Comic Review: Avengers #200

Writers: Jim Shooter, David Michelinie, Bob Layton & George Pérez

Artists: George Pérez

Undoubtedly one of the most misogynistic pieces of crap that I’ve ever read! AVENGERS #200 is a sheer milestone of failure!

Ranking: ⭐

One of the biggest problems that continues to plague the comic book industry to this day is the prevalence of sexism, or bias towards female readers. Ever since comics first became prominent in the late 1930’s, there has been a common stereotype that the only audience that exists for comics is adolescent males. The stereotype exists not just among the general public, but among the comic companies themselves, as they will often attempt to pander their books solely to boys rather than appeal to a general audience. This has lead to many writers possessing a biased view towards women, which I feel hurts female comic characters in two specific ways. The first and most obvious problem is the objectification of female characters, as they are often portrayed in an overtly sexual manner (primarily through wearing revealing costumes), as conquests for the male characters, or as fragile creatures that need to be protected. While this is definitely a major problem, it’s nowhere near as damaging as the other sexist trend that plagues comics: “women in refrigerators.” Coined by feminist comic book writer Gail Simone, the phrase “women in refrigerators” refers to female comic characters who are either injured, killed, or depowered for the purpose of progressing the development of other characters (particularly men). I find this to be the worst form of sexism towards female characters, as instead of using these horrible events to further develop the female characters themselves, or to touch upon serious issues, they are instead reduced into plot devices for male characters. This not only devalues these characters as characters in my eyes, but as women as well, portraying them as both weak and as tools to progress the plot. While the stuffing of Kyle Rayner’s girlfriend’s body in a refrigerator (the case that the trope is actually named after), Sue Dibny’s rape and murder in IDENTITY CRISIS, and even Karen Page’s drug addiction and career as a porn star in the pages of DAREDEVIL are frequently referred examples, the worst case of “women in refrigerators” in my opinion, would have to be Ms. Marvel in the infamous AVENGERS #200!

While most readers today immediately think of the Muslim teenager Kamala Khan when they hear the name Ms. Marvel, she was not the first person to bear the title. That honor goes to Carol Danvers, who has currently taken on the mantel of the new Captain Marvel. For those who are unaware, Carol Danvers is a former U.S. Air Force pilot who gained superhuman strength and flight abilities after being exposed to a device that fused her genetic structure to that of the superhero Captain Marvel, effectively transforming her into a kree-human hybrid (the Kree is an often fought alien race in the Marvel Universe). Carol is perhaps most well-known for her connections to the origins of the X-Man Rogue, as she permanently stole Danvers’s powers while she was a member of Mystiques Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Chris Claremont created the character in the late 70’s as a response to the lack of strong and independent female superheroes in comics, as he wanted to prove that women could be strong without having to be pushy or reliant on men. Unfortunately, while Carol Danvers was meant to be a figure for the liberation of women, she herself became the victim of one of the worst cases of sexism in comic book history. After her solo-series was canceled, Carol became a member of the Avengers, where the writers decided to have her play a crucial role in the series upcoming landmark 200th issue. The set up for issue 200 began at the end of AVENGERS #199, the Avengers returned to their headquarters to discover that Carol had suddenly become nine months pregnant within the time span of just a few days. The issue then ended with Carol going into labor. The original idea behind the pregnancy was for Ms. Marvel to have been artificially impregnated with the child of the Kree’s leader, the Supreme Intelligence, but because a similar plot-line was already done in the pages of WHAT-IF, the writers were forced to completely rewrite the story from scratch. It’s also worth noting that the end-product of AVENGERS #200 is credited with four writers, including Jim Shooter (former Editor-in-Chief at Marvel and writer of the SECRET WARS crossover), David Micheline (co-creator of the Spider-Man villain Venom and author of the classic IRON MAN: DEMON IN A BOTTLE), Bob Layton (who was a frequent co-plotter with Micheline), and George Perez (the artist of NEW TEEN TITANS and CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS). While each of these men are good writers in their own respective fields, AVENGERS #200 was such a monumental train wreck, that they themselves have openly admitted it to being absolute garbage!

