zgaylord - 2014-10-17 18:45:18

Serial Experiments Lain is an example of what mind fucks really are, but however it's not just mind fuckery, it also raises several questions about society, religion and technology. 

Story wise Lain is somewhat of a masterpiece, the story is infinitely complex and very open ended. The story is told through the eyes of Lain, the lead protagonist, though she is the main character, her dialogue is very limited, with no narration from her it can be very hard to see what she is thinking which leaves a lot of the story there for you to interpret, which I think is a good thing. The story itself is very hard to explain, especially without ruining certain events, but the main gist of it is a girl commits suicide, then a series of messages is sent to people she knew via email, this then leads Lain to stumble upon and explore "the wired".  Story wise this is were Lain truly shines, it never spoon feeds anything to you, leaving every last bit of the story there for /you/ to piece together and no one else which works well with the shows slow pace, Lain gives you the time to think about everything which is happening and try to piece everything together which is really the main selling point of this series.

Character wise Lain has very few which matter, mainly Lain, her family, and small group of friends which are all way in the background. Serial Experiments Lain doesn't really rely on any other characters besides Lain, using her disconnection from society as a point to push the plot and her interactions on "the wired", so character wise there isn't much to say since the only real character you can talk about is Lain, who was a very intricate and interesting character to watch.

Animation for Lain was good though dated, the visuals have a clean style to them with weird shadowing which fitted it's tone. All the designs did what they needed to do, though it not being an action heavy show there wasn't any chance for the series to show of what was very good animation for it's time.

Sound was a very strong point for Lain, it relies the use of subtle background noise like the static from power lines, it all fit well suiting the series tone and pacing well.

For my enjoyment Lain delivered, it was an interesting watch which kept me glued to m screen, I wanted to find out about Lain and the wired and it always kept me second guessing any conclusions I made the wired and Lain which was great and really made you feel like an active viewer.

Over all Serial Experiments Lain is a very unique show with nothing else like it, it's story is really something outside the norm and definitely deserves a watch with all the themes it touches on and even though it was made in 1998, the question it raises about technology has only become more relevant today. Serial Experiments was a truly great and original show 8.9/10

buckridge.freddy - 2014-09-27 01:37:37

wow it's a show about a walking comcast router 

madonna34 - 2014-09-14 03:42:29

THIS SHIT WAS BELIEVE IT OR NOT MY FIRST ANIMU EVER. MY MOM FOUND IT ON VHS AT A PAWN SHOP AND WHEN I SAW IT IT FUCKED ME UP FOR LIFE CUZ I WAS ONLY LIKE 7. IT HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART AND IS REALLY COOL AND TRIPPY N SHITE.

bernita09 - 2014-07-14 09:22:59

Here's some spine-chilling music to set the mood:

Something about Serial Experiments Lain is different. And by this, I mean very different. It's most certainly not a typical sci-fi show. Giant robots and spaceships are seldom seen here. It's not something you can simply absorb. You can't sit down and expect everything to be clear as day. Lain can't be absorbed because it absorbs you.

All it takes are the first 5 minutes of Serial Experiments Lain for you to understand that it's a little darker than your average anime. Why's that? Well, less than 5 minutes into the show, a girl jumps off a building and falls to her death in an urban alleyway. It just so happens that this young girl's name is Chisa, and it also just so happens that she is the classmate of Lain Iwakura, the main character.

Now, in most situations, there would be grieving over Chisa's death for a few weeks, people would get over it and move on with their boring, unsatisfactory lives. But there's something holding all that up. See, people in Lain's class start to get mysterious email messages over a worldwide online network known as the Wired that scare them. That's probably because the sender of these messages is none other than Chisa herself, who, if you can't remember, killed herself. Most people eventually decide that it was just some harsh prank and forget about it, but not Lain. That's mainly because it's not a prank.  I would continue, but I'm getting closer and closer to spoiler territory with every word. So, for the sake of this being a low-spoiler review, I'll move on.

The story of Lain is told in a way that most anime avoid. Rather than being a sequential progression from point A to B, it's more of a jumble of different events that all sort of fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Every piece of this puzzle is somehow connected to Lain herself, and it's up to the viewer to put them together to find out what's going on. It makes you think rather than passively presenting information. One thing this show has a reputation for is being hard to understand. This is really only half-true. It's not as hard to put the pieces together as it is to put them together the right way. See, in Lain, there isn't really a right way. What's happening is easy to understand as long as you pay attention. What it means is the hard part here.

