Elfen Lied is notorious, at least among fans of anime, for its graphic violence and frequent nudity. However, these aspects are merely part of what is in fact an excellent series. More than just an unsettling mix of cute little girls and intense gore, Elfen Lied is a series about nature vs. nurture, love vs. hate, the future of humanity, and similar themes. Yes, the show is quite violent, but this violence underscores these themes well and as we later learn, is not merely just a product of instinctual brutality. With only thirteen episodes in total, Elfen Lied is short but sweet and well worth watching. Just remember, you'll never look at cat-girls the same way again.
160 Reviews
Excellent drama
tyrantxd11 August 2006
I saw the first episode of Elfen Lied and thought it looked pretty cool, so I went and bought the rest of the series. It was even better than I thought it would be, much better. Even with only 13 episodes, This series is awesome. Elfen Lied is sad, moving, violent, has some great characters, emotion, and it is completely enjoyable. The first episodes aren't brilliant, but this is a series that gets better and better as it progresses, and the last two DVDs are a joy to behold. If you don't puke at the sight of blood, this is a series you should most certainly see, and you'll know why once you've watched it to the end. A must have for anime fans!
Good even for non anime fans
m_i_t_j30 April 2022
Cruelty carries deep emotions
havocs1 October 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Elfen Lied is one of the animes that keep you shocked for days after watching it. It starts like something really cheap: a naked woman tears apart hundreds of soldiers. But don't judge it by watching the first 10 minutes! After this first scene, Elfen Lied comes something really weird. The quick changes between the serious dramatical scenes, funny interludes, and bloody fights makes a perfect harmony. The most weird is you can't know for sure which character is good or evil. Enemies can be the best friends and friends can become sworn enemies as the story develops. It's hard to write anything without writing spoilers so I just share my feelings - after watching the last episode, I was totally shocked. No movie had such a great effect on me. After the credits, I was just sitting there and just looked out of my head. Then, at least for a week, a kept thinking of the characters all the time and just could not stop listening to it's music. Oh well, the main song 'Lilium' is absolutely wonderful... If you like psychodramas, Elfen Lied will be one of your favorites for sure. It will capture your mind and your soul, and shock you completely. Don't watch it if you are weak nerved.
10/10
10/10
Probably the best anime ever. Ever :)
mircea-lungu5 February 2006
From the first episode where, in a dreamlike atmosphere, we see a nude girl with an iron mask on her head escaping a high-security facility and in the process, magically tearing apart a bunch of armed guards, to the very last episode, blood continues to flow (and nudity continues to be shown). This does not mean that the movie is distasteful, on the contrary, there is some kind of strange beauty associated with the violence which results in a mix of sadness and melancholy that stays with one long after watching the movie.
I did not see too many anime to have an authoritative opinion on this, but I believe that the excellent soundtrack is also one of the sources of the emotional blend of sweet and bitter atmosphere in the movie. The theme of the anime is sung in Latin, has a heavenly sweet voice sing a deeply sad song. The theme is associated with the intro and ending clips, which being symbolically very rich, adds a strong sense of magic and mystery to it.
One of the nice parts, and maybe also of the sources of strong emotions associated with the movie is the way in which the director develops some of the main characters in such a way that they are complete. They have good parts and they have bad parts, they love and they hate. You love them at times and then you hate them at other times. And because you get to know them pretty well, you will eventually get involved to the point that you really fear for their fate.
Besides being complete, the characters are idealized and put in deep emotionally situations: they risk their lives for their loved ones, they die for their loved ones, they hurt for their lost ones, they cry, they laugh with joy and everything at the highest level of involvement. Maybe this is why we like them: in a way they are so much more alive than us!
Inocence and pain, beauty and menace, death and love, blood and hope, all these make from Elfen Lied an addictive series which will leave a long-lasting impression on you. And be prepared to watch all the episodes together, it might be hard to stop before the last one!
I did not see too many anime to have an authoritative opinion on this, but I believe that the excellent soundtrack is also one of the sources of the emotional blend of sweet and bitter atmosphere in the movie. The theme of the anime is sung in Latin, has a heavenly sweet voice sing a deeply sad song. The theme is associated with the intro and ending clips, which being symbolically very rich, adds a strong sense of magic and mystery to it.
One of the nice parts, and maybe also of the sources of strong emotions associated with the movie is the way in which the director develops some of the main characters in such a way that they are complete. They have good parts and they have bad parts, they love and they hate. You love them at times and then you hate them at other times. And because you get to know them pretty well, you will eventually get involved to the point that you really fear for their fate.
Besides being complete, the characters are idealized and put in deep emotionally situations: they risk their lives for their loved ones, they die for their loved ones, they hurt for their lost ones, they cry, they laugh with joy and everything at the highest level of involvement. Maybe this is why we like them: in a way they are so much more alive than us!
Inocence and pain, beauty and menace, death and love, blood and hope, all these make from Elfen Lied an addictive series which will leave a long-lasting impression on you. And be prepared to watch all the episodes together, it might be hard to stop before the last one!
