Elfen Lied is made up of fourteen episodes, thirteen being part of the main series and one OVA episode. Before I continue with this review I want to make it clear this anime series is not for for everyone due to blood and gore featured throughout the series. The first episode contains the most gore by far, and there are similar scenes throughout the rest of the rest of the series, if you can make it through the first episode however, then you should be able to watch the complete series without any difficulty. Some some scenes contain nudity as well. Now with that out of the way let’s continue on with the review.
The main character of this series is Lucy/Nyu. Lucy is a Diclonius girl in her early twenties, possessing two horns that come out from her temples and four invisible arms known as vectors that can cut through anything and stretch several feet around her in any direction. She uses these vectors to cut down all that oppose her and she can us them to jump incredible heights. Lucy has a split personality however, known as Nyu. Nyu is innocent and from a first impression completely harmless, seemingly unable to use her vectors in any way. Nyu seems to be unable to speak in full sentences and she is only really able to say her own name, 'Nyu' and Kouta.
Kouta is a freshman collage student moving into an abandoned restaurant he rented from his cousin’s family. A well developed character with a sad past, he has his memories repressed, which we later find out are about how his family had died. Most of the series deals with him trying to keep Nyu safe and rediscovering that his past that was spent with Lucy.
The story begins in a research facility that doubles as a prison, this complex holds Diclonius girls for study to find out their abilities. Here we meet Lucy who is making her escape from the facility, and while we are thrown into the series with no knowledge of whom or what she is, we soon find out what she is capable of as she begins to mercilessly kill any that stand before her. The actual killing is not as disturbing as how she kills them; as she escapes she is completely nude save for a metal head restraint. However, as she finally exits the complex and makes her escape she is shot in the head with an anti-tank rifle that takes off her helmet and knocks her unconscious. When she is found on the beach by Kouta and his cousin Yuka she has changed personality, becoming Nyu.
Most major characters in the series typically have a detailed background, the history the two main characters share showing us why Lucy distrusts humans and why she doesn’t mind killing them. I am amazed as to how well most of the characters are developed and how the history between the two main characters leads them throughout the series. The story does a great job of keeping you interested in the plot, with great cliff hangers to keep the viewers wanting more. The series well balances seriousness and comic relief, though as the episodes go on the show becomes mores serious. The very end leaving the viewer wondering as to who came knocking at Kouta’s door an intriguing cliff-hanger unto itself.
I believe that this would definitely be something you would want to re-watch every couple of months, just because the character dynamic is interesting. One particular thing that I found interesting was that they were able to introduce a character in the first episode that viewers would find likable, then not a minute later have her decapitated. They did this to make Lucy look even more vicious and the desired effect succeeded perfectly. The only complaint I have is the delay in explaining what the Diclonius are. It was finally done three episodes into the series, but I did not see any clear reason as to not finding some way to clarify what Lucy is.
All in all this is a great series and by all my current favorite. No other anime has ever moved me as much as Elfen Lied has and I can say without a doubt that if you like dramatic anime then this one should be on the list of anime series you need to watch soon.
-Phantom Warrior
The main character of this series is Lucy/Nyu. Lucy is a Diclonius girl in her early twenties, possessing two horns that come out from her temples and four invisible arms known as vectors that can cut through anything and stretch several feet around her in any direction. She uses these vectors to cut down all that oppose her and she can us them to jump incredible heights. Lucy has a split personality however, known as Nyu. Nyu is innocent and from a first impression completely harmless, seemingly unable to use her vectors in any way. Nyu seems to be unable to speak in full sentences and she is only really able to say her own name, 'Nyu' and Kouta.
Kouta is a freshman collage student moving into an abandoned restaurant he rented from his cousin’s family. A well developed character with a sad past, he has his memories repressed, which we later find out are about how his family had died. Most of the series deals with him trying to keep Nyu safe and rediscovering that his past that was spent with Lucy.
The story begins in a research facility that doubles as a prison, this complex holds Diclonius girls for study to find out their abilities. Here we meet Lucy who is making her escape from the facility, and while we are thrown into the series with no knowledge of whom or what she is, we soon find out what she is capable of as she begins to mercilessly kill any that stand before her. The actual killing is not as disturbing as how she kills them; as she escapes she is completely nude save for a metal head restraint. However, as she finally exits the complex and makes her escape she is shot in the head with an anti-tank rifle that takes off her helmet and knocks her unconscious. When she is found on the beach by Kouta and his cousin Yuka she has changed personality, becoming Nyu.
Most major characters in the series typically have a detailed background, the history the two main characters share showing us why Lucy distrusts humans and why she doesn’t mind killing them. I am amazed as to how well most of the characters are developed and how the history between the two main characters leads them throughout the series. The story does a great job of keeping you interested in the plot, with great cliff hangers to keep the viewers wanting more. The series well balances seriousness and comic relief, though as the episodes go on the show becomes mores serious. The very end leaving the viewer wondering as to who came knocking at Kouta’s door an intriguing cliff-hanger unto itself.
I believe that this would definitely be something you would want to re-watch every couple of months, just because the character dynamic is interesting. One particular thing that I found interesting was that they were able to introduce a character in the first episode that viewers would find likable, then not a minute later have her decapitated. They did this to make Lucy look even more vicious and the desired effect succeeded perfectly. The only complaint I have is the delay in explaining what the Diclonius are. It was finally done three episodes into the series, but I did not see any clear reason as to not finding some way to clarify what Lucy is.
All in all this is a great series and by all my current favorite. No other anime has ever moved me as much as Elfen Lied has and I can say without a doubt that if you like dramatic anime then this one should be on the list of anime series you need to watch soon.
-Phantom Warrior
