“Stranger Things” could be based on this anime and we didn’t realize it

‘Stranger Things’ is one of the most critically and publicly acclaimed Netflix series created by the Duffer brothers, mixing elements of horror, science fiction and hundreds of references to 80s pop culture. The surprise is that part of this idea it could be inspired by a popular animeand that perhaps few people have realized until now.

According to a 2017 interview with the brothers Schiappaafter the premiere of the first season of “Stranger Things”, they recognized that one of the inspirations during the creation of the series was the anime Elfen, liedthat if we compare the character development, along with the plot of both, the range of similarities is more than evident.

What are the similarities between “Elfen Lied” and “Stranger Things”?

‘Elfen Lied’ tells the story of a species known as the Diclonium, a mutation of the human being who has a horn and a violent relationship with the rest of society. The story takes place in Kamakura, Japan, and focuses on this new branch of evolution, very similar to humans but different on a genetic level.

If we look at the Duffer Brothers series, “Stranger Things” tells us a story set in the town of Hawkins, where a twelve-year-old boy named Will Byers mysteriously disappears. Soon after, Eleven, a seemingly runaway girl with telekinetic powers, meets a group of friends and helps them find Will.

Now going through both series, both the protagonist of ‘Stranger Things’ Eleven, and Lucy, the protagonist of ‘Elfen Lied’, are girls with telekinetic powers who have been isolated in mysterious secret structures to develop their powers. In both the anime and the Netflix series, both are saved by a group of kids who decide to help her.

So far the similarity is evident. Likewise, a central theme of Eleven and Lucy’s story is that internal struggle for find out who you really want to be, apart from what others want from her. In addition to that, both series touch upon themes of terror with monsters and mysteries, but also have love plots and clearly humorous moments.

We do not know to what extent ‘Elden Lied’ influenced the construction of the story, characters and the entire universe of ‘Stranger Things’, but if you are a fan of the Netflix series and want to launch something similar after waiting for its fifth season, here is this anime that has many parallels with the story of the Duffer brothers.