Elfen Lied: Complete Collection with OVA Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Elfen Lied: Complete Collection with OVA Blu-ray Movie Review

Follow the lieder?

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 30, 2013

Having just withstood the dubious "pleasures" of the Scanners II: The New Order / Scanners III: The Takeover double feature, forgive me if I thought for a moment that I had wandered into an alternate anime version of the supposed franchise built on the original David Cronenberg film. Much like in that film, a genetically mutated species is being utilized for nefarious scientific (and military) experimentation, and exactly like in Cronenberg’s formulation, the mutants are able to use mind control to make their enemies’ heads explode (along with various other appendages, it should be stated). And who knows? Perhaps original manga author and artist Lynn Okamoto either decided to outright crib a few ideas from the Cronenberg film, or even had some subliminal memories of having seen it years previously, memories which bubbled up into this new, but at times somewhat similar seeming, approach. There is often a kind of odd connectivity in many anime, and in the case of Elfen Lied, it’s not just limited to an admittedly perhaps questionable relationship to Scanners. The anime utilizes German episode titles (not to mention the title of the anime itself), and its opening and closing credits have unmistakable artistic parallels to the gorgeous paintings of Gustav Klimt. Is this the sign of some subtext we’re supposed to divine, or merely yet another bizarre but ultimately meaningless reference, something that anime at times at least seems to traffic in more than other genres? Klimt’s work is often deliberately sensuous and even erotic, but Elfen Lied, while perhaps having some aspects of a traditional harem series (more about that later), is actually more about separation rather than togetherness, either carnal or merely platonic. Both the manga and its resultant anime don’t shirk from the darker demons of human psychology and behavior, including the seemingly genetic (ironic, considering the show’s emphasis on mutants) proclivity to divide and categorize various folks by their characteristics. Elfen Lied is both shockingly graphic at times (this is one relentlessly bloody anime), but it also has a bizarrely innocent aspect at times, especially once the focal mutant escapes captivity and is found by two “normal” humans in a state that one can only describe as childlike.

We are first introduced to Lucy, one of a mutant species known as Diclonii (singular Diclonius) as she escapes from the research facility where she’s been held captive. Her head is encased in a metal helmet which makes her look like a weird mecha-human hybrid, but if the helmet is there to keep her telekinetic powers from wreaking havoc, it’s spectacularly unsuccessful. In an extremely bloody and graphic sequence, Lucy marauds through the facility, leaving a trail of decimated bodies in her wake. Only as she’s about to jump off of a cliff into the ocean does a government sniper manage to hit her with one well aimed shot, resulting in some head trauma that creates the waiflike alternate personality that Lucy exhibits when she’s found by two teenagers on a beach one day. Since that personality is only able to utter the nonsense word “Nyu”, that’s what cousins Kouta and Yuka decide to name her.

The series seems for a moment like it’s going to venture into more traditional shōnen or slice of life fare after the cousins take their self-named Nyu home, but once a series of enemies shows up determined to reclaim Nyu (and/or Lucy), the series reveals its true leanings, which are decidedly violent while also making some none too subtle, but nevertheless worthwhile, points about who the real monsters are: the Diclonii, who can kill at the veritable drop of a hat, or the machinating humans who have been discriminating against them as well as experimenting on them.

While there is some interesting back story revealed in the series’ thirteen episodes (plus an OVA), including a too pat connection between Lucy and Kouta, the show tends to focus more on the current predicament of the main trio. Some other female characters also show up, giving at least the whiff of a harem outing, though this show is pretty resolutely asexual, despite those Klimt allusions and some rampant nudity on the part of Lucy. The tinge of harem anime is perhaps also felt in some really strange comedic elements which seem shoehorned into the proceedings and are distinctly at odds with the rest of this often dark and introspective feeling series.

The series draws its battle lines quickly and efficiently, pitting humans against Diclonii, with Lucy’s relationship with Kouta and the ultimate other residents of his household a rare—and at times faltering—exception. Elfen Lied relies on a few too many coincidences, some of which come perilously close to “Luke, I am your father” (sic) self-parody, but rather commendably there’s a good deal of emotion built up for what is a somewhat ambiguous but still hopeful feeling finale.

Elfen Lied: Complete Collection with OVA Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Elfen Lied first aired in 2004, just on the cusp of when series, either animated or not, were making the transition into full time high definition. Cursory research has uncovered sources which differ about whether this show was produced and aired in HD, but my hunch is, after having seen this Blu-ray edition, that it probably wasn't. While ADV's AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1 doesn't look like a typical upscale to me (there's little if any telltale signs like rampant stairstepping on line detail, and the previously released Japanese Blu-rays were reportedly sourced from true HD masters), this is still a very soft looking presentation. There are some occasional problems with image stability (the opening credits in particular suffer from quite a bit of shimmer), but overall things look solid here if not especially mind blowing. Colors are nicely saturated, and the series' kind of minimalistic design aesthetic comes through decently. Fans of the series will already know this is not the most detailed animation to begin with, and so some slack has to be granted the perhaps incremental improvement in appearance this Blu-ray offers. This is therefore going to be one of those "glass half full, glass half empty" Blu-ray releases for fans of the series. Those who only caught the broadcast version and skipped the DVD releases will probably be at least reasonably pleased with this new Blu-ray. Those who have the DVDs and were hoping for a major uptick in resolution and clarity may be disappointed by this release.

Elfen Lied: Complete Collection with OVA Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Elfen Lied features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mixes in both the original Japanese as well as an English dub. There's a slight but still noticeable difference between these two mixes, with the English language version having a somewhat muffled upper register that is especially apparent during musical moments as well some of the more bombastic action sequences. The Japanese track just sounds brighter, for want of a better word, with a much more present high end and midrange. That said, both of these mixes are quite immersive, nicely opening up the soundfield and offering consistent levels of surround activity. Aside from the anomaly on the English language version, fidelity is very good and dynamic range is extremely wide.

Elfen Lied: Complete Collection with OVA Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Character Artwork (1080p; 17:33)


• Production Artwork (1080p; 16:36)


• Clean Opening Animation (1080p; 1:32)


• Clean Closing Animation (1080p; 1:32)

Elfen Lied: Complete Collection with OVA Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Elfen Lied is another one of those cult anime that has a rather large and devoted following, but which perhaps simply doesn't have enough mass appeal to ever spill over beyond its niche fan base. Part of that may be due to the extremely graphic and violent nature of the series, but for those with the stomach for quite a bit of animated gore, Elfen Lied actually has at least a bit more on its mind than the typical action-fest. Its points may not be the most subtle in memory, but things are handled with some decently smart writing and well developed characters. This Blu-ray offers a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to video quality (as discussed above), and while the English audio has some minor issues, the original Japanese track is quite robust and clear sounding.