It seems with every passing day, we inch a bit closer to the Internet of Things, in which everything from small appliances to large factories will be connected to--and controllable over--the Internet. Consider for a moment that ten years ago Facebook was just getting going and the smartphone was limited, outside of Japan, to the BlackBerry and a handful of Windows Mobile devices that no one particularly liked.
Six years earlier, the Internet was a rough, largely uncharted territory only recently gone mainstream. Sure, it was exciting to be able to access porn whenever we wanted, and playing chess via email with people in South Africa was kinda neat, but no one outside of a very specialized group could foresee how ubiquitous the Internet would one day become. In 1998, to most of the world, the Internet was just a big computer network.
Enter Serial Experiments Lain.
First broadcast in Japan over the summer of 1998 and premiering nine months before The Matrix hit American theaters, Lain tells the story of Lain Iwakura, a painfully introverted adolescent girl living in Japan. At the start of the series, Chisa, a girl from Lain's school, commits suicide by jumping from the top of a building. Shortly thereafter, Lain and her schoolmates begin receiving emails from Chisa stating that everyone needs to come to the Wired as soon as possible because there is a god in the Wired. The Wired is a global information network analogous to the Internet but connected to virtually everything in the world. In order to continue communicating with her dead friend, Lain asks her father to buy her a new computer, called a Navi in the show, presumably a shortening of Navigator, and from there, any summary of the show's plot is going to fail. There is simply too much going on, too many characters with too many motivations, too many red herrings, and too many tonal shifts to keep track of.
Several years ago, I taught Lain as a literature unit in one of my classes. We viewed each episode, discussed the characters and the themes, the complexity of the narrative, in short we READ the series instead of simply viewing it, which I maintain is the best way of approaching Lain. It may not have been my most successful teaching moment, but I still have students now who come to me and talk about it. This is the kind of series that really does stay with its audience, and repeat viewings yield fresh revelations. That is, once the audience gets past one small but significant fact:
Lain. Is. Weird.
We can start with the odd time setting of the series, which is announced at the beginning of most episodes as "Present day, present time," followed by a maniacal laugh and bursts of static. It's an unsettling announcement because, as we move through narrative, we're confronted with a world that resembles our own in many ways but not technologically, though it can be argued that Lain more closely resembles the technological world of 2014 than it did the technological world of 1998. In that sense, though, the opening only becomes unsettling in how prescient the series would turn to be. Regardless, the opening remains unsettling because of a basic perceptual conflict: the "Present day, present time" setting is not the "now" of the audience, but rather the "now" of the series. In essence, the show announces that it is set when it is set.
Adding to the weirdness is the fact that episodes are not called episodes or chapters. They are called Layers, as in a layer that must be peeled away in order to get to the heart of the matter, to make sense of the series as a whole.
And then there are the characters themselves. Lain is an adolescent girl who can barely speak to her own family, let alone her friends. Lain's mother could not be more disengaged from her two daughters. Lain's sister literally disappears before Lain's eyes at the end of the fifth layer only to be replaced by what might charitably be considered a shell of a human being. And Lain's father, who shows the most emotion of anyone in her immediate family, appears to genuinely love his daughter even as he is cut off, sometimes quite literally, from her. One of my favorite shots of the first episode involves Lain asking her father for a new Navi. She walks into his study and is almost completely blocked from him by a kind of wall of computers and monitors. Her father talks to her but never really holds a dialogue with her, instead becoming excited over something he finds on the Wired while Lain is talking.
And that is one of the major themes of the series: people being disconnected from one another. The Wired as a result becomes an intricate metaphor for human interaction: people log on and "connect" with other people, but those connections are fleeting and not real in any substantive sense. Think of it as Facebook. You have 5000 friends on Facebook, but how many of those friendship are really real? How many of them are tangibly real?
This brings up another one of the major concerns of Lain: the question of reality. What is reality? What does it mean to be real? Where is the line drawn between the real and the unreal? And by extension, is it possible for the unreal to become real?
Going back to our Facebook example, many friendships may not be real in literal, tangible sense, but they are real insofar as they are an exchange of interests and communication and intimacies. They may not be as substantive as a flesh-and-blood friendship, but they are still real in some sense. Likewise, the Wired of the series is several times dismissed by characters as nothing more than a fancy way of transporting information, that it cannot be confused with the real world. However, to an introvert like Lain, the Wired represents a means of overcoming her shyness and allowing her truer, fuller self to emerge and interact freely with other people. In essence, Lain chooses a reality in which she have more control. Is it an illusion? Possibly, but it is still her reality.
Of course, we still have yet to discuss how the alien fits into all of this. I don't really have any answer to that.