So, what does it mean? Lain explores the effects of technology on society. It's surprisingly relevant today, despite the fact that it's over 15 years old. The story, when put together, is a sort of metaphor for how people are absorbed by technology. There are people in this show who live for the Wired. It is their sole purpose for existing. Our online self and our real-life self can be completely different, despite the fact that they are one and the same. That's how I interpreted it, at least. Lain is a story that makes sense on it's own, but it's up to you to interpret what it's trying to tell you. It's message is definitely there, but it doesn't force it down your throat. You can make of it whatever you want to make of it. That's something only a masterpiece could allow you to do.

The atmosphere of this anime is worth noting all on it's own. Lain feels very silent, slow, and awkward. That probably sounds like criticism, but if anything the atmosphere is a good thing. It gives the show emotion, or, rather, a complete lack of all emotion. Which, to those who have seen it, makes a lot more sense later on. It matches the nature of the story very well, and acts as another part of what makes Lain so very different from the rest.

The only issue with Lain's storytelling is how slow it feels at first. Yes, it is part of the atmosphere, but that doesn't mean that the first few episodes aren't ridiculously boring. Yes, it develops the world early on so it's easier to understand later, but that doesn't mean that it won't turn away plenty of potential fans prematurely. So if you're looking for a fast start, stay away. But, if you want an absolute masterpiece in terms of storytelling, look no further, because Lain is precisely that.

Lain's animation was done by Triangle Staff, who clearly had a decent budget on hand for this series. The animation remains fluid and well-drawn, and reused animation is almost nonexistent. There are some moments where things definitely look a little off, but they're usually short. They sure are fun to laugh at, though.

Lain is much more well-known for it's style than it's budget, though. Hell, it even got a parody in FLCL. The colors tend to contrast each other despite being somewhat washed out, which adds to the awkwardness and unease that the world of Lain can be described by. Backgrounds are sharply drawn, colorful, and detailed, and looked good enough to the point where I would pause the video and just let the image sit on screen for a moment. 

The character designs in Lain were done by none other than Yoshitoshi ABe, whose other work consists of Haibane Renmei, NieA_7, and Texhnolyze. He has a very recognizable style, to say the least. His characters in Lain look very realistic, yet very distinguishable from each other. It's something that I rarely seen done in any anime. Most of the time, when people attempt to make the characters look real it ends up being really hard to tell them apart. As such, we end up with people sporting purple hair and red eyes just so we don't mix them up. The characters are drawn in this way that I can only describe as wobbly. Which is hard to picture until you look up a couple screenshots from the show. For example:

It actually looks rather nice most of the time, despite how nasty wobbly-looking stuff can be in some shows. I can definitely see how it would look bad to someone else though. So, if that person is you, I'm sorry.

The soundtrack for Lain isn't nearly as important as it's lack of sound. Much of the time, the background noise in this show sounds like a buzzing refrigerator. Which, again, helps with the atmosphere of the show. Near the end, it did get kind of old to hear the exact same sound effect whilst images of power lines and roads were flashed in your face, but it worked really well early on. When the soundtrack kicks in, of course, it's absolutely amazing. Try to tell me that this isn't just plain awesome:

It mainly consists of rock with electronic beats, composed by a guy who normally doesn't do anime soundtracks. It's a shame that he doesn't, because I'd be compelled to watch any anime if this guy was in charge of making the music. Seriously.

OPs and EDs are both very good. The opening matches the tone of the show perfectly, and the ending provides perfect closure to each episode. One interesting thing about the OP is that it's sung in english. No, not engrish. Actual accent-free ENGLISH! It's refreshing to say the least.

Now, should you watch it dubbed or subbed? Well, I watched it dubbed. The dub isn't bad, but due to it's age and because of the type of show Lain is, it's not exactly up-to-par. So, unless you're particularly fond of dubs, I'm going to tell you to go with the sub. There are minute differences in some of the characters later on that, from what I hear, the english VAs don't pick up on nearly as well.

