01 – A Chance Encounter
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Anime Series: Elfen Lied
Episode: 01 – A Chance Encounter
Read More: Elfen Lied Episode Guide
Elfen Lied starts out with plenty of bloodshed and gore when a naked psychic girl Lucy escapes from a top-secret military base by using her telepathic powers to blow up the nearby guards. Effortlessly, she deflects any bullets shot her way and walks out the exit door leaving only Chief Kurama alive. The purpose of the military base isn’t explained, but it seems apparent they are conducting experiments on humanoids. And given the carnage she leaves in her wake, Lucy obviously has a profound hatred for the place and its employees.
Before Lucy can get far, Chief Kurama summons a sniper to assassinate her before she can murder anyone else. The sniper takes aim, fires, and hits the side of her face. Lucy survives, and tumbles off the cliff into the water below.
Yuka waits at Gokurakuji Station for her childhood friend, Kohta, to arrive. The two reunite and head down to the beach to reminisce. The last time they were there, Kohta’s little sister, Kanae, was collecting sea shells.
The two aren’t there long before Yuka spots the naked Lucy in the water nearby. When they try to approach her, Lucy darts off in the opposite direction, trips and starts crying. Kohta offers her his shirt and notices two horns atop her head, which triggers an apparently horrific memory from his past, but the moment passes.
The three head back to Kaede House, where Kohta will be living while attending college. Inside, Kohta examines a broken grandfather clock while Lucy has a nervous breakdown, runs around the house frantically, then sits down and urinates on the floor. While Kohta cleans up the mess, Yuka gives Lucy a bath. They call her Nyuu since that’s the only word she says.
Meanwhile, chaos ensues at the military base now that Lucy the vicious murderer has escaped. Chief Kurama organizes a special assault team headed by an arrogant sniper named Bando, who is pleased to hunt humanoid prey.
Yuka cleans up after dinner, while Kohta continues to reminisce. He shows the girls a sea shell his sister gave to him that day on the beach and explains that it wasn’t long after that she got sick and died.
To Kohta’s horror, Nyuu picks up the sea shell and breaks it in half. Kohta calls Nyuu on her insensitivity and demands that she leave. She flees, while Yuka quietly explains to Kohta that Nyuu probably broke the sea shell because she sensed it made him unhappy. His sister never would have wanted him to remain bitter.
Outside, a chopper flies along the coast as the special assault team prepares for their mission. Nyuu sits alone on the beach crying.
Category: Elfen Lied
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