And how the series ultimately plays out, how it evolves from a scared little girl playing on the Internet to its endgame, is all the more interesting for the way it effectively reframes the narrative. The final four layers can be thought of the story of a god who comes to Earth, forgets it is a god, experiences profound and disturbing loneliness, and inadvertently begins to destroy one reality by grafting a second reality on top of it. It that seems a bit heady to you, you're not alone. I've seen the complete series a dozen times and when I get to those last episodes, I still struggle with making them work.
And that might be the series' greatest failing. It is almost too complex for its own good. Too many questions are left not only unanswered but unanswerable. What exactly happens to Mika when she sees herself at the end of Layer 5? Who are the Men in Black and why are they looking to stop the Knights of the Eastern Calculus? What power does Masami Eri actually wield in the Wired? And in the end, who is the final, top-of-the-heap God?
Lain is a series that comes dangerously close to falling apart repeatedly throughout its run and yet manages to pull it all together into a more or less tight narrative by the end. What's more, while computers have been used a number of times as a metaphor for isolation and distance between human beings, I'm not sure it has ever been as effective as it is here, and the effectiveness has only grown in the intervening years due to our growing technological dependence.
The ending of the series deserves special note for how downbeat it is. Lain does find purpose and peace at the end of the series, but she is arguably even more isolated than she is at the beginning. Conventional interpretation seems to agree that the ending is as upbeat as is possible given the rest of the story, but I still find it very downbeat, very sad.
I highly recommend Serial Experiments Lain. I do advise you to watch it straight through, if possible, and be prepared to do a bit of research on the various names mentioned throughout the series, as that will help to explain some of the gaps.
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4,6 von 5
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Jonathan
5,0 von 5 Sternen
An Eerily Prescient Vision of the Present
Rezension aus den Vereinigten Staaten vom 11. Juli 2014Duckman
5,0 von 5 Sternen
One of the biggest braintwisters I've ever seen. 94%
Rezension aus den Vereinigten Staaten vom 12. Januar 2013
First of all, I'd like to say how glad I am that Funimation reissued this anime in a DVD/blu-ray combo pack last November. No longer is a gem like this in "out-of-print obscurity."
Serial Experiments Lain has been one of those anime titles I've heard of ever since I got into anime back in July of 2002, but never checked out since from the surface, didn't look all that appealing to me at the time. I made a gamble when Funimation was reissuing this anime by pre-ordering it on Amazon a few months back, got it on release date, and just finished watching it. I guess after suffering a few months back from that puke-inducing animated swill known as High School of the Dead, a cerebral anime like this was just what I needed. As you can see by my rating, I was really glad to have seen this.
Before I kick off the review, I should suggest to potential viewers that before watching it (if you want to see it), that you get yourself a lot of coffee and M&Ms (or whatever caffeinated and sugary food/beverages you like) when you watch Serial Experiments Lain, not because it's boring (quite the opposite), but because this is an anime that will give your brain a good workout.
STORY
Serial Experiments Lain is about a young girl named Lain Iwakura, who at first appears to be a shy, lukewarm junior high school student. After receiving a Navi (a computer connected to the Wired, the anime's version of the internet) from her dad, she soon finds herself engrossed in the Wired and embarks on a journey where the virtual world and reality are blurred. In this journey, many mind-bending things will happen and her personality will alter in so many ways. Along the way, she finds out of a power struggle between a mysterious group of hackers known as the Knights of Eastern Calculus and the Tachibana corporation.
CHARACTERS
I though the way the characters were handled in this anime was well done. The focus is mostly on Lain, and at first, she seems like a shy girl devoid of any personality. However, as her immersion in the Wired gets deeper, many bolder personalities of Lain are embodied. I was pleased with how Lain's school friends (Alice, Julie, and Reika) were handled, since they felt like teenage girls, but at the same time, this anime didn't bombard you with a bunch of sappy teenage school drama coming from these girls' mouths, which would have been a huge distraction from the central parts of the story.
Other characters, like Lain's family, have believable, well-established personalities that get altered when the real world and the Wired are altered with, and these changes work out really well in the context of the story.
THEMES
Since Serial Experiments Lain is an anime that's heavily entrenched in philosophy and the rapid evolution of computer and electronic networking technology.
I'll be honest here and say that so many things have happened in this anime, that I'll need to watch it again at least once to get a full grasp of this, but I was able to comprehend this well enough to know what happened and what some things mean.
This anime's most prominent theme is that it's almost like a warning to people about over-reliance on computerized electronic communications. I thought this type of "warning" was tastefully-done since it's not shoved in your face and isn't sanctimonious about it. I guess you could say the core message with this theme is that over-reliance on the Wired (or internet) will diminish one's humanity. I think it's crazy that this was made in 1998 yet the themes of technology are still relevant today.
Religion is another theme tackled in this anime, and without spoiling anything, some of the discussion between Lain and Eiri (who calls himself "God") will make ponderous folks happy.