Nearly every character in Lain is important to the story. First, we have Lain herself, who is clearly the most important and interesting one. She's the character the whole goddamn thing's named after, after all. She's very awkward and out-of-place in the world she lives in, and at the beginning lacks any real friends. She's suspiciously quiet, and at times feels like she's more the shell or hologram of something than an actual human herself. One of the best parts of watching this anime is seeing Lain's slow transformation from an innocent schoolgirl to... well, that would be spoiling things, now wouldn't it?

The importance of all the other characters in Lain is not the personalities and traits of the characters, but more how they interact with Lain. Most of the people surrounding Lain act as though she's important, but they don't really seem to love her. Other than Alice, her one and only friend, she's treated like a stranger by her family and everyone else she knows. Which, again, all ties back to the story in very... curious ways.

I thoroughly enjoyed Serial Experiments Lain. The first couple of episodes were boring, but as the puzzle slowly began to put itself together I found myself more and more intrigued by this masterpiece. I wanted to see how the story would unfold, and what message it had to bring, and it certainly brought it. If you can't tell, I recommend this wholeheartedly, as long as you're ready to sit down at midnight, turn off all lights, and let Lain absorb you.

maryse56 - 2014-06-06 21:36:13

This is my review.

donato.cummerata - 2014-05-25 19:16:27

Lain Iwakura is a shy 14 year old girl, who comes into contact with The Wired, a virtual world like the internet nowadays. But nothing is how it seems. Lain is a mystery herself and learns about her connection with the Wired.

While Serial Experiments Lain won't make you laugh once, it will entertain or at least keep you interested with the new riddles, which come in every new episode or so called "layer". SEL has a high philosophical value and even comes with scientific facts. The World of Lain has many similarities with our world, for example the importance and use of modern technology and systems of communication. SEL had no high budget, so the animation isn't the top of the era, but quite decent with an unique dark style, which adds to the atmosphere like the sound. The soundtrack is a mixture of electro and rock, which stands out from other anime. While many characters lack of development, it is understandable for a 13 episode anime and the focus is Lain, which is developed very well throughout the series.

Everyone sees something different in Serial Experiments Lain and there are many interpretations in the internet. Lain can be your favorite anime, if you see something special in it or the effect doesn't kick in and you could get bored. It is definitely nothing for the casual anime watcher and you should watch it concentrated, since it will challenge your understanding abilities.

aracely.grant - 2013-11-13 14:45:43

The Story

When talking about good anime things that come to mind aren't really related to boring. But the thing is Serial Experiments Lain is without any doubt the most boring anime I have ever watched. This of course does not mean it is not good, on the contrary Serial Experiments Lain is probably the best written and among the most original anime I have ever seen. If I would be comparing this to literature what comes to mind is Kafka and his work. SEL is an excellent anime for quite a few reasons, it has an amazing atmosphere, it keeps you guessing and the thing it does best is making you confused. Just like Neon Genesis Evangelion it uses a lot of religious symbols and philosophical questions. It is not as heavy on the religious symbolism like Neon Genesis Evangelion, but it plays with ontological questions and our conception of God and perception of reality. Do we need our bodies to exist? Is God omnipotent? Is God man made or is he eternal? Those are just some of the questions that SEL asks or rather what questions I interpreted from its confusing, but interesting plot. The anime is quite good during the first half and it becomes stunningly good in the 2nd half, most notably the last two episodes. Since it was made in 1997 it is heavily influenced by some kind of fear from technology and primarily the internet. The authors feared what could happen if we were overwhelmed by information. This of course builds up a great paranoid atmosphere. As far as quotes go it has some of the most memorable such as: “There is only one truth. God. Yes. Me.”, so you see it can be quite epic at times.

The Animation

Unlike the story, the animation was sub-par. Very often you would simply be looking at Lain (the protagonist) doing nothing or walking, turning around looking behind her and seeing nothing. I can’t say that it was horrible since I also pay attention to the general style of the anime. Later on it will start mixing in some very interesting sequences combining animation and images of real events. By the way there were some scenes that were indeed very disturbing.

