live in Russia?

I lived in European part of Russia, but the channel was popular (still is I think, it called 2x2) in many places. It actually led to many scandals and angry moms.

I can imagine it must have caused some anger! Back when we had video stores in the US, clerks would sometimes put hentai and violent anime in the children's section because they thought "cartoons are cartoons", but the US is very careful about what we put on TV. In the video store example, the store could simply place the blame on the parent, but a network might get sued if they put something that controversial in a children's block with Rugrats. I think the Russian network guys probably figured that cartoons hadn't changed since they were kids and didn't even bother to check. THAT would be an interesting version of Elfen Lied! Lucy wheres a bowler hat and plays an accordion to sing about how sad it is that her birthday comes only once a year. lol!

Apr 27, 2016 9:46 AM

#94

Lobinde

Offline

Oct 2015

3109

Because it's got a lot GORE and KILLING and that is COOL!!!!!!!!

Apr 27, 2016 10:00 AM

#95

Offline

Jul 2014

472

ghstindashamploo said:

ghstindashamploo said:
Elfen Lied is doo-doo of the highest order. Worst anime I've ever watched.

HikariJake said:
You mustn't have seen many anime then.

Amnesia cliche, random incest subplot, superficial depth, needlessly excessive fan service. And superficial depth is being generous. Many wouldn't even go as far as to assume this show tried to communicate anything at all. Every Elfen Lied fanboy I've run into refers to the scene when Lucy's puppy is killed by those kids. What? Ok a puppy is killed by kids so Lucy murders the kids as retribution. Attach whatever thematic elements you want to that scene but the fact is the writers did hardly anything at all to bring any thematic relevance to this scene whatsoever. It's just another random happening in a sea of senseless, unscrupulous, and unsatisfying, violence. This scene in particular is a microcosm of the show in its entirety - lazy and manipulative. For more I'll refer you to Aryaragi's review: http://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=123595

1. Yes the amnesia was cliche'. It was just as bad in Ergo Proxy, Monster, and Berserk and yet you NEVER hear complaints about how those series did it.

2. Cousin dating is fairly common in Japan. It isn't catagorized as incest there and wasn't included to try be shocking or controversial. There ARE incest anime in Japan, but those involve siblings like "I don't Like You At All Big Brother" or "Oreimo" or "Aki Sora"

3. While some of the nudity was gratuitous like in the bathing scenes, the nudity in the laboratory actually had a point. In total fanservice Elfen Lied isn't notably bad. It is no worse than Berserk, which is universally beloved.

4. "artificial depth" really has little meaning. It could at least be argued for NGE or Xenosaga with FREQUENT random references to Jungian psychology or Gnostic Christianity that in NGE's case never contribute to the story and in Xeno's case only on rare occasion have a point. Elfen Lied doesn't actually do anything that pretentious to try add depth it doesn't have.

5. The puppy murder and subsequent killing was simply the main character's entry into darkness. The revenge is not supposed to be considered "just" or equal retribution. It is a child with tremendous power lashing out at bullies without even realizing that she had the ability to hurt them. To try and cope with the fact she just brutally murdered her classmates, she temporarily tries to convince herself that she is superior to non-mutants and as an extraordinary individual is unbound by the moral constraints of others. She feels she is justified in killing others to take their homes and their food. Only after receiving actual kindness from someone else does she realize how badly she was mistaken and begins to hallucinate, throws up, and starts to lose her grasp on reality. She falls off the wagon when she wrongly assumed she had been betrayed and the rest of the story is this flawed anti-hero trying to find redemption and atone for unspeakable crimes she committed as a child.

6. Aryanagi makes multiple factual mistakes in his review and is a dude that apes all his opinions from 4chan /a/. I'm going to honest, /a/ is right about as often as /pol/ is right. LOTGH and NGE are good anime, Hilary sucks and the core of the neoconservatives like the Kagans, Wolfowitz, Nuland, etc are mostly Jewish. 99% of the time, /a/ and /pol/ are full of bullshit! The only good thing 4chan has ever done is rightfully sing the praises of his MAJESTY Gary Motherfucking Oak!