One of the most beautiful animes ever
chililili3 November 2005
First of all, I don't presume myself to be an Otaku or some sort of Anime/Manga Highlord, however this is THE single best anime I have ever seen and I have seen quite a few. If you are like me and enjoy animes that are not as long (Only 13 episodes plus a 25 min OVA!) and can stand some violence and can look at female nudity without going all childish and horny about it this anime is for you. It has a very deep story, along with the best anime song I have ever heard... after watching the anime I got into reading the manga and all, it is a very rich story and it is very beautifully directed. Also if you got nothing to do one day you can easily watch it in its entirety, fall in love, laugh, and cry with the characters. If you enjoyed Evangelion you will most certainly enjoy this, and it is better than Evangelion.
The Most Beautiful Story Ever
shadowsofbodom30 July 2006
I watched this series over 2 days which isn't really fair because it's probably about as long as any of the Lord of the Rings movies and I watched that in one sitting. Anyways, this series of anime is my favorite story of any book I've read, game I've played, movie or show I've watched. Even though this series is 13 episodes long, it is really just astounding how powerfully moving it is.
I'm not going to give a description of what it is about because you can find that elsewhere. What I can tell you is that it is the saddest but perhaps greatest love story I know. If you haven't seen it yet, even if you hate anime, see this movie. I can barely even describe the wonders that are packed into this short series.
-thank you
I'm not going to give a description of what it is about because you can find that elsewhere. What I can tell you is that it is the saddest but perhaps greatest love story I know. If you haven't seen it yet, even if you hate anime, see this movie. I can barely even describe the wonders that are packed into this short series.
-thank you
Simply Beautiful
cfrey89219 January 2007
I must say that I have never enjoyed anime or even watched it. However, after watching this series, I must say that it is the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed. This anime plays to about every human emotion. It will make you hate, love, wonder, and most importantly, it will break your heart. This was totally unexpected and the impact this anime has made is still with me today. The characters and the story are beautifully fleshed out and touch upon many subjects that fall close to home. The only criticism I can offer is a kind that is more compliment that critical; this anime is too short. I was desperate for more. I wish I could do this anime more justice. If you ever have the opportunity to watch this series, do so.
A mix of good storytelling and gratuitous sex and violence
cherold17 July 2013
For the most part my experience is that the anime that hurls the most nudity and blood at the audience tends not to be worth watching unless you simply want to see naked, bloody cartoon characters. It is often a way of saying, "the story and characters are bad, here's something to look at to make up for it."
Elfen Lied is an oddity in that it contains oodles of gratuitous nudity and stomach-churning violence, yet the story is genuinely interesting, making you care about the characters and wonder at who the monsters really are.
The reviews I've read here generally take the nudity more to task than the violence, the idea being that the nudity fails to propel the story whereas the violence underscores exactly how dangerous the tentacled girls are. On the surface this is a reasonable argument. Certainly the nudity is irrelevant to the narrative, failing to in any way define the characters, and in the case of girls chained nude in government labs, it feels quite exploitative (although one could argue that it was a technique meant to reinforce the inhuman status of the subjects to the lab's employees).
The violence, on the other hand, has a horror-movie effectiveness to it. And I'll admit that a lot of the reason I didn't like it is that I'm squeamish (it's not nearly as hard to take in the manga). But the truth is, the series does not just efficiently show the damage, it glories in it. It is violence porn, like those Mortal Kombat games where blood spurts out in geysers. Violence was necessary, but the degree of violence simply was not.
I think the reason you don't see much nudity in great anime, and generally less gore, is simply that the makers have faith in their story. Elfen Lied is a series that hedges its bets, and by doing so, it falls short of being the series it could have been; one that dared to stand entirely on its stories and characters.
Elfen Lied is an oddity in that it contains oodles of gratuitous nudity and stomach-churning violence, yet the story is genuinely interesting, making you care about the characters and wonder at who the monsters really are.
The reviews I've read here generally take the nudity more to task than the violence, the idea being that the nudity fails to propel the story whereas the violence underscores exactly how dangerous the tentacled girls are. On the surface this is a reasonable argument. Certainly the nudity is irrelevant to the narrative, failing to in any way define the characters, and in the case of girls chained nude in government labs, it feels quite exploitative (although one could argue that it was a technique meant to reinforce the inhuman status of the subjects to the lab's employees).
The violence, on the other hand, has a horror-movie effectiveness to it. And I'll admit that a lot of the reason I didn't like it is that I'm squeamish (it's not nearly as hard to take in the manga). But the truth is, the series does not just efficiently show the damage, it glories in it. It is violence porn, like those Mortal Kombat games where blood spurts out in geysers. Violence was necessary, but the degree of violence simply was not.
I think the reason you don't see much nudity in great anime, and generally less gore, is simply that the makers have faith in their story. Elfen Lied is a series that hedges its bets, and by doing so, it falls short of being the series it could have been; one that dared to stand entirely on its stories and characters.
