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Is Elfen Lied bigger than its value?

Tounsi_Tag

Tounsi_Tag

Member
Oct 29, 2017
492
Elfen Lied has always been an anime that fascinated me. I think it's mediocre and has a lot of elements that I disdain ( all the harem and nudity although the latter does have symbolism in relation to how the diclonius are seen as less than human). It does have an amazing ost and some high highs in the way it tackles its themes away from the narrative shenanigans that it pulls.

However, it's an anime that always felt more impactful and bigger than I would have thought had I just watched it and not read about it online. It only has a short run with 13 episodes and is ranked 30 on my animelist ( ranking higher than Evangelion for example which I'd never have guessed). I see it referenced here and there and seems to just have a general " weight " to it in the anime world. I can see the gore and violent playing a role in that and would think many used it as a gateway to introduce others to anime as an " adult medium" . But I am intrigued to hear some of your thoughts on it and its place among watchers.
 
Brazil

Brazil

Actual Brazilian
Member
Oct 24, 2017
18,416
São Paulo, Brazil
It's a right time, right place thing, I think. It's clearly just a mediocre show, but it arrived at just the perfect time when a lot of Western anime fans were looking to graduate from the usual shonen fare.
 
collige

collige

Member
Oct 31, 2017
12,772
I dropped it after like 5 episodes, it was pretty bad. I think most of the hype just comes from the absurd levels of violence.
 
Hayama Akito

Hayama Akito

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,326
Elfen Lied is one of the worst anime ever made, it was like a reunion of 40 years old japanese anime businessman with the topic "okay guys, what does the 12 years old kids like? oh, sure, blood, tits and pseudo-deep stuff that it's not deep at all" and voilá, Elfen Lied. It's 100% a product of it's time that is high respected in some anime circles because, well, they saw it as 12 years old kids with curiosity and made an impression.

Obviously I sound like an old shit because that's what I am, the eighties and nineties were already with too much "shock value" anime for me so this was too dejavu. Elfen Lied was a joke if you saw M.D. Geist 10 years before.
 
Matsukaze

Matsukaze

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,232
It's dreadful.

Both its plot and characters were well below average in terms of quality, but it managed to snag people's attention with the promise of ultraviolence. It belongs in the dumpster.
 

Ragnorok64

Banned
Nov 6, 2017
2,955
Did the anime even finish the story? I've never watched it, just read the manga, be it seems odd to see it referred to as if only the anime exists.

That said m, even having read the entire story nothing about it really sticks in mind as being all that great, overall.
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
10,195
Coral Springs, FL
I always liked the show, it wasn't afraid to push the envelope and do some serious trope subversions.
Ragnorok64 said:
Did the anime even finish the story? I've never watched it, just read the manga, be it seems odd to see it referred to as if only the anime exists.

That said m, even having read the entire story nothing about it really sticks in mind as being all that great, overall.
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From what I've heard about the manga, the anime ending is far better. I like the ballsiness of the sudden open ended gutpunch.
 
OP
OP
Tounsi_Tag

Tounsi_Tag

Member
Oct 29, 2017
492
Ragnorok64 said:
Did the anime even finish the story? I've never watched it, just read the manga, be it seems odd to see it referred to as if only the anime exists.

That said m, even having read the entire story nothing about it really sticks in mind as being all that great, overall.
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Didn't the anime adapt like .... exactly half the content of the manga or something without actually finishing it?
I didn't mention the manga because it always felt like a separate entity from the " phenomenon" of EL the anime.
 
Segafreak

Segafreak

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,756
Tounsi_Tag said:
Elfen Lied has always been an anime that fascinated me. I think it's mediocre and has a lot of elements that I disdain ( all the harem and nudity although the latter does have symbolism in relation to how the diclonius are seen as less than human). It does have an amazing ost and some high highs in the way it tackles its themes away from the narrative shenanigans that it pulls.

However, it's an anime that always felt more impactful and bigger than I would have thought had I just watched it and not read about it online. It only has a short run with 13 episodes and is ranked 30 on my animelist ( ranking higher than Evangelion for example which I'd never have guessed). I see it referenced here and there and seems to just have a general " weight " to it in the anime world. I can see the gore and violent playing a role in that and would think many used it as a gateway to introduce others to anime as an " adult medium" . But I am intrigued to hear some of your thoughts on it and its place among watchers.
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What does "bigger than its value" mean?

Yeah it's pretty popular, one of those first anime people watch when they venture outside the shonen types. As far as quality goes, it's not even ranked in the top 1000 anime on MAL. That popularity ranking means little, else DBZ would be 1st on there.

Grouch Douglass said:
Was about to say the same thing. Probably my fav opening in any anime. Here is the extended version which I have in one of my playlists.

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His video is 2 seconds longer lol.
 
Surakian

Surakian

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
10,821
The opening song is 90% all I remember about that show. The rest is just how much I absolutely hated the show.
 
Freezasaurus

Freezasaurus

Member
Oct 25, 2017
56,963
I never liked it. I've never been into misery porn. Made in Abyss is the newer show that's on my shit list.
 

Deleted member 2840

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
5,400
It's edgy shit with fake "deep" stuff, so perfect for teenagers. As I was a teenager when I watched it I lapped it the hell up.
 

VAD

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,518
Ellen Lied, that's a name I haven't heard in a long time... It was indeed babby's first anime in the 00's and I liked it for its opening and the gratuitous violence. I don't think I would be able to rewatch it though. Maybe if they remake it with a proper ending...
 

Deleted member 27246

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 30, 2017
3,066
The opening theme is great. As a teenager I liked the violence except
the puppy scene :(

But yeah it ain't great.
 
