(This is my first manga review, sorry if it's not helpful.)

Elfen Lied, a manga by Lynn Okamoto, published in 2002 to 2005, with twelve volumes collected, with an anime adaptation. It is considered as one of the goriest series of all time. Believe or not, I really enjoyed this series.

I first started out Elfen Lied by the anime, it got me easily hooked by the second episode, and after finishing the anime, I wanted more. I found out it was based on a manga, and the anime and manga are different, which then I immediately started reading it. If I could describe the manga in one sentence, I would say "A rollercoaster of emotion."

Story 10/10
The story got me easily hooked, it's original and well written. The anime ended in a note where many questions were unanswered, however, the manga answers most of them. One thing about the story of the manga however, is the ending, I think the ending was very confusing and I'm still trying to figure it out to this day. The story goes in a bit of a slow pace however.


Art 8/10
A lot of people say the art is not very good, I have to agree around the first volume, the art is not the best. However, around volume 10 till the ending, the art changed, it looks very sci-fi like and it's very detailed. Don't believe me? Compare the art from the volume 1 and volume 12, and tell the differences.

Characters 9/10
Heck, this story when it comes to characters, it does a great job with backstories and why the character acts that way. My favorite character is Lucy, mostly because she's one of the most well written characters I have ever seen. The side characters are also likable (except Yuka), one of them was Nana, she was the comedy relief of the story, and she did handle them well. The side villains such as Kurama or Bando are even likable even if they did horrifying things in their lifes.

Enjoyment 8/10
If you are not okay with people having their limbs torn off or people getting dismembered, then this story will not be the best choice for you. This story has so much gore, I don't think I've read a manga with that much gore. The story has also a lot of nudity, if you dislike seeing cute girls naked, then maybe this won't be your kind of story. There is so much nudity in this, it was pretty close of being a hentai. The story also tackles issues such as pedophilia and how people treat other people due to their differences.

Overall 10/10
I personally enjoyed this manga, I understand there are people who dislike this manga due to its graphic violence and nudity. I liked this story because it's different from other stories I've read in the past. If you're looking for a story that is dark and also has its sad moments, Elfen Lied is perfect for you.

Thanks for reading my review :)