There was also real history about the first computers and electronic networks that would tie into the foundation for the Wired, and I thought this combination was ace since these meshed perfectly and shows it has some proper learning of important history.
HORROR ELEMENTS
While not being an outright horror anime, there are some horror elements used in it to illustrate the psychological deterioration Lain and others go through in this anime. One of the creepiest was on Layer 09: Protocol, where an alien in a red and green sweater peaks into Lain's room and creeps her out.
Another horror scene that creeped me out a lot was when Mika (Lain's older sister) starts hallucinating in a fast food joint, and when in the bathroom, is forced into seeing "Fulfill your destiny!" scribed on the stall door.
What I find funny about the scant horror scenes in it is that there's horrible anime like Elfen Lied that constantly bombard you with gore, trying to pass it off as scary, and while the horror scenes in Serial Experiments Lain had very little to no blood in them, were far more unnerving than anything the likes of Elfen Lied, Gantz, or High School of the Dead could throw at you.
APPEARANCE
The animation and artwork for this is stunning. With this being an anime from the late 90's, this was one of the last pieces of anime that would have had traditional cel animation in it, and incorporated a lot of fusion with CGI and real photographs and film passed through various filters. The combination of these visual elements help reinforce the strong themes of technological takeover and of the overall cerebral nature of the show.
While the looks of the computers and other electronics look a little dated by today's world of thin supercomputers and smartphones, they almost seem like the foundation of the technology we take for granted. Lain's Navi can view video from the Wired without excessive buffer times and even has voice recognition for the password and cellphones have email capacity, which I thought was pretty visionary for its time. Also, Lain's Navi is hooked to a series of other computers and cooling machines to make it look like a menacing entity taking over Lain's life.
I have to give props to Yoshitoshi ABe's (yes, the "b" in his last name is capitalized) character designs since they largely lean more towards "realistic" human looks while still have a strong "anime" air to them.
SOUNDTRACK
The soundtrack here is a little of a mixed bag, but thankfully leans more towards the good side. I found the intro and outro music to be pretty unremarkable, but the background music in the episodes is quite good. There's heavy use of ambient electronic music and even some more aggressive tones in this niche, that perfectly match the setting of this anime. There's some other styles of music in some episodes, such as in the last Layer, that featured a good deal of instrumental psychedelic rock pretty reminiscent to Jimi Hendrix.
TONAL CONSISTENCY
One of the things that really made me happy about Serial Experiments Lain is that the creators took this show really seriously and didn't try to inject scenes of redundant humor with exaggerated, goofy faces and chibi deformations. There's also no terminally-unfunny moments revolving around the female body trying to be funny. The totally serious, mature presentation of this anime made it extremely enjoyable.
MATURE CONTENT
While I'd recommend this anime to adults for its cognitive content, the visual content is essentially suitable to anyone 14 or older. The most "extreme" bits in this anime was when there is a shootout at the Cyberia nightclub, with a little bit of blood flowing on the floor, and some tastefully-done nudity in another where Lain is seen naked in the sky, but no private areas were illustrated on her.
FINAL WORD
This was one of the best and most rewarding anime titles I've seen in at least three years, and would even rank it as one of the best anime titles you can find. If you're in the market for an anime that's totally serious in execution and will really get your brain juices flowing, then Serial Experiments Lain is essential to your collection.
Serial Experiments Lain has been one of those anime titles I've heard of ever since I got into anime back in July of 2002, but never checked out since from the surface, didn't look all that appealing to me at the time. I made a gamble when Funimation was reissuing this anime by pre-ordering it on Amazon a few months back, got it on release date, and just finished watching it. I guess after suffering a few months back from that puke-inducing animated swill known as High School of the Dead, a cerebral anime like this was just what I needed. As you can see by my rating, I was really glad to have seen this.
Before I kick off the review, I should suggest to potential viewers that before watching it (if you want to see it), that you get yourself a lot of coffee and M&Ms (or whatever caffeinated and sugary food/beverages you like) when you watch Serial Experiments Lain, not because it's boring (quite the opposite), but because this is an anime that will give your brain a good workout.
STORY
Serial Experiments Lain is about a young girl named Lain Iwakura, who at first appears to be a shy, lukewarm junior high school student. After receiving a Navi (a computer connected to the Wired, the anime's version of the internet) from her dad, she soon finds herself engrossed in the Wired and embarks on a journey where the virtual world and reality are blurred. In this journey, many mind-bending things will happen and her personality will alter in so many ways. Along the way, she finds out of a power struggle between a mysterious group of hackers known as the Knights of Eastern Calculus and the Tachibana corporation.
CHARACTERS
I though the way the characters were handled in this anime was well done. The focus is mostly on Lain, and at first, she seems like a shy girl devoid of any personality. However, as her immersion in the Wired gets deeper, many bolder personalities of Lain are embodied. I was pleased with how Lain's school friends (Alice, Julie, and Reika) were handled, since they felt like teenage girls, but at the same time, this anime didn't bombard you with a bunch of sappy teenage school drama coming from these girls' mouths, which would have been a huge distraction from the central parts of the story.
