[Spoilers] Elfen Lied 20th Anniversary Rewatch — Episode 13 (FINAL EPISODE)

Hey guys. Holofan4life here.

Welcome to the 20th anniversary rewatch of Elfen Lied!

Oh, and nay I forget…

**First Timer**

This is going to be a rather interesting rewatch because I really don’t know what to expect with this show. In fact, there’s a good chance that I may not actually like it. But it’s a very notorious show and I feel like it has this reputation for a reason, so I definitely want to see what it’s all about.

Going in, I’m kinda expecting it to be so bad it’s good. I’m not going in expecting a great show, but I am going in expecting a great time. I’m watching this in-between rewatches of Ikuhara shows and I think it’ll serve as a nice palette cleanser for the more serious fair. And if it happens to be edgy, I want them to go all the way with it.

With that out of the way, let’s begin.

I’m watching the sub, by the way.

I do wonder how people will remember me by.

We do get the intro, for those keeping store.

Kurama has rescued Nana, it seems

I do like their relationship. It’s actually quite wholesome.

Good thing Kurama was on that boat

Gun on the sand

Lucy standing over Bandou

“This will be the last time you’ll see me.”

Come on, show. You’re going to kill Shirakawa and NOT Bandou?

Mayu with Yuka

She tells Mayu that Kouta’s father and sister were murdered.

That is why Kouta was hospitalized a whole year.

Yuka says she heard about it later on

Why is Yuka referring to Mayu in the third person despite speaking to her directly? [](#niatilt)

Yuka believes this might be the reason why he’s so kind to girls.

“They must all be reminding him of Kanae-chan.”

At least Yuka is self-aware thst her jealousy Is a problem.

“I would… never be a good mother.”

I feel like I’ve heard that line before in the show.

Mayu believes Yuka is in love with Kouta. I mean, maybe a little.

Guy with glasses reporting on Lucy killing Shirakawa.

He wonders why Mariko couldn’t use her vectors.

Oh hey. It’s Daddy Kakuzawa. I’ve completely forgotten about him.

He still believes that Mariko can be of some use to them.

Wait, Mariko is Kurama’s daughter? Or does he mean so metaphorically?

He walks away, saying that fate is cruel.

Mariko. She awakes.

She calls for Kurama

Speaking of him, he’s with Nana

Nana wonders why Kurama must kill Lucy

“Because she’s my real daughter!”

Wait, is it possible that all the Diclonius are related to Kurama?

Nana senses Lucy

She is approaching them

And Lucy senses Mariko

Guy in glasses walking

Mariko rolling up on him like she’s Christopher Reeve.

“Lucy’s coming.”

It’s no “They’re here,” but it’ll do

Lucy and her zr walking

Guy in glasses want the Diclonius to fight amongst themselves.

This is like Destroy All Monsters, or House of Dracula.

Lucy coming face-to-face with Mariko

Kouta has surprisingly been a nonfactor this episode.

Mariko showing some of her strength we didn’t get to see in the last episode.

I’m sorry, but Mariko floating in her wheelchair makes me laugh.

At least we’re getting the Lucy and Mariko confrontation we were promised.

Mariko’s arm! It came off!

Lucy standing over Mariko, who says she’ll be ending her suffering.

Mariko sends Lucy flying, however, proclaiming that no one can kill her.

Dang. Even one of her ears got ripped off.

Whelp… Lucy looks dead

Now Mariko faces Kurama and Nana

Oh wow. She’s walking over towards him.

Well, she tried

Mariko is so happy to see Kurama

HOLY SHIT

KURAMA IS POINTING A GUN TOWARDS HER

Mariko talking about wanting mother and father to take her out of that room.

“I have finally met you!”

Kurama saying he’s the only one to blame.

Mariko, noticing Nana called Kurama papa, wonders why she gets to when she’s the one who was left alone.

MARIKO IS STRANGLING NANA

AND NOW SHE’S REPEATEDLY PUNCHING HER

DO SOMETHING, KURAMA!

He… he dropped the gun

And he goes to hug Mariko

He laments not being able to provide her anything.

“I have never… stopped thinking about you.”

Poor Nana [](#sadakko)

Kurama carrying Mariko now. He declares they’ll never be alone going forward.

Guy in glasses flabbergasted by what’s enfolding in front of him.

Nana shocked she got abandoned by her papa.

She really did get screwed in all this

Kurama still holding Mariko

He tells her that her mother loved her to the very end.

Why do I get the feeling he’s about to toss her over the bridge?

OH SHIT

THEY BOTH EXPLODED

Well, Shirakawa did say she had explosives planted inside her.

Nana looks absolutely broken now

Lucy looking on emotionless

Oh fuck! Glasses guy pointing a gun at Nana!

And he gets beheaded!

Lucy!

[](#awe)

“As I thought, humans are… fools, indeed.”

Lucy advising she goes live with Kouta and the others.

“I want you to do, what I cannot do.”

And with that, Lucy departs

Daddy Kakuzawa still trying to capture Lucy.

Glasses girl wants a bath

Woah. Daddy Kakuzawa is bald.

Most shocking revelation of the episode

Daddy Kakuzawa says the project’s only started.

Kouta sitting on some stairs

Lucy

That is a massive headwound. Almost as big as Headwound Harry’s.

Almost

Lucy saying she was born to kill humans

Could turn the children of the next generation into her kind.

However, doing so results in a world in which Kouta cannot live.

“I could barely see in this hell.”

Tears streaming down Lucy’s face

Lucy begins to leave, but Kouta hugs her from behind!

