Elfen Lied
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is a 12-volume manga series (made into an anime series during the serialization of the manga) by author . The manga is published in Japan by Shueisha. The anime was developed by executive director Mamoru Kanbe. The title is German for "Elf Song" (see Lied), and pronounced approximately [ˈɛlfən liːt], although it should be correctly spelled "Elfenlied".The story contains graphic nudity and a great deal of blood and gore, as well as psychological violence and extreme graphic violence. The television series ran for 13 episodes (adapting approximately the first 60 out of 107 chapters of the manga), airing on Japanese television in 2004 and was re-broadcasted in 2005. The series was licensed by ADV Films in the United States in 2004 and was released on VHS and DVD in 2005. ADV Films said the series was one of their best-selling and "most notorious" releases of 2005.
Story
- See also: Elfen Lied body count
The story begins with a naked young girl (Lucy) escaping under odd circumstances from an island research-facility off the coast of Kamakura in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan. Lucy manages to nonchalantly dismember and slay 23 (14 in the manga) of the research-facility staff with some form of seemingly supernatural power and gets outside. A sniper is ordered to kill her but only manages to ricochet the bullet off the metal helmet encasing her head. Lucy falls off a cliff into the sea and is not found again by the research staff.
Lucy is a , a mutant strain of humans who have two horns on their heads and possess telekinetic powers through their "Vectors". Vectors (depicted as invisible "arms") can reach out in a limited range and easily slice through bodies, grab objects and propel them with superhuman strength at targets outside their reach, and even go through bodies without doing damage. Most Diclonius can only manifest two pairs of vectors, however, there are exceptional cases in which very few among these mutant individuals are able to summon multiple pairs of "invisible arms". Also the maximum range and distance at which vectors extend varies among Diclonius. Finally, the vectors are controlled by the pineal gland of the Diclonius which is the size of an egg,Elfen Lied manga; chapter 01, page 28. in contrast to that of humans which is the size of a pea, and mostly occupies the frontal lobeElfen Lied Ep. 5: Professor Yū Kakuzawa explains the functionality of the vectors to a captive Nyu. of their brains. The Diclonius have great contempt and homicidal tendencies toward humans, often viewing them as "inferior", and do not hesitate to kill them. They won't even show mercy at killing other fellow members of their same kin, if they engage in fight against them or see that the latter are associated or attached to humans. Lucy later mentions that in about 5 years half of the children born in Kamakura will be Diclonius able to infect enough people to make sure that humans would be all but extinct in 6 generations.
Another type of Diclonius are the Silpelit. Silpelits are Diclonius offspring born from carriers, that is human parents who become infected with the Diclonius virus. In order to achieve this, the Diclonius only has to pass one of his or her "Vectors" (invisible arms) through the pineal gland of the human. Silpelits have the same powers as that of a normal Diclonius, but unlike other Diclonius, naturally born from non-infected humans, like Lucy, the Silpelits lack reproductive organs and thus cannot procreate children. Without reproducing capabilities, they are often viewed as "worker bees" having no other objective in mind but the drive to kill ordinary humans. In addition, both Diclonius and Silpelit are capable of sensing each other from a distance. Moreover, all Diclonius born or confirmed are females sharing the same physical traits- red or pink eyes and hair, though it is reasonable to assume that true, full-fledged male Diclonius can also be born and will share the same characteristics as that of their female peers. Redundancy of same traits on all Diclonius would quite suggests low diversity in their gene pool, meaning that the sterile Silpelits are merely expendable soldiers tasked with the complete annihilation of the homo sapiens population so that the fertile Diclonius can breed progeny to populate the planet and, therefore, becoming the dominant species.
The next day, a boy named Kouta arrives at Kamakura to meet his cousin Yuka. Kouta has come to study at university there and has been given the use of an old family-owned inn, The "Maple (楓 kaede) Inn", provided he acts as the caretaker there. After meeting with Yuka they go to visit the beach and find Lucy washed up there, still naked and bleeding from her head. However, the head-trauma that Lucy has experienced has caused her to develop a split-personality, "Nyū". In stark contrast, Nyū is completely docile, harmless and is incapable of saying anything other than "Nyū". Not knowing what to do with her, Kouta and Yuka take her back to the inn to look after her.
While Kouta, Nyū and Yuka begin settling into a new life, the researchers begin hunting for Lucy and characters on both sides find themselves in a situation much more complex than they originally anticipated.
Characters
- Main article: Characters of Elfen Lied
Manga
The complete manga series runs for 107 chapters spanning over 12 volumes and is complete.
