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| It's like Albert Camus and Carl Jung got together to write an anime. I think I've mostly worked out everything but I'm still not sure the significance of the aliens or what they're supposed to represent. |
Bfolls said: It's like Albert Camus and Carl Jung got together to write an anime. I think I've mostly worked out everything but I'm still not sure the significance of the aliens or what they're supposed to represent. The alien is a red herring to the internet and theories that circulate on it. Lain takes the form of the alien and sees the alien to represent her alienation. Hope that helps you understand it a bit better. |
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| This was not confusing at all. Maybe a bit too trippy for the sake of being trippy, but everything makes sense. Idk why people rewatch it multiple times trying to get the bigger picture. |
| Wow!! I finally understand all of the confusing things. obviously I will put into my favorite this beautiful anime. 10/10 |
"No matter where you go, everyone's connected." Iwakura, Lain. |
| I watched this anime for the first time 10 years ago and I rated it a 6/10. I kept seeing people on MAL rating it a 9/10 and 10/10 with the overall score just a tad over 8/10. I'm glad I watched it again because it made more sense to me this time around and held my attention better. What a difference a decade makes, eh? I still have the same question that I had 10 years ago. How was Lain able to see her "dad" again? Was Lain in the COD package that he was waiting for to be delivered? How did was he still able to vividly remember Lain, when no one else could? Anyways, after a decade, I changed my original score of 6/10 to a 7/10. |
 "Are you intoxicated, or just insane?" |
| The substance of existentialism in this last episode was incredible. Combined with the theme of memories and the collective unconscious in people... God dammit! This series deals with a lot of topics related to humans and society in general. In the scene with the salary man and the builders, that was something like a déjà vu. Rewrite everyone's memory and at the same time continue there. It really leaves you thinking. An impressive series that I have to see more times. |
| felt like a cross between the matrix and lucy |
| I still have so many questions Why did Lain killed those agents? Who is Lain's big sister actually? Why she lost her minds? Why did she meet with adult Arisu? I feel bad for Lain She's alone now, or maybe not because she can resets anything I can't understand the philosophical of this anime It's too far away from my reach All I know that I feel bad for Lain, as long she doesn't exist.. everything is fine :( |
Rayl1ghtApr 14, 2019 10:00 AM
"Signature removed"   |
| I'm just glad Lain seemed happy at the end 8/10 |
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on 
| It seems that the biggest gripe of a lot of people is that lain is boring, I even read somebody saying "It's not supposed to be entertaining". This made me question what some people define as "entertaining". I can understand how this show is not liked by many people though, if the first few episodes don't pull you in and you let your thoughts wander you'll likely miss almost everything that isn't obvious, so like 80% of the show. I want to mention the visual and sound design though because I feel like both have greatly enhanced the dense atmosphere and fit extremely well with the overall avant-garde presentation, especially considering how consistent everything was from start to finish. Although I feel like I have a decent grasp over everything I'm definitely going to rewatch lain multiple times since this is now one of my favourites and I feel like rewatching might make me like it even more. 9/10 |
HiroM_Aug 15, 2019 6:22 PM
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| This ending was nice. After defeating the fake God of Wired she decided to remove herself and restart everything in the world, but then realizing that existing was good than being no one. Love this anime, it gives me a different kind of vibe compared to the other anime. It is nice that they don't explain everything about the Wired because that would ruined the unknown side of the anime, it would not be enjoyable anymore. "Present Day, Present Time" basically right now, the world is getting eaten by the technology and that's what this anime shows. |
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| In the beginning I felt like this show was mostly an aesthetic, because it was hard to connect to as entertainment, with a mystery regarding Lain's own sense of identity that only really begins in an obvious way after the midpoint of the show. In this sense she barely felt like a character at all for a good portion of it. But episodes 11 and 12 were exceptional and, I think, brought a lot of disparate ideas together. This ending, I think being the only satisfactory ending after all of that, was nicely done. Not really sure how resetting memories brings supposedly dead people back to life. Then again, I'm not exactly certain what kind of privilege biological bodies actually have in this series. Lain herself being a bridge between the Wired and the real world would explain that perhaps. and she does seem to have 'supernatural' abilities in a few scenes. But in all honesty, I'm still not sure how she can manipulate memories as memories (Earth frequencies or whatever the fuck?). But it seems like in the end, she sort of just fades away and lingers on the periphery, with Arisu sort of recognizing her on a subconscious level, and everyone probably having the potential to experience something similar. But yeah, technology is probably going to swallow us up one day...if it hasn't already. |
