History Manga / ElfenLied

->''"When you're miserable, you need someone more miserable than yourself."''
-->-- '''Lucy'''

''Elfen Lied'' (pronounced ''Elfen ''Leed'''', not ''Elfen "Lied"''), written and drawn by Creator/LynnOkamoto and serialized in ''Weekly Young Jump'' from 2002 to 2005, is a ''{{gorn}}ographic'' {{manga}}, which has been likened to a [[JustForFun/XMeetsY combination]] of ''Comicbook/XMen'', ''Literature/{{Carrie}}'', ''[[Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'', ''Franchise/{{Friday the 13th}}'', ''Manga/LoveHina'', ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'', ''Manga/{{Monster}}'', ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' and ''Franchise/{{Predator}}''. In other words, it's a twisted mixture of mutant battles, PsychicPowers, split personalities, pseudo-harem antics, cute girls, the male lead who discovers that the person whom he interacted during that person's childhood is evil, and of course, bucketloads of {{Gorn}} - and it's more than happy to [[MoodWhiplash swing between comedy and horror at the drop of a hat]]. It has also been compared to ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie'' [[JustForFun/XMeetsY as done by]] Creator/DavidLynch and Creator/WesCraven. There is also a 13-episode {{anime}} series of the same name that first aired in 2004, which follows the first couple of chapters but ends with [[GeckoEnding an alternative ending]] before the real plot kicks off.

The series' title is German for "Elves' Song", or more formally "song of the elves," and takes its name from the poem "Elfenlied," which is featured twice in the story.

* AdaptationalDumbass: In the anime Bando does some stupid things from attacking his own partner, getting up to Nana's range despite knowing better and trying to jump for his gun once Nana has knocked it away despite already having another one. (In the manga he barely had time to reach for it before Nana stopped him). This is a far cry from his manga counterpart who always played it smart. Even during his first battle with Lucy after she had taken him down, he attempted to find a way to beat her...even if such a thing didn't work out in the end.

--> '''Lucy''' : "I wonder why... No matter how much I endure... It looks like I still won't get to live happily..."

--> '''Professor Kakuzawa''' (to Bando): ''The human race, [[SurroundedByIdiots full of idiots]]... is better off decreasing.''[[note]]The context for the quote is better off [[{{Squick}} not worth mentioning]].[[/note]]

** The most egregious example is - again, from the manga - the Director and Shirakawa. He finds out [[spoiler:she's a spy]]: He graphically molests her and uses the NotIfTheyEnjoyedItRationalization to humiliate her. It comes out of nowhere, it could be removed and nothing would be lost (save some exposition after the fact) and after that, it's never brought up again [[spoiler:as Lucy kills her soon after]]. At least Mayu had a character arc with her assault, this is just for shock value and more evidence to show that the Director is evil.

* PlotBasedVoiceCancellation: The first episode has a brief flashback hinting that Kouta has met Lucy before. In the orignal version, Lucy can clearly be heard saying "Liar..." over this scene. In the dub, the word is played very faintly and is overwhelmed by the background noise, so it's barely audible. This was likely to avoid giving away certain details too early.

** The virus is accurately described as a retrovirus, the class which can embed themselves into the host's DNA and pass on to descendants as latent code until reactivated. Consistent with this, it's explicitly stated that there's no cure for the virus- the vaccine would at best be a suppression measure preventing transmission to new hosts and suppressing activation and progression in carriers.
** The family line's SuperBreedingProgram attempting to wake the heritage that spawned legends of Oni with the help of a magic spring [[spoiler: saturated in radioactive minerals]] has spawned mostly generations of stillborn mutants. [[spoiler: It's left ambiguous whether their beliefs about their family's lost powers were ever anything more than legend, as they're not Diclonii- just humans who happen to have a mutation causing them to have similar horns.]]

* XenoNucleicAcid: Among the many other things the Vector Virus does, such as granting PsychicPowers and causing the development of large horns, it also causes the Diclonius to experience a "DNA Voice". This is basically a natural force they all experience that compels them to KillAllHumans and replace them with their own species. It's left ambiguous whether this voice actually exists or it's actually the result of the constant abuse, neglect, and hatred the Dicloni experience from humans that causes it.

The series' title is German for "Elves' Song" or more formally "song of the elves'" and takes its name from the poem "Elfenlied", which is featured twice in the story.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[CoversAlwaysLie Reason #12007 not to trust a series by its cover.]]]]

