Beauty from carnage

So I recently finished watching Elfen Lied (years late in watching this good great anime). I’d heard about it since four years ago but had never actually watched it but only had the opening soundtrack, Lilium, to the anime.

This anime isn’t the first to grab my attention from start to finish, but the way in which it does it is what had a lasting effect. It begins with an atmosphere of panic, security guards running around a high security facility to try and restrain a naked girl who seems harmless, her face hidden by a mask. But that harmless aura sheds itself when body parts are suddenly severed and a bloodbath is left behind as she walks aloofly to her freedom. From the first episode there is an ominous and sinister theme to the anime, that was just drilled into  my mind the more she killed people and the Lilium chorus was sung in the background, which was very effective.

There are so many great points to this anime, that just left me wanting more and more until I had to conclude within myself that the anime was over. I might read the manga to see how further the story was carried. The plot is based on the new race, Diclonius, a mutant human made distinguishable by their horns and the experiments done to understand the complexity of their DNA and also stopping Lucy, whose goal is to annihilate the human race and bring a new Diclonius generation (I think the subplot is the Director’s arbitrary desire of being apart of their race). Her mission is hindered by her split personality, Nyu, a more innocent, primitive and friendly side of her which seems to have been as a cause of her memory loss.

She comes into contact with Kahto and his cousin Yuka, who find her on the seashore and decide to take her in. There is such a great quality of character development, and to me completely flawless. They worked so much emotion from me and effortlessly too and with each episode when Lucy returned to her “Diclonius” self, I was really up in the computer screen wondering if she’d kill Kahto. I never really cared for Yuka, her jealousy was just too much for me. Even the minor characters are well developed and made this anime so great to watch. The OST is also one of the best supports throughout the anime. It just keeps the melancholic atmosphere sustained and the pivotal switches from dramatic fight scenes, to the comedic relief, to the more somber scenes transitioned into each other perfectly.

The Diclonius, while they seem to just be heartless killers, are actually human and the directors of the anime did so well to keep that idea refreshed through the Diclonius’ display of emotions of anger from being rejected and their vulnerability when there is someone who actually accepts them and loves them. I think Nana  is the only exception from the Diclonius mentality and she would seem more human – which I think she is .

I loved Lucy’s jealousy and possessiveness of Kahto,  although she took it too far when she killed his parents when they were younger. Kahto is  portrayed as a very strong and supportive character. Even when he remembers clearly that Lucy was the one to kill his little sister, although he makes it clear that he cannot forgive her, it does not stop what he feels for her and not wanting her to go. Oh yes, I think it was very sweet that Lucy’s strongest hinderance to annihilating the human race was her love for Kahto. That really hit it home for me that she had more conscience and used her love for Kahto as her inspiration to keep going on and not killing everyone.

Through all the blood and gore, Lucy’s development as a character works sympathy and even understanding for her actions and there is just a significant beauty to how well orchestrated this anime is. I’d really watch it over again and still have my numerous tearjerker moments. The ending had such a symbolic finality; with the clock finally beginning to work, which to me meant that everyone would move on and try to live after all that had happened. Lucy’s silhouette at the gate made me tear up a little because I’d wanted her and Kahto to speak to each other, at least one more time. But, I guess the director just wanted to leave that up to imagination.

  BTW: I honestly believe that Lucy and Kahto should have been together >_> but then again my OTPs never work the way I want it to. Oh well, in my head they’re together and Kahto’s not with annoying Yuka. I even forgot to do a little rant about her. Anyway, that aside and excusing Yuka’s selfish, jealous and annoying little ways (there’s almost always one character like that) this anime was such a great watch and I can’t believe I never paid it much attention the first time I heard about it.