The Music

Like the story the sound was superb. From the opening and the ending to the general sound in the anime. And did I mention that the best part of the sound is the lack of it? Yes that is possible. The absence of sound builds up the atmosphere and helps keep things interesting. Now back on the opening it was one of the best openings in general. It can easily compare to Lilium (Elfen Lied) and Inner Universe (Ghost in the Shell). The ending was really what is should have been, a song that sounds like it was sung by someone crazy.

The Characters

When talking about short 11-13 episode anime they usually have to choose between the story and the characters. SEL obviously chose the story. There are actually quite a few characters, but most of them don’t have background and lack any obvious motivation and/or development. The only characters that get some amount of personality and development are Lain and Arisu, her best friend from school. Lain is a person whose main characteristic is not knowing herself. She is not very social and has problems connecting to people. Furthermore her family is quite an unfriendly environment, her mother is what can only be described as a bitch, her father is obsessed with computers and he doesn’t provide any emotional support. Arisu is a warm and king girl who actually keeps Lain sane. She has quite a few problems herself, but I won’t be going into those, you will see for yourself. Other characters are here as plot devices.

The Conclusion

To sum things up Serial Experiments Lain is one of, if not the best, mindfucks around. It is interesting, atmospheric and mind blowing. Unless you are a die-hard Sword Art Online or Mirai Nikki fan this is an anime diffidently worthy your time and it will keep you thinking about it for quite some time….

robel.oral - 2013-07-21 02:53:01

I originally watched this through my local library that rented out DVDs. I didn't like it at first, but this was probably because I was younger at the time, also I don't think I watched it all the way through and ect. Re-watched it in my University's anime club, and now I have a better explanation of this show. The first few episodes are boring, because one doesn't know what is going on, the characters are not fully fleshed out and it is generally a mess. I don't know why people who complain about slow build-ups in more contemporary series such as Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere, and many others complain about that, but not this anime's slow beginnings. However, those slow beginnings compiled with the weird cyber-punk aesthetics make the series worth watching.
Although found it lacking in the usual enjoyment factor, I did enjoy the world building aspect of the series as it introduces a very interesting internet protocol, and mixes our world with its own. I tend to prefor the over-the-top fantasy and sci-fi epics to real world connection, but this show got it's tech right. Not only that, it is surprisingly contemporary and has some hindsights into the future. This anime came out in 1998 along with other series that have become fan icons such as Cowboy Bebop. However, unlike it's contempories it focused on contemporary issues such as Internet, computer, cyber-cafe, and things that we now address in our digital age.
Music is dark and eearie, with shadowy animation that really does leave an impression. The plot slowly pierces it's way into the show, and like Evangelion kinda creeps on you when you least expect it. I liked the main character Lain, and how the story focused around her strange, if not messiah like image. Overall the second-time that I watched it I thoroughly enjoyed it.