In terms of the anime adaptation, the approach and depth of information involving the Diclonius differs greatly. The Diclonius virus is explained in greater detail with moments such as Professor Kakuzawa explaining the half-Diclonius status and ancestry of he and his father to Lucy before she kills him. After he is killed, Lucy tells his corpse that Diclonius are not a different species, but humans like everyone else - just born with horns and a unique power. One might say the term "Diclonius" was invented by Kakuzawa in order to separate them from their fellow humans. The Diclonius are shown to be more diverse with Lucy/Nyū having pink hair, Mariko being blond, and Nana having dark purple hair. Diclonius are never stated to have a limited amount of vectors. However, it depicts Lucy having over twelve vectors, Nana possessing approximately six vectors, and Mariko controlling up to fifty vectors. They are rarely shown being physically attached to the body (the anime shows them extending from the back, while the manga has them simply appear levitating). Silpelit Diclonius are shown to age two to three times faster than normal humans and naturally born Diclonius, like Lucy. The timeline of events prior to Mariko's birth explained in volumes six and seven discloses Nana's age to be six-years-old, though she physically resembles a 13 or 14 year-old girl.
Some characters are seen in greater detail in the manga. Mariko, for instance, is shown in greater detail with her psychological issues and past trauma being more throroughly explained. She also develops a split personality called Myū. Myū acts as the antithesis to Mariko just like Nyū is in contrast to Lucy. Myū is nonviolent, docile, more childish than Mariko, and, like Nyū, she only speaks saying the word Myū. When Mariko becomes Myū her pressence as a Diclonius disappears and cannot be detected by other Diclonius, just like in Nyū's case. However, unlike Nyū, Myū can and will both consciously and willingly switch back to Mariko, if she feels any potential threat putting in danger the lives of her beloved ones or more specifically her father, Kurama.
Characters were introduced in the manga that were otherwise completely omitted from the anime series. An example of this early on in the manga is an acquaintance of Yuka's, referred to as "Nozomi-chan." These difference are subtle and don't alter the story of the anime too much from the manga.
Some of the other notable differences the manga has include:
- Chronologically, Lucy's flashback sequence happens much earlier.
- The music box that is featured in the anime does not appear.
- Young Kouta gives a stone, that resembles jade, as a present to child Lucy as a memento of their meeting. Later, Lucy places the stone, along with a written message for Kouta, inside a bottle, and buries it at her dog's grave.
- Lucy is depicted even more sadistic and murderous. She actually enjoys inflicting both physical and emotional pain on her victims and aggressors.
- In the manga, Lucy actually laughs at first when her pet dog is beaten to death by Tomo before proceeding to tear apart everyone in the room.
- Professor Kakuzawa's co-worker is depicted as much more of a serious and deep character. She is named in the manga as Arakawa (her last name).
Volumes
The manga is only available in Japanese tankōbon as it has not yet been licensed by any company for official translation into English.
- Elfen Lied Vol. 1 ISBN 4-08-876358-0 - October 2002 (covers chapters 01-07)
- Elfen Lied Vol. 2 ISBN 4-08-876379-3 - December 2002 (covers chapters 08-17)
- Elfen Lied Vol. 3 ISBN 4-08-876406-4 - February 2003 (covers chapters 18-27)
- Elfen Lied Vol. 4 ISBN 4-08-876446-3 - May 2003 (covers chapters 28-38)
- Elfen Lied Vol. 5 ISBN 4-08-876477-3 - August 2003 (covers chapters 39-48)
- Elfen Lied Vol. 6 ISBN 4-08-876513-3 - November 2003 (covers chapters 49-60)
- Elfen Lied Vol. 7 ISBN 4-08-876579-6 - March 2004 (covers chapters 61-71)
- Elfen Lied Vol. 8 ISBN 4-08-876638-5 - July 2004 (covers chapters 72-75)
- Elfen Lied Vol. 9 ISBN 4-08-876696-2 - October 2004 (covers chapters 76-82)
- Elfen Lied Vol. 10 ISBN 4-08-876764-0 - March 2005 (covers chapters 83-87)
- Elfen Lied Vol. 11 ISBN 4-08-876838-8 - August 2005 (covers chapters 88-97)
- Elfen Lied Vol. 12 ISBN 4-08-876884-1 - November 2005 (covers chapters 98-107)
Side Stories
The manga also features several side stories from previous works done by Lynn Okamoto herself. These stories came included with the release of certain volumes of the manga and, therefore, can be considered bonus material (not related to Elfen Lied) for avid fans of the manga to collect.
