"When you're miserable, you need to make someone even more miserable than yourself."
Genre: Action – Drama – Horror – Psychological – Sci-fiction – Supernatural
Length: 13 episodes
Year: 2004
Studio: Arms Corporation
Director: Kanbe Mamoru
Script/Writer: Yoshioka Takao
Character Design: Kishimoto Seiji
Music: Oshima Michiru
Animation: Seiji Kishimoto
Licensed by: ADV films
Based on: Elfen Lied manga 12 vols. – June 2002 to November 2005 – Author: Okamoto Lynn Illustrator: Okamoto Lynn – serialization: Weekly Young Jump
Characters: Lucy/Nyu (Kobayashi Sanae), Kouta (Suzuki Chihiru/Nabatame Hitomi), Nana (Matsuoka Yuki), Mariko (Kawakami Tomoko), Mayu (Hagiwara Emiko), Professor Kakuzawa Yu (Hirata Hiroaki), Bandou (Nakata Jouji), Chief Kakuzawa (Arimoto Kinryuu), Yuka (Noto Mamiko), Kanae (Yamamoto Maria) and Kurama (Hosoi Osamu).
Synopsis: They were selected by God and will eventually annihilate mankind. This is what is said of Diclonius, a species of mutated homo sapiens with 2 horns and the possession of a “Sixth Sense”, invisible vectors with an incredible strength that have the power to manipulate any object in their reach, depending of each individual’s capacities. As their superb abilities endanger and threat the human world, they are captured and kept in captivity in experimental facilites, where they are studied.
One day Lucy, an implacable diclonius teenager girl, manages to escape from her cell and searchs for an exit, leaving a sea of blood behind her. Already out of the building on a cliff almost escaping, she gets shot in the head, but instead of killing her the sniper misses the aimed point, destroying her helmet and making her fall into the water.
An amnesic Lucy wakes up on the shore naked and stained with blood, clueless. She is discovered by Kouta and Yuka, two cousins that are reunited due to Kouta’s moving to study in university, who decide to take her in their house and name her Nyuu, since it seems that’s the only thing she can spell.
However the hunt isn’t over yet, neither is Lucy’s malice…
Openings:
- Lilium – Kumiko Noma
Endings:
- Be Your Girl – Cheiko Kawabe
Appreciation: *WARNING* This anime contains nudity, strong physical and psychological violence and torture, a lot of graphical, merciless blood scenes and deals with themes of cruelty such as incest, discrimination and captivity. Therefore it’s not suitable for young viewers, containing mature content (I would say atleast 16+). It’s almost certain that every viewer will be overwhelmed by the anime when watching for the first time, not exactly by the gore but for all the emotional content. Especially if you are under the respective age, as you most likely haven’t fully matured psychologically and are still in an innocent bliss, you are particulary susceptible, and extreme scenarios like these can be too much of a shock and may disturb you, and you won’t enjoy the anime. Of course that this is a generalized statement, it depends in your individual personality. So if you are an emotionally susceptible person, this is not your cake.
About horror animes, don’t rush, take things little by little, there’s a time when you feel prepared to watch it. One strategy is start watching ligther gore/horror anime and go increasing the level. I really advise you to watch others before watching this one, because I’m aware it’s probably one of the most intensive ones.
Sorry for all the text, I’m just looking after your sanity (lol)
I must say this was my first truly horror anime. And yes, I wasn’t at the correct age (sigh). As soon as I started watching, I was completely amazed with the intro. Such a beautiful sad melody. When I saw the first scenes, they shocked me, but when you start to understand the plot, you begin to understand what a notorious piece it is. It’s an allegory of situations that have happened and still happen that make us see how inhuman humans are. Forcing different beings, Diclonious, to be nothing more than monsters, giving them no opportunity to see more than darkness, because that way they can be sure that will be the only thing they will become, and so diclonious have to be confined there perpetually.
It’s heart aching. Especially the moments of Lucy’s childhood. I cried on the dog scene and her moments with Kouta, who was the only one who didn’t judge her and treated her as a person. It has a wonderful plot conception.
A must see heart throbbing psychological drama for all the horror fans that reaches the most various range of human emotions and exposes them intensly.
Rate: Excellent
