First thing’s first: let me give you a little insight on the plot of the series. Elfen Lied primarily focuses on the relationship between humans and the so-called Diclonius (humans with horns attached to their heads and equipped with invisible telekinetic arms). One of our main characters, Lucy, is a Diclonius girl who escapes from a research facility where those of her kind are held captive and experimented upon in violent ways. Make no mistake, these strange, yet intriguing beings are far from innocent – most of them do not back away from violence and getting on their bad side can often result in a bloodbath. After forcing her way out (and by that I mean violently dismembering and ripping the heads off of everyone that stands in the way), Lucy is shot in the very last moment by a sniper. The shot doesn’t entirely hit, but it does damage her head enough to cause a deep amnesia and split her personality in two parts. Not much time passes and Lucy is found on a nearby beach by Kohta and his cousin Yuka, but Lucy’s second personality, Nyu, has taken over and this results in her acting like a child and unable to remember anything that happened up to that point.
Most of the show focuses on Lucy’s stay with Kohta and Yuka and the hunt by those whom she evaded to recapture her. Calling Elfen Lied the bloodiest and goriest anime series ever made is more an opinion rather than a fact, but it is certainly up there. You can tell from the first ten minutes that it definitely lives up to its reputation: Lucy’s escape from the research facility is one of the most powerful and downright disturbing scenes I have ever since in any anime series and it contained more blood and violence than I was prepared for – and believe me, I was pretty prepared.
One of the first things which caught my attention when I started watching the series was its opening song, called Lilium, which is sung in Latin. I was immediately fascinated by its truly wonderful tone and the atmosphere which it evoked. The opening couldn’t have been more fitting, if you ask me. It really captures the essence of what this anime is about.
Elfen Lied may sport a brutal attitude and at times it seems as though there is little to stop it from going way over the edge with its graphic depictions of violence and gore, but beyond its hardened exterior lies a soft and sensible core. The relationships between characters are surprisingly genuine and feel really natural. Over the course of its running time we come to care for each and every character in a special way. No one is innocent here, but it’s the imperfections and the little things that each character says or the does that shapes them into perfectly developed characters. I wish I could say that Elfen Lied does all these things to perfection, but there are some noticeable flaws among these beautifully executed aspects. Some characters react in an odd way to a few things, which sometimes leads to confusion among the audience and incapability to connect with the particular scene when it happens. For example, a young girl discovers a brutally dismembered man on the beach and her reaction suggests that she thinks little of it. Such things really lead to confusion and sometimes ruin the moment. I don’t wanna spoil anything, so I’ll just say that Kohta goes through some extremely emotional situations during the last episodes and his reactions are underwhelming, to say the least.
With only thirteen episodes and one special original video animation, Elfen Lied is a relatively short anime series. The manga it is based on is said to continue beyond the series’ ending and offer a lot more backstory and information about some characters, though I have not read it and am therefore unable to comment on the matter. I will say this, though: as far as the anime is concerned, it does a great job at developing the characters and advancing the story in a satisfying manner for the audience.
Elfen Lied is most definitely not for the faint of heart. There are lots of scenes which depict violence against animals, incest and even sexual abuse. Even though the series is filled with controversy and gore, it does manage to deliver a really beautiful and emotional story filled with interesting, well-developed characters. I was a little bit disappointed with the open ending and the final episode overall, but it did little to make me forget about the rest of this spectacular anime series. If you feel like you’ve got the stomach for it, be sure to check it out as it will definitely leave a lasting mark on you. It certainly did so in my case.