The story opens following the cliffhanger at the end of the previous issue, where the Captain America, Hawkeye, and Iron Man are waiting outside the Avenger’s medical bay as Ms. Marvel gives birth. After Thor helps deliver the child, the Avengers soon discover that the baby is aging at a rapid rate, learning to speak and obtaining knowledge to use complex tools and machinery within the span of a few hours. Although initially distrusting of the baby, Carol Danvers soon agrees to meet her supposed “child,” only to discover that he is now a full-grown adult who addresses himself as Marcus. Marcus then reveals that he is actually the son of the Avenger’s long-time nemesis, Immortus, who he had conceived with another mortal woman within his Limbo dimension. After Immortus’ death in a previous story, Marcus desired to live on Earth, but understood that since he was a product of Limbo, he could not enter our realm without disrupting the fabric of time and space. To prevent this problem, Marcus had forcibly abducted Carol and impregnated her with himself so that she would give birth to him on Earth, supposedly preventing the risk of his presence altering reality. Marcus’ plan is revealed to have failed however, when his presence causes different time eras to collide with each other, resulting in dinosaurs, medieval knights, and ships from the future to run amok across Manhattan. Will the Avengers be able to stop the complete collapse of the time stream, and if they do, how will they deal with Marcus in light of the atrocities he was revealed to have inflicted upon Carol.

To fully explain why AVENGERS #200 is a monumental disaster would take an eternity as it virtually fails in almost every category imaginable! Not only is this one of the most horribly written and poorly conceived comics that I’ve ever come across, but it leaps an extra mile in terms of awfulness with it’s extremely misogynistic treatment of Carol Danvers. Before I discuss the issues of sexism however, I feel that I should address the comic’s other problems first. The first and most immediate problem with AVENGERS #200 is the idiotic characterization of all the other Avengers. Throughout the story, the Avengers never take Carol’s feelings into consideration and do not react to her perilous situation like human beings would. This behavior is even present in the previous issue, as instead of attempting to investigate what could have caused it, the Avengers instead simply express excitement over the idea of a baby, with Wasp stating “Wow, a real baby,” or Beast proclaiming that he could be the kid’s teddy bear. It is simply astonishing how horribly written the Avenger’s behavior is, as real human beings would never act like this, and it completely contradicts their established characters. If this were a well-written story, the Avengers would have immediately investigated the circumstances behind the pregnancy, as well as provide medical care and emotional support for Carol. Instead, the characters are written as if their blind to both reality and Carol’s feelings, as not once do they stop and think that she might be hurt by the things inflicted upon her, or that a newborn baby speaking and asking to work with advanced technology is bit out of the ordinary. Not since the likes of SPIDER-MAN: ONE MORE DAY and MAXIMUM CLONAGE have I seen such idiotic and out-of-character behavior, which is made worse when Marcus reveals the terrible things he did to Ms. Marvel. 

The other major problem with the comic disconcerting the sexism is that the premise is extremely weak for a milestone issue. Seeing as this is the 200th issue of the AVENGERS series, one would think that Marvel would want to honor such an occasion by telling an epic story that either reflected upon the Avenger’s history what made the book so great to begin with, or provided new and innovative concepts to the team’s mythos. Instead, the story that Marvel decided to tell was essentially about some random guy in limbo who had never appeared before this story, impregnating a mortal woman just so he could live on Earth. This is an especially weak plot when compared to Marvel’s other landmark issues, which told either emotionally gripping or exciting tales that either celebrated aspects the character’s past or introduced something new into their lives. This was evident with stories such as the return of the Burglar who murdered Peter’s Uncle Ben in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #200, the reveal Magneto’s tragic origins as a Holocaust survivor in UNCANNY X-MEN #150, or even Iron Man attempting to reclaim control of his company from Obadiah Stane in IRON MAN #200. When compared to the effort and innovation present of Marvel’s other milestone issues, the plot of AVENGERS #200 comes across as weak and mundane, providing nothing notable or innovative to the team’s history. Even putting aside the terrible writing and misogynistic treatment of Ms. Marvel’s character, AVENGERS #200 would still fail as a milestone issue due to it’s weak premise.

