Elfen Lied Review
Though this will probably end up sounding like a primarily negative-sounding review, I do think that Elfen Lied is an anime built on a premise that had promise. There are a few interesting moments scattered across its thirteen episodes, as well as the best opening music I’ve ever heard. However, just like that brief praise will be drowned in my criticism of this series, those powerful moments are drowned in such a great deal of excess that it would be difficult for me to muster any recommendation for it. Perhaps when I first watched the series – years back, in high school – I would have said “it’ll be worth it in the end” (having been less mature, and thus more impressed by some of the darker ideas it presents), but now, I see it as little more than an interesting premise coated in some typical anime tropes, packaged for consumption by the otaku fanbase. There are some worthwhile aspects to the series, but in the end it’s the kind of series that people think of when they derisively say something is “just an anime”. Good anime are the ones that you would be proud to present to someone, whether they are an anime fan or not, knowing that the merit of the story and execution itself will be enough to convince them beyond any bias they may hold. Elfen Lied is not one of those anime.
The premise is that a new race of evolved humans, called Diclonius, are beginning to emerge. They possess “vectors”, invisible arms which can control or destroy objects (or more frequently, humans). The first of these was Lucy, a girl of around teenage years who escapes her facility in the very first episode. She washes up on shore and is found by the two other main characters, who take her in. From this premise, Elfen Lied drifts between dark action sequences, strangely out-of-place comedy scenes more at home in harem series, as well as moments of introspection and character drama (which are probably the strongest parts of the anime).
It would be difficult, however, to convince most people to stay along with the series to get to these emotional moments. I myself initially dropped it after the first episode, only picking it up again by the encouragement of a friend. The opening few minutes contain more gore and nudity than a great deal of other series combined. It doesn’t let up for the rest of the series, and that is essentially the downfall of this series – gratuitous violence, gore, and nudity. There will be many groans, of course, from viewers who believe that this is overreaction or puritanism, or those who believe that these excesses are in service of a deeper story. This judgement is up to each individual viewer, but I find no value in the clunky ways in which Elfen Lied goes about including these elements. I don’t think it would be controversial to say that much of the nudity is merely fanservice, as it’s draped over the OP, ED, as well as in nearly every episode in the series, many times completely randomly or for shallow humour. The violence is, of course, more subjective, and I tend to have a lower tolerance than most. It’s hard, though, to think of Elfen Lied’s fetish for showing heads popping and showering pools of blood as having any sense of artistry or honesty.
As those elements of the show will certainly be the most debated, I have gotten them out of the way first – but it’s important to state also that equally important is the rather weak execution of the story altogether. For example, the main human characters, Kohta and his cousin, do not act very realistically at all. They find a near-mute girl who washes up naked on the beach, and they believe it’s a good idea to simply take her in and let her live with them. Yes – adopt her without any idea of who she is, without any way of communicating with her, and without trying to find anyone who knows her. Those two characters also felt very generic, especially Kohta’s cousin, who has held a secret crush on him since childhood (another obvious cliche). At one moment in the series, she actually begins crying to herself over whether Kohta likes her more than the aforementioned anonymous, near-mute, and childish girl. I should also mention that most of the deadly killers in this anime happen to be adorable little girls. Give me a break.
The anime does have a few moments of true emotion. There is a series of flashbacks near the end of the series which delve into the past of one of the killers and shows how she developed into the personality we see today. It contains some scenes which are quite haunting. There is also a character in this series, a scientist who researches the Diclonius’, who had a daughter who ended up being one of them. His story, and the resolution to it, was also one of the more moving aspects of the anime. I really think there is a lot of potential to this story that was hinted at in scenes like this.
If you have a greater tolerance for obvious pandering to the audience then I do, you will perhaps be able to appreciate some of its finer points, but I can’t see many people getting through the first episode alone, much less the entire series. Usually I take the stance that anime which rely too heavily on fanservice and pandering probably aren’t worth one’s time to begin with, but this is one of the rare cases where an anime that could have been quite good has been compromised for it.
17 responses so far
Yep, spot on for me as well. Though I might have given it slightly higher, because I thought some of it was really touching, but it’s just too drenched in gore and nudity.
Theownes law in effect =O
This might sound strange but I was totally amazed and glued to the show because of the explosive first episode. The anime crossed the line that I didn’t know it could be crossed. Besides, I don’t think the creators really care whether the anime will please general viewers or not. And I’m glad they don’t.
If an anime manages to be new and creative, that’s a good line to be crossed, but I’m not impressed by anime which are violent or “adult” just for the sake of being violent and adult.
Interesting. I felt that the use of such gratuitous violence and nudity was the point. As it created an atmosphere of essentially an evil world. Then Kohta’s home becomes the counterpart, a good world if you will. Lucy goes back and forth between these worlds. (As well as the little human girl *shudder* that poor abused little girl). Then you learn the Kohta world is just as much a part of this evil horrible world as anything else. Bummer.
So I thought the “artistic” element was completely necessitating the gratuity.
