Erufen rîto

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!

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.

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

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.

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.