Elfen Lied

Overall rating 9/10

Obvious spoilers in the characters section and generally throughout
Now time to break down the elements and put down my thoughts into each section

Plot/Story
I personally enjoyed the plot/story of Elfen Lied, a genetic modification of humans that go by the name of Diclonius have a motive to rebirth Earth using their own species, eliminating humans in the process in order to create the ideal advanced society, this is the summary of the story. Beyond a simple story explanation there is a duality and depth to the Diclonius themselves in their actions, you begin to ask yourself if the violence in their nature is born naturally or created by the way they are treated by humans. Pacing for a 13 episode series felt good, questions are proposed in the beginning that progress throughout the watching experience, and the revelations felt rewarding in my opinion. Although some may argue it's not the most in depth story to ever be written, and this is to be expected, there is a lot more substance beyond the face value of the gore and nudity. A primary theme of death, tragedy and trauma.

Animation/Design
Environments are pleasant, specifically the shots of the stone stairwell that lead to the view looking upon the sea, the Kaede-House itself and the surrounding land are also well designed including the steps proceeding to the property. The cities and fairs are well designed, nothing stood out as unrealistic or vacant, the glow of lights from lamps and fire felt like it had its own warmth. The beach location feels authentic with the various buildup of equipment, aged by salt water and air, used by anglers and seamen alike. Last majorly notable location I will mention is the sterile and concrete feel of the research facility, with its blank colors and tight security personnel/equipment, mixed with the contrast of the colors that belong to the bosses office, draped in blues overlooking the sea.

Characters
Kouta:
Sometimes he seems blindly kind to people, taking bloodied people off of a beach and offering them refuge into their own home, walking out into knowingly dangerous circumstances. Besides general flaws I would debate that Kouta is a rather interesting character. His past trauma has been suppressed by his mind, notably how Yuka says he spent a year in the hospital after the accident. Kouta is an example of how I believe the story has more depth behind it just beyond the simple things the show is known for. The effects of PTSD add layers to his character and to the story, driving some of the plot that he and Lucy share. Generally interesting development
Yuka:
Yuka is arguably a more one dimensional character, most of her devotion is towards her growing affection towards Kouta as they rekindle a connection after years apart, post incident. She does feel like an anchor character, prompting help and compassion towards her surrounding companions, Mayu compares her to feeling like the mother of the house, she exhibits these instincts with her general caring of Kouta, Lucy, Nana and Mayu. She has the occasional humorous interaction with Kouta, for the majority though there is a sense of sadness knowing despite how Yuka has looked up to Kouta from very early on, it seems as though she is either cast aside or replaced despite her displays of how she feels. She's a rock but also depressing, doesn't stand out as strongly as Kouta or Lucy throughout the primary bulk of story.
Mayu:
Introduced later on, Mayu is a homeless girl running away from her abuse and strife in the household she came from, then being adopted into the Kaede-House. Similar to Yuka she feels like an anchor character, providing emotional support and reassurance in time of need, notably she is the one that tells Yuka that she sees her as a motherly figure. Her character is featured more so with Nana and feels like the companion character to her development, similar to how Kouta and Lucy are the driving force of each other. I don't really have nearly as much to say about Mayu, I don't really have any inherent character flaws to point, besides her blind ambition to run into Lucy and Nana during their initial fight. Generally a stable character who builds on Nana and adds more than she would take away from the story.
Lucy:
One of the primary characters, Lucy could essentially be argued as the main character to this show. From the notable first episode all the way until the end. Lucy is the most interesting and dynamic character of the bunch to me, her split personality creating Miss Nyu and herself feels both unique and offers depth to the story. Lucy is the textbook example of the earlier question of whether or not Diclonius are truly aggressive by nature, or are swayed by the actions of humans. Her back story portrays the tragic nature of how people treated her for being different, breaking her spirit with their cruel behavior and actions and thus awakening her pact with the demons inside her and vowing her to kill all the humans that stand in her way. There is a recurring theme of tragedy in this show, Lucy being a prime example of this from the inception of her character until the last moments of the show. The visual change when her personality splits from Nyu to Lucy is well done and provides a sense of dread when you realize the resentful murderer has been awakened again. You can tell she has pure intentions with some of the actions she makes, it seems that the path she has chosen is not her most ideal image of life, it allows you to debate whether or not she is pure evil or has chance for redemption. She makes an excellent driver to the plot and a good companion character to Kouta.
Nana:
Nana is the other primary Diclonius that ends up living with the main cast. Nana compared to Lucy has much more clear intentions, she does not seem to have the inability to stop herself from killing the humans that surround her. She is clearly displayed as a weaker character, losing to her first battle with Lucy, given a second chance at life she is eventually looped back around in a twist of fate to the Kaede-House by the kind hand of Mayu, with some time she realizes that Lucy, most of the time Nyu is not the same murderer that she initially knew. She becomes another part of the family, all which come to assist each other come the conclusion of the show. Her and Mayu make a good example of companion characters. Generally a good character, sometimes feels like potential fodder, but she drives the story and comradery of the group.
Mariko/Kurama:
I'm going to bundle these characters together as I feel like they can be summed up together relatively well. Kurama is another key example of tragedy, undertaking the task of killing the Diclonius offspring by his own will, the one he couldn't kill though was his own daughter, Mariko, by the dying wish of his wife. Mariko is the obvious ace in the sleeve, locked up tightly, and although physically weak she has the strongest example of hands (vectors) of any of the Diclonius. She is aware that Kurama is her father, the duality and sorrow between the characters was genuinely sad and felt like a further stab into the tragedy of Kuramas development. Despite her raw display of power there is not much I can say about Mariko, her inclusion was rather late. The sacrifice made in the conclusion was one of the more tugging revelations despite it occurring so close to the end.

Audio/Soundtrack
The OP, Lilium, and it's inclusion in the soundtrack is one of my personal favorites. The song has a part of the plot, being a recognized tone from a music box that was a centerpiece to Kouta and Lucy when they initially met as children, also having part to do with the final scenes of the anime. The rest of the soundtrack is the typical music placement to evoke emotion depending on the subject of the given scene. The OP itself is enough to stand out in my mind and be infinitely relatable to the show and the feelings left after completing it.

Conclusion
Elfen Lied is a unique and enjoyable experience, bringing a likable and interesting cast that delves into deeper meanings and asks questions about the deeper effects of the mind and how death, tragedy and trauma can be displayed in a visual form of media. I would actively recommend the show to people I know, although I would urge them to read the description of the anime and some of it's more notoriously controversial subject matter before they decide to delve into it, unless they are like me and don't necessarily care about the more 'visual' parts of the show. It has been described as 'edgy' and yes, it is, but not so to the point that in my conclusion of viewing, that it made me wish I could go tear people in half in the blink of an eye. it evoked emotion in me and was generally a feels-y conclusion that made me sympathize for people that aren't even real. Deserving of my personal rating of 9/10

I am by no means a good reviewer, this is the first major one I have done, there needs to be much reform to make my analysis and thoughts more concise and useful to readers to get an idea of how good/bad an anime is with providing valid written construct without it feeling like a bland summarization.