Apr 27, 2016 11:21 AM

#96

ghstindashamploo

Offline

Dec 2014

226

literaturenerd said:
1. Yes the amnesia was cliche'. It was just as bad in Ergo Proxy, Monster, and Berserk and yet you NEVER hear complaints about how those series did it.

Other than Berserk I haven't seen these anime yet. But I don't reconcile garbage writing by pointing to other examples of garbage writing elsewhere. That being said Berserk's plot extended beyond amnesia. I've only seen the Berserk movies personally but I think they covered about as much as much as the show. And as such the amnesia wasn't even relevant as it happened at the very end and was hardly touched on at all.

literaturenerd said:
2. Cousin dating is fairly common in Japan. It isn't catagorized as incest there and wasn't included to try be shocking or controversial. There ARE incest anime in Japan, but those involve siblings like "I don't Like You At All Big Brother" or "Oreimo" or "Aki Sora"

Sorry but you're wrong. How can you possibly classify "cousin dating" as "common in Japan." It may have less of a stigma associated with it but there's no way in hell it can be considered common. And what is your point here. Why did they decide to bring this element into the show at all. The way they introduced it was completely random and it served no purpose whatsoever other than occupying half the dialogue for the remainder of the show. Another classic example of terrible writing in Elfen Lied.

literaturenerd said:
3. While some of the nudity was gratuitous like in the bathing scenes, the nudity in the laboratory actually had a point. In total fanservice Elfen Lied isn't notably bad. It is no worse than Berserk, which is universally beloved.

.....Over 3/4ths of the episodes in Elfen Lied had nudity. It is much worse than Berserk. And again why are justifying a flaw by pointing out what you consider to be a flaw in other shows. In any case, as far as Berserk is concerned, I recall the nudity having a place. It advanced the plot and developed characters and their relationships with one another.

literaturenerd said:
4. "artificial depth" really has little meaning. It could at least be argued for NGE or Xenosaga with FREQUENT random references to Jungian psychology or Gnostic Christianity that in NGE's case never contribute to the story and in Xeno's case only on rare occasion have a point. Elfen Lied doesn't actually do anything that pretentious to try add depth it doesn't have.

The director/writers and the fanbase have both written about the depth in this show. There little to none as far as I can tell. Hell, the genre of this show is allegedly "psychological horror, drama." It's pretentious af and outside of the show comments by the director and other staff all allude to supposed depth. The fact that you didn't even notice their sad attempts only serves to prove my point.

literaturenerd said:
5. The puppy murder and subsequent killing was simply the main character's entry into darkness. The revenge is not supposed to be considered "just" or equal retribution. It is a child with tremendous power lashing out at bullies without even realizing that she had the ability to hurt them. To try and cope with the fact she just brutally murdered her classmates, she temporarily tries to convince herself that she is superior to non-mutants and as an extraordinary individual is unbound by the moral constraints of others. She feels she is justified in killing others to take their homes and their food. Only after receiving actual kindness from someone else does she realize how badly she was mistaken and begins to hallucinate, throws up, and starts to lose her grasp on reality. She falls off the wagon when she wrongly assumed she had been betrayed and the rest of the story is this flawed anti-hero trying to find redemption and atone for unspeakable crimes she committed as a child.

I guess we watched different shows.

literaturenerd said:
6. Aryanagi makes multiple factual mistakes in his review and is a dude that apes all his opinions from 4chan /a/. I'm going to honest, /a/ is right about as often as /pol/ is right. LOTGH and NGE are good anime, Hilary sucks and the core of the neoconservatives like the Kagans, Wolfowitz, Nuland, etc are mostly Jewish. 99% of the time, /a/ and /pol/ are full of bullshit! The only good thing 4chan has ever done is rightfully sing the praises of his MAJESTY Gary Motherfucking Oak!

Idk. Been on 4chan once. What mistakes? Don't see any.

