WARNING: I do not do a total rehash of what happened in previous volumes. That is not the way I write reviews. What I do is hope that whoever is reading this has already experienced the previous volume(s) or has read my previous reviews. If you don't like it, that's unfortunate for you. Look elsewhere for a "better" review. Everyone else, please enjoy!

Volume 2 of Elfen Lied starts off filling in the gaps of Mayu’s life. Mayu, the homeless girl who met Kohta, Yuku and Nyu last volume, has a sad background. I’ll skip over the more shocking details, but it’s safe to say that Mayu ran away from home for a very good reason. The visuals are disturbing, but what happened to Mayu in a place where she should have felt protected is a very sad fact of life.

Mayu had run away yet again from a home, but this time she was in a place where she was loved and respected. Kohta and Yuka find Mayu and decide to have her as a member of their “family” and even send her to school. Everything is great now, so what could go wrong? Well, there is Lucy/Nyu.

Kohta and Yuka are college students, so they decide to take Nyu to one of their classes. Why, seeing as how Nyu has only learned a couple words makes no sense. The problem arises when Kohta and yuku’s professor shows up. Their professor is none other than Kakuzawa, the man at the end of volume 1 who wanted Lucy for himself, for an unnamed reason. Professor Kakuzawa cancels class once he sees Lucy and he claims that this girl is not Nyu; she is Lucy, and he is a member of Lucy’s family. Kohta and Yuka decide to leave Lucy/Nyu with Kakuzawa. Big mistake.

There is a theme brewing with this volume, and it’s “creepy bad touch.” The difference between Mayu’s past experience and Nyu’s experience with Prof. Kakuzawa is that Nyu can switch personalities and become Lucy, a being who cares little about who she kills. This scene between Lucy/Nyu and Kakuzawa has me wondering if Lucy/Nyu can flip personalities at will, or if it is activated by life or death situations. It hasn’t been explained yet.

In episode 2, Kohta goes out alone to speak with Professor Kakuzawa. Kohta and Yuka thought better about just giving Nyu over to some man they barely know, so Kohta’s going to look for answers. Maybe they should have thought it over before a girl with a totally defenseless personality was left with some stranger. Meanwhile, at the facility that Lucy was held in at the beginning of the series, Chief Kurama reveals more about his own shady past. Kurama is the glasses wearing man who stood fearless against Lucy in the beginning of volume 1. Now, I think it might be that he has a death wish. At the same time Kurama’s boss, who is also the father of Professor Kakogawa, learns of his son and Lucy‘s meeting.

Back to Kohta and Yuka, who’s relationship grows in this episode. I’m glad they didn’t decide to drag out the “will they/won’t they” drama. Now onto a hospital where the merciless soldier Bandoh is getting his body repaired- in exchange for a castration. Bandoh doesn’t really like the idea, to say the least. He’s now out on the streets again, and not under the employ of Kurama anymore. He’s looking for payback now. What he does find is another character from volume 1. New relationships have been formed, and it looks like there is going to be a serious fight to come in volume 3.

This volume was just as phenomenal as the first, albeit slightly more disturbing. This is a “mature” title, so it pulls no punches whatsoever. This is not something you can watch with family. Definitely not. I’m not even sure you want to watch this with a friend, but I insist that you do watch it. This is a gem of an anime. It’s decently written, all the characters are interesting and it’s as heartwarming as it is terrifying and unapologetic.

Extras

Extras include character artwork, clean opening and closing animation, art galleries and previews of other ADV anime. It’s a shame that there are no character profiles, though. I’d also like to hear some interviews from the Japanese voice actors.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age