Story & Characters (10/10)
The beginning of 2004 was pretty boring for anime fan, with nothing much to watch, then came Elfen Lied. This is like one of best show this year. And what this show shine the most was at it plot and storyline. One warning, this show isn't for anyway. There is nudity plus tons of violent. Not recommended for the weak. The fanservice here dont feel force like some of the other show. Plenty of plot twist but it is predictable to see it coming since ep1. A brief synopsys is about this mutant girl (evolution of human) with a split personality that escaped from an experimental center and the authority that want to capture her back. It might sound familiar but its storyline originality and its interesting theme about us human fearing the unknown get this a 10/10. Dont mistake this show with other harem show like Love Hina or Ai Yori Aoshi eventhough it is one guy and many girls. This show is nothing like them. The show is dark and have plenty of adult theme that kids wouldnt understand. I recommend at least being 16 to be able to watch this show. By the way, I believe they changed the anime version ending as the manga was still ongoing.
Art (7/10)
I believe this is the weakest part of this show. The artwork is completely different from the manga counterpart and its kinda wash out. But the character design seems to be better in the anime. I might be bias as I watch the anime first before reading the manga. The first episode background was great, but the rest of the episode is nothing to shout about. The action scene is fluid and the violence scene was portrayed realistically with the right amount of CG. So the artwork is just about average, not great but it isn't bad either.
Sound (9/10)
The sound, background music and the OST are great. It is composed by Konishi Kayo & Kondoo Yukio. The opening lilium and ending be your girl sung by kawabe chieko are both excellent. The background music really help the show in getting the atmosphere and the mood. The music play an important part in the show as it symbolize their past. Even if you dont watch the show, the music is still worth listening. And the seiyuus are good too. Lucy was exceptional. You can sense the personality change just by listening to her voice.
Overall (9/10)
I really enjoyed watching this. This show is both thought provoking and original. With it dark and adult theme, this show isnt your typical shounen anime. It is highly recommended for people wanting to watch something other than the typical shounen anime out now like bleach, naruto or gundam. Sure you might think they just wanted to sell this series by using gore/nudity, but this show have much deeper storyline just your average violent flick. This show is serious and people looking for comedy wont find it here. The only complain I have for this show is length, only 13 episode. And since I think they branch out from the manga storyline since the manga was still ongoing, the ending might feel a bit rush. But the ending aren't too bad either, I just feel a bit sad that such a great anime ended. Even with some shortcoming, this show is great. Definitely one the better series of 2004. I can see why this show is licensed before even airing in Japan. It is just too good to pass this one up. Highly recommended.