That’s why I hated it, and gave it a 2 out of 10. (Not a 1 because I admit it was well made)
I have no desire to experience an artsy manipulation of my mind and feelings that then concludes that the world we live in is evil, all is hopeless, and we’d all be better off dead- which was what the atmosphere of the show communicated to me (at that point I could care less what the storyline was trying to say).
The only reason I watched to the end is because I know that with horror shows my nightmares will be far worse than whatever ending the producer might give to the show.
My recommendation to people about this show is to not watch it. (Although occasionally I’ll sarcastically mention it when it superficially matches a request).
I get your perspective, Sackett, but what’s the artistry in randomly switching to a full shot of girls bathing in the house every few episodes? Or Nyuu’s clothing related “hijinks”.
I can understand your perspective about the violence, and that’s why I was a bit hesitant and explained that I just can’t tolerate blood and gore very well, but the nudity? I don’t think it’s excessive to call it fanservice.
Oh sure, that’s the beauty of it. It’s fanservice, but if anybody complains about it you just point out that it was “necessary” to tell the story. Which for Elfin Lied it probably was- just I think that it’s a story that isn’t worth being told or heard. If the story “requires” that kind of fanservice, then it’s a big warning sign that it’s probably not that good of a story.
It’s a way to have your cake and eat it too. Sorry if I’m a little cynical on this issue, but I’ve been exposed to so much “art” that also is designed to titillate and appeal to our worst senses- and if you inquire as to the “artisitc” purpose you find the purpose actually is to titillate- although usually they then have something else going on as well which provides “contrast” and thus elevates it from pornography to “art”.
While I comprehend it intellectually, I find it disturbing morally.
So I don’t think we are in real disagreement here. The main difference is that I go ahead and give the artist their “intellectual” due- and then savage them on other, more important elements.
Intellectualism can be a great addition to a good story, but it can’t carry a story by itself. To many artists today don’t understand that. Art is supposed to speak to something beyond our intellect. If it doesn’t inspire, uplift, soothe, or provide catharsis (or some other similar effect) then what was the point? Art that only shocks is to my mind a poor piece of art. If art shocks, and then also does something else, then it can have value.
Consider the first episode of Cross Game, which is shocking, but then leads to a catharsis with the ending song. Very little of Cross Game can be considered “intellectual”, it’s too simple for that. Yet it’s one of the better pieces of art in anime that I’ve ever seen.
Or if you prefer comparing Elfin Lied to another “dark” anime, then compare it to Fullmetal Alchemist. Also very dark, with pretty graphic violence. But I never felt it was gratuitous, it engages the intellect, but also emotions at the same time. The gore is actually necessary to tell a story that is truly worth telling. How do you deal with evil in the world? How do you deal with sin? Can you repent? Should you give up on a just vengeance? How do you forgive?
Those are some real questions that need answers. Elfin Lied could have addressed them, but mostly didn’t. At most it lightly touched on them, and then moved on to the next juxtaposition of cute girls in a harem anime with the graphic violence of a horror slasher fic.
Sorry… I started ranting. I got to go to bed. But I guess I might as well post it. Like I said, I doubt we are that far apart in our view on Elfin Lied, we just come at it from different directions.
This was interesting to read, I myself dropped Elfen Lied after I watched the first episode a few years ago and never picked it up again and won’t do so in the future. Not that I can’t stand a fair amount of gore or violence, which leads me to my question: Already thought of doing a review of ‘Shigurui’, TheOwne? Elfen Lied is peanuts against it regarding the amount and level of violence (I dare say so even having seen only the first ep of Elfen Lied), and I am interested how you and bucket think of that show…
Say Theorwon, ever seen Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend? It’s the infamous anime horror/fantasy that spawned the hentai subgenre as it has demon tentacle rape, mutilation, gore abound, sex, masturbation and that sort of thing. Much worse than Elfen Lied, do you want to be more treated like an adult like Pixar does and not like a teenager?
Is it stuff like Urotsukidoji that gave anime a bad reputation?
John,
I think what gives anime a bad reputation is when people actually think Elfen Lied treats you like an adult because it throws gore and nudity in your face.
Idiots… It’s a beautiful piece of entertainment. Just loved it.
A lot of the reviews for the anime series Elfen Lied on the Internet would have you believe that the series is nothing but senseless violence and nudity just for the sake of creating shock value, but that is not the case. Elfen Lied is an excellent anime series about the darker, and often inhumane and inhuman, side of humanity.
Elfen lied is a short anime series (only 13 episodes) about a race of mutants, called diclonius, who’s entire existence is seemingly to kill humans and destroy mankind. The plot centers around Lucy, a diclonius who escapes from a research facility and develops a split personality (named Nyu) as a result of being shot in the head as she made her escape. I’m going to try to keep this review spoiler-free.
If you only read the reviews and don’t bother to watch past the first episode, you may think that Elfen Lied is simply an excuse to show mass amounts of violence and female nudity, but the plot does go a lot deeper than that.
There are reasons as to why Lucy is as violent as she is, beyond the simple fact that she was born a diclonius. As the series progresses, you have to wonder if it is really the diclonius’ who are monsters, or if the real monsters are the humans. The horrible things that Lucy had endured in her past play a greater role into what she has become than any natural diclonius instincts. The series offers great commentary on how childhood experiences and trauma shape the person we become.
