Elfen Lied, gives the audience a truly tragic and unique romance that is definitely not for the faint of heart.
The Story revolves around the lost souls of the Diclonius searching for a purpose. From time to time the scenes drift from two main settings which gives the audience the perspective of seeing the hell of seclusion versus the paradise of life. This duality is one of the main themes of the story; good versus evil within the individual.
That being all said, the story does a captivating job with surprises and twists which ultimately lead to a dramatic and nearly tearful conclusion. Although it doesn't capture my eye in terms of originality, it does an incredible job of devising it's own way to let the audience forgive such horrible violence...
The Art may come to surprise many viewers as it definitely frees itself from censorship to an "extent" which gives the anime it's art-like form. The viewer is not spared from constant blood and gore, but in terms of character detail, it is nearly perfect as it gives the familiar "innocence-gone-wrong" aura. In terms of the mild nudity, this anime really shouldn't be considered an ecchi-type, because it provides the anime with a unique style that sheds purity for art. (You'll see what I mean during the beginning song.)
The Sound is extremely well done in this anime which add (once again) to it's artistic form. The theme song is basically the heart and soul of the main heroine Lucy and of the entire anime itself. As for the sound effects, the anime again spares no expense for that "bloody" gush we all love. The voices aren't half bad either and seem to fit the characters nicely.
The Characters play a slight harem in this anime, but it isn't really what this anime is. Each individual has their own separate role in the story which greatly enhances it's way out of a harem essence. As the episodes progress, the characters gradually shift from dark and heartless to warm and loving which is a result of the clever character revelations in the story.
Overall, I pretty much enjoyed this anime as it was really close to hitting a 10, but some parts in the story were left unresolved unfortunately.
However, I highly recommend this anime to viewers who enjoy a fascinating drama and can withstand a little mutilation here and there.
