Reviews

It's difficult to give Elfen Lied a fair shake as far as a series goes. I found myself dissatisfied until episode 8/13 which is where the series became a nail biter for me. The first 7 episodes plunge you into a story that seems as though it should be better than it is. The quality suddenly jumps up in episode 8 which is ironically titled "The Beginning." From there it becomes obvious that this series becomes better once you've seen the whole thing once. It would have been a solid 9 or 10 had it been told in a more linear fashion I think, but I base that on how good it gets later on in flash backs. That being said, even though it had a late start in my opinion, it was pretty good and worth watching.

Let's start with the blood and gore that everyone talks about. I have honestly seen much more bloody anime. The blood and gore is there, but I have say that it's really not a game changer as far as this series goes. It really takes a backseat to the dark and depressing tone that this tragic story sets. It really is a tragedy, and the blood and gore are just a couple of the tools used to tell it.

The tone is tragic in Elfen Lied. It never once makes you think you're about to watch a happy fairy tale of a story. I watched and wondered when the next tragic even was about to occur. This is not a fault of the story, in fact it is one of the things done very right. Don't expect anything more than a morally dark and tragic story. It was done pretty well in these categories.

I mentioned that episode 8 is where it began for me (as far as being something I had to watch that is) but really there is a good reason for that. It starts off with a violent, messy escape for the main character. It leads her to be with the male lead of the story, and then it introduces all of the main characters. The problem with the first 7 episodes is that the events just sort of happen. Episode 8 is where the explanation begins. I had no emotional attachment until I found out more about the characters. That's why I say it's hard to give it a fair shake. Watching it a second time takes that feeling away because you know what you need to know. I have other complaints about the music not being engaging and other parts moving too slow and fast, but those really weren't low points in the anime. They were short lived and inconsistent. Overall, it could have been better done, and it probably should have been. Thankfully, the end result was a redeeming one and it turned out pretty good by the end.

The last thing I want to talk about are the characters. I liked the male lead, but a couple of the supporting female characters were a little annoying at times. I just have to say that Yuka bothered me all the way to the end. I almost wish she wasn't in the story, because she was a little too jealous throughout the entirety of the series. One other complaint is the psychopath that was out to get Lucy. It felt a little weird that he was able to get away with some of the things he did. Those are my only real complaints. Other than those 2 I felt they did a good job on characters.

All in all it was a pretty good series. I give it a low 8 overall but I think it should have been a 9 or 10 if it was done a little better. I should have read the manga first, but I will definitely add it to my list and see how good it was supposed to be. This is definitely worth watching if you're into tragic anime.