This is the nature of the show, to never be the same thing to any two people. Sensitive viewers will be turned away after the first 5 minutes of the show, and people who dislike the show will not see past the outer layers of the contents. As so, they only see what is being presented to them on-screen. This isn’t wrong in any way, as every experience is unique. What lies within is what causes people to love the show, the inner beauty of a unique story like no other. The emotional roller coaster ride that will forever make you think differently about life afterwards.
There is no denying however, that many scenes within the show are just plain hard to watch, and that the show is emotionally tiring as so much is forced upon the viewer at once. This will vary from person to person, as those who have experienced similar situations may have to look away or might cause painful memories to resurface. It must definitely be said that the directors of the show don’t give a care about the audience (you have been warned), and the show does not hold back at all. Again, this can be seen as bad to some, and courageous to others, as they attempt to do what no other show would dare to do.
This show resembles in may ways the book “Lord of the Flies” and reveals a controversial, and dark side of humanity in its entirety. The very definition of what it means to be civilized and “human” will be defined as the characters actions will have true and brutal consequences. When people die, they die, and don’t magically come back. This is an important discovery to many of the characters in Elfen Lied, and their emotions will be explored.
In the end, it is clear that Elfen Lied is masterful in its delivery of its message. Most great things in life are like this, love/hate relationship. There will be many forced emotions on the viewer, and the show manipulates your very senses to convince you to believe it. This is one of the saddest shows ever in terms of content, and the book is much more so. Everything from the character expressions to the amazing opening song “Lilium” will move even the strongest soul.
Lilium in its own right deserves a spotlight moment, as it is a beautiful and moving piece of art, and is possibly the most powerful song to ever grace the opening to any show.
One might ask why anyone would want to watch the show to begin with, and there are many opinions as to why you should. The show isn’t entirely about despair on the surface, as there are some small bits of romance, friendship and forgiveness. But this is a show truly like no other, and should be seen at least once.
The main conflict of the story stems from racism. An experimental race of beings is brought into the world and quickly becomes a threat to human life. Due to an unexpected power that they come to posses, these beings are later either killed at birth or captured and experimented on for research. The captives are held in a prison-like complex where they are closely guarded out of fear of what “could” happen, which in turn causes the inevitable to eventually happen. This type of thing has been seen many times in human history. After 911, many middle-eastern people in America were on close watch because of what “could” happen. In war times, if you are a possible threat at all you could be detained for the “safety” of society.
The “dicolnius” as they are known, are basically humans with telekinetic powers, its not as if they are mindless creatures. As such, they experience human emotions and feelings which don’t mix well in a world where they are mere test subjects.
The show opens with a brutal scene of Lucy, the first known diclonius, who paves her way out of the research complex. Wearing nothing more than a steel mask to prevent her from seeing the world around her, she relies on her abilities to slaughter the guards who eventually use a sniper to take her out... But she’s not dead. From here the story begins in a strange manner, as Lucy is later found washed ashore completely naked as she had been during her escape. However, she appears to have lost her memory, and utters only the strange sound “Nyu.” It is later revealed that she has developed another identity via amnesia. She is now two beings trapped in one body. Lucy is a psychotic killing machine and Nyu is the complete opposite, representing purity and innocence. She is found by Kouta and his cousin Yuka who take her home in an attempt to help her. (If only they knew of what just happened the night before).
The story then progresses with Kouta, Nyu, and Yuka who share some bonding moments and the two cousins begin their new life in college. All is not well however, as the facility which lost Lucy is out to find her. The show then begins as these characters and the people they meet begin to intertwine as life’s experiences call them all back to a single place in time. Things that have long been forgotten are suddenly remembered, and the issue of memory repression and its real life consequences are explored.
Memory repression is a psychological term that describes what happens to the mind as humans undergo horrifying or shocking moments. These memories of such events are either forgotten by the mind as an attempt to protect the well being of the body or people convince themselves so powerfully that it didn’t happen, that to them, it truly never happened. One could call the latter “denial.”
It is here, that the review will not cover story topics, as the rest would be a spoiler.
But now onto more important discussion of what the show encompasses in its purpose.
What if your last words to a family member was that you hated them, only to see them die in front of you moments later? What if your own parents told you that their life would be better without you? These are some psychological shocking moments that can change everything about the way someone thinks. In Elfen Lied, many characters have done something regrettable or has been a victim of physical or psychological abuse.
In an extreme example, one of the youngest diclonius girls has been sealed in a chamber, away from human exposure for her entire life. She has literally never seen the light of day. The results of such an action is later revealed within the plot.
Imagine beginning life in a world where nobody wants you. As a child you are too young to understand the differences that set you aside from your peers. As you desperately attempt to find friends, life to you is a world of torment and confusion as every attempt ends in failure or mistrust. You commit atrocities that cannot be undone, and in your state of loss, you begin to shut down your emotions to a state of nothingness. As you age, you grow cold, and tired of the never-ending spiral of misfortune that has been poured upon you. This is the fate of the main character known as Lucy.