halie36 - 2013-07-17 04:09:59

When I first picked up Serial Experiments Lain, I knew what was coming based on scattered reviews and comments I'd heard. I'd heard it was weird, I'd heard it was confusing, I had even heard it was one of the deepest anime out there. Even with all that, I didn't expect the like the show as much as I did, let alone love it to pieces!I won't talk about the story too much, as saying pretty much ANYTHING would be a spoiler, at least in my opinion. The most basic I can make it is that this young girl named Lain lives in a time where computers are everywhere, and something known as "The Wired" is drawing people in, becoming more than just a portal to the world wide web. This includes one of Lain's classmates, who's recent death is more suspicious than it first seems. The plot deals with themes such as technology's role in peoples daily lives, how we relate to everyone around us, and the value of human interaction. It's not a show you'll "get" the first time, at least not 100%. But Serial Experiments Lain is unique in that even though I didn't always understand what was happening, I was NEVER bored! The story has a way of drawing you in it, much like the wired does to many people in the show. It's an amazingly well paced and deep story which I won't dare say another word about, in fear of giving too much away.The art is amazing. The art was unique for it's time because the art director of the show was actually forbidden from watching anime while growing up, so he had no idea what the typical anime style was. The characters look relatively less cartoony and more real than a lot of other anime, which makes sense because this show is far from cartoony! The colour pallet is very dark, lot's of blues, beiges, and dark greens giving the vibe of cyberpunk, which I love. The animation is also solid, never looking cheap or half-assed. The sound is another standout element of this series. As far as music goes, their's very little. Sometimes a psychedelic, backmasked guitar may appear to make a scene particularly visceral or mind blowing, and it always works. Aside from that, a lot of the soundtrack consists of ambient noise. Wires humming with electricity, idle chatter of city streets, keyboards and mice clicking. It's all done to give you the feeling that there is no moment of total silence in this world, that Lain is always surrounded by technology or people, most of the time both! The sound design adds to the atmosphere wonderfully, and can be quite relaxing! Side note; watching this show right before you go to bed is a great idea! The opening is somewhat unique, in that it's in English, done by an English speaking band! The song is called "Duvet" by a British band called "Boa", and it's absolutely fantastic. It fits the show perfectly, is achingly beautiful, and was my favourite opening of all time before I had even seen the show!As far as characters go, the only one that really matters is Lain. She starts out as your usual quiet, shy student who's perfectly content keeping to herself. But as she is exposed to the wired, new elements of her personality begin to come to the surface. As a character Lain is very interesting because it's really up to you what exact role she plays! You can find hundreds of theories on what Lain is and why she is the way she is. There are side characters, like Lain's sister, and her family, as well as her small group of friends. They are not explored as much because really, they don't need to be. Lain's family is about as drab as they come, never talking to each other, and never showing any emotion towards each other. With the theme of this show mainly being human communication in a world overrun with technology, this makes total sense. Overall, I enjoyed this show immensely. If it was any longer than it is, it probably would have gotten a little tiresome. But at 13 episodes, it's the perfect length and makes sure that this will be a series I'll be revisiting some time very near in the future! The show can be streamed legally for free on Funimation's official website, as well as being available for purchase in a blu ray/DVD combo pack from Funimation as well.

jaunita71 - 2013-05-18 10:39:35

The WTF genre is probably best explained by simply pointing at the anime that's actually in it - anime such as "Boogiepop Phantom" and "Paranoia Agent". But what paved the way for those aforementioned titles is the cult classic "Serial Experiments Lain". It's probably the original anime of that genre, and for that, it has my respect even if I do think it's outdone by its spiritual successors. To begin with, I found "Serial Experiments Lain" to be grindingly slow. And I don't just mean slow with its overall pacing like a slice-of-life anime - it's slow in its finer grain details too. A dinner table conversation would feel ridiculously drawn out because some of characters take about 5 minutes to respond when talked to. This over done attempt at producing the right atmosphere made the characters feel wooden and the interactions between them too artificial. As a result, I was honestly nearly falling asleep during the first few episodes. Even though there's a sense of mystery, at the rate it was going I felt no sense of urgency to get to the bottom of the mystery.However, after the sluggish start, "Serial Experiments Lain" improved as it went on, becoming more and more exciting and intriguing. Abstract and philosophical, it's not a series that's easy to understand. I can't say I have it all sussed out myself, but I was able to enjoy it for the atmosphere and the direction even though I was ultimately still confused about the story. Considering the abstract nature of the story though, the climax feels a bit too much like some boss battle from a game."Serial Experiments Lain" has some good productions values. The distinctive art style and the superb use of ambient sounds such as the incessant humming of the phone lines etc all helps to get you into the mood. It also has one of the best opening credits sequences ever, combining one of the coolest opening theme you'll ever hear with some fantastic art direction (pity the ending theme sucked big time though). But Beyond its main storyline, "Serial Experiments Lain" doesn't feel like it has as much going for it as the likes of "Boogiepop Phantom" or "Paranoia Agent". Although "Boogiepop Phantom" also had me confuzzled over large sections of the story, the mini stories themselves can be thoroughly enjoyed without understanding the overarching story. I also found the social commentary "Boogiepop" to be far more compelling, and the atmosphere a lot thicker, providing a better "horror" experience. "Paranoia Agent" has a main story that's ultimately disappointing, but with its black humour and entertaining individual episodes that provided so much variety in style and feel, getting there is just so much fun. Compared to these, "Serial Experiments Lain" may feel a little bare in its offerings if you don't get the story.So what I'm trying to say is, if you're very keen on mind bendingly abstract anime, then "Serial Experiments Lain" is a show you cannot afford to miss. But if not, then, the show is likely to be a miss for you.