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The first thing I thought when reading the first few pages was 'good God, that art though'.
It didn't get much better from there.
Elfen Lied is a series that could've really gone somewhere. It has an interesting basis as a story, but it just doesn't really deliver on it well. The serious, gory moments go back and forth with the impromptu fanservice scenes, which tend to be more awkward than anything.
The characters are typically of the exceptionally bland variety, with the exception of a few here and there (most noticeably the head guy with the glasses; I can't even remember any of their names).
The ... art is - for a lack of a better word - extremely ugly. Most characters who have smaller, detailed eyes tend to have them drawn rather wall-eyed, and the ones with the big moeblob eyes constantly take on this expression where their eyebrows are turned upwards, their mouths hang open at the lowest part of their face possible, and you can practically hear the 'duhhhhhh' escaping from said mouths. Also - what's with the artist and drawing the characters heads jutting out (excuse me for using this phrase again) as far as possible from their necks?
Even the gore isn't that spectacular. I tried to find a way of saying this without sounding like an edgy teenager but - I couldn't help but laugh at the dramatic, bloody scenes. I'm not usually the type of person to do that, but all of the intense moments involving massive bodily damage are just so over the top and so melodramatic I couldn't help but find it humorous.

Looking back, it really is disappointing. The story could've gone somewhere really cool, but unfortunately was ruined by lackluster characters, over the top dramatic scenes, uncomfortable fanservice, and cringe-worthy art.

In the era of anime/manga where people are going rampant with anthropomorphism, it's not surprise that they would do it with fish; something though that does set this manga somewhat apart is the fact that the humanized fish are technically mermaids, just with different ocean-life species. And I gotta admit, the idea of having a manga centered around mermaids that actually include different species of fish is a pretty interesting one.

The characters are decent at first glance, but the meat of most of them is how the author places characteristics of the fish into their personalities. Anko's bulb lights up when she's angry ... or scared (the bulb fittingly drawing other fish towards her), the eel character has slimy skin, the pufferfish can bloat up and expel poison, it is really fun to see what sort of things each fish will do in their human-esque bodies. One of the characters in particular leads to a strangely funny (though horribly awkward for Anko) situation where, being a pearlfish, she feels the need to stuff herself into dark, small places.
The only human character presented prominently through the manga is a girl who has a thing for mermaids. She plays the typical role of genki girl and tends to be a bit generic because of this, but still tends to be enjoyable through most of the manga.

The art is typical of a slice of life, with soft, rounded lines and equally soft colours. A few times here and there the faces are a bit off model, though not enough to totally distract from reading. Fitting for the subject matter, the tails for each mermaid are more detailed than the manga really deserve.

Although the story is essentially your very typical 'cute girls do cute things'/'monster girls living amongst people' shtick, it differs in a couple ways: the facts it teaches about fish are actually pretty damn interesting (some of them I was unaware of) and it's fairly light-hearted with minimal fanservice, giving those who are tired of the stream of erotic monster girl manga a breath of fresh air; both things that made up for part of me continuing to read it.

So if you're looking for an oddly factual monster girl series with cute characters, cute scenarios, and without the intense eechi factor, this could definitely be up your alley.

There have been only two manga I have read that focus on a character with apparent social anxiety. Watamote, which is often known as an extremely cynical view on the condition.
And Hitoribocchi, which is more or less the anti-Watamote.
I came into both of these manga at separate times, but both manga were read during times where my own social anxiety were at its peak. Where Watamote is good for people who suffer under the disorder to laugh at themselves in a more mean-spirited way, Hitoribocchi is perfect for those who want a more lighthearted laugh.
The characters are all extremely likeable, to the point ... where you'll be continually rooting for the titular Hitori in her quest to make friends with her classmates and break out of her anxiety. The side characters are charming, from the girl who goes out of her way to make herself look cool but in reality is a giant dork, to the girl who believes that Hitori is a ninja master and appoints herself as her student.
The art style is a more simplified version of the moe blob style, fitting into the simple slice of life vibe the manga gives off.
The comedy gives things for both those who experience anxiety and for those who don't. Although they have plenty of jokes surrounding anxiety that people like me can look at and laugh while saying 'oh yeah, I've done that before!' (such as the scene where Hitori tries to leave her house but two of her neighbours are chatting outside near her front gate, causing her to become too nervous to go) there are plenty of other regular gags throughout the story. The before mentioned girl who tries to look cool is often the butt monkey in many chapters; one of the brick jokes surrounding her got me to fully laugh out loud.
It's a sweet, light hearted manga about a girl who wants to make friends so she can be with her one old friend once more, and it delivers this nicely. The characters are lovely, the jokes - though not typically not made for pee your pants laughing - can get a chuckle out of you, and it gives material that whether you're like Hitori, or the most extroverted person out there, is enjoyable to read.