First, there was the DVD menu. As soon as you put the disc in, you hear a sudden THWAP! and then suddenly there's a bloody handprint on the screen. Uhhh, freaky!

Introduction:

Each Elfen Lied episode begins with a truly gorgeous opening sequence. The illustrations and the music are just so beautiful. The Gustav Klimt inspired drawings of the characters become more meaningful as you watch the series, and the gothic music (Latin lyrics, monks chanting) is perfect. One of the best anime opening sequences I've ever seen.

And then ... Oh, hamburgers!!!

The series begins at some type of high-security research laboratory. There's some commotion going on, and the focus is on one of the secretaries, who is totally a bubblehead. She's a klutz who trips and bumps into stuff. So she is called to fetch coffee and then you just wait for some wacky hijinks to ensue ... and well, I guess I'm not giving anything away by saying that it's no use remembering what her name is, because she gets ripped to pieces before you know it.

I'm focusing on the secretary, because even though she's not important, she is a good counterpoint to the narrative. You think you understand what's happening, and then all of sudden there's this explosion of horrific, gory violence, and you are left clutching your pillow, shouting, "What the #$%^&*!!!"

And that about sums up the "charms" of Elfen Lied.

Plot:

The general outline of the plot is that there is a mutated human species called Diclonius. They are women with small horns on their heads, and invisible "vectors" extending from their backs. I'm not sure exactly what the extending vectors are capable of, except that they are quite powerful, and can easily slice up a bunch of people.

One of the Diclonius (Diclonii?), Lucy, escapes from the facility where she's been imprisoned. As she escapes, she gets shot in the head, and develops amnesia ... or a split personality, or something. She washes up naked on a beach, and is taken home by two cousins, Kouta and Yuka.

At this point, Lucy is no longer Lucy. After the bonk on the head, she's become some kind of know-nothing child who can say nothing but "Nyuu" and pee on herself. So of course, they call her Nyuu and take care of her. This part is like a lot of other anime series - Kouta and Yuka take in Lucy/Nyuu, and other young, adrift girls like Mayu and Nana and they all bask in the warmth of communal living ... and, this is the general plot of about half the anime series in existence.

But you're constantly kept on edge because you're just dreading the next splatter of bloody violence. In between the scenes of people being ripped into pieces, or just exploding into fountains of blood, you also have scenes of torture and pedophilia. Just when you think, "What next, is someone going to beat a puppy to death?" The answer is yes.

Although the opening sequence is a stunner, the ending sequence is definitely a head-scratcher. After all that ominous dread and bloody violence, you get this cheerful pop song as the credits roll. What in the world? But I guess you can say it kind of mimics the jarring tone of the series itself. One minute you have cute, wide-eyed Nyuu, but you're dreading the moment she turns back into scary monster Lucy.

Amidst the violence, the story does offer some interesting revelations about the characters, but most of it fails to make any impression beyond the shock of the violence. And aside from the f*cked up storyline, there is some kind of semblance of a point. That it's bad to mistreat people who look different from you, perhaps? And human beings are the cruelest creatures and we create our own misfortunes ... or something like that? I don't know, I'm just making stuff up at this point. I'm still shell-shocked just thinking about Elfen Lied.

Conclusion:

I've seen some really good anime, with great storylines, or just a very cool vibe. I've also seen some fluffy, cartoony stuff that's for kids, and also some that are just plain bad - lazily written, pretentious, or just plain boring.

I'm not sure what I think about Elfen Lied. It's definitely repugnant, twisted and sick, but I'm not sure I'd describe it as prurient. Mostly I just feel like it's had its way with me. It is designed to rattle you, and I feel rattled. Well then, touche.

Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age