Any comments on the horrible voice acting? Looking forward to how you'll spin that.

Apr 27, 2016 2:50 PM

#97

Offline

Jul 2018

564612

ghstindashamploo said:

literaturenerd said:
1. Yes the amnesia was cliche'. It was just as bad in Ergo Proxy, Monster, and Berserk and yet you NEVER hear complaints about how those series did it.

Other than Berserk I haven't seen these anime yet. But I don't reconcile garbage writing by pointing to other examples of garbage writing elsewhere. That being said Berserk's plot extended beyond amnesia. I've only seen the Berserk movies personally but I think they covered about as much as much as the show. And as such the amnesia wasn't even relevant as it happened at the very end and was hardly touched on at all.

"I don't reconcile garbage writing by pointing to other examples of garbage writing elsewhere." He's not 'reconciling' the writing. All he is doing, is pointing out that, yes, this series has flaws, yet all of these other critically acclaimed series have similar flaws but no one points them out with those shows because they are well-received by the majority of the anime community, while Elfen Lied is hated on MAL because... reasons. I really don't know what makes it worse than something like Future Diary/Mirai Nikki, but apparently it is because it actually has depth. And because all MAL is, is one huge circlejerk of the same opinions as everyone else.

ghstindashamploo said:

literaturenerd said:
2. Cousin dating is fairly common in Japan. It isn't catagorized as incest there and wasn't included to try be shocking or controversial. There ARE incest anime in Japan, but those involve siblings like "I don't Like You At All Big Brother" or "Oreimo" or "Aki Sora"

Sorry but you're wrong. How can you possibly classify "cousin dating" as "common in Japan." It may have less of a stigma associated with it but there's no way in hell it can be considered common. And what is your point here. Why did they decide to bring this element into the show at all. The way they introduced it was completely random and it served no purpose whatsoever other than occupying half the dialogue for the remainder of the show. Another classic example of terrible writing in Elfen Lied.

Cousin dating is more common in Japan than most any other first world country. He said it was 'fairly' common. Note the world 'fairly'.
Why did they decide to make Yuka his cousin? Because it doesn't hurt anything in the show. They didn't even talk about her being his cousin that much. I don't get why you are so bothered by it.
It wasn't random, either. It was introduced in episode 1, when she was first shown on screen. If that's random, then I guess you can't introduce anything about a character when they appear in the show without it being random.

ghstindashamploo said:

literaturenerd said:
3. While some of the nudity was gratuitous like in the bathing scenes, the nudity in the laboratory actually had a point. In total fanservice Elfen Lied isn't notably bad. It is no worse than Berserk, which is universally beloved.

.....Over 3/4ths of the episodes in Elfen Lied had nudity. It is much worse than Berserk. And again why are justifying a flaw by pointing out what you consider to be a flaw in other shows. In any case, as far as Berserk is concerned, I recall the nudity having a place. It advanced the plot and developed characters and their relationships with one another.

Okay, firstly, you pulled that number out of nowhere. But let's go with it for the sake of the conversation.
Have you ever read the Berserk manga? The manga has GRAPHIC depictions of assault on a young boy (and some on young girls being raped by monsters), a satanic orgy, bath scenes, clothes tearing off of women, masturbation, etc. And guess what? It's still one of the greatest manga ever made. Because nudity doesn't detract from the overall experience as long as it is handled maturely. Elfen Lied had scenes where it wasn't handled well (the bath scenes, as mentioned), but all of the other times it had context. Please, name an example besides a bath scene or Nyu groping Yuka's breasts where the nudity was out of place and would have been 'better' without. Lucy at the beginning was naked because she wasn't treated as a human; she's a lab specimen. Nana gets her clothes ripped off near the end because her body could handle No. 35's vectors, but realistically clothes wouldn't be able to withstand shredding like that.

ghstindashamploo said:

literaturenerd said:
4. "artificial depth" really has little meaning. It could at least be argued for NGE or Xenosaga with FREQUENT random references to Jungian psychology or Gnostic Christianity that in NGE's case never contribute to the story and in Xeno's case only on rare occasion have a point. Elfen Lied doesn't actually do anything that pretentious to try add depth it doesn't have.

