It’s a series which champions predominantly adult themes, exits with some big social questions, showcases gorgeous animation, and even has a Latin theme song with a Klimt inspired intro. So why has it never broken out of the anime niche?
Elfen Lied (Elfenlied being German for ‘Elf Song’, a classical piece – in case you were wondering, the only other obvious German connotations are the alternative episode titles) is, by all accounts, one of the most controversial pieces of anime ever to grace Western screens. It isn’t hard to spot why – over the 14 episode run it courts such tame subjects as child abuse, rape, incest, bullying and alienation, genocide and various elements of the modern human psyche, with hitherto unseen levels of nudity and violence.
Fear not, however: you’ll also find cutesy characters, humour, character stereotypes and romance aplenty. But herein lies the problem: this anime doesn’t, in my mind, take itself seriously enough. These interludes between heart-wrenching back-stories and mass violence ultimately muddle the messages that they are trying to put across, and have an annoying habit of wrenching you back from the verge of tears for a complete ‘wtf’ moment. Some of the reactions, decisions and bits of dialogue of key characters are also inexcusable, and whilst many an anime has delivered a facepalm moment on behalf of a clueless character, these moments can seriously detract from the serious nature of the story here. The first episode, handily, bundles in all of these problems, to the extent that it could easily stop you from watching the rest of the series. There is hardly a frame in the first seven minutes not composed of blood and boobs, to be frank. In retrospect, I think it works here, not that there aren’t plenty of other moments where I question the necessity of both. However, the meeting of the key characters following these scenes, at the time, seemed very odd, the reactions of the characters questionable, and the story entirely unclear. Because it ultimately takes three episodes for any real development in the story, you find yourself asking ‘what is the point?’ and ‘where is this going? many, many times. You’re also bombarded with ‘they wouldn’t…they just did’ moments right from the beginning, where the predictable and blatant nature of proceedings leaves you asking whether it’s all shock and no substance, before they’ve given themselves a chance to shine.
But boy, do they. The animation is beautiful, the more personal killings chilling, sad scenes Grave of the Fireflies-esque and the delve into the main murderer’s psyche a little (or rather, a lot) of the preceding two. When the story pans out there are a whole lot of plot holes and events which leave big questions there for the viewer (but thankfully more storyline than direction, a la NGE), and more generally the series presents a formidable social commentary. It’s just a shame that you have to endure a confusing start, and shrug off the fan-servicing baggage, to reach it. The director seems to have been committed to covering every base in terms of both genres and the general wishes of fans, but to the extent that some really questionable scenes feel, to me, more deplorable than peripheral (needless scenes of underage nudity on a comic backdrop, random groping by the main character in their childlike state etc). Some of the differences between this series and the manga upon which it was based also stand out as major mistakes, such as the relative sympathy of the lead male upon realising the real fate of his family, and some decisions taken to shorten the story.
So, in conclusion! :) Add a sense of appropriate occasion, a little voice doctoring and a more serious tone in places, and you have a bona fide horror/sci-fi/thriller classic, whether you like anime or not. More than the Japanese tendency to service fans unnecessarily (consider the wealth of fan art for such series’), this most unusual of animes keeps to the anime market in a different way. However, the excess of everything offensive under the sun still seems to be (for a Western audience) too Japanese for it’s own good.
