I want to start this review by saying two things; one this will not be an especially long review and two, that I have been a fan of the anime for Elfen lied since I was at least in middle school. I had not gotten around to reading the manga until this year and I'm very glad I did. I personally consider both the anime and the manga to be equally valid pieces of media that both should be experienced. The anime only covers about half of the story from Elfen Lied and similar to the anime for the Claymore series it had its own anime original ending. I never thought anything could top the wonderful, bittersweet and touching ending of the anime, that is until I finished the manga. The manga expands on that same sort of feeling the anime version was going for with its ending.

I personally think that it's ideal to maybe start with the anime for newer fans and to then go and read the manga. One of the things I loved about the manga was the inclusion of the character of Nozomi, who had been left out of the anime for what I think were some censorship reasons due to her unique problem of always urinating herself. Yes Elfen Lied has comical and ecchi things like that but it's more than anything a tale of suffering, anger, sadness but also a tale of fellowship, humanities positive qualities eventually outweighing the negative and certainly a tale of redemption. Some people consider Lynn Okamoto's art to be " amateur" but I personally love that sort of style. His characters are all very unique looking in their designs that stand out from more standard manga and anime that some people new to the medium of entertainment might not be used to. His female characters are especially cute and erotic, and this also adds to their appeal. Above all though it also serves as an interesting contrast between the very cute artistical style and the often-hellish things that transpire in this work.

Elfen lied is full of tonal shifts between very slice of life and wholesome moments to very dark and painful ones. I feel this is something that adds an immense realism to the work. Many people might find such a thing unrealistic but imo it's quite the opposite and serves as an accurate portrayal of the dichotomy between human beings and our ability to immerse ourselves in both our happiest moments and our most miserable. Lucy at her worst is a lonely broken hearted killing machine who lashes out in her seething at times unquenchable anger at humanity who made her suffer so much. At her best Lucy is a genuinely sweet girl who more than anything wants to be loved, to be held, to be accepted, to feel safe, to feel closeness with others and to protect those she loves. At times in this story, particularly the manga; it felt as if Lucy was the main villain and there were times where I rooted against her from the bottom of my heart. By the same token there were times when I cried for her and felt the deepest of compassion towards her from the bottom of my heart. Lucy is a character with a number of personalities inside her but ultimately in either version of this story she is a creature that deserves warmth. While both the anime and manga portray this brilliantly, I feel the manga does a slightly better job because it takes the idea further and to a greater scale.

All of the supporting cast is well written and uniquely interesting. I'm particularly fond of Nana and Mariko, part of that is that's just the part of me that yearns for a daughter. Nana and Mariko went through so much but they're good girls who love their papa more than anything. This story has so much pain and suffering and the faint of heart types will probably have a very tough time and not enjoy. But personally, I'm not concerned with such people at all. My reason for writing this review is to get people who are into this sort of genre and who may have seen the anime to also explore the brilliant manga version of the tale. If you like the psychosocial and horror genre with slice of life elements present than I recommend this story. If you like the dichotomy between Okamoto's cute art style and his often-bittersweet writing style than I highly recommend it and lastly if you enjoyed the anime version than I implore you to read this manga. Everything you loved in the anime is present here and it is fleshed out even further. I honestly have hopes that perhaps someday the manga will receive a full adaptation but with anime often being toned down from their manga counterparts more than ever these days I know that is a pipe dream for now.