Serial Experiments Lain

Boy, how I remember my first time wathing this.

I had no idea what I had just watched (I'm still not entirely sure I do), but whatever it was, I loved it.

This series not only opened my eyes…it literally changed my life. I've experienced the whole series many times, always letting it probe my mind to provoke thoughts I didn't know existed. This isn't a review, if you want to know what the series is like, watch it, or rather let it watch you. After studying the series for a while I became deeply interested in computers, computer science, philosophy, mind-expansion, and theory.

I related to Lain on such a personal level that the show almost seemed to transcend the subtext of it just being a work of fiction. But then again Serial Experiments Lain blurs the thin boundary that is reality and the virtual. The concepts and information shown at parts is very much worth looking into as well (E.I. Shuman resonance (commonly)7.83Hz). The integration into the story seems entirely possible in the future. The concept of the wired is in itself one of the most intriguing and glorious things i've ever heard of. Cyberpunk nirvana I suppose would be a way of looking at it. I could write for days on this work of art, but i'll limit myself here. If you do decide to watch it, you must commit to the whole series, or you'll probably be confused or misled. The series comes full circle like i've rarely seen any other do before.

On a side note, the series is also an incredible psychonaut tool.

• Don't pass this one up.

Anime existentialism, generally speaking, is largely inaccessible to western audiences... and it's almost totally inaccessible to myself. I'm not ashamed to admit that I had to watch Akira three or four times before I fully understood it, and Ghost in the Shell had to live in my VCR for a couple weekends until I was satisfied I'd eked whatever shred of understanding out of it that I could. I grew very tired of essays on where mankind came from and where it was going. I decided, at that point, that I would never understand anime to a degree where I could be pleased with it, and abstained from watching it for a while (with the exception of the occasional Ranma1/2 episode, at the behest of my then-girlfriend).

Then, along came Lain.

I was very, very skeptical about watching Lain. Not only did it look like your typical "what is it all about" anime, but it was a thirteen-episode series, clocking in at well over five hours. I figured I'd watch the first four episodes and scrap the rest.

Lain sucked me in.

I can't stress how shocked I was when I swapped DVD #3 for DVD #4 and looked at my watch to realize I'd been sitting in one place for over four and a half hours. Serial Experiment Lain is simply incredible. There's enough mystery and enough seeds planted to keep the viewer watching from one episode to the next. The artwork is friggin' incredible... minimalist yet so rich that each shot breathes with its own life. Even the opening title sequence draws you in, with its careful attention to camera, style, and its mournful score.

Mournful, indeed. I don't make it a point to cry when I'm watching cartoons, but Lain beat the living hell out of my emotions. In very broad strokes, Serial Experiment Lain is about family, alienation, friendship and humanity. It analyzes the differences between obligation and true love, and comes down to the question of what is right and what will make you happy... and most importantly, what happens when we're forced to choose between the two?

Lain takes a lot of chances with style and presentation, and is a truly refreshing breath of fresh air from a medium that has grown far too comfortable with itself. The combination of cel animation with computer graphics and live action footage creates a world not unique to anime, but totally unique unto itself. Serial Experiment Lain rekindled my faith in anime, which is saying a lot. It is a great experience (I wouldn't be here telling you about it if it wasn't) and a great piece of film. If you've got a few hours to kill, step into Lain's world for a while, you won't be disappointed.

Something that could have only came when the internet was still mysterious in its working. But that doesn't change how philosophical and experimental it is, and beyond all focuses on emotions through an archetype that gets sidelined and turns into a unique experience. Even though it ends as a bit of a failed attempt to be Neon Genesis Evangelion this is still an amazing feat in visual media for executing something like this and not just dying in the minds of the brilliant people who made it.

I feel like I have to say a few things about zetes's rant. For one, it's kind of depressing when people watch 4 episodes of a show and feel like they know everything about it. To put things in perspective, this is like watching the first 35 minutes of a movie and being convinced that it's worthless. But onto his points:

1. Yeah, a lot of effort does go into making the show more mysterious, but eventually it really does touch on themes that would appeal to those looking for something intellectual, especially functionalism, descriptive materialism, and the problems with a wholly materialistic interpretation of identity. Don't expect hardcore analytic philosophy, just a nice sprinkling of references and some interesting perspectives.

2. When you first start watching the series, it makes absolutely no sense, and every episode just seems to be adding to the complexity by introducing new aspects. But by the time you finish it, I guarantee that all of these things will make perfect sense (even why Lain's family seems so shallow and undeveloped). In this sense, the series creates perfect order out of total chaos, an aspect that I particularly liked.

3. I'm not going to pretend to be a film critic, but the directing seemed pretty effective at creating the kind of atmosphere that the series needed. And many of the episodes ended with great "what the hell just happened?" moments, that forced me to revise all my theories and definitely made me want watch more.

No offense to zetes, but you shouldn't watch this anime expecting to find character portraits or traditional "slice-of-life" drama. Just like any good existentialist movie ("Donnie Darko" comes to mind here) it won't make too much sense until you've watched the whole thing and maybe even thought about it a bit. So if you feel like you won't be satisfied unless you get your moral straight-up, then this series isn't for you. It'll make you think and will only provide you with more question, not answers.