Other characters, like Lain's family, have believable, well-established personalities that get altered when the real world and the Wired are altered with, and these changes work out really well in the context of the story.
THEMES
Since Serial Experiments Lain is an anime that's heavily entrenched in philosophy and the rapid evolution of computer and electronic networking technology.
I'll be honest here and say that so many things have happened in this anime, that I'll need to watch it again at least once to get a full grasp of this, but I was able to comprehend this well enough to know what happened and what some things mean.
This anime's most prominent theme is that it's almost like a warning to people about over-reliance on computerized electronic communications. I thought this type of "warning" was tastefully-done since it's not shoved in your face and isn't sanctimonious about it. I guess you could say the core message with this theme is that over-reliance on the Wired (or internet) will diminish one's humanity. I think it's crazy that this was made in 1998 yet the themes of technology are still relevant today.
Religion is another theme tackled in this anime, and without spoiling anything, some of the discussion between Lain and Eiri (who calls himself "God") will make ponderous folks happy.
There was also real history about the first computers and electronic networks that would tie into the foundation for the Wired, and I thought this combination was ace since these meshed perfectly and shows it has some proper learning of important history.
HORROR ELEMENTS
While not being an outright horror anime, there are some horror elements used in it to illustrate the psychological deterioration Lain and others go through in this anime. One of the creepiest was on Layer 09: Protocol, where an alien in a red and green sweater peaks into Lain's room and creeps her out.
Another horror scene that creeped me out a lot was when Mika (Lain's older sister) starts hallucinating in a fast food joint, and when in the bathroom, is forced into seeing "Fulfill your destiny!" scribed on the stall door.
What I find funny about the scant horror scenes in it is that there's horrible anime like Elfen Lied that constantly bombard you with gore, trying to pass it off as scary, and while the horror scenes in Serial Experiments Lain had very little to no blood in them, were far more unnerving than anything the likes of Elfen Lied, Gantz, or High School of the Dead could throw at you.
APPEARANCE
The animation and artwork for this is stunning. With this being an anime from the late 90's, this was one of the last pieces of anime that would have had traditional cel animation in it, and incorporated a lot of fusion with CGI and real photographs and film passed through various filters. The combination of these visual elements help reinforce the strong themes of technological takeover and of the overall cerebral nature of the show.
While the looks of the computers and other electronics look a little dated by today's world of thin supercomputers and smartphones, they almost seem like the foundation of the technology we take for granted. Lain's Navi can view video from the Wired without excessive buffer times and even has voice recognition for the password and cellphones have email capacity, which I thought was pretty visionary for its time. Also, Lain's Navi is hooked to a series of other computers and cooling machines to make it look like a menacing entity taking over Lain's life.
I have to give props to Yoshitoshi ABe's (yes, the "b" in his last name is capitalized) character designs since they largely lean more towards "realistic" human looks while still have a strong "anime" air to them.
SOUNDTRACK
The soundtrack here is a little of a mixed bag, but thankfully leans more towards the good side. I found the intro and outro music to be pretty unremarkable, but the background music in the episodes is quite good. There's heavy use of ambient electronic music and even some more aggressive tones in this niche, that perfectly match the setting of this anime. There's some other styles of music in some episodes, such as in the last Layer, that featured a good deal of instrumental psychedelic rock pretty reminiscent to Jimi Hendrix.
TONAL CONSISTENCY
One of the things that really made me happy about Serial Experiments Lain is that the creators took this show really seriously and didn't try to inject scenes of redundant humor with exaggerated, goofy faces and chibi deformations. There's also no terminally-unfunny moments revolving around the female body trying to be funny. The totally serious, mature presentation of this anime made it extremely enjoyable.
MATURE CONTENT
While I'd recommend this anime to adults for its cognitive content, the visual content is essentially suitable to anyone 14 or older. The most "extreme" bits in this anime was when there is a shootout at the Cyberia nightclub, with a little bit of blood flowing on the floor, and some tastefully-done nudity in another where Lain is seen naked in the sky, but no private areas were illustrated on her.
FINAL WORD
This was one of the best and most rewarding anime titles I've seen in at least three years, and would even rank it as one of the best anime titles you can find. If you're in the market for an anime that's totally serious in execution and will really get your brain juices flowing, then Serial Experiments Lain is essential to your collection.
Erich Hartmann
5,0 von 5 Sternen
Stimulating, intellectual, creepy, and unpredictable
Rezension aus den Vereinigten Staaten vom 13. November 2012
EDIT1 (12.6.13): I feel like a different introduction should be used here.
