History Manga / ElfenLied

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: A [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] example occurs in the backstory. [[AntiVillain Lucy]] is by no means a hero, but Tomoo killing her puppy [[ForcedToWatch in front of her]] is what awakens Lucy's Diclonius powers, which she promptly uses to tear him apart.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Kouta lying about the gender of the cousin he was going to the festival with leads to Lucy slaughtering his sister and father in a fit of jealousy.

* NakedOnArrival: Lucy.

* NearMissGroinAttack: Female Example. Nana is chopping lettuce, but as she's using too much force, her Artificial Limbs holding the cleaver pops off, and it barely misses Yuka, who has the front of her skirt cut.

--> '''Yuu 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]]

* NoFullNameGiven: The vast majority of the main cast have either only a given name or only a family name. Yuu and Anna Kakuzawa are a rarity. Yuu Kakuzawa and Shirakawa gain names by accident in the anime. Isobe's name is hard to spot at times--he almost seems this trope.

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

* KillEmAll:
** Explicitly states that Lucy could singlehandedly cause Diclonii to outnumber humans (guaranteeing their extinction), but doesn't actually occur in the series.
** [[spoiler:Through various genetic-modifying TechnoBabble, humans create a "vaccine" that removes the Diclonii genes from humans, extinguishing them as a racial offshoot. Yeah, that's right; the Diclonii end up being the ''victims'' of genocide and rendered totally extinct. A case of GreyAndGrayMorality in that, no matter what happened one species was going to wipe out the other.]]

* CryCute: Probably because of their exaggerated eyes, but all of the main girls when they do it. Even Lucy/Nyu and Mariko in the anime.

* ViewerPronunciationConfusion: To those who don't know German, it's easy to assume that the second part of the title is pronounced like the word "lied" as opposed to "leet".

* BloodierAndGorier: While the manga is still pretty gory, the anime turned it UpToEleven. A good example is Kisaragi's death- in the manga her head is ripped clean in one swing, while in the anime it's gruesomely twisted off.

** ''[[MurderIsTheBestSolution 14]] [[UpToEleven seconds]] [[SerialKiller into]]'' the first episode, a nameless guard is beheaded by Lucy. That's right ''14 seconds in''. In this one, the clowns didn't even make it in the door, it was slammed in their face right after it was opened.

** A huge part of the show, but [[{{Jerkass}} Bandou]] ''really'' [[UpToEleven pushes the envelope]], and the Unknown Man pushes it off a cliff. Sometimes it seems that the Diclonii are more human than the actual humans, but usually not for long.

** Also, {{panty shot}}s. Lots and lots of panty shots.

** Also, panty shots. Lots and lots of panty shots. Usually immediately followed by traumatic slaughter.

* TheAbridgedSeries: Has one, but is currently on hiatus (see trope page).

* CaughtInTheRain: When Kouta and Yuka are looking for Nyu and it suddenly starts raining. By the time they find shelter at a nearby shrine, they're both drenched, so they huddle together for warmth. Yuka admits her feelings for him, kisses him unexpectedly, and tells him that she doesn't want to be separated from him again. Kouta wipes her tears away and returns the kiss. The rain stops just as suddenly as it started, and when Kouta comments on it, Yuka realizes what she did, panics a little, and falls off of Kouta's lap. Cue panty shot, AccidentalPervert, and MegatonPunch.

** Also, panty shots. Lots and lots of panty shots.

** Also, {{Panty Shot}}s. Lots and lots of panty shots.

** Also, {{Panty Shot}}s. Lots and lots of panty shots. Usually immediately followed by traumatic slaughter.

* CaughtInTheRain: When Kouta and Yuka are looking for Nyu and it suddenly starts raining. By the time they find shelter at a nearby shrine, they're both drenched, so they huddle together for warmth. Yuka admits her feelings for him, kisses him unexpectedly, and tells him that she doesn't want to be separated from him again. Kouta wipes her tears away and returns the kiss. The rain stops just as suddenly as it started, and when Kouta comments on it, Yuka realizes what she did, panics a little, and falls off of Kouta's lap. Cue PantyShot, AccidentalPervert, and MegatonPunch.

Lucy, a beautiful but lethal [[{{Mutants}} Diclonius]], [[EscapeFromTheCrazyPlace escapes from a sinister research facility]], [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill brutally slaughtering anyone that gets in her way]], whether they intended to or not. However, a glancing head shot from an anti-tank rifle leaves her injured, and she falls into the ocean, unconscious...

The series has [[SleeperHit become something of a]] CultClassic: given the heavy amounts of bloody violence and nudity, not to mention the dark tone overall (which are even worse in the manga), ''even in Japan'' the series only aired on satellite TV, as a glorified commercial for the DVD release. In North America, Creator/ADVFilms didn't seriously think the show would gain widespread popularity, if only for the pragmatic reason that it was limited to mature audiences and could only be marketed to such. There was actually supposed to be a second season, but the show had to end after only one season largely due to lack of exposure in Japan from its limited TV run. Then, ''purely by word of mouth'', it became one of ADV's top selling North American [=DVD=]s of 2005.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: A recurring theme. It’s implied that every diclonius goes through the same thing Lucy does: bullied by humans for being different until they snap and kill them, proving the humans right.

