Common Name: Elfen Lied
Score: 8/10, 3/5
Length: 13 episodes, 1 OVA
Genre: Action, Horror, Drama, Romance, Supernatural, Super Powers
WARNING: Graphic scenes of violence, Violence against children
Summary: For fear of their terrible power being unleashed upon the world, a super powered breed of humans known as "Diclonius," identified by their horn-like protrusions, are locked away and experimented on by a secret organization. No one at this facility is prepared for the day when their most violent prisoner, a Diclonius by the name of Lucy, breaks free of her bonds and escapes, but not before taking a blow to the head that turns her into a powerless amnesiac. It may only be a matter of time before Lucy returns to wreak her vengeance on mankind or find a new life for herself as the sweet and innocent Nyu.
Review: Elfen Lied was introduced to me personally as a classic and was for a long time one of those titles that was infallible. Now that years have passed though, I know better. Elfen Lied is one of those shows you love that just sicks around in your mind as one of the greats or it is a horribly written piece of garbage does little more than beg for sympathy for its traumatized cast. While I am still someone that stands with the former camp, I see now that the latter is no less correct. The characters of Elfen Lied aren't so much characters as they are simple archetypes that are given depth because of their traumatic pasts. Neither they nor the story itself is particularly compelling so much as it is sympathetic.
People fall in love with the cast because, at their core, they are all worthy of sympathy and a better life. Even the sociopathic murderer Lucy becomes sympathetic at points because she too has suffered, bringing to light one of the show's biggest questions: Was Lucy born evil because she is a Diclonius or did the world mold her into something evil? Honestly though, like a lot of things, the show falls short because isn't really prepared to answer that. The show paints it's world as dark and mankind as something far more monstrous than the real monsters, which is itself an interesting thought, but is poorly delivered in the show. Unlike Lucy, the show's "villains" are nonsensical and evil for the sake of evil. There is no reason or justification for their actions, but they commit horrible atrocities to the cast all the same, making it feel forced. Rather than being even something as questionable and gray as Lucy's "evilness," the world is dark and the only light that can be found in it comes from its victims who struggle to find something better together.
Has it not been so forceful, it would have likely been a thoughtful and engaging piece from start to finish. It would have been a real masterpiece, but that's simply not what it is. It is a classic that is equal parts flawed and beautiful, due in no small part to the show's musical aria, Lilium, a haunting and magical masterpiece.