The director/writers and the fanbase have both written about the depth in this show. There little to none as far as I can tell. Hell, the genre of this show is allegedly "psychological horror, drama." It's pretentious af and outside of the show comments by the director and other staff all allude to supposed depth. The fact that you didn't even notice their sad attempts only serves to prove my point.

You don't explain HOW it is pretentious. How are themes such as 'discrimination is wrong' pretentious? Or questions such as, 'is it possible to accept those who commit even the vilest of crimes?' in the case of Lucy? And then solving all of the issues for the main characters, giving the feeling of determination that at the end of a dark tunnel, there is a glimmer of hope? None of this is pretentious, and it's all in the show.

ghstindashamploo said:

literaturenerd said:
5. The puppy murder and subsequent killing was simply the main character's entry into darkness. The revenge is not supposed to be considered "just" or equal retribution. It is a child with tremendous power lashing out at bullies without even realizing that she had the ability to hurt them. To try and cope with the fact she just brutally murdered her classmates, she temporarily tries to convince herself that she is superior to non-mutants and as an extraordinary individual is unbound by the moral constraints of others. She feels she is justified in killing others to take their homes and their food. Only after receiving actual kindness from someone else does she realize how badly she was mistaken and begins to hallucinate, throws up, and starts to lose her grasp on reality. She falls off the wagon when she wrongly assumed she had been betrayed and the rest of the story is this flawed anti-hero trying to find redemption and atone for unspeakable crimes she committed as a child.

I guess we watched different shows.

What a thoughtful response.
No, you probably did watch Elfen Lied; you just didn't pay much attention and weren't able to look past the surface of the gore and nudity (which, once again, do not make a show bad unless it had no meaning, which it does in Elfen Lied as the characters get psychologically traumatized from these events and it serves the point of showing how unfair and cruel the world can be, and violence can deliver said point very well).
Everything @literaturenerd described about Lucy's backstory was all directly in the show. DIRECTLY. It was not even subtle. How people miss that is beyond me. You must have had your hate goggles on so tight that you couldn't see anything but what you want to see; in this case, you only see a dog getting beaten with no meaning and Lucy killing people because 'why the hell not?' "Damn, so edgy." Yeah, if that's how it really was, but it wasn't like that. At all.

ghstindashamploo said:

literaturenerd said:
6. Aryanagi makes multiple factual mistakes in his review and is a dude that apes all his opinions from 4chan /a/. I'm going to honest, /a/ is right about as often as /pol/ is right. LOTGH and NGE are good anime, Hilary sucks and the core of the neoconservatives like the Kagans, Wolfowitz, Nuland, etc are mostly Jewish. 99% of the time, /a/ and /pol/ are full of bullshit! The only good thing 4chan has ever done is rightfully sing the praises of his MAJESTY Gary Motherfucking Oak!

Idk. Been on 4chan once. What mistakes? Don't see any.

Once again, you're only seeing what you want to see, mate. But let's see, I'll pull out some of the bullshit in that review.

"The authour tries to handle pandering with different tricks such as using "horns" for cat ears(Kemenomimi)."
What the hell? Pandering to who? She's a goddamn mutant. Am I supposed to be aroused by the evil scientist Diclonius, too?

"The whole amnesia cliche, is further used as a plot device and conveniently too which involves Lucy, regaining her memories and her other personality when ever the plot asks for it and reverting back to her childlike personality whenever the plot asks for it."
She remembers specific events when something related to said events triggers her memory. Kind of like, "Huh, what did I eat for dinner yesterday again?" And then you see a commercial on the TV about noodles, and you're like, "OH YEAH! I had spaghetti!"
It's not just that the plot asks for it. It's that it happens in real freaking life.

"As the story progresses the writer cleverly turns what could have been a genuinely mature story about racism and discrimination into a cunning little harem."
...And it's a harem how? Only Lucy and Yuka are in love with him. That's what's called a love triangle, buddy.