Great anime, extremely gory and emotional.
Xerxesjc2815 August 2006
I'll keep this short.
Most of what others have said is true. This is a very well done anime. It has an exremely emotional and graphic story. It is as sad or emotional as "Grave of the fireflies" and as bloody as "Berserk" (I would say its worse).
Although it is fantasy because of the special powers the girls have you should not think it would diminish it. It is about not knowing who or what is good and bad, about tragedy and loss, it is about forgiveness.
Just be ready for this is not for the weak of heart.
I would definitely recommend this anime, its one of the best made anime I have ever seen.
Most of what others have said is true. This is a very well done anime. It has an exremely emotional and graphic story. It is as sad or emotional as "Grave of the fireflies" and as bloody as "Berserk" (I would say its worse).
Although it is fantasy because of the special powers the girls have you should not think it would diminish it. It is about not knowing who or what is good and bad, about tragedy and loss, it is about forgiveness.
Just be ready for this is not for the weak of heart.
I would definitely recommend this anime, its one of the best made anime I have ever seen.
Very disappointed
makerofuniverse16 September 2007
After reading all the positive comments I was expecting something much more interesting. This anime is for 12-16 max year olds. Very simple. Everything is so unrealistic. The characters don't work, went for the lecture once, took a girl who does not speak any language and has horns to the house and act like this is OK and she will just live with them forever. The corporation sends soldiers who know everything about diclonious (the range of vectors, the bullets which can/can not harm them) but still they die all the time shooting regular bullets instead of setting snipers everywhere or just blowing the place up. Main characters know that police, soldiers, others are hunting Lucy, but they still let her go with them or alone on the streets. Then they go looking for one of them every day and actually find who they are looking for in a big city just like that. They act like 12 year olds all the time. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING OF HORROR in this anime. If this is one of the best anime's I am very disappointed in genre. Excuse my English.
Disturbing... and yet at the same time profoundly beautiful.
hellfire_3015 June 2007
It's hard to describe Elfen Lied to someone who hasn't heard of it; the closest I can think of is a strange mix of extreme violence, romance and drama. To those of you who haven't witnessed it, you're probably wondering how these are all incorporated into the one piece coherently. Those that have though, are instead pondering why they haven't been put together sooner. Such is the quality and flow of this odd hybrid of an anime.
The real area that Elfen Lied shines is it's narrative - its hard not to be enthralled by its weaving course and diversity. A Violent and gory encounter will perhaps gives way to another with a contrasting lighter moment. Emotive drama gives way to bloodshed and then back again, only this time bring you close to tears as it does so. It's a strange combination, where you as the viewer are thrown about and manipulated like those in the story line itself, but one that works surprisingly well. It does this all the while without feeling disjointed, it has an elegance and clever subtly when it makes these strong transitions leading to a very mesmorising piece as a whole.
This is carefully finished with a truly memorable musical score, which in my opinion is another great strength. The opening 'Lilium' is particularly powerful, and differing versions feature prominently throughout - lending its intensity to emotive scenes. However, regarding music there's an off kilter over-happy pop song that plays over the credits after each episode. It feels out of place, but never the less is adequate enough, and it could be argued adds a good contrast to what is at times quite a depressing anime.
I must reiterate however, that the violence is somewhat extreme, and I advise you to be prepared for it if you are faint hearted. However by no means avoid this because of it, there's a lot more to it than the violence, and you will be denying yourself a truly wondrous experience by not watching it. It is to any fan of the medium unmissable; a weird cocktail of conflicting ideas - that on paper shouldn't work, but some how is pulled off in spectacular fashion, gripping you from the start to it's brutal conclusion.
Still not convinced? Well ask yourself this; Is there anything else out there that can lay claim to being disturbing and yet at the same time profoundly beautiful? It's worth watching on that premise alone.
The real area that Elfen Lied shines is it's narrative - its hard not to be enthralled by its weaving course and diversity. A Violent and gory encounter will perhaps gives way to another with a contrasting lighter moment. Emotive drama gives way to bloodshed and then back again, only this time bring you close to tears as it does so. It's a strange combination, where you as the viewer are thrown about and manipulated like those in the story line itself, but one that works surprisingly well. It does this all the while without feeling disjointed, it has an elegance and clever subtly when it makes these strong transitions leading to a very mesmorising piece as a whole.
This is carefully finished with a truly memorable musical score, which in my opinion is another great strength. The opening 'Lilium' is particularly powerful, and differing versions feature prominently throughout - lending its intensity to emotive scenes. However, regarding music there's an off kilter over-happy pop song that plays over the credits after each episode. It feels out of place, but never the less is adequate enough, and it could be argued adds a good contrast to what is at times quite a depressing anime.