* BloodierAndGorier: While the manga is still pretty gory, the anime turned it UpToEleven. A good example is Kisaragi's death- in the manga her head is ripped clean in one swing, while in the anime it’s gruesomely twisted off.

** “Awww, look at that manga cover, with the [[http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1030/882226864_d13ec4f4c4.jpg incredibly moe pink-haired girl on the front.]] This looks like a pretty innocent ser-''WHY IS THERE SO MUCH BLOOD!?''”

* CuteIsEvil: As a general rule, if you see a cute thing (especially if it's [[EnfanteTerrible a young girl with pink hair]]), it's generally a good idea to run screaming in the opposite direction. Most of the cute characters you see are superpowered psychopaths who would just as soon tear you in half as look at you. [[TykeBomb Mariko]], for instance, is a little Diclonius in a wheelchair, [[PsychicPowers and can tear apart opponents without lifting a finger]]. Special mention to Nousou, who is drawn in an effeminate, {{Bishonen}} style and is fawned over by some of the other cute characters, suggesting that he may just be a nice guy after all. [[BaitTheDog He is then promptly shown overseeing a messy process of stripping the spinal columns out of skeletal torsos of diclonii that were killed for that express purpose.]] But the shining example is [[spoiler:the [[BigBad Diclonius DNA Voice]], the EnemyWithin to all Diclonii and the source of their evil, an entity which seeks to destroy all humanity... and takes a form resembling Kaede, [[VillainProtagonist Lucy’s]] childhood self]].

* HaremAnime: Subverted. What could've been a major harem show is a high-handed drama instead. Also, only Lucy/Nyu and Yuka loves Kouta, who is just the {{Deuteragonist}}, and Nozomi has a minor crush but it doesn’t amount to anything.

* TearsOfRemorse: [[spoiler:Lucy at the end of the story, after she regrets all she’s done.]]

* AdultFear:
** Far too many things to list, but a notable example in the manga is the character of the [[NoNameGiven Unknown Man]]. He's a sadistic rapist who was allowed to torture many Diclonii at the research facility, and he comes frighteningly close to raping Mayu as well.
** Speaking of Mayu, there's also her backstory. She was forced to escape her sexually abusive stepfather and indifferent mother, and in the anime she [[InterruptedSuicide almost]] [[SuicideBySea walks into the ocean]] after realizing she has nowhere else to go.
** A particularly abstract one is [[spoiler: Dr. Kurama]]'s slow-motion breakdown as conflicting loyalties, toxic emotional bonds, and increasingly-questioned beliefs collapse into a tangle of mental razorwire.
** And then there's the way Diclonii reproduce.

* MohsScaleOfViolenceHardness: Solid 10. If you haven't picked up on it by now, this is a really violent series.

''Elfen Lied'' (pronounced ''Elfen ''Leet'''', not ''Elfen "Lied"''), written by Creator/LynnOkamoto, 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 short {{anime}} series of the same name that follows the first couple of chapters but ends with [[GeckoEnding an alternative ending]] before the real plot kicks off.

* ArtImitatesArt: In the opening credit, Gustav Klimt.

* CreatorThumbprint: The openings of ''Elfen Lied'' and ''Sora No Woto'', both series directed by Mamoru Kanbe, feature recreations of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Klimt Gustav Klimt's]] paintings, featuring the respective shows' characters.

* BarbieDollAnatomy:
** Common in the manga, and happens a handful of times in the anime as well. There are a number of full-frontal nude shots and while neither the anime nor the manga is shy about detailing nipples, the crotches are invariably left featureless.
** Justified in that most Diclonii encountered in the story are Silpelets which are likened to worker bees. As they're sterile they may also physically lack any primary sexual characteristics as well. Lucy, on the other hand, is a "queen" and fully capable of sexual reproduction so she's presumably better equipped, so to speak.

* NotSoDifferent: The bad guys regularly visit hospitals trying to find newborn Diclonii and take them, with or without their parents' consent. Notice how this resembles stories of elves stealing human babies (changelings).

* ArtMajorPhysics:
** When an enemy is out of reach of their vectors, a Diclonius will typically use her vectors to instead throw objects at them. These thrown objects invariably behave like a bullet or arrow, regardless of the actual aerodynamic properties of the object in question.
** Of course, we're talking about ''very small'' objects thrown at the speed of a ''bullet'', like that pen that's thrown into [[EyeScream a soldier's eye]]. Played straight for extremely large objects.

* NoFirstNameGiven: The vast majority of the main cast have either only a given name or only a family name. Yuu and Anna Kakuzawa are a rarity. Yuu Kakuzawa and Shirakawa gain names by accident in the anime. Isobe's name is hard to spot at times--he almost seems this trope.