Elfen Lied Complete Collection

This is the story of Lucy. She is a mutant with horns and special powers. There are others like her, but Lucy is believed to be the original. She is shot in the head while escaping the facility where she is being studied. She washes ashore after her escape and is found by Kohta, a college student. Lucy has lost her memory after the accident so Kohta tries to look after her. The military starts sending other mutants after her. The battles cause her to revert back to her old violent and cold self. She also remembers that she has a past connection to Kohta from childhood. She begins questioning the love he has given her and the love she has begun to feel for him. This anime is way cool. It has some great characters and a good story. There is a lot of brutal violence and nudity. In my opinion the violence and nudity go too far. Violence doesn't bother me, but there is too much stuff that I would call torture porn. If these things bother you, you should probably not watch Elfen Lied. I just don't let it bother me, it's only make believe after all. It's not worth getting bent out of shape about. I like this anime. The story is character driven, and the characters are very good. They mixed the violence and love in this story very carefully. It is brilliantly written. The animation and voice acting are very good. The soundtrack isn't all that memorable, but it's not bad by any stretch of the imagination. If you can handle people getting cut open and having their limbs torn asunder, then you will really enjoy this anime. People consider Schindler's List a masterpiece, and it goes way too far. This is no different. To sum it up. If you just accept the hardcore stuff as make believe and watch Elfen Lied for the well written love story it is, you will most likely enjoy this anime.

I had heard so many things about Elfen Lied. Mostly how it was so violent, brutal and horrific. I finally watched it and I'm kinda blown away. I'm left with a mixture of feelings. So many brutal moments, so many sad moments, so many nice moments. And the ending is also a mix of happy and tragic. I guess what I'm so impressed with is how everything fits together in this story. Its actually a pretty complex story for only 13 episodes. But as the series goes on, everything comes together and fits together like pieces of a puzzle. It seems like it was a really well thought out story! Different events happen during the course of the show, which may seem unrelated, but in the end you see how everything is interconnected. The 1-star review trashed this show and said it was a combination of every cliche in anime. Well, I cannot speak to its 100% originality or any ground-breaking new concepts, as I am not that experienced or vexed of an anime viewer. All I can tell you is that in my opinion, this is an amazing show. If you dont feel touched emotionally at some point while watching, then something has got to be wrong with you. There are horrendous and heart-wrenching parts, but there are also heartfelt scenes about loving, caring, values of family and friedship. If themes like this have become too cliche for you then you might as well pass on Elfen Lied, as you have probably watched too much anime for your own good anyway. I think its amazing how they managed to combine so many different aspects together in 1 show, and it does NOT seem forced in my opinion. I was afraid this show was going to be too dark and depressing. But there is enough happiness to balance out the dark, and somehow through all the horror it manages to have a satisfying ending. Highly Recommended.

I love this series, for me it goes places that most series don't go that often, i won't get into details as to not spoil anyones viewing pleasure. however, be warned. the whole tragedy within a tragedy refers to the fact that the series completely goes off course from the manga in the final episodes, and this is where thing get tricky, the end in the anime is a good ending. but it's an unsatisfactory ending... this is because the series was not a hit in japan, but elsewhere it did great, and thats a shame, because they cut it short.... so it is only natural that there are several key plots left hanging... however this is a matter of perspective, i personally enjoy being left thinking about the things i didn't understand, it makes the series personal in the sense that everyone has their own conclusions... for me this is a masterpiece by lynn okamoto. If after watching the series you still feel the need to know more and to further understand all the plots of this great tragic story, read the manga. it's beautifully drawn and it goes into more detail about many things. PS: sorry for my english i speak spanish. PSS: the soundtrack is completely original in all it's aspects and half the dramatism is drawn from that. absolutely wonderful

A very good show but a big tear jerker, one can't help but fall into love with the girl with split personality and an innocence of Nyu and the violent nature of Lucy but, from episode 1 until finish you can't help but holding back tears wondering what the fate of this girl will be. ( Yes, I read the manga and I know the whole ending. The problem was in Japan the show was not so popular so they animated one season when to be fair the show might of reached a proper conclusion with two. I felt the story was good and out of respect purchased the DVD because it was in all fairness a result of someone's effort and passion. I know some people will and have labeled it a indecent show that a pedo would like, that is totally not true I can name a few other shows 100 times worse without question, but thats because I watch any and all types of anime from A-Z and I promise you one scene in the show does seem indecent it touches on a character in the show, you learn why she's homeless and lives with the main cast as a welcome addition, because her mother didn't love her and her dad abused her ) As I said, I can name a few shows that made me question what the developers were thinking but not this one, this is simply just a good show.

