Elfen Lied

I was an undergraduate student when I first heard of Elfen Lied . Back then, otaku friends would recommend it to me since they know I love blood and gore. Everytime I try to watch the series though I would be repulsed by the seemingly harem-romantic drama series. (I seldom look for synopses in the internet for fear of spoilers...) It turns out it's much more than that. A few months ago, a dear college friend gave me a copy of the entire series insisting that I watch it because it's not what I thought it is. 

I watched it two months ago (and just finished today). The opening song blew me away the first time I heard it. WOW! It's the same song that played in the background at the end as flashbacks are shown. Despite having an echi side to it especially in the first few episodes (which is one thing I don't like in harem animé), the series is actually a poignant tragedy about the result of biotechnology, a Diclonius capable of producing vectors or arms which can be potential weapons. The promise of graphic violence is not a disappointment and add to that a psychological depth and this animé makes for a wonderful series. Philosophically, this series touches on human nature, morality, and biotechnological ethics.

The characters are thrown in a tangled web of conflicts. The main character/ anti-heroine Lucy (a.k.a Nyu/ Kaede) suffered mocks and taunts from bullies because of her horns and as a result learns quickly that the world cannot accept an abnormality like her. Having experienced the pain of being isolated and having a special friend in the form of a dog maltreated and killed in front of her just to make her sad, she in turn develops hatred for mankind. Her childhood shows the humanity of an innocent diclonius prior to transformation in contrast to the cruelty of normal humans. Things are about to change when she meets Kohta who briefly shared with her wonderful memories of the joys of human companionship. And it is no wonder that she falls in love with him. She committed a grave sin however when she begins to mistrust Kohta and in a fit of rage and jealousy, killed Kohta's father and younger sister Kanae. It is revealed at the end that though tormented by this unforgivable crime, she lives on to seek Kohta's forgiveness.

Years later, now grown ups, Kohta seems to have no recollection of the horrible past when he met Nyu (the innocent side of the grown up Kaede). Kaede seems to have developed a split personality: she is known as Lucy when her bloodthirsty and vengeful side takes over, and as Nyu when her innocent side manifests. 

Lucy is not the only Diclonius in the series. She seems to have been the cause of other Diclonius, having infected men with her genes upon contact. One of her tormentors, Kurama, was afflicted and his wife gave birth to a horned daughter who is supposed to be killed as mandated but was not. She grows up to be Mariko, a seemingly sweet and fragile child who can unleash significantly more vectors than Lucy. She was killed together with her father shortly after their reunion.

Another Diclonius is Nana, first appearing in the series as an agent sent by Kurama to kill Lucy. She later on learns more about the value of life thanks largely to Mayu, a cheerful young girl who ran away from home after repeated sexual abuses from her stepfather. Both Mayu and Nana are interesting characters in that they retained their innocence and never succumbed to the desire to exact revenge against their oppressors but instead, try to find a place where they can find happiness. Nana is very obedient to Kurama whom she calls father. 

Scenes from the final episode:

father and daughter reunited

moments before father and daughter are killed by a bomb implanted in Mariko

Kohta and Kaede´s (aka Lucy) first meeting

Kohta and Kaede´s childhood moments