Elfen Lied

Elfen Lied (German for Elf Song) is a manga and an OVA anime which spans 13 episodes (both created by Lynn Okamoto). Known for its harsh violence and sexuality, Elfen Lied's deep story deals with human evolution and centers around a character with a clashing split-personality (Lucy/Nyu).

In Elfen Lied, mutated humans called Diclonius (Plural: Diclonii) exist. These diclonii grow horns on their heads and possess telekinetic powers; they have the power to control "vectors" &mdash; invisible "arms" with telekinetic power which can easily slice through human bodies. Seeing potential for science and in fear of letting these creatures run free, scientists take to capturing diclonii and containing them in cells, where they are subjected to inhumane expirements and eventually executed. Diclonii are generally not compassionate.

One of the main characters, Lucy, is a Diclonius. Sick of her constant punishment, she breaks out of her confinement, kills the guards, and then escapes from the laboratory. After breaking out, someone shoots at her and a bullet ricochets off her head &mdash; this causes brain damage, and the brain damage in turn creates a "split personality" of Lucy &mdash; one which is much more gentle, caring, loving, and childish. Lucy &mdash; or Nyu, to say &mdash; then falls into the ocean and later washes up on a beach.

On the beach, she met Kouta and Yuka, who name her (as she was at the time, in her nicer Nyu form) Nyu. Eventually, both Lucy and Nyu will fall in love with Kouta, even though he is a human.

Lucy's personalities are completely opposite: Nyu is fun and loving, well Lucy is hateful, brutal, and unremorseful. Lucy will switch from Nyu to Lucy and vice-versa depending on what situation she is in; if she is shown kindness, she will be Nyu; if she is hated (or violently hit on the head), she will switch to Lucy.

Lucy's diclonius arms, like all other diclonius arms, can not be seen by human eyes. Most characters die at the end.