- MOL - featured in volume 1
- Digitopolis - featured in volume 2
- Memoria - featured in volume 3
- Carrera - featured in volume 5
- NOZOMI is the first side story featured, and basically explains to the readers about Nozomi's past and how come chooses to move into the Kaede inn. This tale is in canon with the continuity of the main storyline.
- The second side story that follows after NOZOMI involves the whole residents at the Kaede inn throwing out a party, but they indulge themselves in drinking excessively. Nana and Mayu fall asleep unconscious, allowing both Yuka and Nyu to literally let go off their inhibitions and deliver an intimate fan service to Kouta. Unfortunately, their fun is suddenly brought to an end when Nyu without warning switches back to Lucy who seems rather upset, finishing the story in a cliffhanger. This tale is not canon for Elfen Lied's overall plot.
Anime
The televised anime series is comprised of thirteen episodes. The series has been praised for its technical excellence in animation and colour. Criticism has been levelled at the English dub for having sub-par voice acting in the earlier episodes. Another criticism is that the series ends abruptly with many loose ends to the story that could leave viewers unsatisfied. The anime covers the first 60 chapters of the manga (with some changes).
Episodes 1 to 11 of the anime are in canon with the continuity of the storyline for volumes 1 to 6 of the manga, faithfully adapting most of the events happening in the latter. The last two TV episodes, which were supposedly based from volume 7, drastically strayed from the manga's continuity and gave an original conclusion to the anime.
A single 24-minute OVA episode was also released. It takes place between episodes 10 and 11 of the original TV series, and for that reason, some refer to it as episode 10.5, OVA special, or even as episode 14. It should be noted that the special itself takes on a lighter tone and does little to advance the story (though it does answer some questions of the early episodes). During the Anime Boston 2006 (May 26 - 28) convention, ADV Films acquired the distribution rights of the OVA for release in the United States.
Episode list
Literal meanings are given where they differ from the English episode titles.| No. | English Title | German Title | Japanese Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | A Chance Encounter | Begegnung (lit. "Meeting") | 邂逅 (kaikō) |
| 02 | Annihilation | Vernichtung | 掃討 (sōtō) |
| 03 | Deep Feelings | Im Innersten (lit. "at heart") | 胸裡 (kyōri) |
| 04 | Attack | Aufeinandertreffen (lit. "to clash") | 触撃 (shokugeki) |
| 05 | Receipt | Empfang | 落掌 (rakushō) |
| 06 | Innermost Feelings | Herzenswärme (lit. "warmth of the heart") | 衷情 (chūjō) |
| 07 | Confrontation | Zufällige Begegnung (lit. "random encounter") | 際会 (saikai) (lit. "confronting") |
| 08 | The Beginning | Beginn | 嚆矢 (kōshi) |
| 09 | Reminiscence | Schöne Erinnerung (lit. "beautiful memory") | 追憶 (tsuioku) (lit. "recollection") |
| 10 | Infant | Säugling | 嬰児 (eiji) |
| 11 | Complication | Vermischung (lit. "blending / mix") | 錯綜 (sakusō) |
| 12 | Quagmire | Taumeln (lit. "to stagger") | 泥濘 (deinei) |
| 13 | No Return | Erleuchtung (lit. "enlightenment") | 不還 (fugen) |
Theme songs
| Opening theme: | "Lilium" by Kumiko Noma. |
| Closing theme: | "Be Your Girl" by Chieko Kawabe. |
OVA Special
- Main article: Elfen Lied OVA Special
| English Title | In the Passing Rain |
| German Title | Regenschauer (lit. "rain shower") |
| Japanese Title | 通り雨にて 或いは、少女はいかにしてその心情に至ったか(tooriame ni te arui wa, shōjo wa ikani shi te sono shinjō ni itatta ka) |
| Literal English | In the Passing Rain, or How Can a Girl Have Reached Such Feelings? |
Trivia
- An interesting aspect of the series is that the full names for all the main characters are never revealed or disclosed throughout the course of the anime. Some are addressed by their surnames while others are called by their family names. However, Professor Kakuzawa is the only character whose full name is given around the time that he's introduced in the story.
- Lynn Okamoto herself has a brief cameo appearance as a special guest in episode 12.
- Lucy/Nyū, Kouta, and Yuka are the only characters appearing in all the episodes of Elfen Lied.
Cultural references in the series
Art
The opening and ending sequences feature artistic drawings of the principal characters. These characters are drawn on a style based on Gustav Klimt's paintings. In the following comparison images, the left side of the image shows Klimt's work, and on the right side, Elfen Lied's counterpart:
 |  |
Music/Poetry
The German song Elfenlied ("Elf Song") appears in the manga (volume 5, p.154) and it is credited to the composer Hugo Wolf. The song doesn't appear in the anime. Wolf's lied is based on a poem by Eduard Mörike (see Elfenlied for lyrics and translation).
