Elfen Lied Vol. 1 2004 ADV Films Official US Website Buy It Now Official Japanese Website

I really have to give ADV a lot of credit. There was a point when there were a few anime series that they had released that I really felt were less than worthy of being seen outside of Japan, but in past few months, they have been releasing some spectacular series on the anime fans. Anime such as Chrono Crusade, Get Backers, Gantz, and even DNAngel have been those high points that I can't wait to see the next volume of, and now there is another show that I can add onto that list; Elfen Lied.

From the beautifully illustrated opening animation alone, I was drawn into the world of Elfen Lied, but that couldn't prepare me for what I was about to experience. Initially the series introduces us to a young woman named Lucy, but she isn't the type of girl you want to take home to meet your mother, or anyone else. Lucy has managed to escape her confinement in a research facility (although it does appear as though perhaps she may have a little help in her release), but not before ruthlessly slaughtering over twenty employees. Lucy is far too dangerous to be let out into an unsuspecting world, but all effort to stop her are fruitless, and after a failed sniper attempt, the injured Lucy falls into the ocean.

Lucy later washes up on a beach and is found by Kohta, a young college student and his childhood friend Yuka, but it's not quite the same vicious killer that we original met. Lucy has reverted into an alternate personality that can only say the word "nyu" to express herself, and thus Kohta and Yuka decide that's going to be her name. With no idea of who she is, they decide to move her into the house the Kohta will be living in, but all is not well. The lab that Nyu escaped from wants her back at any cost, and they begin sending out underlings to retrieve her, but that's just the thing to cause Lucy to reawaken and take action . . . . drastic and bloody action.

Elfen Lied brings many different series and films to mind, and although it can be compared, it also stands out very well on its own. Within the opening moments of the first episode, it appears as though Lucy may be psychic. We see her severing limbs and causing heads to explode without even laying a finger on them. Katsuhiro Otomo's legendary Akira sprang to mind immediately, and to be more precise, fond memories of a rampaging Tetsuo. However, this ends up being merely on the surface, and there is much more going on that some aggressive esper. We soon learn that Lucy in fact is not someone who can use psychic abilities, but instead is a genetic clone, a Diclonius and in reality, she has invisible arms with quite an amazing reach that are used for defense, or murder in her case. As far as Lucy goes, we have many opportunities to see her in action, and the end result is always bloody and quite graphic but enticing at the same time.

Her alter ego however, Nyu, is quite a bit different. Here, it seems that she isn't too far removed from the Chi character in Chobits. Nyu seems to know nothing of life in general. She can't speak, she can't eat correctly, and she doesn't even know how to dress herself. This leads to some very hilarious moments in the series, especially when Yuka walks in on Kohta trying to put underpants on Nyu. The real problem though is that Yuka is in love with her childhood friend, and since it seems that maybe something dirty might happen between Kohta and Nyu, she decides to move in. It makes perfect sense, and since the house is actually a closed down restaurant that Yuka's mother owns, so she has every right. The Yuka/Kohta situation however ads something of a common relationship issue for the series, and while it's obvious to us how she feels, she can't bring herself to tell him, and he's far too oblivious to realize what's going on. Instead, we have the "good Samaritan" side of Kohta that wants to help poor Nyu.

Of course, there are those looking to bring Nyu, or Lucy rather, back, and that's what brings in the antagonist element to Elfen Lied. However, we're not looking at a single individual here either. The police initially have been contacted to find the missing Lucy, but Kohta has decided that he's not willing to turn her over to them and denies any knowledge. The local police however really would be in no position to deal with her, and a task force has also been dispatched, a heavily armed one at that, but they are quickly cut down by Lucy. Kurama, the one who is determined to get Lucy back (and seems to have had a hand in her creation) sends another Diclonius named Nana (or #7) to take care of the job, but again she is no match. Strangely enough, when Lucy is the dominant force, it seems that there is a past tie to Kohta, and although there are moments where it seems as though she may unleash her true power on him, she hasn't, and of course he's completely unaware of what she truly is.