"Every female character introduced is forced upon with some miserable past."
So people can't have hard lives without it being 'forced'? Either way, TWO OUT OF THE FOUR GIRLS ARE DICLONIUS. They were discriminated against and were raised without compassion in a lab, treated like nothing more than an object to be experimented on.
Out of the two other girls, one of them didn't even have a tragic past (Yuka), and so that leaves one girl. And you're going to tell me that no girls get sexually abused? It isn't forced or random. It happens.

"It almost seems like the writer is a misogynistic sadist who creates female characters just to torture them."
Oh, yeah, because no male characters get brutally tortured and/or killed or have horrific backstories either, huh? *coughcoughKuramacoughcough*

I'm not going to go on at this point, because I literally found 5 pieces of bullshit in one paragraph. I'd be going on about it all night.
EDIT: I'm actually going to refute one more point because this 'review' is so goddamn false and people actually buy into this shit.

"Many claim this certain title, Elfen Lied, to be "deep", though I fail to understand why. It touches upon the concepts of racism and discrimination in the most superficial way possible. Lucy and other diclonius were born to kill humans, just like the wolf is born to prey on the sheep. It's in their genes, it's a natural instinct. Now if a man were to cage a wolf and let his sheep roam free, it wouldn't be discrimination, but an act of defence. The same logic is for elfen lied, where most diclonius are caged up and kept in miserable states so that they don't end up wiping out the human race. This is not racisms, neither is this discrimination, it's just simple self defence. This is not depth, this is just ridiculous and superficial handling of a theme that could have been done well."
...
Did you not pay attention to the show?!
They were not born to wipe out the human race. They essentially are humans. They gain nothing from killing humans, unless a crazy one rallies some of them up and is like, "Hey, let's rule the world with our race!" which is what one of them did. Adolf Hitler wanted to kill all of the Jews, so I guess it's in our fucking genes to kill all the Jews? Like a wolf is drawn to sheep? Give me a freaking break.
Diclonius eat the same things that humans do. The only difference to them and humans are their horns that grow from their skulls and their vector arms.
The reason they began to kill humans is because of how poorly people treated them. They could have lived in society just fine, but they were bullied and discriminated against, like how those kids killed Lucy's dog, unleashing her powers. She would not have killed anybody if something like that didn't happen to her and wasn't treated like shit her whole life.
Humans decided to lock them up for science, to test them and experiment on them. It has nothing to do with 'defense' or 'instinct'.

This reviewer obviously had no idea what he was talking about and did not pay attention to the show. Instead he just blindly followed what every other idiot has said about the show and took it at no more than face value, if he even payed that much attention.

ghstindashamploo said:
Any comments on the horrible voice acting? Looking forward to how you'll spin that.

I'll give you my 'spin' on it: the Japanese voice acting was completely fine. No worse or better than any other critically acclaimed anime. I particularly think that Lucy's actress did a phenomenal job.
I haven't seen the English dub, but that doesn't matter. There are PLENTY of masterpieces in the anime medium that have awful English dubs, and it doesn't make them any worse of an anime.

removed-userApr 27, 2016 6:34 PM

Apr 27, 2016 3:09 PM

#98

Ryu82

Offline

Jul 2008

15

Actually one of the main reasons I like this anime is the opening. When Elfen Lied aired, the opening was also really popular.
For most animes I watch the opening usually a few times then skip it for the rest of the time.
For elfen lied it was different. I always watched the opening and when I finished the episode, I watched the opening again and sometimes in between. I still like it and the opening song is one of my favorite songs all time.

Apr 27, 2016 3:15 PM

#99

Lobinde

Offline

Oct 2015

3109

I've started watching it now.

Jeez, this is so edgy. There must have been a shitload of linkin park AMVs made for this anime when it was new. My first impression is basically what I expected: edgy edge edge with retard moe ecchi, but I am capable of enjoying that, so I'm going to keep watching.

Apr 27, 2016 3:17 PM

#100