I've seen my fair share of putrid and insulting trash that ends up being acclaimed to the heavens by masses but this show really takes the cake. If you want an example of what anime NOT to show to a newcomer to the medium or..anyone who you don't hate, by all means, shove this show into the face of anyone who you never want speaking to you ever again.<br /><br />This anime's 'plot' revolves around a mistreated, cat-eared lab rat sub- species to humans known as Diclonius who have psychic powers using 'vectors' (depicted as barely visible arms that reach out from within them) which are used for violent purposes of course. The terrible plot is thinly veiled by its excessive and 'shocking' violence where countless limbs are sliced off and bodies are beheaded. Unfortunately, not even scenes of animal or catgirl abuse, its only redeeming factors, can diminish what a torturous viewing experience it is in all...<br /><br />The story is contrived and nonsensical from its very start. A Diclonius named Lucy brutally murders many scientists and security guards, etc. at the experimental facility in which she has been confined for years. Sadly, her escape from the place is hindered by an injury to her head which results in - you guessed it - the development of an alternate personality. This is nowhere near the peak of the show's stupidity though.<br /><br />Not only does Lucy now have an alternate personality, but this new personality of hers - Nyuu - is essentially a tragically retarded and meowing human/cat hybrid. After the conveniently naked and quite creepy Nyuu is washed ashore, Kohta and his cousin Yuka discover her and do the most sensible thing possible. No, they don't call the police. They decide without any apparent forethought to take her home to live with them. Yeah, just like that. Intelligence never prevails in this show.<br /><br />Elfen Lied has a godawful cast of 'characters' with literally no redeeming qualities worth noting. Again, Nyuu is a retard and she takes up more screen time than Lucy does; this is likely because she is made to be a sadistically perverted retard who assaults other women in the household at any given opportunity. It's naturally quite fitting for a tale that is later marketed as one of tragic romance and a representation of the level of cruelty which humanity is capable of. And this leads me to the most painful aspect of the series. Its lack of understanding of the concept of subtlety. Don't you just hate it when your emotions are taken advantage of, your heart strings are pulled at when you least expect it, or when you see a lovable character die a gruesome death? If so, don't hesitate to watch Elfen Lied as this series has no idea how human beings interact, much less does it understand how to emotionally involve viewers. The only attempts the series makes to have viewers 'care' about characters is to have them viciously beaten, have their bodies ripped to bloody shreds, or, best of all, have their one and only canine companion pummeled before their eyes by plot devic-- I mean bullies. This show is just one cliché after another. There are some messages presented amidst all of this though. The series wants the viewer to sympathize with the life-ruiner Lucy, yet the best they could do is have her witness her dog's death as a child and expect that to be reason enough to side with a murderer from now on? I mean, come on..<br /><br />Then there's the moronic Kohta who does little more than act as bland as he can before the onset of his next little flashback to yet another oh-so-cleverly concocted plot device - Lucy killing his father and sister when he was a child. Wow, what a shocker that was. There is no interesting confrontation though. Just Kohta having a weirdly intense migraine upon the return of his forgotten memories and more killing. At first the show was 'so bad it's good'. Now it's 'so bad it just sucks'.<br /><br />No personality, no charisma, no likability whatsoever (except for the fact that he hasn't killed anyone). You want it? Kohta doesn't have it. But hey, this is a lonely serial killer's dream harem, right? Everyone fits right in. As for Yuka, she tries to get in the way of the 'romance' between Lucy and Kohta by being as annoying and selfish as possible. She's just a cheap tactic to get viewers to think 'hey, that psycho killer Lucy doesn't seem so bad compared to a shrill cousin'. The characters are all painted as purely evil or innocent victims of circumstance. There is no sign of complexity in characterization, no warring emotions, no real moral debating. Only ploys to get the viewer to pick sides as easily as possible while having it end as a fairy tale to convince them that what they just watched wasn't conjured solely for the purpose of shock value - why, there's a heart too!<br /><br />There is also a lot of nudity in the series that is so unnecessary and misused that it only adds to the disaster factor. There is nothing wrong with nudity - but to use it JUST to keep viewers watching? That's selling out. <br /><br />The animation and art are poor. Also, just so you know, if you think the art style used in the opening is original, it's not.<br /><br />The opening theme, Lilium is pretty but miserably out of place. After all, it is a stupid harem with boobs and blood. You get to hear the theme in supposedly moving scenes though. Just close your eyes and listen to it and the pain will become more bearable.<br /><br />Would I recommend Elfen Lied? Yes, but only if you want a legitimate reason to treasure the shows you do like, dislike, or hate. It's pretty hard to get worse than this.