I must reiterate however, that the violence is somewhat extreme, and I advise you to be prepared for it if you are faint hearted. However by no means avoid this because of it, there's a lot more to it than the violence, and you will be denying yourself a truly wondrous experience by not watching it. It is to any fan of the medium unmissable; a weird cocktail of conflicting ideas - that on paper shouldn't work, but some how is pulled off in spectacular fashion, gripping you from the start to it's brutal conclusion.
Still not convinced? Well ask yourself this; Is there anything else out there that can lay claim to being disturbing and yet at the same time profoundly beautiful? It's worth watching on that premise alone.
So is there a point?
Alan-4013 December 2006
The story: The "Diclonius" a mutated form of human with extra powers, is dangerous to humans but growing in number. Can they, should they, be contained and eradicated? Elfen Lied flinches at absolutely nothing. Some have written on IMDb that it is entirely predictable, but I disagree. One thing that cannot be predicted is what character lives and which dies. In most movies in general (not just anime) you can tell right from the start who will finish the movie.
For example, right in the opening minutes the play develops typical clumsy and cute secretary, who always spills the tea and takes pratfalls. Most often in anime a character that has that much attention paid to her would bumble her way through the whole story, often in danger but never getting hurt. Not so here. She has her head torn off right after a typical pratfall as quickly as you got to know her.
This happens often. To innocents, good guys and bad guys. One young girl a central character no less -- has all four arms and legs torn off.
So what else gets served up? It just gets started with the decapitation and dismemberment of anonymous soldiers and office workers. Once the storyline gets going you get to watch child torture, child rape, child murder, an innocent puppy bludgeoned to death, and many additional casual abuses of both humans and non-humans. One of the more disturbing scenes is a young nude Diclonius (to appearances a 9 year old girl) is chained to a wall where shells are fired at her head. It is up to her to deflect them with her powers, but she is scared and pleads for them to stop. They don't, and instead increase the power until one gets through and kills her. "270 joules," says one of the scientists. "I guess that's the limit." So back to the original question, is there a point to all this? The answer is a tentative yes, although the point could have and perhaps should have been made less forcefully and you really have to question whether it was worth it.
All the gore, violence, and cruelty is jarringly contrasted against all the elements of a typical anime romance/comedy. Yuka, a pretty and inoffensive cousin of Khota, has a thing for him and inclined to jealousy and hurt from the fact that he can't remember a childhood promise he had made to her. She doesn't know the whole backstory, and her romance with Khota is sidetracked with his penchant for taking in young stray girls in need of refuge.
The first such is Lucy, who unbeknownst to Khota and Yuki is a dangerous (but not the most dangerous) Diclonius creature who had escaped from the shop of horrors described above. She has reverted to an intermittently infantile state, and they take her in and care for her. However the shop of horrors wants her back and shows no restraint in what they will do in pursuit of that, including using other Diclonius as weapons. Much mayhem abounds.
The messages are all pretty blunt if not clear: There are no good guys, or they are worse than the bad guys. Innocence is surrounded by evil. Evil is often beautiful (this last point is most vividly seen in the truly interesting artwork in the opening credits and the music score) but is still evil. It will be up to the viewer to say whether it is all worth it.
For example, right in the opening minutes the play develops typical clumsy and cute secretary, who always spills the tea and takes pratfalls. Most often in anime a character that has that much attention paid to her would bumble her way through the whole story, often in danger but never getting hurt. Not so here. She has her head torn off right after a typical pratfall as quickly as you got to know her.
This happens often. To innocents, good guys and bad guys. One young girl a central character no less -- has all four arms and legs torn off.
So what else gets served up? It just gets started with the decapitation and dismemberment of anonymous soldiers and office workers. Once the storyline gets going you get to watch child torture, child rape, child murder, an innocent puppy bludgeoned to death, and many additional casual abuses of both humans and non-humans. One of the more disturbing scenes is a young nude Diclonius (to appearances a 9 year old girl) is chained to a wall where shells are fired at her head. It is up to her to deflect them with her powers, but she is scared and pleads for them to stop. They don't, and instead increase the power until one gets through and kills her. "270 joules," says one of the scientists. "I guess that's the limit." So back to the original question, is there a point to all this? The answer is a tentative yes, although the point could have and perhaps should have been made less forcefully and you really have to question whether it was worth it.
All the gore, violence, and cruelty is jarringly contrasted against all the elements of a typical anime romance/comedy. Yuka, a pretty and inoffensive cousin of Khota, has a thing for him and inclined to jealousy and hurt from the fact that he can't remember a childhood promise he had made to her. She doesn't know the whole backstory, and her romance with Khota is sidetracked with his penchant for taking in young stray girls in need of refuge.
The first such is Lucy, who unbeknownst to Khota and Yuki is a dangerous (but not the most dangerous) Diclonius creature who had escaped from the shop of horrors described above. She has reverted to an intermittently infantile state, and they take her in and care for her. However the shop of horrors wants her back and shows no restraint in what they will do in pursuit of that, including using other Diclonius as weapons. Much mayhem abounds.