First, let's get this out of the way: It hit me upon watching this again that Lain exhibits classic symptoms of schizophrenia and very schizoid mannerisms through the beginning. The first couple of episodes show things mostly through Lain's perspective, but the way she perceives her reality is impossibly bizarre. And her perspective is one of overt psychosis--obvious hallucinations of different natures in episodes one and two, feelings and sightings of being watched, being painfully socially inhibited, a seeming inability to show strong emotions even in the face of PTSD-level trauma--it's really all there, both positive and negative symptoms of a developing disorder of thought and perception.
I thought it prudent to point this out, as her developing thought processes are clearly disordered and her perceptions hallucinatory. The series never explains any of these strange hallucinations she has, or her flat affect and odd indifference even when in life-threatening situations.
Others have already touched on the limited ability to make this series "Blu-ray quality". It is, indeed, a very old series, and it was never possible to remove the 4:3 native aspect ratio. Additionally, due to the variety of colors used, it was no doubt difficult to clean these up. However, the effort is apparent. If you're well-aware of the very original release ever-so-long-ago, it will be easy to spot that a Blu-ray transition does not magically make the animation or picture quality like a more modern series. Some credit needs to be given, though, that the effort is there. To expect more is just not reasonable.
...Which is probably why they throw in quite a few extras in the box to make the Blu-ray more worthwhile than a very simple resolution upgrade with some touch-ups. You get quite a bit of stuff here, which is already listed, and is good stuff.
And, really, it's worth it for the top menu alone. Easily the most aesthetically creative and just-plain-cool Blu-ray menu for any anime I've come across. Someone had a good idea with that one, and it was executed beautifully.
---
The very first two lines you hear in the first episode define the entire series. Maybe you've even seen it before because of how ridiculously creepy it is. This isn't a spoiler (it's the first two sentences ever spoken by anyone, and comes immediately before the opening credits of almost every episode), but once you hear an unnamed voice say in a disturbed tone, "Present day...*chuckle*...PRESENT TIME...HAHAHAHA!" Then the screen immediately cuts to white noise with a faint silhouette of Lain.
Yes, it only takes literally two sentences and about five seconds of white noise on your TV for you to get the flavor of this series.
If you appreciate anime series that are extremely heavy on real-life intellectual and philosophical issues, combined with an incredibly original and unpredictable protagonist, unbelievable twists, heavy but certainly not glorified violence, and a "feel" that's unique all on its own and has never been topped, this is your ticket. Nothing really compares or has compared since then, even though it's a relatively old series.
This is one of *those* series that, once an episode is over, you'll have an extreme amount of difficulty not watching "just one more episode to see what happens". Once this series creeps into your blood and the story kickstarts hardcore by the end of the first episode, the sheer unpredictability of the events and the character reactions mixed with a unique art style and general creepiness will stay on your mind for a long, long time.
There has *never* been a character like Lain herself. But anything I say about that would be a spoiler. Let's just say that she's a somewhat eccentric girl, and the writers made no effort to turn her into a typical anime female heroine that is actually believable in an intentionally unbelievable world in which she lives.
From Lain's older sister's development as her own character to the identity and purpose of the KNIGHTS hacking group, every episode teases you with something that can, and does, change the entire course of the events.
You may or may not have difficulty understanding the climax of the series, as some people have called it a notorious "Gainax Ending", meaning it appears to make absolutely no sense, and you have no clue what just happened upon the final lines spoken. But after I watched and really paid attention, I felt like I had a good grasp of exactly what was going on the whole time. Obviously, I won't spoil it, but let's just say that it does, in fact, make sense, if you've been paying attention to the messages throughout the series and understand every character's motivation and the inevitable conclusion it all leads to. (I wrote about the ending on TV Tropes, so if you need help understanding it, that may help. But, hey, I'll field questions after you're done with it.)
Very, very highly recommended. Lain's development alone is enough of a hook to keep the series going, but there's so much more to explore as the story blossoms outward.
First, let's get this out of the way: It hit me upon watching this again that Lain exhibits classic symptoms of schizophrenia and very schizoid mannerisms through the beginning. The first couple of episodes show things mostly through Lain's perspective, but the way she perceives her reality is impossibly bizarre. And her perspective is one of overt psychosis--obvious hallucinations of different natures in episodes one and two, feelings and sightings of being watched, being painfully socially inhibited, a seeming inability to show strong emotions even in the face of PTSD-level trauma--it's really all there, both positive and negative symptoms of a developing disorder of thought and perception.
I thought it prudent to point this out, as her developing thought processes are clearly disordered and her perceptions hallucinatory. The series never explains any of these strange hallucinations she has, or her flat affect and odd indifference even when in life-threatening situations.