Lucy, from day one has endured what no normal human could have. But then again, she isn’t human by definition. Lucy is the result of a horrific scientific experiment that aims to create a super-race known as the diclonius. The diclonius are a superhuman species that (upon reaching a certain age) possess the ability to control invisible arms to their advantage like telekinesis. These diclonii are easily identified by the horns that protrude from either side of the head, which separates them visually from humans. Horns don’t help matters especially in Japanese society where such things are viewed as being of demons.
At birth, Lucy was a repulsive sight to her parents, and was thrown into the forest to die, only to later be discovered by a merciful foster-home. Suffering a huge blow to her self esteem early on, it only gets worse from there. Her physical appearance not only hinders her ability to have friends, but also creates problems as kids mercilessly attack her psychological well-being, as they can be so cruel, not mature enough to understand the outcome of their actions. The adults in Lucy’s life don’t help either, as they see her as a monster, and treat her differently than the others. They grow tired of helping a “freak” and fear that being seen aiding her will mean that they are attached to her. Again, in Japanese society, helping outcasts could label you as someone who attracts such kinds of people, which could be deemed as bad to onlookers and employers.
The story about halfway through dives deep into Lucy’s past, and the audience is then forced to decide if she is a victim or an antagonist. Are her actions a result of her past, or is she lashing out on society for her fate? More importantly, you will be forced to ask who the real monsters are in this world, could it be the humans themselves? From what does this hatred between humans and other beings stem?
The setting of Elfen Lied is a world where there are no winners. A true hell on earth, where sin and violence is rampant and the norm. Your eyes will be deceived as this world with so much potential and beauty is torn asunder as human sin consumes the very hopes of the people you come to care about. Under the light-hearted skin of outward appearances of people lies within a horrifying and repulsive nature that knows no mercy. Every character has a dark or frightening past that they would rather forget. The show’s artistic style makes such cute characters commit atrocities like these seem even more shocking.
Elfen Lied covers a lot of very controversial and hard topics in a very short period of time, and it is for this reason that it has drawn so much attention. The overall theme of the show is dark and covers topics such as: racism, abandonment, child abuse, memory repression, amnesia, dehumanization, alienation, multiple identity disorder, jealousy, and mistrust.
ideas of forgiveness, love, and acceptance although very rare, are important in the story, as they are the only relief from the sadness that encompasses all the characters.
The show itself is controversial as well, containing massive violence, gore, and nudity on multiple occasions. However, these are not hindrances to the show, rather they strengthen the tone of a world that lives truly in sin. This is nature, this is humanity represented in the most impactful and unaltered way imaginable. None of the nudity is ever sexual in manner, and is well executed to convey the feelings of carelessness, humiliation, and possibly dehumanization that the characters might feel at the time. As naked humans they are vulnerable, like animals -- again identifying the themes of sub-human humans.
All of the test subjects have either been captivated or born into the complex facility, and as such they have never needed clothes. Clothes are also a very distinctive human trait, as no other creature on earth covers their body. Humans cover their skin because they are intelligent, and it separates us from other mamals. As diclonius, they are not viewed as humans, and thus they have never been given clothes. This however does not explain why Lucy/Nyu feel the need to be naked on multiple occasions, and this can be explained in a number of ways. As Lucy, she has been used so much in her life that she feels no sense of shame anymore, and being naked is not something she sees as a sin. She simply doesn’t care anymore, there is no embarrassment factor. As Nyu, she is like a child who knows no better -- she literally doesn’t understand that being naked is seen as unacceptable in society. So as a child would not think twice of being seen naked, neither does she. Nyu essentially has the life experience of a 5 year old, and is utterly clueless of the social norms.
You begin to see why this can become a problem. Housing a person who can snap from one extreme to the next. This becomes one of the great struggles of the plot, as Nyu (the cute and clueless girl that Yuka and Kouta have come to love) struggles with her “other half” that gets awakened on multiple occasions.
Are Lucy’s actions justifiable, or is it senseless violence? Is Lucy wrong for what she has done and should she really be forgiven? What happens when humans are denied their so called “God-given rights?” What happens when life’s circumstances place you in situations that cannot be undone, or deliver damage that can’t be repaired? Who defines what is wright or wrong? We have seen that humans can forget, but can they forgive?
Elfen Lied will surely answer these questions if they are not clear.
The show is widely popular for many reasons. This is a show that you as the viewer will either love or hate, there’s little room for in-between. If you cannot see past the violence of the show, you cannot concentrate on the actual plot which turns out to be justifiable and beautiful in its delivery. You either see it or you don’t, and some people don’t want to see it anyways. As opinions, nobody can ever be wrong, so it doesn’t matter in the end. You take a gamble when you watch Elfen Lied, there is approximately a 50/50 chance of seeing a disaster, or a masterpiece.
