I didn't know what to expect from Elfen Lied, just by chance I came across the first episode, countless hours later I had watched the entire 13 episodes and the OVA and knew I had just seen something special. So what is it all about? It starts as a girl with what seems like psychic powers escapes from a facility and as an indication of things to come it's very violent. Yes be warned there is graphic violence and nudity all the way through, but look past this and you'll find something unique indeed. It's a series that has elements of several genres : psychological horror, romance, drama and comedy, it probably shouldn't work, but somehow it does. It slips between cute and viciousness, between humour and cruelty. Needless to say without going into too many details there is a lot more to this girl Lucy than first appears as her split personality Nyu is found by a young man and his cousin who take her in. Things aren't easy for them as her vocabulary is limited initially to just repeating her own name. Of course the scientists send others to apprehend the dangerous girl but if all this is sounding a little too familiar, be assured all is not as it seems. Over 13 episodes (plus the OVA) I got to care about several of the characters and this series managed to have more impact than many other anime series that have a far longer running time. The graphic violence did not bother me to that extent but like other comments have stated this is not for everyone. There are cruel and upsetting scenes involving the young female characters and it would take a hardened heart to not to flinch or be moved by what the characters have to endure. Brtual scientific experiments, limbs are torn off, there are scenes of implied sexual abuse. But this is not some misogynistic experience of sadism, at its centre it is about characters who do not belong, who are trying to be accepted and are looking for some peace. Ultimately isn't that what most of us are longing for? Will they find happiness? What is the thread that connects these characters together? Watch Elfen Lied, it's unforgettable.