** The general feel of ''Elfen Lied'' is realized when the cute, [[CuteClumsyGirl clumsy]] secretary gets her head cut off in the first five-seven minutes of the first episode (and she had done ''nothing'' except walk in on Lucy's battle). And it doesn't help that Lucy uses her beheaded body as a [[BulletproofHumanShield human shield next.]]

** One interpretation is that the "genetic voice" of the Diclonii to be a simple case of egoism. It's mentioned often in the manga that human beings have a drive to expand and survive that is based primarily on egoism; it is only natural the ''Homo sapiens diclonius'' would have a similar drive. Since they are competing with humans for a place in the world, and since their vectors give them a huge advantage, it isn't difficult for them to associate their capabilities with manifest destiny and a sense of superiority, ''particularly'' after the abuse many of them receive at the hands of human beings. This serves as [[AnAesop a particularly brutal aesop]] regarding both the consequences of mistreating fellow human beings ''and'' the objective insignificance of human life. Another interpretation is that the "genetic voice" is just regular insanity and the humans simply misinterpreted the Diclonii based on that.

Compare and contrast ''Manga/{{Akira}}'', ''Manga/{{Saikano}}'', ''Manga/DeadmanWonderland'', ''Manga/{{Monster}}'', and the video game ''[[VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon F.E.A.R.]]''. For series that deal with a superpowered species, compare and contrast ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'' and ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}''. Not be confused with Okamoto's one-shot ''Elfenlied'' (often written as ''Elfen Lied''), which has nothing to do with this series. Also not to be confused with the {{Hentai}} ''Elfen Laid'' (often stylized as ''[=EL=]'').

* SurvivedTheBeginning: Many an anonymous guard is violently killed in the opening sequence, but surprisingly enough, so is the clumsy-but-lovable secretary Kisaragi, who you would've thought was well on her way to being a developed character.

* BerserkButton: It's rare that Diclonii care for a human. If they do, you really ''don't'' want to threaten that person.

''Elfen Lied'' (pronounced ''Elfen ''Leet'''', not ''Elfen "Lied"''), written and drawn by Creator/LynnOkamoto and serialized in ''Weekly Young Jump'' from 2002 to 2005, is a ''{{gorn}}ographic'' {{manga}}, which has been likened to a [[JustForFun/XMeetsY combination]] of ''Comicbook/XMen'', ''Literature/{{Carrie}}'', ''[[Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'', ''Franchise/{{Friday the 13th}}'', ''Manga/LoveHina'', ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'', ''Manga/{{Monster}}'', ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' and ''Franchise/{{Predator}}''. In other words, it's a twisted mixture of mutant battles, PsychicPowers, split personalities, pseudo-harem antics, cute girls, the male lead who discovers that the person whom he interacted during that person's childhood is evil, and of course, bucketloads of {{Gorn}} - and it's more than happy to [[MoodWhiplash swing between comedy and horror at the drop of a hat]]. It has also been compared to ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie'' [[JustForFun/XMeetsY as done by]] Creator/DavidLynch and Creator/WesCraven. There is also a 13-episode {{anime}} series of the same name that first aired in 2004, which follows the first couple of chapters but ends with [[GeckoEnding an alternative ending]] before the real plot kicks off.

* OffModel: The art in the first manga volume is a little dodgy, especially concerning Lucy's legs and several male faces. It noticeably improved, although it's not without some hiccups that carry over into ''Manga/{{Nononono}}''.

!!''Elfen Lied'' provides examples of:

* FourIsDeath: The anime frequently uses a close-up shot of the broken clock, with the second hand stuck on 4. Which character is most associated with the clock? Nyu, who is likewise broken and whose alter-ego has the highest body count of the show.

* FreezeSneeze

* TimeSkip: In the manga, six months have been passed since [[spoiler:Mariko's death]].

* ArtImitatesArt: The opening credits are in Creator/GustavKlimt's characteristic, ArtNoveau-like style.

* CreatorThumbprint: The openings of ''Elfen Lied'' and ''Sora No Woto'', both series directed by Mamoru Kanbe, feature recreations of Creator/GustavKlimt's paintings, featuring the respective shows' characters.

* ArtImitatesArt: In the opening credit, Creator/GustavKlimt.

%%* HurricaneOfPuns: Chapter 21.

* IllKillYou: Bandou repeatedly claims this to Lucy.

%%* IllKillYou: Bandou repeatedly claims this to Lucy.

%%* NakedOnArrival: Lucy.

%%* OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank: Goes right along with the HighPressureBlood.
%%* PersonOfMassDestruction: Every Diclonius has the potential to become one of these.