The only one who does is a runaway named Mayu who has seen Lucy battle Nana and the brutality that followed. In a very predictable move for the series though, Yuka discovers the truth about Mayu shortly after they've met her, and taking pity on her, she decides that she can live with them. Mayu though seems a little confused. Nyu and Lucy look the same, but are completely different as far as personalities go. Not only is the move into the house to be expected, but also the inability to realize who and what Nyu is seems to go hand in hand with it, but despite that, it does work with the series. Elfen Lied also has a slight Parasite Even vibe simply because as the series moves forward, the Diclonius are said to be a deadly creation that can reproduce on their own and should not be released into the world.

It's really hard to place Elfen Lied into a certain genre however, and that honestly isn't necessarily bad. At first, I was thinking that it was a series that was going to be firmly rooted in horror, but then quickly though that it was going more for a psychic feeling. Instead though, it's more of psychological thriller but with more emphasis on action, gore, and a few laughs here and there. These things combined however make the series work very well, and it's quite captivating.

Elfen Lied is outstanding though, not just because of the plot, but some of the visual approaches that the series takes. The backgrounds alone are lush and detailed and give a very lifelike feeling to the series. There are quite a few series that I'm reminded of, but the one that I kept thinking of over and over when it came to the look of Elfen Lied was none other than Ai Yori Aoshi. The major difference here however is that Elfen Lied is much more graphic and gory, and many of the sequences in the series have a very dark look about them.

I was kind of hoping that since the series itself has proven to be so outstanding for the beginning, that ADV had included some jaw dropping extra material. That's not the case however, and instead Elfen Lied has what is more or less standard bonus material. However, while I normally am not one who is terribly impressed with clean versions of opening and closing animations, both of which are included here, I absolutely am enamored with the opening to the series, not just because of the visual approach, but the opening theme is amazing. The only other extras here are character and production artwork, but with the production art you get a very good look at the heavy detail in many of the backgrounds. Also though, ADV has included a preview for the second volume of the series, and I love the fact that they have been adding this feature onto their DVD releases recently.

Elfen Lied isn't one of those series that I necessarily think deservers a direct comparison to another series for recommendation. While there are various aspects that are similar to other anime series, the fact is that it can be something that stands well on its own. If psychological thrillers are your sort of attraction, this is your series. If violence and blood give you a feeling of glee, Elfen Lied will definitely satisfy that need. Darkly beautiful may be one way to look at it, but no matter what, Elfen Lied is a series that definitely should not be missed.

Episode 1 - A Chance Encounter

Lucy, a deadly genetic killer had escaped and is free in the world, but Lucy isn't always who she seems to be. Kohta and his friend Yuka find a mysterious nude girl washed up on shore who is unable to even communicate. They decide to name her Nyu, the only word she seems to be able to say, but little do they know the truth: the innocent Nyu is really the deadly Lucy.

Episode 2 - Annihilation

The police are looking for Lucy, but they aren't the only ones. A frightened Nyu encounters a task force dedicated to brining her back, and that's where the real problems begin. While the quite Nyu takes a sever beating, that only last for so long, and when Lucy awakens the tables are quickly, and violently, turned.

Episode 3 - Deep Feelings

Yuka tries to come to term with her feeling for Kohta, a difficult task now that Nyu has come into their lives. Back at the laboratory, the failure of the elite squad sent to bring back Lucy has led to another plan, the use of Nana, another Diclonius, though completely opposite of Lucy.

Episode 4 - Attack

Nana has found Lucy and informed her of her intentions, but she isn't about to be taken back so easily. A battle ensues and while Nana is a little more powerful, Lucy is stronger and their fight has a very nasty conclusion. Yuka meanwhile is looking for Mayu and discovers that she may be homeless, and the young girl is invited to their home to stay.

-mike-
 

Genre: Drama / pyschological   Series Director: Mamoru Kanbe Directed by: Episode 1 - Mamoru Kanbe Episode 2 - Sumie Watanabe Episode 3 - Takoyuki Sadohara Episode 4 - Akira Iwanaga Written by: Episode 1 - 4 - Takawo Yoshioka   Based Upon the Manga by: Lynn Okamoto   Voice Cast: Sanae Kobayashi (Nyu/Lucy) Chihiro Suzuki (Kohta) Mamiko Noto (Yuka) Emiko Hagiwara (Mayu) Osamu Hosei (Kurama) Hitommi Nabatame (Shirakawa)

DVD Features: Dual Language Japanese/English English Subtitles Clean Opening Animation Clean Closing Animation Character Sketches Production Sketches Contains Episodes 1 - 4