Okay, so I re-watched the entirety of Elfen Lied to make sure this review would reflect my current analytic abilities. Even after seeing it years later, it still remains not only my favorite anime, but also my favorite general narrative. I'd just like to iterate before I start that this is my opinion and my opinion only. If you don't like this show, good for you, you don't have to, but I don't have to dislike it just because you do.
First, to address the characters... damn. I can't think of too much to say. I love these characters. The ones you're meant to love, I grew to love. The ones you're meant to hate, I grew to hate. Along with that, if I can relate to a psychotic murdering anarchy-causing beast like Lucy, I'm gonna get attached to the character. There were no particular major flaws that are worth noting from my perspective.
The sound is the tiniest bit lacking compared to how I remember it. Don't get me wrong, it's still great! With every limb torn off, there was a fitting sound to go along with it, but the voice acting for the English dub had a slight tendency to be a little too cautious about volume. There are only so many instances where this really shows, but what really sucks is that one of those few instances are in the very first episode. Regardless, the rest of the voice acting is perfect and the sound effects have no issues. I've never been more disturbed by sound effects... which considering the art of the show, that's a good thing.
The art of Elfen Lied is one of its best strong points other than the story. They don't censor anything. If there is something they want to show you, be it intestines or breasts, they're gonna fucking show it to you. There are quite a few parts in specific that I can remember for their graphic and blood-bathed violence and all of them are crafted masterfully. There is, however. one massive error in the art design that occasionally takes away from the experience that I need to note... the eyes of the characters will occasionally appear to be looking in different directions... which just looks silly. This wouldn't be an issue worth taking a full point off for, but it happens quite a few times and sometimes it happens during somewhat serious moments. Luckily, it never seemed to happen at the most important moments in the story.
As for the story... It gets emotional. There's plenty of well-placed comic relief which helps lighten the mood occasionally, but there's even better placed emotional moments. There's also a LOT of controversial subjects that are covered such as sexual abuse of family members and denial of one's painful past (two major instances). There were quite a few moments where I could feel myself on the verge of tears. Especially one part where... shit... I can't spoil it. There's one part really close to the end (I think it's in the last episode (not counting the OVA)) that DID get me to cry. It was that moment that just broke me and I started to actually openly cry. It's my favorite moment of the show because the emotional impact is so heavy that it's fucking amazing. It's also one of the reasons why this story just hits the mark of 10/10.
Before you go and judge me, I'd just like to re-iterate that this is my opinion. This is not YOUR opinion. I like what I like, you like what you like. There's nothing we can do about that. You CAN do something about NOT being a dick, though... so... you know... do that and don't be a dick about it... please.