The messages are all pretty blunt if not clear: There are no good guys, or they are worse than the bad guys. Innocence is surrounded by evil. Evil is often beautiful (this last point is most vividly seen in the truly interesting artwork in the opening credits and the music score) but is still evil. It will be up to the viewer to say whether it is all worth it.
And I'm being generous...
oSPakos25 September 2019
Some humans evolved out of nowhere, and the offspring are Diclonii. These are mostly girls with purple hair, horns and invisible hands. For some reason they want to destroy humanity.
One institute has them captured and is testing on them. The guards are only there to be killed, since the weapons assigned to them are useless, even though they know which weapons are effective.
Lucy, the protagonist, escapes and is taken care of by Kohta, the other protagonist while the institute searches for them.
As the story goes on, EVERY SINGLE FEMALE falls in love with our protagonist, while also throwing ecchi scenes to... please some audiences. Also, due to artwork, you can't really tell if the girls are 5 or 20 years old. Furthermore, the dialogues of the females make you wonder if the writers ever met a real woman in real life.
I had no problem with gore and blood, it was a bit over the top, but you knew that already.
Also, don't expect any character development. Every single character can be accurately described in 5 words or less. Two examples: Kohta, lonely male with healed PTSD. Lucy, telekinetic monster with bipolar disorder.
Overall, I don't know why I watched this. Probably because of that DeathBattle and the unjustified high rating.
As the story goes on, EVERY SINGLE FEMALE falls in love with our protagonist, while also throwing ecchi scenes to... please some audiences. Also, due to artwork, you can't really tell if the girls are 5 or 20 years old. Furthermore, the dialogues of the females make you wonder if the writers ever met a real woman in real life.
I had no problem with gore and blood, it was a bit over the top, but you knew that already.
Also, don't expect any character development. Every single character can be accurately described in 5 words or less. Two examples: Kohta, lonely male with healed PTSD. Lucy, telekinetic monster with bipolar disorder.
Overall, I don't know why I watched this. Probably because of that DeathBattle and the unjustified high rating.
Great Anime - not recommended for the faint of heart / stomach
kano2k66 February 2006
I just watched the whole series (1-13 episodes + the OVA) today, the anime from episode one hooks you until the very end, I wasn't expecting the storyline to be as compelling or as emotional as it was but this wasn't the first anime that surprised me this way and i'm sure it wont be the last.
Lucy is a Diclonius (two - horned human with telekinetic arms called vectors) hell bent on destroying man-kind to create the next race. Nyu is Lucy's alter-ego / personality whatever you wish to call it, if anyone has seen Chobits just picture Chii and you'll pretty much have a perfect match to Nyu.
Without going into too much detail and spoiling the anime for you, I will offer a little warning this anime isn't for the faint of heart / stomach or children under 16.
There is a lot of nudity, blood, guts and violence, and should be watched at your own risk don't say I didn't warn you.
I hope you enjoy Elfen Lied as much as I did and I hope you find this summary helpful.
Lucy is a Diclonius (two - horned human with telekinetic arms called vectors) hell bent on destroying man-kind to create the next race. Nyu is Lucy's alter-ego / personality whatever you wish to call it, if anyone has seen Chobits just picture Chii and you'll pretty much have a perfect match to Nyu.
Without going into too much detail and spoiling the anime for you, I will offer a little warning this anime isn't for the faint of heart / stomach or children under 16.
There is a lot of nudity, blood, guts and violence, and should be watched at your own risk don't say I didn't warn you.
I hope you enjoy Elfen Lied as much as I did and I hope you find this summary helpful.
What a great title
koldaussie11 December 2006
I think a 10 out of 10 is not high enough of a rating. We had a viewing of the whole series last night, and I must say, that it had to have been one of the most well paced anime's I have seen. Noir was awesome and comparatively as dark as Elfen Lied, but, in no way did it have the punch and power of this anime.
And if you are a fan of great anime with great background music that is totally contradictory yet totally appropriate to the series, then you have your helping in "more than you can eat" servings.
The plot is a well thought out one. There are times in the first episode that you think my opinion may be wrong, but, sit through it and you just may be more shocked by the final episode than the first.
I wish I could go into length and discuss it with everyone who reads this review, but that would take away your viewing pleasure.
And if you are a fan of great anime with great background music that is totally contradictory yet totally appropriate to the series, then you have your helping in "more than you can eat" servings.
The plot is a well thought out one. There are times in the first episode that you think my opinion may be wrong, but, sit through it and you just may be more shocked by the final episode than the first.
I wish I could go into length and discuss it with everyone who reads this review, but that would take away your viewing pleasure.
A really good and beautiful anime with strong emotions.
forcecaster23 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Well at the beginning of the story it is more than just an evil nightmare. But time to time everything has change in it. We truly can watch how all the characters has change they have become more lovely with every episode. Trough the full story a bunch of strong emotions has following every footstep. Not just the anger and the suffer, what Lucy/Nyuu has feeld when she was just a child and then from that moment maybe always, but as she has start to live as Nyuu after the accident at the middle of the first episode, she has became close to a real character. Even time the evil Lucy has come out, but until that we can learn a lot about the character and we can feel too what she has, the whole world in which she lives has become a living world around us, and with every new information what we have learn about her, we really feel that she is just a victim, and really not a brutal serial killer.
