Elfen Lied

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'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.

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.

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.