Elfen Lied has a very dark storyline, and it’s filled with violent scenes. The anime inspired the creation of many series, which turned out to be a great hit. Elfen Lied is based on a Japanese manga series of the same name, written and illustrated by Lynn Okamoto.
The series was produced by Arms studio, and it aired from July to October 2004 on AT-X. The anime was licensed in North America By ADV Films, which said that Elfen Lied was one of their bestselling releases of 2005.
The anime ended in a cliffhanger, and even after all these years, a season 2 hasn’t come out. Does this mean a season 2 will not be coming out? Or is the studio finally making a comeback? Keep reading to find out.
What happened so far in Elfen Lied
Elfen lied takes place in the cities of Kamakura and Kanagawa. The series focuses on a newly mutated species called “Diclonius,” similar to humans but are very different. They have horns on their head and telekinetic invisible arms called “Vectors.” The main character of the series is Lucy, a Diclonius who escapes a facility built for experimentation of Diclonius. During her escape, she is hit in the head by a sniper, which causes her to develop a secondary personality called Nyu. Lucy is like a one-year-old child who cannot understand anything and only speaks the word “Nyu.”
Lucy is found by two locals, Kouta and his cousin Yuka, and she begins to live with them. They often become involved with Lucy in various and sometimes brutal attempts to capture her by a Special Assault Team and some other Diclonius.
At the end of Elfen Lied, Lucy loses her horn, but she escapes the fight, reveals her emotions to Kouta, and kisses him. After which, she leaves to fight against the security team. That scene ends there, and in the next scene, The Kaede house’s family, including Nana, settle down for eating. Then, Wanta barks at the door, and Kohta leaves to see who it is, then “Lilium,” the music box, stops playing, and a figure is seen standing outside. Kouta’s grandfather’s clock also begins ticking again, which Lucy had tried fixing many times. All of this can be a hint that Lucy is the one standing outside the door.
However, the manga has a different story than the anime, which might be because the anime had ended before the manga was completed. In the manga, Lucy dies as Kouta is forced to kill her to save everyone else from dying. Afterward, in the last pages of a manga, Kouta attends the festival with his current wife, Yuka. He tells her he has to go somewhere; then he visits the place where he had initially met Lucy.
There, he finds a chest that Lucy had buried after her dog had died. A note in the chest states that her real name is “Kaede,” which means maple tree. At that moment, Kouta sees two figures walking up to him; both are twins, one is named Nyu, and the other is Lucy. Kouta realizes a connection and hugs them both, saying, “I finally found you.”
What is going on with Arms?
After Elfen Lied, Arms worked on many projects, including Girls high, Himawari!, Queen’s Blade Rebellion, and Isuca. Their last project was Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid, which aired in 2015. In August 2017, the studio officially changed its name to Common Sense but kept Arms label as their trade name.
However, on July 22, 2020, the studio filed for bankruptcy and then closed down the same year in August.
What do we know about Elfen Lied Season 2 so far?
Sixteen years have passed since Elfen Lied ended, but there still hasn’t been a Season 2. Although the anime hasn’t been officially canceled, there hasn’t been a word or rumor about its renewal either. Arms studio closed in 2020, and no other studio has revealed any news about taking over Season 2.
What are fans saying about Elfen Lied Season 2?
Although one and a half-decade has passed since Season 2, fans are still demanding a season 2 because the anime ended on a cliffhanger. Some fans believe that it has been way too long since the anime ended, so Season 2 will probably not be coming, and even if it were coming, it would be a remake of Season 1. A few fans instead want OVAs of Elfen Lied rather than a season 2.
Will there be Elfen Lied Season 2?
Elfen Lied gained a lot of popularity worldwide even many years after its release. It also inspired the creation of “Stranger things.” Elfen Lied has achieved a rating of 7.53 on myanimelist.
However, the anime has an average total sale of 3,859 DVD boxes. The anime has too much gory and brutality, which some viewers criticized due to which the fanbase of Elfen Lied is limited. But the main reason why there are low chances of having a Season 2 is that the studio behind Season 1, Arms, had filed for bankruptcy in 2020, and then it closed. Unless any other studio decides to make a sequel, the anime will not return. Since 16 years have passed since the first season, the popularity of Elfen Lied has reduced, so it isn’t very likely for another studio to make Season 2.
Another reason why there won’t be a Season 2 is the lack of source material. The manga on which this anime is based ended in August 2005. The anime adaptation is mainly created to increase the manga sales, but since there is no manga for selling, there may be no interest in creators for making a Season 2.
There have been cases where an anime has returned even after 15 years of its first season. In the case of Elfen Lied, the chances of it returning are very low, seeing the points mentioned above.
When will Elfen Lied Season 2 be released?
The release date of Elfen Lied cannot be confirmed because the producers have not confirmed if Season 2 will be coming out. Elfen Lied will most probably not come out. Surprisingly, its renewal is announced anytime soon. The anime will be released approximately a year after the announcement.
What can we expect in Season 2 of Elfen Lied?
The manga ended very differently from Elfen Lied as Lucy dies in the manga but lives in the anime. Hence, the plot of Elfen Lied cannot be predicted accurately. However, considering the cliffhanger in Elfen Lied season 1, where someone is outside the door, and it’s hinted to be Lucy, the story can continue from there. Season 2 would show how Lucy further survives in this world where she isn’t accepted.
Season 2 will show if Kouta is willing to let Lucy live with him even after knowing what she did to his father and sister. Most of the members of the research facility and the security staff were killed by Lucy. If there were to be a Season 2, a different and more powerful organization might come after Lucy to kill her.