Indeed it is bad what she deed. But in the last few episodes we can feel that she truly have changed. Well she still kill some of those soldiers, but this time it is a little more than just doing it for fun, I mean by any instinct. She has to protect Kohta, and in the last episode she finally after eight years have meet with him as Lucy herself and not as Nyuu. She has understand what she has done, and she really sorry about it. Of course Kohta cannot forgive those horrible things, but finally Lucy has truly turned out to be a really good character, who finally get close to her love, and have tolled him everything, everything with one kiss, and in that moment we can see again their childhood, when they two have played with each other eight years ago, without "any" troubles.
After that we can see how cute Lucy is, and she's crying, and next we see Nana as she going home, but in the same time Lucy has to face with the enemy. Well Kohta sad to never hurt somebody again, so I think when her second horn has broke off too, she lost her vectors, and she has died. But at the end until the credits has running, we've see a person outside the door at the Inn. Kohta was surprised when he saw the big antic clock has working again, on which one Nyuu has worked. The Songbox still plays Lilium, but when it stops playing it, the clock has ringing and the anime has ended, The End. Maybe Lucy was that person outside the door? Maybe she have fixed that clock, but she don't want to bother the others? I think we will never get any answer for these questions.
As I have spoked before the anime is full of strong emotions. The greatest emotion which one stand behind everything is the love. Of course this is a really beautiful emotion, but as the anime shows it could make really worse things too. At the end when I saw that Lucy has kiss Kohta I really thought that they could be with each other forever, and when I saw that her second horn has broke off too, my heart has nearly broke too. For the last episode these characters have became my friends and I was nearly cry at the whole night, and I really did, yes. There love cannot be fulfilled, but Lucy's heart truly could get some rest, and each other was really happy in that moment when they have kissed each other, much more happy than everyone could ever be. And at the end that beautiful smile at Lucy's face, it truly looked like she has always waited for that day to come, but that day is much more sad maybe, than any other days before.
Indeed it is bad what she deed. But in the last few episodes we can feel that she truly have changed. Well she still kill some of those soldiers, but this time it is a little more than just doing it for fun, I mean by any instinct. She has to protect Kohta, and in the last episode she finally after eight years have meet with him as Lucy herself and not as Nyuu. She has understand what she has done, and she really sorry about it. Of course Kohta cannot forgive those horrible things, but finally Lucy has truly turned out to be a really good character, who finally get close to her love, and have tolled him everything, everything with one kiss, and in that moment we can see again their childhood, when they two have played with each other eight years ago, without "any" troubles.
After that we can see how cute Lucy is, and she's crying, and next we see Nana as she going home, but in the same time Lucy has to face with the enemy. Well Kohta sad to never hurt somebody again, so I think when her second horn has broke off too, she lost her vectors, and she has died. But at the end until the credits has running, we've see a person outside the door at the Inn. Kohta was surprised when he saw the big antic clock has working again, on which one Nyuu has worked. The Songbox still plays Lilium, but when it stops playing it, the clock has ringing and the anime has ended, The End. Maybe Lucy was that person outside the door? Maybe she have fixed that clock, but she don't want to bother the others? I think we will never get any answer for these questions.
As I have spoked before the anime is full of strong emotions. The greatest emotion which one stand behind everything is the love. Of course this is a really beautiful emotion, but as the anime shows it could make really worse things too. At the end when I saw that Lucy has kiss Kohta I really thought that they could be with each other forever, and when I saw that her second horn has broke off too, my heart has nearly broke too. For the last episode these characters have became my friends and I was nearly cry at the whole night, and I really did, yes. There love cannot be fulfilled, but Lucy's heart truly could get some rest, and each other was really happy in that moment when they have kissed each other, much more happy than everyone could ever be. And at the end that beautiful smile at Lucy's face, it truly looked like she has always waited for that day to come, but that day is much more sad maybe, than any other days before.
the best, most beautiful anime ever created
laviskrg19 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I've seen Elfen Lied in 3 days. At first I wanted to organize a marathon, but in the end, I am glad I chose to see it in 3 separate days, it helps the information sink in. This is, in my opinion, the best anime ever created. It is an enchanting mixture of drama, comedy, horror, SF and of course, everything is embraced by a wonderful, but heart-breaking love story. The characters are so complex and so powerful, that after a few episodes, you abandon your true persona and start living as they do, start feeling as they do, and their burdens and joys make your heart pulse. Lucy/Nyu is the mainspring of this glorious story, her anger and her strength make her a true goddess, but her feeling and inner burden still classifies her as human. I loved her ever-changing personality, and the outcome of it all. She is accompanied by Nana(who shares a similar secret), Kouta, Yuka and Mayu, and other equally important characters, either masterminds, or puppets, or victims of fate. All these masterfully-created people make this story splendid. As for physical aspects, all the characters are very beautiful, the graphic is excellent, and the color-light effects are well-thought. The music caught my attention from the very beginning, when the opening lighted up the screen. The main theme "Lilium" is repeated throughout the series, and this particular song has been blessed with notable importance in the story line. Despite the fact that it is a sublime, gorgeous story, it is also sad, heart-wrecking, and unfair. But in the end, the feeling within is still warm, and the tears that you might shed are both sad and happy. I wish you all a great time viewing this marvel of an anime. O castitatis lilium!
