Oh yeah, I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while. Today I will be reviewing Elfen Lied, one of the anime in my top 10 list. Let’s get started!
Story:
Off the coast of Kamakura lies a high security facility containing a sub-species of humans called ‘Diclonius’ deep within this facility holds a captive diclonius called ‘Lucy’ One day the security systems keeping her enslaved malfunctions. With Lucy roaming free armed guards are mercilessly slaughtered one by one as she makes her way out. The following morning in Kamakura, college student Kouta has returned after a lengthy spell away and will be attending the prefecture in Kamakura. After meeting up with his cousin Yuka, the two happen to stumble upon a naked girl with horns coming out of her head.
Back in the earlier days when I would jump into anime without looking up on the genre and others opinions, this was one of the shows which left me in shock and awe by the end of the first episode. It had everything I could possibly want for in a horror. Blood, gore, death, heads torn from shoulders and the helplessness of those trying to stop this monster. You’ll be left with so many questions that you’ll be left with no choice but to continue on to the next episode. Who and what is Lucy? Who is this mysterious naked girl washed up on the beach? Will there be more blood and gore like this throughout the series?
Characters:
First off is Lucy who is introduced to us as an unstoppable killing machine. As the series progresses we get an insight into her personality and the suffering she’s endured throughout her life. It’s quite saddening as monsters don’t always start off that way. Her relationship with Kouta is what stands out the most, which is later illustrated in the series.
Kouta is your average college student. He moved to Kamakura having been away from there for over 10 years and he is looking forward to starting his life. Throughout the series there’s a feeling that something is concealed deep within Kouta and only time will tell if it is revealed. His relationship with Lucy seems shrouded. Lucy knows who he is and refuses to harm him but Kouta can’t seem to reciprocate. We learn the true nature of their relationship as the series progresses. His relationship with Nyu is innocent and sweet they care for each other very dearly. She upsets Kouta on a few occasions with her actions, but her intentions are good and Kouta eventually understands.
Yuka is Kouta’s cousin who attends the same college as him. She is a friendly girl who cares for the people around her, even though she shouts and hits Kouta a lot. Her relationship with Kouta is very apparent they are cousins but they have a deep love for each other which is explored in the later episodes.
The final two are Mayu and Nana. Mayu is a 13-year old homeless girl. She ran away from home after being tormented by her abusive mother and step-farther. She lived under a small shed located on the beach with her stray dog. I like what the series did with her character outlining the seriousness of child abuse/neglect. Mayu is a very sweet girl who deserves a loving family and a good place where she can be happy. Nana is another Diclonius that was experimented on in the facility. Nana is one of the more obedient diclonius since she thinks one of the scientists is her farther. For him she is willing to endure anything. Nana is sent out to Kamakura to capture Lucy.
The series does have a strong selection of characters albeit Yuka wasn’t the most interesting of the bunch. They all get a good deal of development and are a likeable group.
Sound and art
I’d like to give an honorable mention to the opening of Elfen Lied as it has a brilliant song and beautiful artwork. It had everything I wanted in an opening.
Enjoyment
I enjoyed this anime. It had a very good opening episode and I did enjoy the rest of the series. I loved how cute Nyu was, but Nana was my favorite. I have re-watched the series and it’s still as good when I watched it the first time.
Flaws
As much as I liked Elfen Lied it did have its fair share of flaws. For example when we were first introduced to Lucy her methods of killing were similar to that of using telekinesis. Later on whenever used her powers which are called ‘Vectors’ They are visible and took away from the horror of her killings. Personally I think they should have only revealed the vectors closer to the end of the series. In the words of Tristan Arkada “The ending is paramount” The series ending was awful and it left me unsatisfied. The possibility of a second season will most likely never happen, so any questions you have won’t be answered. (Unless you read the manga, which I haven’t done yet)
Final verdict
Overall Elfen lied was a very good anime. The series did very well to get viewers hooked into the horror. It did fall a bit flat throughout parts of the series but I don’t think it detracts much from the overall enjoyment. People who don’t like graphic horror and nudity may want to give it a miss. I give Elfen Lied an overall score of 7.7 out of 10 and a definite recommendation to watch unless you’re a bit squeamish.
Thanks for reading guys!
