The ultra violet sci-fi anime that inspired Stranger Things is now on Amazon Prime Video

According to Jonathan Klotz
| Published 27 seconds ago

for a whole generation Elfen lied was an introduction to the world of anime, mainly because if you can get through the gore, violence, and fanservice in this series, you can get through almost any other major anime series. The cute box art and character designs hide the edge and self-seriousness found within them, which, let’s be honest, hasn’t aged at all. The series’ influence extended beyond the anime world, with the murderous Lucy quoted by the Duffer brothers directly influencing the film’s design. Stranger Things Eleven.

A telekinetic girl meets a naive boy

Once you hear that the telekinetic Lucy who was so traumatized by her experience in the secret facility where she was with the other Diclonius….Diclonius?…. a mutant species that has begun to appear and poses a growing threat to normal humans, has been studied for years. Lucy’s escape inside Elfen lied is noticeably more violent than Eleven’s in Stranger Things Season 1, with significantly more blood and more dead bodies used as shields, but each one ends up being saved by a well-meaning young boy who falls in love with a girl who could kill him with the power of her mind.

Elfen lied quickly settles in after escaping the lab and soon finds a rhythm that will sustain him for 13 episodes. Lucy, who loves killing people and takes sadistic pleasure from it, is replaced by a different personality, Nya, for most of the show’s duration. As Nyu, Lucy is friendly and innocent and does not want to harm anyone with her telekinetic powers, which manifest as invisible arms, nicknamed “Vectors”, although she retains the potential to destroy all of humanity.

That’s a remarkable feat Elfen lied manages to switch between heartfelt drama, coming-of-age romance, and ultra-violent slaughter-fest in the course of a single episode. Some parts haven’t really aged well over the years, namely the fanservice and occasional gore due to the gore, but others, including the surprisingly deep characterizations of what on the surface looks like a schlock fest, remain relevant today. You just have to get past the gore to find human emotion, even in Diclonius’ inhuman characters.

Elfen Lied is not for everyone

Stranger Things drawn from many mediums, especially 80s classics, incl Akirathe seminal sci-fi anime that redefined the entire entertainment industry so Elfen lieda 2004 release serving as the blueprint for one of the biggest breakthroughs of the last decade is a little surprising. On the other hand, there’s still nothing like the unique combination of anime genres, which is a great introduction to animeand also a very horrible intro, all at the same time. Needless to say, this is absolutely not for kids, no matter how cute the DVD cover looks.

Elfen lied it wasn’t my introduction to anime; that was the Toonami block on Cartoon Network a decade earlier, but it was one of the first I watched when I picked up the medium again. At the time, I was used to the grim darkness and self-seriousness of 90s mainstream comics, which created a bizarre mix of harem anime settings, Crazycarnage in style and overly cute characters, just the kind of weird I needed at the time. It also helps that music, especially Lilyis an absolute blast and every time it’s played you’ll find the motivation to continue with the next episode.

Elfen lied is available to stream on Amazon Prime.