Moving and Beautiful
tunaspam11 February 2007
This show was amazing. An engaging, romantic, touching, and beautiful story about love, innocence, forgiveness, and tragedy; and how these feelings all correspond with each other in the relationships of the people who deal with them.
Elfen Lied had some of the best animation I've seen in a long time. The colors are vibrant, the character designs are superb, and the environments are well drawn and realistic. The animation flows very smoothly and it's a joy to behold.
The series is presented in both English and Japanese 5.1. The English voice actors did an actually decent job of representing the characters and there weren't very many "painful" listening moments in the dub. It's an understatement to say that the music is absolutely phenomenal. The opening theme "Lilium" is great and it really sets the emotional mood for the show; the song itself is gorgeous and is actually very touching in how beautiful it is. The rest of the music in the series, minus the ending theme, is also very touching and well composed.
I won't go on and explain the whole story behind Elfen Lied, i'll just kinda highlight the main points. The story is essentially about the characters finding out where they belong in the world and how they deal with the situations they're faced with. The show deals heavily with the concepts of love, romance, innocence, promises, discrimination, and acceptance. It essentially sums up with that despite all the evil that there is in this world, there is still innocence and love to be found.
The characters in Elfen Lied were superb. They all acted like anyone else would in their situation. They all changed according to their circumstances. They were all REAL characters that people can relate to; and they were very fulfilling to watch.
This anime will go down as one of the best in history because it speaks to the heart of the person watching it. It takes you into the world of the characters to where you can actually feel for them. Elfen Lied accomplishes what most anime doesn't, it actually hits you right in the heart and moves you.
Elfen Lied had some of the best animation I've seen in a long time. The colors are vibrant, the character designs are superb, and the environments are well drawn and realistic. The animation flows very smoothly and it's a joy to behold.
The series is presented in both English and Japanese 5.1. The English voice actors did an actually decent job of representing the characters and there weren't very many "painful" listening moments in the dub. It's an understatement to say that the music is absolutely phenomenal. The opening theme "Lilium" is great and it really sets the emotional mood for the show; the song itself is gorgeous and is actually very touching in how beautiful it is. The rest of the music in the series, minus the ending theme, is also very touching and well composed.
I won't go on and explain the whole story behind Elfen Lied, i'll just kinda highlight the main points. The story is essentially about the characters finding out where they belong in the world and how they deal with the situations they're faced with. The show deals heavily with the concepts of love, romance, innocence, promises, discrimination, and acceptance. It essentially sums up with that despite all the evil that there is in this world, there is still innocence and love to be found.
The characters in Elfen Lied were superb. They all acted like anyone else would in their situation. They all changed according to their circumstances. They were all REAL characters that people can relate to; and they were very fulfilling to watch.
This anime will go down as one of the best in history because it speaks to the heart of the person watching it. It takes you into the world of the characters to where you can actually feel for them. Elfen Lied accomplishes what most anime doesn't, it actually hits you right in the heart and moves you.
Super overrated!!!!
OrewaShinobi20 June 2019
This anime is full of PLOT-HOLES, you would want it to end asap. The plot is horrible , the story is unpolished and the direction is childish. There are so many good short anime, if you are expecting something like BACCANO and ERASED then AVOID this. Go and watch "School Days' instead, you won't be disappointed.
P.s - I've watched more than 100 anime, don't waste ypur time on this, DON'T!!!
P.s - I've watched more than 100 anime, don't waste ypur time on this, DON'T!!!
Definitely a must see if you're into anime.
snipermw12 June 2006
Out of the many anime series that I have watched (which is quite a few), Elfen Lied is unarguably the best that I have ever watched. I've never seen anything quite as moving as series has. Although it contains excessive nudity and violence, Elfen Lied has some of the most impacting scenes that are exceptionally rare nowadays. This anime can be categorized as a sci-fi, drama, and mystery. If anyone is a fan of any of these genres, this is the show to watch. Very few pictures can move someone like this does, and I haven't experienced one so far. Be warned, however, because this movie contains scenes that some may consider "strong pathos", but other than that there's absolutely no reason to watch this movie.