Speaking of misogyny however, it’s finally time to discuss the real reason as to why this comic is so notoriously infamous and despised. As I stated previously, the plot of AVENGERS #200 is centered around Ms. Marvel being impregnated by Marcus so that he could give birth to himself on Earth. While this premise is already weak, it is elevated from being stupid and contrived, to downright terrible and insulting when it is revealed exactly how Marcus carried out his plan. When Marcus reveals his history to the Avengers, he states that he abducted Carol Danvers from Earth and into his Limbo dimension. Although he says he could have mind controlled her with Immortus’ machines, he at first attempted to win her love through various gifts and acts of flirting. Marcus then immediately contradicts this statement by stating, and I quote, “Finally, after relative weeks of such efforts - - and admittedly, with a subtle boost from Immortus’ machines - - you became mine.” 

If it wasn’t already clear before, this comic is basically saying that Marcus raped Carol in order to achieve his plan. This is not something that’s implied, can be misinterpreted, or is hidden between lines. It is directly stating that Carol was raped, as the “subtle boost from Immortus’ machines” line suggests that Marcus used mind control in order to Carol do something that she would not do of her own free will. Even disregarding that one line, the implications of Carol’s plight would still be horrible, but they are made more damaging due to them not only being openly stated, but that no editor was able to spot such an obvious flaw. In my opinion however, it is not the rape itself that makes the treatment of Carol’s character so blatantly sexist, as it would have been excusable if the writers wanted to tell a story about how rape affects people both physically and psychologically. Instead, it is the manner in which it’s presented that makes this story both horribly misogynistic, and the worst example of “women in refrigerators” that I’ve ever seen in a comic. After Marcus reveals that he raped Ms. Marvel and that his presence will permanently damage the space-time continuum, he states that he needs to return to his limbo dimension. Carol however, states that she we’ll accompany him, stating that the feelings she felt for him during her time in limbo still lingered on, and that she felt closer to him due to her also having given birth to him on Earth. 

I… I can’t believe this is… this comic is essentially stating Carol Danvers, a rape victim, has fallen in love with her rapist, and the story then ends with her leaving with her rapist to live with him in limbo… That is without a doubt the most insulting and disgusting piece of misogynistic bullcrap that I have ever heard in my entire life! Not only is this a sexist slap in the face to Carol Danvers, but it’s also extremely insulting to rape victims and to women in general, portraying them as weak individuals with no willpower of their own, and are easily swayed by sex and love for men! That just enrages me to no end! What makes this even worse is the fact that none of the other Avengers even attempt to stop Carol from leaving with Marcus. In fact, they actually help Carol by having Thor transport her and Marcus to limbo. This is just awful on almost every conceivable level! I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but not even the modern-day works of Frank Miller are this sexist and degrading towards women. Miller may be a dirty old man who objectifies women as prostitutes and conquests for men, but not even he went as far as to insult rape victims by having a character fall in love with their rapist! I don’t think I’ve ever seen something more insultingly misogynistic than what is presented here in AVENGERS #200, and I hope I never will!