Others have already touched on the limited ability to make this series "Blu-ray quality". It is, indeed, a very old series, and it was never possible to remove the 4:3 native aspect ratio. Additionally, due to the variety of colors used, it was no doubt difficult to clean these up. However, the effort is apparent. If you're well-aware of the very original release ever-so-long-ago, it will be easy to spot that a Blu-ray transition does not magically make the animation or picture quality like a more modern series. Some credit needs to be given, though, that the effort is there. To expect more is just not reasonable.
...Which is probably why they throw in quite a few extras in the box to make the Blu-ray more worthwhile than a very simple resolution upgrade with some touch-ups. You get quite a bit of stuff here, which is already listed, and is good stuff.
And, really, it's worth it for the top menu alone. Easily the most aesthetically creative and just-plain-cool Blu-ray menu for any anime I've come across. Someone had a good idea with that one, and it was executed beautifully.
---
The very first two lines you hear in the first episode define the entire series. Maybe you've even seen it before because of how ridiculously creepy it is. This isn't a spoiler (it's the first two sentences ever spoken by anyone, and comes immediately before the opening credits of almost every episode), but once you hear an unnamed voice say in a disturbed tone, "Present day...*chuckle*...PRESENT TIME...HAHAHAHA!" Then the screen immediately cuts to white noise with a faint silhouette of Lain.
Yes, it only takes literally two sentences and about five seconds of white noise on your TV for you to get the flavor of this series.
If you appreciate anime series that are extremely heavy on real-life intellectual and philosophical issues, combined with an incredibly original and unpredictable protagonist, unbelievable twists, heavy but certainly not glorified violence, and a "feel" that's unique all on its own and has never been topped, this is your ticket. Nothing really compares or has compared since then, even though it's a relatively old series.
This is one of *those* series that, once an episode is over, you'll have an extreme amount of difficulty not watching "just one more episode to see what happens". Once this series creeps into your blood and the story kickstarts hardcore by the end of the first episode, the sheer unpredictability of the events and the character reactions mixed with a unique art style and general creepiness will stay on your mind for a long, long time.
There has *never* been a character like Lain herself. But anything I say about that would be a spoiler. Let's just say that she's a somewhat eccentric girl, and the writers made no effort to turn her into a typical anime female heroine that is actually believable in an intentionally unbelievable world in which she lives.
From Lain's older sister's development as her own character to the identity and purpose of the KNIGHTS hacking group, every episode teases you with something that can, and does, change the entire course of the events.
You may or may not have difficulty understanding the climax of the series, as some people have called it a notorious "Gainax Ending", meaning it appears to make absolutely no sense, and you have no clue what just happened upon the final lines spoken. But after I watched and really paid attention, I felt like I had a good grasp of exactly what was going on the whole time. Obviously, I won't spoil it, but let's just say that it does, in fact, make sense, if you've been paying attention to the messages throughout the series and understand every character's motivation and the inevitable conclusion it all leads to. (I wrote about the ending on TV Tropes, so if you need help understanding it, that may help. But, hey, I'll field questions after you're done with it.)
Very, very highly recommended. Lain's development alone is enough of a hook to keep the series going, but there's so much more to explore as the story blossoms outward.
Gradient Vector Field
4,0 von 5 Sternen
Am I Me?
Rezension aus den Vereinigten Staaten vom 20. Juli 2008
If this series didn't make you sit down and think about your own perceptions of reality then you definitely didn't get this series. I spent a large portion of this series thinking it was highly influenced by the Matrix... until I looked at the date and found that "Serial Experiments Lain" was out well before the Matrix. Now I wonder if the Matrix was influenced by this. Part of me says it must have been! Ah well, that's what I get for watching things so long after they came out. Either way I did quite enjoy this series' philosophical concepts quite a bit.
The animation and story sequence is very surreal on both fronts. To be honest, I wasn't very into the way it was "filmed". It was very disruptive and always made you question what you were watching. I realize this is pretty much the whole point, but they almost did TOO good of a job blurring the scenes of reality and the virtual, which is basically the whole series concept. Just part of me wishes the lines were a little more well defined, so I wouldn't have to constantly be assaulted with "is this real?" However, it forces you to really think about what you're watching, so my preferences aside this is insanely well thought out! "Serial Experiments Lain" is about questioning the perceptions of reality and how you define yourself as a real person or as a virtual person. I assume this was influenced by the explosion of the internet and how people represent themselves as they'd like to see themselves, not how they are in the real world. So "Serial Experiments Lain" asks the question of it's viewers about how they see their real selves, and which one is, in fact, more real?