Nice
mohamadacma2 July 2020
The story of number 7, a diclonious that escapes her incarceration in the lab of mad scientist,where experiments are made on her. A diclonious is a human that underwent certain nutations in his DNA and as a result develops two horns and hands that are invisible and with which she can kill. Also diclonious has a split personality,one normal like when Lucy becomes that inncoent girl that knows nothig about the world and one personality that is avengful and kills people on the spot, on a mission to cleanse the earth from the human race. Number 7 moves to the home of two friends kiyota and his gf amd stays with them without them knowing her true nature as a killer. Later people from the lab send number 35 after her,another diclonion to bring her back but she shops off her limbs. Theybsend send the strongest gil thy have with shadow hands more numerous than normal diclonioan to finish lucy off. A cool bloody series and at times just scary. The soundtrack is cool. I enjoyed it. I woyldnt say it is one of the best of things i ve seen,no. Just enjoyable show
Great Anime
scarface_m424 January 2007
Elfen Lied is probably one of the greatest Anime cartoons ever made till date. It garbs you and pulls you in straight from the first episode and doesn't let go right through to the final thirteenth episode. Its all about how a girl named Lucy escapes from a facility and starts her adventure from the time she becomes her spilt personality/alter ego after a shot to the head Nyu on a rollercoster ride of love, sadness, death, hatred, love and laughs. It has a very gripping storyline and isn't for people who can't stand gore, brutality and cruelty (basically the faint of heart). I've watched all sorts of Anime but none shocked me as most as Elfen Lied and made me use all my emotions to the max. Even if you don't like Anime you have to watch Elfen Lied. It'll give you an entirely different perspective on Anime itself but also life.
Should have been more detailed.
yasananlarim21 July 2022
Why did I watch this?
N-Kiwi28 June 2011
Because of the awesome first episode and the opening song, of course.
Unfortunately, this isn't one of those series that only gets better and better. Instead, it got worse and worse. I'm not easily offended by blood, gore & nudity. I don't disagree with romance, nor with visuals that don't match the story. But I am quite disappointed by expecting to get a brilliant anime (judging from all the ecstatic reviews all over the web) and receiving something awfully shallow.
Seriously people, WHY does everyone like this series so much?
The point is, in my opinion, that this anime tries to be everything at once, and fails to be anything at all. It contains a horroresque mix of blood, gore and suspense, it contains action-packed, graphic violence, realistic nudity (i.e. nudity where people are supposed to be nude and it's just silly to put clothes on them), ecchi nudity aka nudity for no other reason than to turn on pervs, super-cotton-candy-sweet-naive romance and even some science and sci-fi related things, never mind the "fantasy" part. Only, none of these parts really excite. There is no depth of story. At the end, you're left with so many questions you wonder whether you actually watched the thing or not. There is no depth of character. One of the main character is mostly absent from the story and replaced by some brainless creature that goes "nyu". And no amount of well executed fights or ecchi (depending on where your favor goes to) will compensate for that.
And then, the visuals. It took me nearly two episodes to figure out that the two kids living together were supposed to be around 20. I mean, what? While the animation is quite good, the naive way the main characters are portrayed grows annoying very fast.
Conclusion? It's not gritty, nor mature. It's childish and perverse. For everyone who seeks a deep, romantic story with gritty action/horror elements, it isn't this!
And last but not least, it reminds me somewhat of Chobits. Though Chobits had a bit more of a entertainment value. So for all you people who DIDN'T like Chobits, stay clear of this as well.
Unfortunately, this isn't one of those series that only gets better and better. Instead, it got worse and worse. I'm not easily offended by blood, gore & nudity. I don't disagree with romance, nor with visuals that don't match the story. But I am quite disappointed by expecting to get a brilliant anime (judging from all the ecstatic reviews all over the web) and receiving something awfully shallow.
Seriously people, WHY does everyone like this series so much?
The point is, in my opinion, that this anime tries to be everything at once, and fails to be anything at all. It contains a horroresque mix of blood, gore and suspense, it contains action-packed, graphic violence, realistic nudity (i.e. nudity where people are supposed to be nude and it's just silly to put clothes on them), ecchi nudity aka nudity for no other reason than to turn on pervs, super-cotton-candy-sweet-naive romance and even some science and sci-fi related things, never mind the "fantasy" part. Only, none of these parts really excite. There is no depth of story. At the end, you're left with so many questions you wonder whether you actually watched the thing or not. There is no depth of character. One of the main character is mostly absent from the story and replaced by some brainless creature that goes "nyu". And no amount of well executed fights or ecchi (depending on where your favor goes to) will compensate for that.
And then, the visuals. It took me nearly two episodes to figure out that the two kids living together were supposed to be around 20. I mean, what? While the animation is quite good, the naive way the main characters are portrayed grows annoying very fast.
Conclusion? It's not gritty, nor mature. It's childish and perverse. For everyone who seeks a deep, romantic story with gritty action/horror elements, it isn't this!
And last but not least, it reminds me somewhat of Chobits. Though Chobits had a bit more of a entertainment value. So for all you people who DIDN'T like Chobits, stay clear of this as well.
See also
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