2chemical – allow me to present a slightly kinder reply than the one you have give to me – Now, If subversion of audience assumptions about “evil” in Elfen Lied was “new” and “interesting” to you – that’s fine. Unfortunately, some of us, who have read plenty of books and watched plenty of films in our lifetimes, have seen it done already, usually presented in a far more compelling manner. Elfen Lied, on the other hand, takes those ideas and gives a shallow version – stuffed with shock elements to draw an audience, so it doesn’t impress us. It’s your right to like it, but we don’t have to agree.
All of you miss the point of the nudity and gore.
THE SHOW IS BEAUTIFUL IN ITS BRUTALITY. By exposing the disgusting reality of violence and hatred exposed in the show it makes the importance of goodness that much more important. If the nature of the way Lucy killed people was not that violent in nature, wouldn’t have reduced the conflicting nature of the whole evil/good duality that’s the center piece of the show?
I’m sick of censorship and beating around the Bush. I know this might sound unrelated but in the Sandusky case, the coacing assisstant that actually walked in on him anally raping a 10 year old boy he left and complained to his boss 3 days later saying that he was “horsing around” in the shower with the kid. This squeamish held towards reality, like those who don’t like Elfen Lied, exposes the person for not being open and understanding of the brutal reality associated with biological life. Elfen Lied is violent because the world is violent. If you think a cartoon is disgustingly violent I can think of a LOT worse, truly exploitative violence in anime.
Violence Jack
Genocyber
Ninja Resurrection
Golgo 13
Wicked City
Come on now, if you don’t see the art in brutality, then what about Francisco De Goya’s gory, “exploitative” piece El Tris De Mayo? Same point he’s making. So what’s the difference if the content is the same? You just want to sound intellectual and condescending, which is why you had to start out by defending yourself because you know you’re just being a prick.
If something can truly affect you emotionally, that is true art. Not a bunch of paint flicks on canvas.
Anti-Flag, it’s quite simple. I do not consider Elfen Lied’s relatively simplistic plot to have the level of sophistication that you do, and I do not give it the level of respect that you do. Your argument, that Elfen Lied’s violence is in honest service of its story, does not affect me, as I find the story execution and characters rather weak – apart from a promising premise and a few effective scenes.
And similarly, I do not believe in a deeper reason why Elfen Lied’s female cast is almost entirely composed of adorably-drawn pink-haired girls except to appeal to young male viewers. Nor do I believe in a deeper reason as to why the mute female lead “accidentally” removes her clothes at common intervals in the first few episodes. These are all tools to attract a certain kind of fanbase used by many anime, and Elfen Lied is no better, except that the premise has a lot more potential than the usual fare. It is unfortunate that this premise is squandered with such a degree of “fanservice”. That is how I feel about this series.
First off , I am a girl. Second, if you have ever watched many serious war movies or history movies, you can see ties between twisted innocence and nudity and depravity. Lucy grows up in a world were she is given no clothes, little food, no love, and tortured constantly. She is tested and trained to kill. What’s the point of clothes when she has been naked for years and tortured by men? She doesn’t understand society! She doesn’t understand modesty, or love, shE knows betrayal and pain and is psychologically imbalanced. The point of the nudity when she is Nyu is to express her childishness. Her other side is stil like a little kid. When I was 5 I didn’t understand being naked was wrong. I took my clothes off when I was too hot or when I wanted to play in water. Nyu doesn’t understand. And as Lucy she just doesn’t care. She is a rebel and she knows her life is short lived. They tortured her naked and she will destroy them not with respect as a human fights a human but like the animal they trained her to be. What more has she known in life? The music, the art, the atmosphere, the characters… They compare and contrast with each other in a surreal way. The point this gets across abou the world isn’t that it’s evil, but that it’s good that evil has scarred. Just as Lucy herself started as a cute little girl, just as all the girls that are cute and innocent pink hair and all… The whole point of this is to show what happens to innocence in such a broken world, and it also shows how even in the brokenness people can live. People can heal. People can make friends with their worst enenmies and find peace and love and learn to live
Kiba, I appreciate that you didn’t use the same rude tone the other commenters here have. But I think I am essentially repeating myself at that point.
It is naturally true that there is such a thing as powerful, emotional, and legitimate use of explicit content to drive home a message. At the same time, there is no one on Earth who believes that every use of explicit material in media is an honest effort to communicate a message. Often times it is mere shock value.
Each of us has our own standard, and Elfen Lied does not meet my standard. I find its use of nudity and violence to be shallow, along the line of typical anime tropes, not powerful or enlightening. This does not mean that you or the other fans of the show have to agree with me. This is, after all, my personal review page, and the only guarantee I provide is that readers who tend to like my other reviews will probably agree with me. No more, no less.
What does irk me a little, though, is none of these comments address any of my comments on the actual plotting of the show, and center almost entirely on my comments on its attempt at shock value, as if that is the aspect of the show most worth discussing.