Elfen Lied is one of the best anime series that you could possibly turn to for a glimpse into the darkest parts of artistry. While most would label things like gore and nudity as juvenile, Elfen Lied is typically very mature about how it handles these matters, and while in many cases these are things that would turn you away from the series, this series makes it so that it keeps you gripped to your screen as it celebrates some of the most vicious parts of imagination. In other series renowned for their extreme violence such as Corpse Party, the brutality of it all becomes too dampened as it hyper-saturates you with mangled bodies. Elfen Lied however, while still glorifying the savagery of extreme violence, feels as though it is derived from the plot rather than the driving force of it. All of those darker elements are wisely placed to give the anime pacing, and every death weighs heavily in your mind as the ferocity of the characters comes to the forefront. There is also a lot of nudity, Lucy arguably spends more time naked than with clothes on. However, it's never especially titillating; I never felt as though the anime was trying to flash me fan service for the sake of having naked girls. I can't talk too much about the plot without giving away massive spoilers, but it is especially interesting, even more so if you are very into darker themes such as what the mind does when it is tortured. The story mainly centers around the cover character named Lucy, an other-than-human entity with horns on her head that bears psychic control over these very powerful invisible hands known as vectors. While initially she appears to be this robotic murder machine, there is much more going on with her as she actually has split personalities. One personality, the one you see the most often, is of this immature shrinking violet who can't even communicate outside of making one particular noise, and then her other side is.... well, you know. When she is discovered on the beach by two cousins, naked, scared and alone, they grant her shelter. But the facility she broke out of has not forgotten her, and that is where the story expands. The animation feels a bit older than most modern anime, but is still very fluid and holds up fine. Literally seeing the vectors is the only part that kinda sucked me out of the moment as far as animation is concerned, as while sometimes the anime needs to show you what Lucy is doing with them to give context to what is happening, I find that the vectors are best left invisible instead of transparent. The characters have a "moe" type of style drawn to them, however this cutesy setting it puts up only serves to eclipse the darker tones of the show as themes such as murder, torture, and rape contrast the art style. The music is incredible, the main theme is rightly ominous, melodic, and haunting as it should be, but even the background pieces are worth remembering. The dub for this series holds up just fine as well, while some characters sometimes awkwardly deliver lines, it never breaks your immersion from what is going on. If you are at all interested in Elfen Lied, it is definitely worth picking up. It's not that long of a show, but it is a very powerful story with disgustingly beautiful characters. This could easily make for one of your most memorable trips into the darker side of your imagination, and will be one that you remember for a long time to come. Whether you want it to or not...

Chock full of gratuitous violence and fan service (SEX for the uninitiated), to the edge of hentai. You're going to want to keep this from the kiddies. I originally watched this years ago on VCDs (!) and the dub was absolutely horrible. It was only watchable using the subtitles. ADV apparently has redone the dub, and while it's not the best English voice acting, it's been mightily improved. The artwork and the animation are choppy. The earlier episodes are the best, but there is a noticeable drop off in the animation as the season progresses. The story is engaging in a distressing way, The main protagonist is not one to like, and it's certainly hard to feel sympathy or empathy for her. But I did get hooked again on wanting to find out what was going to become of her, and the rest of the band of misfits she falls in with, To me, that takes some decent writing. Elfen Lied is a classic from the golden age of hand animated anime, and despite some shortcomings is a fine addition to any anime collection.

I've watched Elfen Lied 4 times now. The first time, solo, and was convinced it was a master work. The second time, I was trying to reccommend it to a group of friends, and we sat down to 'just watch one episode'...and ended up running through the entire show, up until 3 am, gibbering about it. The third time, I got another friend and even my girlfriend to sit down and give it just a little try, and they were also sucked in, and five hours later, chattering away about how great it was. The fourth time, was for the blu-ray. And it was glorious to re-live the whole tale in such brilliant quality. If you seek an exciting, dramatic and bloody anime, this is clearly one of the best ones to start with. While Elfen Lied shifts gears from hardcore violence to poignant, moving vignettes, from Tenchi-like harem moments, to slapstick comedic interactions, it's heart and soul is that of a dark drama. Underneath the bubbly, poppy surface of the bright colors and smiles, lies Lucy, waiting to be unleashed at a moment's notice. The anime shows that humans are often just as monstrous as the monsters that we seek to exterminate. Excellent quality and production design. The voice acting is completely acceptable, and the music is uneblievably top-notch. You will not quickly forget the haunting main theme of the show. What's especially nice is how the show is able to eventually provide explanations for everything, all at once, and have an exciting, massive conclusion that gives about 99% resolution that leaves you feeling...good....melancholy...sad...and thankful for it. You won't really care about the unxeplained 1% when the final frame hits the screen, and the final note plays on the music box. Call it a must-watch, because it is. Never totally degarding into fan service, sillyness, or becoming a complete and utter bloodbath, Elfen Lied skirts all of these, takes the best portions of each for dramatic effect, and ends up as a compelling piece, with believeably motivated characters and a great storyline.

I've only recently become an anime addict. This was one of the first that really absorbed me and has become my favorite. I have yet to watch the blu-ray edition, but I know it's a great show. There is plenty of blood and nudity, but the story itself is quite solid and I love it. That being said, please disregard the synopsis under the "Editorial Review" on the product page. It is entirely inaccurate. The main character, a teenage girl named Lucy, was not bred by the military. She is a mutant known as a Diclonious, likely the first of her kind, that escapes from a government facility. Her intentions are to destroy mankind by spreading the mutant virus she carries and killing as many people as she can. Another teenager and his cousin find her on the beach after her escape, but her personality has split and she has the disposition of a child. Everyone tries to uncover her secrets as the cousins take her in while military forces are hunting her. There. I hope that is a little better. I would just copy what's on the Blu-ray box, but I don't have it with me at the moment. Pleas buy.