It is impossible to escape the Wired: the hum of wires everywhere reminds us of its existence.
Many years have passed since the release of this cult series, during which time it has been discussed, praised, criticized, taken apart and put back together countless times. The work of Ryutaro Nakamura and Chiaki J. Konaka was too extraordinary, and no label could fully describe it.
The authors of Serial Experiments Lain were rightly worried about the fate of their brainchild. Such a strange work risked being misunderstood and failing miserably. But fortunately this did not happen.
The girl Lain became famous and loved all over the world, and the series itself became a standard of philosophical and psychological anime, along with the legendary Evangelion.
What Is Serial Experiments Lain About?
Fourteen-year-old Lain was a very quiet child. Her parents did not pay much attention to her, even though she was the youngest in the family. She had almost no friends at school, just Alice and her group of two classmates. Lain was bad at using computers, but one day she had to learn.
The girl's life changed when a strange rumor spread around the school that Chisa, Lain's classmate who committed suicide, was sending emails. Lain is so shocked by this story that she connects to the Internet, checks her mail – and also receives a letter from Chisa.
Chisa tells her that she did not die, but simply left her useless body and found a god in the virtual world. And she wanted to tell Lain about it.
Serial Experiments Lain Is One of the Main Japanese Animation Masterpieces
The high quality of Serial Experiments Lain is undeniable. First of all, it is worth mentioning the direction. Surreal shots and strange angles illustrate the series in the best possible way, creating a unique atmosphere of parable, drama and thriller at the same time.
Images of half-empty houses and a gray school, shadows with blood-red stains, a psychedelically bright world of the Internet are very well conceived and shown. The soundtrack is unobtrusive and unremarkable, with the exception of a great opening song.
Serial Experiments Lain Requires Very Careful Viewing
Serial Experiments Lain is undoubtedly a masterpiece of Japanese animation, but it is not recommended for everyone. The series is not very dynamic, there are a lot of dialogues and quotations. You have to be very attentive to follow the story, to understand where it is going and if it is going at all.
If Ghost in the Shell can be watched as a beautiful action movie without paying attention to the symbolism and philosophy, it will not work with Serial Experiments Lain. You have to delve into the essence of events, notice details, remember long discussions about everything in the world.
Especially since there are no ready-made answers in the series. The authors have filled it with hints and omissions, but you have to put the whole picture together yourself.