AVENGERS #200 is not just one of the most insulting and disgusting pieces of misogynistic crap that I’ve ever come across, but it also ranks among the top 5 worst comics that I’ve ever read or reviewed! It’s right up there alongside travesties like SPIDER-MAN: ONE MORE DAY, Chuck Austen’s run on UNCANNY X-MEN, and Frank Miller’s HOLY TERROR in terms of sheer awfulness! Not only is this comic horribly written with it’s idiotic mischaracterization and poorly conceived for a milestone 200th issue, but it has a prominent female character raped for no reason, and ends with her leaving with her rapist to have a “happily ever after.” Ironically Carol Danvers did end up having a happily ever after as AVENGERS #200 was immediately despised by both fans and people working at Marvel. This led to Chris Claremont undoing the damage in AVENGERS ANNUAL #10, where after having her powers stolen by Rogue, Carol returns to the Avengers and berates them for not helping her and that she was forced to leave as she was under Marcus’ mind control. And let me just say, after all the crap that Carol went through in AVENGERS #200 it was incredibly satisfying to see her essentially give the Avengers the middle finger and leave the team, allowing her to spend time with the X-Men until she recovered her powers. Aside from some of the creative fights the Avengers have with the time-displaced creatures and the artwork by George Perez, there is nothing redeemable about this garbage! To be fair to the writers however, I hold no ill-will towards them for this comic, as they've written plenty of good comics, and all of them have admitted that AVENGERS #200 is absolute garbage. Jim Shooter himself even publicly stated this on his blog, and that even though he has no idea how the heck it ended up the way it did, he takes full responsibility for it as he was Editor-in-Chief at the time. This is a story that's so bad, that none of its creators want to take credit for it! Overall, the only means in which AVENGERS #200 can be considered a milestone story, is as a milestone of sexism, misogyny, horrible writing, idiotic characterization, poor planning, and a degradation of women in comic books!

“The greatest threat to women (and by extension humanity) is the growth and acceptance of a misogynistic, authoritarian and violent culture of militarism.”

-Amina Mama

Anime/Manga Review: Elfen Lied

Creator: Lynn Okamoto

Despite it’s controversial material, ELFEN LIED manages to stand strong through it’s psychologically complex drama and characters…

Ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

(WARNING: The following review discusses mature subject matter that some readers may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised!)

Those who have followed my reviews may have noticed that I have a tendency to defend stories that are prone to negative criticism or are controversial in some form. I think this is because unlike some reviewers, I prefer to look at each story I come across with an open mind and sense of optimism. Whenever I hear about a book, movie, or TV show that has largely mixed or negative reception, I become legitimately curious as to whether these criticisms are warranted, or if there are good elements to the work that people overlook because of these criticisms. More often than not, I usually find myself enjoying these works despite their flaws, as I am able to discover good things about them that I find to be worthwhile, and feel that the negative reception towards the story as a whole overshadows them. As a critic, I have reviewed countless stories that I feel have received large amounts of unfair negative attention and provided my own unique perspective on them, whether they be comics like SPIDER-MAN: THE CLONE SAGA, SPIDER-MAN: MAXIMUM CARNAGE, and BATMAN R.I.P., movies like the STAR WARS prequel trilogy, and even video games like FINAL FANTASY VIII. However, if there’s one genre of media that is more susceptible to dividing both audiences and critics than any other, it would have to be Japanese animation, or anime. Anime creates heated arguments between individuals like no other genre of fictional media that I’ve ever come across. With almost every anime that I’ve watched, people seem to either look at them with blind love, or mindless hate. This results in unfair bias towards these shows in my opinion, as the lack of middle ground with anime causes people to be instantly turned on or off by them without fully judging and analyzing it for themselves. Such is the case with ELFEN LIED, a highly controversial anime that has been both simultaneously universally praised and critically derided.

For those who are unaware, ELFEN LIED is a thirteen-episode miniseries that is notorious for it’s high levels of graphic violence and sexual content. I had first heard about this show while watching a countdown list about the top ten most controversial anime ever made, and ELFEN LIED made the number nine spot. After watching the video and doing further research, I discovered that despite it’s controversial material, this anime has a massive fanbase that praises it for it’s deep themes about humanity and psychological drama. Despite ELFEN LIED’s cult following, several critics I’ve come across (including the creator of that particular countdown list) have stated that there is no actual depth to this anime, and that it does nothing but portray over-the-top violence and sexual content that serves no purpose other than to shock and disturb. Similar to comics like IDENTITY CRISIS, this was a show that I was legitimately curious as to whether its criticisms were warranted, or if the fans were right about the anime’s supposed depth. Having watched the entire series, I can safely say that I really enjoyed ELFEN LIED. While I can understand where some of the criticisms are coming from, I feel that many of them are unfair, as this series has a lot to offer in both its themes, and especially it’s psychologically complex characters.