The story circles around a girl named Lain and you never quite know if she's a person in the real world, or if she's a construct in the virtual world. But how different is the real world versus the virtual world? I'm not going to claim that I understood every little detail of this series, but it appears to be quite well researched because it references scientists that worked on these concepts, and even the concept of a global conscious network (basically our current connection without the computer hardware). Bizarre occurrences happen when Lain is interacting with the real world, people either go mad, or they die, sometimes both. I imagine this is due to the fact that blurring the two lines that much forces people to wonder who they are and their brains just snap on the pressure. Lain is a real consciousness, of course, but her concept of "self", as it is proposed is just software. An executable file, as the show states. This also brings us to the question of deity, as in who programmed this executable file? God? One thing I loved was that the series proposes that the consciousness of mankind could overcome whatever humanity perceives as deity, because it asks the question of "who made you God?" By what right do you rule our species and world? And also presents the concept that God is only God if that deity has worshippers, even if there is just one. Something very close to a theory I have quite often pondered upon. So what happens if there are no more worshippers? Is that deity still God? If not then what is God? As you can see "Serial Experiments Lain" is definitely designed for those who really want to think about the world around them and their role in it. Lain frequently asks "am I me?" Always trying to define herself, always asking where she belongs.
This review may seem fairly disjointed, but it certainly fits the spirit of the series in my opinion. I imagine that many will be really intrigued by this and this should definitely screw with your mind a little after watching it. It really makes you ponder where you are in life and is that where you belong... is it really you? While some of the filming concepts are kind of annoying I see their point, except for "Infornography", most of that episode annoyed me. Other than that they were all well done, even if a little hard to follow at times. I think some people will outright hate this due to its very bizarre feel and they won't be able to move beyond that. However, I think this is kind of geared towards the techno savvy generation, especially those into hacking and other concepts of free information. If any of these concepts seem appealing to you, then I would definitely recommend you check out this series!
The animation and story sequence is very surreal on both fronts. To be honest, I wasn't very into the way it was "filmed". It was very disruptive and always made you question what you were watching. I realize this is pretty much the whole point, but they almost did TOO good of a job blurring the scenes of reality and the virtual, which is basically the whole series concept. Just part of me wishes the lines were a little more well defined, so I wouldn't have to constantly be assaulted with "is this real?" However, it forces you to really think about what you're watching, so my preferences aside this is insanely well thought out! "Serial Experiments Lain" is about questioning the perceptions of reality and how you define yourself as a real person or as a virtual person. I assume this was influenced by the explosion of the internet and how people represent themselves as they'd like to see themselves, not how they are in the real world. So "Serial Experiments Lain" asks the question of it's viewers about how they see their real selves, and which one is, in fact, more real?
The story circles around a girl named Lain and you never quite know if she's a person in the real world, or if she's a construct in the virtual world. But how different is the real world versus the virtual world? I'm not going to claim that I understood every little detail of this series, but it appears to be quite well researched because it references scientists that worked on these concepts, and even the concept of a global conscious network (basically our current connection without the computer hardware). Bizarre occurrences happen when Lain is interacting with the real world, people either go mad, or they die, sometimes both. I imagine this is due to the fact that blurring the two lines that much forces people to wonder who they are and their brains just snap on the pressure. Lain is a real consciousness, of course, but her concept of "self", as it is proposed is just software. An executable file, as the show states. This also brings us to the question of deity, as in who programmed this executable file? God? One thing I loved was that the series proposes that the consciousness of mankind could overcome whatever humanity perceives as deity, because it asks the question of "who made you God?" By what right do you rule our species and world? And also presents the concept that God is only God if that deity has worshippers, even if there is just one. Something very close to a theory I have quite often pondered upon. So what happens if there are no more worshippers? Is that deity still God? If not then what is God? As you can see "Serial Experiments Lain" is definitely designed for those who really want to think about the world around them and their role in it. Lain frequently asks "am I me?" Always trying to define herself, always asking where she belongs.
This review may seem fairly disjointed, but it certainly fits the spirit of the series in my opinion. I imagine that many will be really intrigued by this and this should definitely screw with your mind a little after watching it. It really makes you ponder where you are in life and is that where you belong... is it really you? While some of the filming concepts are kind of annoying I see their point, except for "Infornography", most of that episode annoyed me. Other than that they were all well done, even if a little hard to follow at times. I think some people will outright hate this due to its very bizarre feel and they won't be able to move beyond that. However, I think this is kind of geared towards the techno savvy generation, especially those into hacking and other concepts of free information. If any of these concepts seem appealing to you, then I would definitely recommend you check out this series!
KevinB
4,0 von 5 Sternen
What, Or Who Is Wired?
Rezension aus den Vereinigten Staaten vom 6. Januar 2013
Lain is not your average school girl. She's detached, boring, and not very into technology. All that changes when a classmate of hers kills herself. Lain and her friends receive postmortem e-mails from her saying that she has merely left her body and now lives within the "Wired". The Wired is an evolved form of the internet. Lain is intrigued by this event and begins to explore The Wired.
When she gets involved with The Wired, Lain discovers that it is more than just a network of electrical signals. It is more like a living thing. A living thing with a will. Is it god? Is it an alternate Universe? Who the hell knows? I think it may be all of those. Lain discovers the truth behind her existence, the existence of the Wired, and their relationship to the real world.