“You killed Kanae, and my father. For thst, I can never forgive you. But… If you bring suffering to anyone else, I’d sure regret it for my entire life!”

He likes the sad girl from her childhood, and Nyuu.

I just feel sorry for Yuka lol

And so Lucy and Kouta kiss

More flashbacks of episode 9

Well, I did say at the end of that episode that I want them to get together.

Lucy says all she wanted was to repress the past and continue to be by his side.

Kouta hugs her once more, the two fully embracing each other.

Nana walking alone

She is so distraught, however

The next day…

Kouta holding a seashell

Kouta is still living with Yuka, Nana, and Mayu.

I am pleasantly surprised that Wanta managed to survive.

They’re setting an extra bowl for Lucy, who’s no longer there.

Nana uncomfortably bringing up that the last time they ate soumen, she wasn’t there, which makes everyone think of Lucy.

So, was Lucy killed by the people sent by Daddy Kakuzawa? I’m not entirely sure.

Nana seems to really miss Lucy

Wanta barking

Someone by the door

Is it Lucy?

The music box stops, and the grandfather clock finally starts ringing.

Working for the first time, because of Lucy.

**Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.**

Well, you can’t say this episode didn’t go out with a bang.

**First Timer**

I’ve gotten so used to final episodes skipping the opening song that I was a little surprised that this one still had it. Not that I mind, getting to hear Lilium one more time is nice.

I’m glad Kurama was able to save Nana. I just hope Nana can still survive to the end of the episode.

Also the cut to Lucy having already defeated Bando was a bit funny. The fight really couldn’t have gone any other way. A bit surprised Lucy decides not to kill Bando though.

Yuka kind of has a breakdown while talking to Mayu and admits to loving Kouta. I guess that might be the resolution of her character arc. I was somehow hoping for a bit more.

So this episode does seem to officially confirm that Mariko is Kurama’s daughter. I feel like Kurama might be the only person who can save Mariko.

I’m realizing I don’t actually know the name of this male scientist with glasses and a white coat. But this episode’s putting a lot of emphasis on him.

I liked the fight between Lucy and Mariko. Lucy was able to put up a harder fight than Nana but it very quickly became clear just how overwhelming Mariko was.

It seems like Kurama has not learned anything. It looks like Mariko is capable of human emotions but Kurama still believes he has to kill her.

He seems to actually realize that he’s wrong after Mariko calls him out and tries to kill Nana though. I kind of wish Kurama had just tried to be compassionate to Mariko from the start, but whatever. At least we got there.

The scene of him hugging Mariko was actually nice.

Wait, no, I was wrong. Kurama wants to do a murder-suicide by blowing Mariko up. I’m actually really disappointed with this.

I know last time I said I thought Mariko might have been too far gone to reason with, but this episode proved that reasoning with her was possible. It even feels kind of cruel that Kurama basically tricked Mariko by making her think she could be accepted into a family before blowing them both up.

The way the show portrays it makes it feel like it’s supposed to be some kind of tragic but necessary sacrifice but it feels a bit needless. In the end I’m left wondering the same thing as Mariko, why did Kurama try to save Nana but decide that this was the only way to deal with Mariko? Maybe I need some more time to think about this episode but this part really is not working with me.

It sounds like Lucy is planning to run away after all of this. But it’s nice that she encourages Nana to stay with Kouta.

The part where Director Kakuzawa took off his wig was just as hilarious as when his son did it. Following it up with an evil laugh made it even more ridiculous.

I really liked the scene between Lucy and Kouta on the stairs. I think it does serve as a good culmination of both their character arcs.

Although we probably didn’t need another flashback montage after we just got one last episode. At least this one was shorter though.

It looks like Lucy ultimately decided to face off against the laboratory people. The show leaves her fate kind of ambiguous here but it really looks like she died.

Lucy’s choice here is kind of an interesting parallel to Kurama. Both of them felt like the only way they could have made amends was by sacrificing themselves.

The final slice of life scene with everyone sitting down to eat with the empty chair was good. It felt like a poignant way to end things.

With that said, I’m not sure how I feel about the final moments of the show. I feel like the whole possibility of Lucy still being alive kind of undercuts some of the emotional moments from earlier in the episode and then the clock suddenly working was just strange. I feel like just ending with the dining scene would have been better.

All in all I do have some mixed feelings about the ending. I liked most of the resolution to the Lucy and Kouta plot. But the whole resolution to Mariko’s part of the story really felt wrong to me. I feel like she was a character who may have had more to do in the manga.

Also that whole scene with Director Kakuzawa revealing he’s part Diclonius felt a bit pointless. I guess that’s just another plot thread the manga picks up on.

Still, as a whole I liked Elfen Lied a lot more than I expected. It had more substance than its reputation led me to believe but it still had a whole lot of problems. I’ll save my general thoughts on the series for tomorrow’s discussion thread.

**Questions of the Day:**

**What are your thoughts on the found family staying mostly together?**

I’m quite happy with that actually, I feel like it was one of the stronger aspects of the show. I’ve got mixed feelings on the possibility of Lucy still being alive though.

**Are you satisfied with how Kouta and Lucy’s relationship was resolved? If yes, why? If no, why?**

I feel like it was good for the most part. I feel like they could have resolved things without kissing but I get why they had that part.

**Is there anything more surprising in this show than the fact that Wanta survived to the end?**

Probably Bando remaining at least somewhat relevant until the end. He had starter villain written all over him when he first appeared and he never quite grew out of that role, but he still kept showing up.

>Bonus) Is there anything more surprising in this show than the fact that Wanta survived to the end?

This question made me laugh.  Wanta had the best time in this series.