I basically started watching this anime because EVERYONE at anime club was talking about it. When I first heard “Elfen Lied” I thought of elves, like Santa’s little minions, or maybe the tree-dwellers from “Lord of the Rings”. After the first episode I was thinking more along the lines of serial killers with telekinetic abilities. Both wound up incredibly wrong.

Elfen Lied is about these mutants that have horns on their heads, and these invisible “arms” they can use to manipulate things around them. These “arms” can be very sharp and in many cases, as is usually for children struggling with things they don’t understand, the mutants can become violent. The government has intervened to try and control and study these potentially dangerous individuals. However, some people in the program believe these mutants are the next stage of evolution and are going to change the world. These same people also view these children as homicidal maniacs from the time their powers appear, which is around three years old.

The action centers primarily on this one mutant who escapes the prison/research facility. She develops dual personalities, one a cold blooded killer, and the other a helpless child. She finds this one boy and his childhood friend living in an old inn, and they start taking care of her and hiding her from the police, even though they don’t know why.

Now, the reason I love this show is not for the normal reasons. Yes, the art is nice, and the voices are done very well. There are cute, chibi moments, and some deep questions asked. But, this anime has the most emotional pull of anyone I’ve watched so far. It is uplifting and heartrending all at once. There were times I hated it, but couldn’t stop watching. It is a very short series (only thirteen episodes that I could find) but its effects are so dramatic as to shock me.

Be warned, this show has a lot of gore, or at least a lot of blood. Heads explode, arms and legs randomly fly off or are slowly wrenched away from their bodies. Young children are tortured and made to kill each other, etc. It’s not an anime for little ones. But, it not only makes you think, it makes you feel. You don’t only feel FOR the characters, you feel ABOUT them. Sometimes you even want to cheer for opposing characters at times.

I give this anime ten out of ten easily. I highly recommend that anyone mature enough to handle it watch this anime; just not right before bed. LOL