The opening theme song, Lilium, is based on several biblical passages and the hymn Ave mundi spes Maria (Hail Mary, Hope of the World) in Latin (and a couple of words in Greek). The lyric and melody are authored by Kayo Konishi and Yukio Kondou, after being requested to make the song like a Gregorian chant. The lyric as appearing in the booklet of the anime's original soundtrack CD album are as given below (those in brackets are words from the saint/full version):
- Os iusti meditabitur sapientiam
- Et lingua eius loquetur iudicium (Psalmi 36:30)
- Beatus vir qui suffert tentationem
- Quoniam cum probatus fuerit accipiet coronam vitae (Iacobi 1:12)
- Kyrie, Ignis Divine, Eleison
- O quam sancta, quam serena, quam benigna
- Quam amoena O castitatis lilium
- The mouth of the Just shall meditate wisdom
- And his tongue shall speak judgement (Psalms 37:30)
- Blessed is the man who endureth temptation
- For once he hath been proven, he shall receive the crown of life (James 1:12)
- ''
- Lord, Fire Divine, have mercy
- ''
- O how holy, how serene, how benevolent
- How lovely, O lily of purity
Sub-topics
Elfen Lied deals with human evolution with both humans and Diclonius regarding each other as an expendable, dehumanized mistake. However, an important aspect of the series involves relationships between primary care-givers and human love in general - which were gradually revealed to exist between the Dicloniuses and the humans towards the end of the series when both come to the difficult understanding that they are both indeed human, although there are distinct differences between them. The main drive of the Diclonius is the propagation of their superior traits through the destruction of the human race. This homicidal drive can arise as early as the 3rd year of a Diclonius's life. Many Diclonius do not consider normal Homo sapiens "human"; this apparently stems from their very distinctive characteristics which in turn caused them to be rejected by fellow humans.
One of the most prevalent motifs of the series is the humanity of the Diclonius, especially contrasted against the inhumanity of ordinary people. Throughout the series, we see incidences of human sadism, from casual beatings to pedophilic rape to outright killing. Lucy, on the other hand, begins life as a perfectly psychologically normal child, with an obvious physical difference, tormented repeatedly by ordinary people. This mistreatment and torment by her human peers is portrayed as a classical example of ijime, which happens everyday in Japan and refers to people who stray from the norm or are mostly deemed different, becoming target for life-time physical or mental abuse by others.
Although she tries to make friends with children her own age, she is spurned, lied to, physically assaulted, and forced to witness brutality. She suffers a great deal because of her day-to-day life, and so her reactions vary between disgust at the casual cruelty, painful wonder about why she alone is so mistreated, wishing to retreat from her miserable life, and desire to wreak vengeance in the most painful way possible on her tormentors (the Homo sapien race).
It is not entirely unreasonable to argue that, in the face of such horrifying childhood experiences, ultimately the only difference between Lucy and her Homo sapien peers is her ability to strike with overwhelming power. An ordinary child faced with such issues could not resort to violence to the degree Lucy can, and would have to find more socially acceptable ways of resolving the problems. So the violence of at least the major Diclonius in the story isn't due to not being human, but rather to very human reactions to inhumane treatment dealt using a more violent alternative method for dealing with psychological stress.
The story also deals with the issues of psychological trauma and repressed memories. Lucy has dissociative identity disorder, one infantile personality (Nyū), and another adult one (Lucy), full of painful memories and a solemn, murderous hatred towards normal humans (or more specifically, towards those associated with Kurama). Kouta suffers from dissociative amnesia after his sister Kanae and father are killed in front of him.
References
External links
Official
- () [エルフェンリート]
- () [Official ADV Web site]
Unofficial
- () [elfiniantop] Some Reviews on "Elfen Lied", TV-Anime & Manga by Lynn Okamoto
- () [Autumn Leaf: Elfen Lied Journey]
- () [] at TV.com
- () [ElfenLied (Elf Song)] Contains Eduard Mörike's poem Elfen Lied.
- () [elfenlied.net] First English Elfen Lied fan site.
- () [Smashed Ice // Elfen Lied] Site with images and screen captures.
- () [Manga Wiki] Entry on Elfen Lied
- () [Anime Kensei]: Portuguese anime fan site. Elfen Lied category.
- () [¡¡Elfen Lied al Extremo!!] Full section dedicated to Elfen Lied with episode summaries and screenshot galleries.
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