I've been craving some older anime for a while now, really wanting some of those beautiful darker colour palettes and some creative animation. Mixed with the fun of unique storytelling that showcases a wide range of characters and ideas. Now, I know Elfen Lied is by no means an older anime, I wouldn't consider a creation from 2004 to be old at all. Though I'm sure a lot of the more modern audiences would strongly disagree with that. That said, Elfen Lied has been one of the most frequent anime shows to appear whenever I would search for something cyberpunk related. I'm not sure why, but I just never really bothered to give it a chance. I remember trying to watch it a long time ago, barely getting through the first episode and pretty much not remembering a single thing from it. I felt a bit like I was in a fever dream while watching through the first episode again, it felt new but revisited. Certain aspects of its story in that first episode seeming like I had seen it countless times but just couldn't remember a thing from it. But I told myself that this time I would stick with it, to really give it the chance it deserves. After all, it was considered one of the more popular anime shows from that era. And it did appear within almost every cyberpunk anime list I could find back in the day.
I have to say, I didn't expect it to be as good as it is. I for some reason must've felt back in the day that the animation just didn't appeal to me, or perhaps the story just didn't manage to hold my attention. I can't remember what exactly the reason was for never sticking with it, but whatever that reason was, I don't think it matters now as I feel much more prepared to go through it. More appreciative of the animation world and various art styles as my interest in the arts has increased since. I think that's important when trying to revisit something that perhaps just didn't quite click with you in the past. To simply wait for some growth within yourself, some changing of interests with age, and then giving it another go later on. And that is precisely what I have chosen to do here with Elfen Lied. Instantly that animation clicked. The directing style was strong off the bat and pulled me in. A strong action sequence within the first episode that really displayed what sort of things the show could do, and would proceed with down the line. I thoroughly enjoyed the hand drawn animation side of things, and the style that seemed to have a mixture of modernity to it, while still having that more traditional line work we tend to see in older productions.
After all, this was before digital animation really took off, even in Hollywood. Things were still often done by hand, with few areas of computer generated effects starting to appear within productions. At the same time, the Japanese world of animation still had its hands deeply connected with the hand drawn side of things, still very much engaged with utilising technology for productions only when necessary. As for that's how the industry perceived it: a tool to be utilised sparingly.
After all these years, I don't think Elfen Lied is all that much of my thing. I have been giving it a few episodes here and there, but I find that the story and the humour of it tends to be the kind of anime structure I can't find much connection with. That said, it's an anime that has some really cool action scenes and that's ultimately what keeps me around. These scenes contain the greatness of more traditional anime in that they're riddled with gore and those action scenes are directed in really impactful manners. Elfen Lied is about a girl that breaks out of a science laboratory having massacred everyone on her way out. A being of great power that can kill without directly touching anything. These scenes show her sheer power, but the show wants to show her more innocent, human nature throughout. This comes to where I feel that the episodes lose me the most: this innocence and lack of awareness tends to be overly sexualised in moments, areas of nudity and that typical Japanese immaturity that comes with it. I don't have a problem with things being sexualised, it's more that the problem of sexualisation comes from over-saturation in the anime world, especially in modern day where it feels like all of it is trying to pull you in with certain perspectives or character designs that don't hold much to the story.
I understand the need to display a contrast in our character's abilities and their true nature of being someone that is capable of caring and being more human. Showcasing how even in their great strength they are often the prey rather than the predator. I just think that sometimes that seriousness and weight of the story is removed in pursuit of these sexualised moments that are aimed at being more comedic and lighthearted. It's through this that I'd rather prefer things to remain dark, particularly with those really cool action scenes I mentioned previously. And some episodes are incredibly strong with their focus on the being hunted side of things, the choreography and animation side of things is genuinely impressive, to which I really enjoyed seeing how characters reacted in such scenarios. There was weight to the episodes where it felt necessary, where it mattered the most. Though I haven't yet finished the show, I'm curious as to whether things change or improve. Perhaps as things get worse, the tension increases and the more comedic, slice-of-life side of things are replaced. In such moments it almost feels like a different show entirely. A change in pacing, even visuals.
This change in tone feels odd at times, but I see how it can be impactful in displaying the changes in that character as they learn more about what it means to be alive, being taken care of and getting a glimpse of good despite all the bad they surround themselves with. In terms of character development it certainly makes sense, but yeah, sometimes I feel like the anime just isn't for me. My feelings towards the show are mixed, and it's definitely not the best nor the worst anime I have seen. I'd say the character designs are a strange thing that vary from time to time, where sometimes the show looks great and other times the designs look a little too simplistic and generic. Either way, I'm curious as to where this story is heading. I'll stick with it this time and perhaps I'll continue to be surprised by it.
se ve interesante, buena reseña!
looks interesting, good review!