It wasn’t an argument. It is merely an experience I had, and can be interpreted however you wish (as I said in the comment).

I wonder if some commenters (presumably hitting this review through Google) don’t quite understand that neither I nor this site is particularly invested in the televised anime of the otaku subculture where these tropes are commonly found and more accepted. I am not a critic, and my website is aimed at a specific, different audience.

I do not believe in overlooking compromises in the integrity of a work, especially when so many more worthwhile anime remain ignored. As for whether an idea is brilliant, or merely interesting but available in less diluted forms elsewhere – that is simply a matter of perspective and background.

In regards to assumptions, uncertain if it was directed towards me or not but whatever, I think it’s to be expected when the topic of discussion is something as subjective as taste. Although, I do agree that it can become silly at times.

Lastly, about your comment on “fixation” the point I was making to you was
1. That some of those things might convey more than you accredit to them.
2. That they could be assessed separately, knowing that directors will always have to make compromises between popularity / mainstream appeal contra depth / quality etc. thus I was implying that due to you assessing them together, you seem to miss some of the brilliant aspects of it.

Although, as a reviewer it might be more favourable to assess it that way, as more people can relate I guess.

It has very little to do with popularity. When I speak of recommending anime to friends, it is synonymous with ‘what I would recommend to mature, like-minded people who are not familiar nor forgiving of anime fanservice tropes’.

If anything, Elfen Lied is exactly the example I would use of popularity being a poor measure of quality, as it is a widely popular anime series among the online fandom, despite more deserving series without blatant fanservice elements being ignored.

>>I believe that when people get too fixated on or upset by trivial nuisances (regarding a subjective nature of capacity for violence, nudity etc. in this case) it gets in the way of grasping the essence.

Similarly, I believe that when storytellers and producers become too fixated on such trivialities, with the intent to garner audiences through shock value or fan-service, it gets in the way of communicating the good ideas they may or may not have started with.

It is quite clear that the main conflict between my perspective and most of the commenters is that these commenters find more value in Elfen Lied as a unique story and thus are more forgiving of the excesses. Why? Perhaps it is because I have read (or watched) enough fiction in my time that I am not as quickly impressed by ideas and emotions that have been depicted in purer, less commercialized form elsewhere. Or, perhaps, as you say, I “could not fathom” the story of Elfen Lied. I’m not too concerned with which explanation you choose to believe, as my reviews are intended for a small group of recurring readers with similar interests.

Finally, it may surprise some of you, considering the sort of assumptions being made, but I actually had positive feelings about this anime as a teenager precisely because of the core story – in fact, a popular music box rendition of the main theme (which you can find online) was originally arranged by me during the period I was interested in it. However, I merely grew out of the series and found it far less tolerable upon re-watching it as an adult, presumably due to having more experience with other fiction and becoming tired of anime cliches. Take that how you will, but tone down the assumptions.

Although this may be presumptuous, it does seem as if you were prejudiced regarding the character progression and story, due to your early disapproval of certain facets. I think this is why I feel as the series would have received more critical acclaim if it contained less distractions (mostly the instances of blatant fan-service). Still, I would like to clarify that I believe the bold displays of violence and nudity convey more than you accredit them for, as I find that they vividly supplement the nature of humanity that this show explores.

But as a final note, the reason I find this review too seem prejudiced, is that your mentions of the central plot, especially the inner conflict, the perpetual juxtaposition of various aspects of human nature ( particularly in the case of Lucy) are so laconic, that it seems as if you did not relate to it or did not fathom it. Especially, when seeing that your mentions of more trivial moments hold significantly more space. I believe that when people get too fixated on or upset by trivial nuisances (regarding a subjective nature of capacity for violence, nudity etc. in this case) it gets in the way of grasping the essence.

I also disapprove of your mention of “good animes” which one would apparently be willing to present to friends regardless of their dispositions. This, in my opinion, is naive, as biases and prejudices permeate far more than that. Regarding animes that you’d be willing to present to friends, regardless of their dispositions, depends more on their all-round appeal and how clean-cut it is, “Death Note” in my case, represents just that. I’ll agree with you regarding that I wouldn’t recommend Elfen Lied to friends, as I think it’s not for everyone, seeing as it’s easy to become fixated on the initial violence and nudity. But I find that popularity is a poor measure of quality, so that doesn’t bother me.

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 and typical of anime tropes, emphasized by the fairly pedestrian way it carries out the story and the numerous cliches and nonsensical parts of it. 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. If you actually strongly believe Elfen Lied explores its themes in a deep or satisfying way, the fact that I personally disagree with you should not be such an issue.

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.

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.

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.