is a Japanese manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 series written and illustrated by Lynn Okamoto

Lynn Okamoto

is a male Japanese manga artist and a former employee of Bandai. His most famous work is the series Elfen Lied which was adapted in a 13 episodes anime series by the studio Arms...

. A thirteen-episode anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 television series adaptation was produced by the studio ARMS and broadcast on TV Tokyo

TV Tokyo

is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...

 from July to October 2004. The anime was later licensed in North America on DVD

DVD

A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

 by ADV Films. The anime began airing before the manga was complete; as a result, the plot differed between the two, especially the ending. The title is German for "Elf Song" and takes its name from the poem "Elfenlied

Elfenlied

"Elfenlied" is a poem written in German by Eduard Mörike that was adapted into a lied by Hugo Wolf.-The poem:In German...

".

Elfen Lied revolves around the interactions, views, emotions, and differences between human beings and the Diclonii, a mutant

Mutant

In biology and especially genetics, a mutant is an individual, organism, or new genetic character, arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is a base-pair sequence change within the DNA of a gene or chromosome of an organism resulting in the creation of a new character or trait not...

 species similar to humans in build but distinguishable by two horns on their heads and "vectors," transparent telekinetically controlled arms that have the power to manipulate and cut objects within their reach.