Sanka

Sanka

Banned
Feb 17, 2019
5,778
The opening sequence where these invisible hands kill everyone kinda got viral back in the day. It was the edgy show to recommend to people. A proto AoT.
 
Hektor

Hektor

Community Resettler
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
9,884
Deutschland
Elfenlied became popular because a lot of early days weebs used it to justify the medium as "mature" because it has blood and tits despite the fact that the maturity of the show is mostly just edgyness disguising incredibly bad writing.

It was treated as a "gateway" anime because of it, one of the reasons i so despise this shitty show.
 
B-Dubs

B-Dubs

That's some catch, that catch-22
General Manager
Oct 25, 2017
32,721
It's one of those faux-edge shows. You know, the kinda thing that promises to be grown-up but is really just violent instead. It doesn't actually cut, it's quite juvenile despite how it's sold. The show just happened to come at a time where people were looking for more "adult" shows, not realizing that violence doesn't make something grown-up.
 
OP
OP
Tounsi_Tag

Tounsi_Tag

Member
Oct 29, 2017
492
Segafreak said:
What does "bigger than its value" mean?

Yeah it's pretty popular, one of those first anime people watch when they venture outside the shonen types. As far as quality goes, it's not even ranked in the top 1000 anime on MAL. That popularity ranking means little, else DBZ would be 1st on there.
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Value as in quality and what it has to offer to the world of Anime in proportion to its popularity.
It's a short anime from 16 years ago that is still popular today. It's not exactly remembered for its quality and many people acknowledge its shortcomings. It didn't have a long-running where I can see it building a strong and committed fanbase. It also came out at a time where online discussions were not as prevalent as today so I find it hard to see how a " mediocre " anime with just 13 episodes would stick to people's minds like this?
 
Chairmanchuck (另一个我)

Chairmanchuck (另一个我)

Teyvat Traveler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,082
China
Tounsi_Tag said:
Value as in quality and what it has to offer to the world of Anime in proportion to its popularity.
It's a short anime from 16 years ago that is still popular today. It's not exactly remembered for its quality and many people acknowledge its shortcomings. It didn't have a long-running where I can see it building a strong and committed fanbase. It also came out at a time where online discussions were not as prevalent as today so I find it hard to see how a " mediocre " anime with just 13 episodes would stick to people's minds like this?
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Because to many it was their first "violent" anime that they used to show others that "anime isnt just for kids".
 
caliph95

caliph95

Member
Oct 25, 2017
35,160
The only time i ever hear about it it's about how edgy it is

I guess Attack on Titan was a similar type of show anime fans discovering a mature and shocking show and blowing up as a result. Though also you know good and i hear praises of it's writing (I'm caught up with the anime)
 
wenis

wenis

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,105
It's up there with Fight Club, South Park, Joker, 500 days of summer where if you don't realize how shallow it is as you're consuming it you may not have lived enough or have a wide enough perspective to recognize just how dumb and probably boring it is.

elfen lied. I'm glad I grew up.
 
Dust

Dust

C H A O S
Member
Oct 25, 2017
32,169
When I watched EL years ago, I was really sick in bed (this is what happens when you go outside with your friends when it is -5C and you just washed your hair) and most of the show felt like fever dream.

Wasn't there just out of the blue/random "wanna see/suck my tits?" during normal conversation or something?
 
Nightbird

Nightbird

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
3,780
Germany
electricblue said:
The opening theme was amazing, show ehh not so much
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The only good thing that came from the show.

The rest is so incredibly mediocre that nowadays no one would care about it beyond the first few episodes.

I remember back then when I first discovered the series that I was disappointed that the ending wasn't the actual ending of the story but after reading the rest I was actually quite happy that it ended where it ended.


All in all, Lilium is the only good thing that came from Elfen Lied lol
 

Deleted member 5745

Account closed at user request
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
5,429
I absolutely loved it back in the day, when I was just starting to watch anime.

Nowadays, I recognize that it's absolutely meh but I can still enjoy it somewhat.
 
RedHoodedOwl

RedHoodedOwl

Member
Nov 3, 2017
14,244
Yeah, the scene with the kids bludgeoning a puppy to death so Lucy can brutally murder them was just so stupid.
 
br0ken_shad0w

br0ken_shad0w

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,092
Washington
caliph95 said:
The only time i ever hear about it it's about how edgy it is

I guess Attack on Titan was a similar type of show anime fans discovering a mature and shocking show and blowing up as a result. Though also you know good and i hear praises of it's writing (I'm caught up with the anime)
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Though I don't think it really blew up, more like hey here's this edgy show and then people eventually moved on after realizing there's no weight behind it. Kind of like the School Days anime.
 

Sixfortyfive

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
4,615
Atlanta
I just enjoy rooting for the occasional villain protagonist. That whole world sucks and Lucy might as well just off them all.

Didn't really feel like a show with any lasting impact, though.
 

iRAWRasaurus

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,729
I read the authors 3 main titles. Finished reading Elfen lied, read 70% of the darkness title and skipped to the ending. Then read a few chapters and skipped around in his newest work. Let me say, his series may seem interesting at first glance but it's prob better if you pass on his work.
 
BrickArts295

BrickArts295

GOTY Tracking Thread Master
Member
Oct 26, 2017
13,742
RedHoodedOwl said:
Yeah, the scene with the kids bludgeoning a puppy to death so Lucy can brutally murder them was just so stupid.
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That scene was just...
giphy.gif
 
rottenpie

rottenpie

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,308
Elfen Lied's OP is iconic and the first episode was good, but everything else is trash
 
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