First of all, I must say that I am no anime expert. My entire knowledge of the genre is limited to the more famous Miyazaki films, 'Ghost in the Shell' and its sequel, and now the beautiful, dark, tragic 'Elfen Lied'.<br /><br />The story centers around Lucy, a girl born with a genetic mutation which gave her horns and 'vectors' - powerful telekenetically controlled arms. The first time we meet her, she is cold-bloodedly killing soldiers and office workers in what appears to be a strange research facility. A sniper succeeds in shooting her in the head, ending her rampage. However, he fails to kill her: she falls into the sea surrounding the facility, and is later found washed up on the beach by two cousins. However, this is not the Lucy we saw spilling so much blood - the shot left her with severe amnesia, turning her into the innocent, childlike Nyuu. When an assassin and later another being of her kind are sent to destroy her, we witness the murderous Lucy emerging once more, only to transform back into Nyuu once the violence is over. As the series progresses, we gradually learn about Lucy's horrific past, finally leaving us with the dilemma: Were her brutal actions perhaps in any way justified? <br /><br />Elfen Lied is dark, that I will not deny. Lovers of light, happy entertainment will be disappointed and very likely offended. The series deals with all the darker aspects of humanity: the practice of alienating those who are different, murder, cruel experimentation, sexual abuse, sadism, torture, and even genocide or 'purifying the earth'. As the story progresses, we find that virtually all the main characters have experienced one or more of these, and much of the series focuses on their attempts to somehow cope with the trauma; to pick up the pieces.<br /><br />Which brings me on to the violence. Elfen Lied is decidedly not a series for the faint-hearted. We watch bodies being torn in half, children being dismembered, and one scene of horrific animal cruelty. However, throughout the series, I do not remember one act of violence that seemed in any way 'trashy' or unnecessary. This is no gore-fest made to entertain teenage males. What is often even more disturbing than the violence itself, are the emotions attached to it. Also, some of the most violent scenes are rather surreal: think characters being tortured to eerily beautiful Gregorian chants.<br /><br />The major characters of Elfen Lied are highly memorable: sinning and sinned-against Lucy and her touchingly loving alter ego Nyuu; endearingly awkward Kohta who continuously battles his feelings for her but has painful repressed memories; his cousin Yuka who many reviewers have branded as 'irritating' but is really a somewhat unsettling reflection of the jealousy that turned Lucy into a killer; lovable Nana who is basically Lucy without the violent side; and Mayu, the abuse victim whose story of recovery is one of the most uplifting in the series. I would also like to mention Mariko, a minor character but still my personal favourite: she is a young girl who has the same mutation as Lucy, who does horrific things to people with the air of a child burning ants with a magnifying glass.<br /><br />In conclusion, Elfen Lied is a mature and deep series which can be enjoyed on so many levels: from an action horror story to a philosophical debate on what it means to be human. The execution is exquisite, with images that linger in the mind for a long time. All in all, I recommend Elfen Lied to anyone with an open mind, a strong stomach, and a willingness to try something different.