The first episode of the series begins in an underground containment cell located on an island research facility, where an armed guard is suddenly mutilated and decapitated by an unknown force. The source of the guard’s death is quickly revealed to be a mysterious young woman named Lucy, who is being monitored and caged within the facility. Lucy is a member of a race of mutated humans known as Diclonius, who are distinguished by their red eyes, pink hair, and horns resembling cat ears protruding from their skulls. But the most terrifying aspect about Diclonius is their ability to summon “vectors,” invisible hands known that are capable of ripping normal human beings to shreds. Bloodthirsty and driven by her hatred of mankind, Lucy breaks free of her confinement and begins slaughtering the guards and staff as she escapes the facility. As she reaches the island’s shores however, she is hit in the head with a sniper bullet. Although the helmet she was wearing prevented her from being killed, the impact causes Lucy severe head trauma and amnesia. The next day, Lucy is discovered on the beach of a small Japanese town by a young man named Kouta and his cousin Yuka. Taking the amnesiac Lucy back to their home, the two soon discover that Lucy has been reduced to the mental state of a toddler, and is capable of only saying a single word, “Nyu.” Using this word as a name for her, Kouta attempts to take care of the seemingly innocent “Nyu.” This proves difficult however, as Lucy’s amnesia quickly evolves into multiple personality disorder, as she frequently switches between her childlike “Nyu” persona, and her usual murderous self. To further complicate matters, it appears that Lucy had previously known Kouta before he discovered her on the beach. As the series progresses, the lives of Lucy/Nyu, Kouta, and Yuka will be changed forever as Lucy’s former captors continuously send agents to capture her, including other Diclonius, more individuals become intertwined in Kouta’s life, and the dark and tragic secrets behind Lucy and Kouta’s mysterious past are finally revealed!

While I don’t deny that this is undoubtedly one of the most violent shows I’ve ever seen, I found ELFEN LIED to be an intriguing series that utilizes its dark subject matter in order to develop compelling themes about mankind’s conflicting capabilities for cruelty and kindness, which are effectively conveyed through the show’s psychologically complex characters. However, before I discuss the elements that I enjoyed in ELFEN LIED, I feel that I should provide my own opinions towards the criticisms and controversies surrounding the show. The most obvious criticisms are concentrated on the show’s violence and sexual content. This is particularly evident when concerning the first seven minutes of the very first episode, as they alone seem to determine whether or not people will love or hate this anime. Within a short amount of time, the viewer is immediately presented with both nudity and extremely graphic violence, as a naked Lucy mutilates and decapitates several armed guards with her vectors, and the scene is complete with ridiculously large amounts of blood and gore. While I can definitely understand this scene turning people off, I feel that it works within the context of the show. The scene perfectly establishes the characterization and personality of the main protagonist before she loses her memories, as well as the show’s overall dark tone. The over-the top violence also serves to create suspense and intrigue for the rest of the series, particularly with Lucy's amnesia and split personality disorder. While she is acts innocently naive and childlike in her “Nyu” persona, the viewers are aware that her true personality is sadistic and murderous. Therefore, the viewers are drawn in by are desire to know whether or not her true personality will reemerge, and how it could possibly affect the lives of the other characters.

Aside from ELFEN LIED’s graphic violence, the other major area of criticism that I feel is largely biased is the anime’s portrayal of dark themes like discrimination and child abuse. While fans of ELFEN LIED have praised these themes for providing commentary on the savage nature of mankind, several critics have labeled the show’s depiction of these issues as pseudo-philisophical. Essentially, they’re saying that while the show is under the impression that it’s saying something deep and profound through it’s dark subject matter, its over-the-top portrayal causes it to become disconnected from reality, therefore preventing it from effectively depicting the themes it wants to convey. One scene where this criticism is particularly noteworthy is in a flashback to Lucy’s childhood, where while growing up in an orphanage, Lucy was repeatedly harassed and discriminated by the other children for her horns and introverted demeanor. When the bullies discover a stray dog that she secretly befriended, they end up brutally beating it to death right before Lucy’s eyes. People have criticized this scene for being highly unrealistic, as they feel that the idea of kids beating a dog to death is highly unrealistic, and that the scene only serves to exploit animal cruelty.

