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Plot Synopsis

Lain seems like your typical schoolgirl, but she is anything but that. One day one of her classmates, Chisa Yomoda, commits suicide. All of Lain's classmates say that they got a phony email from her, and Lain decides to check it out. The email says that Chisa is not really gone, but has merely left her body and left for the Wired, a place which is similar to the internet. "I am gone in body but not in mind" she writes. Lain does not believe that the email is a prank, so she decides to investigate. Soon she is not sure of what is real and what isn't, so with the help of a special Psycho chip mysteriously found in her locker, Lain decides to take action as more and more people are leaving their bodies for the Wired. (Synopsis by: Daos)

Story & Characters

Serial Experiments Lain focus on a young schoolgirl named Lain. Even though she has a couple of close friends, she is quiet and come across as rather unsure of herself. Starting with the suicide of one of the girls at her school, she begin to notice unusual things in the world around her. Somehow, the dead girl is talking to people through e-mail. While the rest of the students are scared by this, Lain instead shows signs of interest. More and more strange things happens that prompts Lain (and the viewer) to rethink how the world really works; What is reality? What does it mean to be an individual? What if the person you are isn't the person you want to be? What happens as technology breaks down some of the barriers that keeps people apart?

A large part of the story is focused on technology, namely computers and how they allow you to communicate to other people. In Lain's world exists something similar to the internet, called 'the Wired'. Everyone has a mobile computer or cellphone or similar, and in a sense, everyone is connected. What does this mean to the way people relate to each other?

The story is rather complicated and mysterious. It's very interesting if you are into this type of film/serie, but it might not appeal to everyone. If you like for example Phantom Bebop (anime) or Lacob's Ladder (film) you'll like this.

Rating

9 (very good)

Art

The art is part of what builds up the particular style of this anime. Most of the time, the focus is on the background and settings. They are often done in a washed out painting-like way which underlines the slightly melancholic and sad story.

The characters are done well, with a good amount of clean detais and good colouring. Unfortunately, the animation is rather crude, which means that in some of the rare scenes where a lot of things are going on, the low amount of frames can be a bit annoying.

It's a shame the technical quality of the art falls behind like this, because there is a lot of artistic talent involved.

Rating

7 (above average)

Sound

Serial Experiments Lain has one of the best anime soundtracks ever. It's a mix between slow and mellow melodies for the scenes that focus on setting and dialogue, some harder and thrashier songs that fits well with the bits that focus on technology and cities, and some melodic songs for the happy bits (yes, there are those as well). The opening and ending themes are really great, and fits perfectly to the anime. BOA (a japanese group) has recorded several tracks just for the soundtrack.

The voice acting is good, and there is quite a lot of talking in the serie. Lain's voice stands out as perfect for her character, while some of the other characters has a tendency to be a bit plain. The sound quality is perfect, and all voices and sound effects are heard clearly in combination with the music.

Rating

9 (very good)

Presentation

Lain might not be an anime that everyone will enjoy, but if you like this type of intelectual entertainment, it's a perfect anime to start with. While a lot of similar animes and movies can be violent and scary, Lain is soft and touching while still maintaining a slightly unsettling and unfamiliar feel.

It has a overall feel which is different than most series, and it allows for a great deal of discussion with other viewers afterward. It's great to watch through the first time, but if you chose to watch it again, you'll pick up new details which makes it worth rewatching even if the big plot twists won't suprise you. Even if you are an European or American, and don't know much about Japanese society, the makes has made sure that the serie is 'international' enough in it's ideas and details that this doesn't present a problem.

It's of a good length, 13 episodes, although some of the episodes in the middle can be a bit slow. You might want to take in Lain in small bits, because it requires quite a bit of attention.

Rating

8 (good)

Final Verdict

8.33 (good)

Reviewed by WGMelchior, 3y 45wk ago