This anime all all kinds of weird. It's older, so the animation is kinda odd. It's from the creator of Haibane Renmei; and it's obvious from the character designs. I had to try very hard to get through the first 5 episodes. It bored me to death and made me angry. Once things began to unfold, I started to appreciate it. This is one of those artsy/experimental shows. It's totally philosophical ans psychological. There is not much action or drama. It moves painfully slow. Most of the characters are very one dimensional and have no personality. Lain and here family are especially boring people.
The psychological elements of this story are the main focus. The characters teeter back and forth on the frayed edges of sanity. What is real? What is not? What is the truth? These things drive the characters to the edge. It takes a toll on your brain as you watch the characters explore their world. The animation and soundtrack also gnaw at your patience. There is a lot of static and "white noise" going through the speakers.
I respect this series for it's depth and creativity, but I just don't like it. The story is deep and thought provoking, the animation is unique, but it's a major chore to watch. If I rated it according to how much enjoyment I got out of it; I would give it 2 stars. That isn't a fair rating though. If I'm trying to be objective, I'll give it 4 stars. It is a long shot from 5 stars, but it is a great piece of art and storytelling. There is nothing to get attached to in this series, so it's hard to fall in love with it. If you remember the ending of the Evangelion TV series; where the characters pretty much get a psyche evaluation, you can get a relative idea of what this anime is like. It's like watching the final Evangelion episode for 5 hours. I can't recommend buying this anime without watching it first. If you're interested in it, most definitely watch it online or rent it first. I bought it before I saw it, based on all the 5 star reviews. It pisses me off that everyone raved about something that was so subjective. I really wish I had watched it before buying. I can't stress it enough: WATCH BEFORE YOU BUY. YOU MAY LOVE IT, YOU MAY HATE IT.
Review of the product:
This is an excellent release(5 stars). It comes with both Blu-ray and DVD versions in separate cases. The box is very sturdy and has beautiful artwork. There is a small booklet inside with commentary for each episode. There is also a really big art book inside. Personally, I think the art book is kind of a waste of space and unnecessary, but if you're paying out the ass for something like this, you may as well get something extra. Overall, this special edition is probably only gonna interest major fans of the series. It's a great box set.
When she gets involved with The Wired, Lain discovers that it is more than just a network of electrical signals. It is more like a living thing. A living thing with a will. Is it god? Is it an alternate Universe? Who the hell knows? I think it may be all of those. Lain discovers the truth behind her existence, the existence of the Wired, and their relationship to the real world.
This anime all all kinds of weird. It's older, so the animation is kinda odd. It's from the creator of Haibane Renmei; and it's obvious from the character designs. I had to try very hard to get through the first 5 episodes. It bored me to death and made me angry. Once things began to unfold, I started to appreciate it. This is one of those artsy/experimental shows. It's totally philosophical ans psychological. There is not much action or drama. It moves painfully slow. Most of the characters are very one dimensional and have no personality. Lain and here family are especially boring people.
The psychological elements of this story are the main focus. The characters teeter back and forth on the frayed edges of sanity. What is real? What is not? What is the truth? These things drive the characters to the edge. It takes a toll on your brain as you watch the characters explore their world. The animation and soundtrack also gnaw at your patience. There is a lot of static and "white noise" going through the speakers.
I respect this series for it's depth and creativity, but I just don't like it. The story is deep and thought provoking, the animation is unique, but it's a major chore to watch. If I rated it according to how much enjoyment I got out of it; I would give it 2 stars. That isn't a fair rating though. If I'm trying to be objective, I'll give it 4 stars. It is a long shot from 5 stars, but it is a great piece of art and storytelling. There is nothing to get attached to in this series, so it's hard to fall in love with it. If you remember the ending of the Evangelion TV series; where the characters pretty much get a psyche evaluation, you can get a relative idea of what this anime is like. It's like watching the final Evangelion episode for 5 hours. I can't recommend buying this anime without watching it first. If you're interested in it, most definitely watch it online or rent it first. I bought it before I saw it, based on all the 5 star reviews. It pisses me off that everyone raved about something that was so subjective. I really wish I had watched it before buying. I can't stress it enough: WATCH BEFORE YOU BUY. YOU MAY LOVE IT, YOU MAY HATE IT.
Review of the product:
This is an excellent release(5 stars). It comes with both Blu-ray and DVD versions in separate cases. The box is very sturdy and has beautiful artwork. There is a small booklet inside with commentary for each episode. There is also a really big art book inside. Personally, I think the art book is kind of a waste of space and unnecessary, but if you're paying out the ass for something like this, you may as well get something extra. Overall, this special edition is probably only gonna interest major fans of the series. It's a great box set.