While I do understand where these criticisms are coming from, I respectfully disagree as I feel that the scene works on both a thematic and narrative level. Although the scenario is definitely extreme, it’s not entirely implausible, as bullies in real-life have been known to resort to extremely cruel tactics in order to torment their victims, which is further supported by the bullies in the show being motivated by prejudice. Another factor that provides further plausibility to this scene is both the bullies’ status as orphans and the shows’ setting in Japan. Japan has one of the lowest rates of unadopted orphans, as children who are not adopted by an immediate relative are often legally barred from being taken in by other families. This is primarily because the child will often be asked to take on the name of their adoptive family, which many Japanese citizens view as dishonor towards ones’ own kin. As such, it is reasonable to believe that the bullies in ELFEN LIED fall into this category, and are tormenting Lucy as a means of “finding someone even more miserable than themselves.” I also feel that this scene works on a narrative level, as it effectively progresses Lucy’s character development. Before this scene, Lucy had not yet developed her hatred of humanity, and sought to coexist with other humans, which was conveyed when she showed her dog to another girl. The girl ended up betraying her trust however when she revealed the dog to the bullies, resulting in them killing it in front of Lucy. The combination of witnessing the dog's death and having her trust betrayed causes Lucy to deem the bullies as inhuman monsters, and they're the first people to be killed by her vectors. I feel that this scene effectively establishes a good foundation for Lucy’s hatred of humanity, as because she was still a child, it was easy for her to associate these bullies’ acts of cruelty with mankind as a whole, especially since she had not been exposed to life outside her orphanage. On the whole, while I freely admit that ELFEN LIED’s attempts to portray society’s corruption are over-the-top, I still feel that the criticisms about the anime lacking depth are unfair, as it does manage to effectively utilize its dark material from both a thematic and narrative perspective.

The area in which ELFEN LIED was a truly shines in my eyes however, is in it’s psychologically complex and tragic characters. As I’ve admitted throughout my reviews, one thing that will instantly draw me into a story is characters with in-depth psychologies and complex backstories. I enjoy analyzing characters from a psychological perspective, as I feel that it allows me to fully understand who these characters are, and what makes them do the things that they do. This is further enhanced through knowledge of the character’s backstory and past, as it allows the viewer to understand exactly what factors molded the character’s personalities and motivations into what they are today. ELFEN LIED definitely excels in this regard, as several characters are provided fleshed-out backstories and three-dimensional characterizations that make them highly engaging and intriguing. The two characters that I feel receive the greatest amount of psychological development are the two main characters, Lucy and Kouta. As I stated previously, Lucy is portrayed to be a relentless serial killer with an inherent hatred of mankind and desire to eliminate all human beings. This born largely out of her being both discriminated and bullied as a child due to her horns, as well as her Diclonius DNA giving her an evolutionary instinct to kill in order to repopulate the planet with her own species. Despite Lucy's savage nature, she is also provided layers of humanity that not only allow viewers to understand and connect with her, but also provide the character a three-dimensional struggle. It is later shown in the series that Lucy befriended and fell in love with Kouta back when they were both children, and he was the only person in her life to show her true kindness. This friendship creates an internal dilemma for Lucy, as she is now torn between her hatred of humanity, and her love for Kouta. Her struggle is further escalated when a misunderstanding causes her to be responsible for a great tragedy in Kouta’s life. This ultimately results in Lucy feeling guilty for driving away the one person that genuinely accepted her for who she was, which carries on into the present day when she returns into Kouta’s life as the amnesiac “Nyu.”

I found Lucy’s internal struggle to be both highly compelling and psychologically complex. Although she is a relentless killer, she seeks redemption in the form of making up for the pain she caused for the one person who truly accepted her. Because of the kindess that Kouta showed her when they were children, Lucy genuinely loves Kouta and wants to be by his side, but she feels that the tragedy she was responsible for will prevent her from obtaining that bond. This effectively correlates with Lucy's amnesia at the start of the series, as it reflects her desire to be with Kouta. While amnesia has become an overused cliché in anime, I felt that ELFEN LIED provided a unique interpretation of the formula by having Lucy's amnesia quickly evolve into multiple personality disorder. Because of Nyu's childlike ignorance and innocence, Lucy subconsciously allows this personality to dominate her mind as she feels it allows her to forget about the pain that she previously caused Kouta. Not only did this provide a unique twist on the usual amnesia cliché found in anime, but it also made Lucy a psychologically complex and sympathetic character. Essentially, while she is portrayed as a sadistic serial killer with little regard for human life, she ultimately seeks redemption through rectifying the sins that affected the one person who accepted her in her entire life. I felt this made Lucy a character viewers could connect and sympathize with, as while we may not approve of the murders she commits, the circumstances that caused her to commit these actions are provided depth and believability, and her desire to redeem past sins is admirable and allows the audience to want and see her achieve said redemption. Overall, while Lucy is portrayed as a sadistic murderer who hates humans, she is provided complex psychology and three-dimensional depth that made her a highly compelling and sympathetic anti-heroine in my eyes.

The other character that I felt possessed three-dimensional psychology and depth was the object of Lucy’s desire, Kouta. Unlike most of the human characters in ELFEN LIED, who are portrayed as inherently cruel and savage, Kouta serves as an effective foil to humanity’s capacity for darkness by representing the kindness that humans are also capable of. Throughout the series Kouta is portrayed as compassionate and kindhearted individual who is willing to put the needs of others before himself, no matter what obstacles may befall him. Not only is this evident when he decides to take care of the amnesiac Lucy/Nyu after randomly discovering her at the start of the series, but also when he adopts two other girls who were previously victimized and abandoned by society. Kouta's capacity to do things simply out of the kindness of his heart not only fleshed the character's nobility in my eyes, but it also effectively allowed him to serve as a lighthearted foil to the anime’s otherwise dark tone. This was primarily portrayed through his childhood friendship with Lucy, as while most kids bullied Lucy for her horns, Kouta was one of the few people to not be turned-off by her appearance, even stating that he found her horns to be “awesome.” I felt that Kouta’s friendship and kindhearted treatment towards Lucy was especially important to the plot, as it both served as the foundation for Lucy’s character arc and motivations in the present day, and as a counterbalance to the mistreatment she had previously experienced. While the bullies from Lucy’s past and the scientists who held her captive served as archetypes for mankind’s corruption, Kouta acted as a counterbalance by representing the compassion that man was also capable of. Kouta’s capacity for near unlimited kindness not only made him an extremely likable character in my eyes, but also allowed him to serve as a great foil to the anime’s themes about mankind’s corruption and cruelty.

Although ELFEN LIED is notorious among the anime community for it’s graphic violence and controversial material, this was a series that I found to be extremely engaging and compelling! While the violence is often over-the-top, the show still greatly excels at utilizing its dark subject matter to create in-depth themes and parallels towards humanity’s darkness through it’s two psychologically complex main characters, Lucy and Kouta. While I can definitely understand why some people would be turned-off by this anime due to it’s levels of graphic violence and nudity, I feel that several of the criticisms its received are unfair, as they have created biased opinions about the show lacking any depth. This is definitely a shame in my opinion, as I felt that the show possessed great depth with its psychologically complex characters, whose fleshed out backstories and parallels allow them to help drive ELFEN LIED’s themes about humanity’s conflicting corruption and kindness out of the ball park! If I did have any legitimate criticisms, it would be that some plot points are left unresolved (primarily due to adaptation differences from the manga it’s based on), and that some of the nudity felt very forced and unnecessary. Despite those problems, I found the anime as a whole to be an incredibly entertaining and satisfying watch. While I would definitely advise caution, I feel that ELFEN LIED is an anime that people should look at with an unbiased and open mind as it’s good elements are definitely worthwhile!

“Controversy is part of the nature of art and creativity."

-Yoko Ono