syncrogazerOct 1, 2019 7:35 PM
| I didn't understand anything but this is cool anime |
| Wow... What an anime! Not bad AT ALL for a 98 short series on a short budget... What a mindf**k that was! Great concepts being explored.. |
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| Mind-blown 😵🤯 |
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on | "And you don't seem to understand..." - now that's perfect song for this anime. Well played. This was my first shot on that kind of anime. (I watched long time ago NHK, but I don't recall it being similar) There was a time (around 4 episode) when I thought - "damn, what? why? Should I quit it?" Some part of me didn't enjoy the series, because I never liked movies, games etc. with a lot of symbolic stuff. Me: Hey anime, can you give me some answers? Anime: Well yes... but actually no. As a person who was big IT nerd I loved what Lain did with these computers. I honestly think that the scene when she was modifying her computer was crucial for me, because I finally got some enjoyment and I managed to continue watching. Being half-naked, switching parts in old computers and installing windows 98 - I experienced that. Anime + IT = YES PLEASE. Duvet (8-bit) OH, YES. Also when I think that anime was created in 1998 which is also my birthday I go crazy. 98 is just a number which pop ups in my life very often and completely random and some reason I love it. Probably nostalgia. Also I felt something similar when watching Lain. My first interpretation was full of bugs, but I managed to fix it with some videos explaining series and main protagonist. When everything is clear for me I can appreciate it even more. My brain flipped after last episode. My whole next day was "Life is kinda meaningless without Lain" and I was basically listening to that opening song all time. I know it will pass soon, but damn. I'm feeling very sad, but I like it at the same time. I'm gonna enjoy Lain's blessing as long as I can. "And I didn't seem to understand, but at least I'm gonna be an honest man". Guys, did I tell you I'm introvert and I'm even worse at social life than Lain? Well, there you go. 10/10 ofc, but I won't recommend watching it to anyone. |
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| this was a great show but i didn’t really enjoy the ending all that much... i’m more of an idealistic ending person. probably shouldn’t have expected that with this show but |
| Welp I watched this all in the span of 12ish hours, good to say my brain has been through some shit today trying to wrap my head around the beginning to feeling rewarded with the last couple episodes. Of course having a decade's worth of discussion to read through after each episode helped me lol. Definitely the first series where I thought to myself "I need some damn exposition" Wonder if the creator of magica madoka took inspiration from this, mainly from the ending not really the plot Anyway solid 9/10, cheers m8 *edit* I love what the dude 2 post above me said, "10/10 ofc, but would not recommend to anyone" LMAOOOOO so true |
KanetopherFeb 16, 2020 2:43 AM
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| Very weird pacing and the ending episode is worse than Evangelion, I didn't like this show at all. Maybe I'll give it a rewatch sometime |
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| Ending was a bit relaxing compared to other episodes. The concepts this anime explored were interesting. I might just read about them sometime... |
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| The plot was good.i think they could make it much better than this one.anyway the story was very interesting.i enjoyed it |
| Well I think this anime is not for everyone. I will not give it a score for now and maybe will re watch in the future. It's not that I hate it but I particularly don't like it either. Maybe because this is really confusing for me. I would like to know the reviews of other people though. |
  ★━━─ 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵? 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺? |
| Disappointed due to all the great things I'd heard about this anime. It's certainly unique, and nothing really exists quite like it in anime. That said I didn't find it all that enjoyable. The art style, aesthetic and soundtrack were nice, but the plot just wasn't there for me. I never connected with the characters or cared all that much what was happening to them. The themes were there but they never really resonated with me. I noticed them but they didn't do much interesting with them. The show was often vague for the sake of being vague, which annoys me in media. We spend the entire show wondering what's going on and then the payoff wasn't that great anyway. memorable, but not very entertaining: 6/10 |
| There were moments where my head was overloaded with details and scientific jargon that ultimately didn't matter in the end and parts where I felt that it's just being trippy just for the sake of being weird especially in the middle parts but the last two episodes were really something. It definitely improved my opinion of the series, that's for sure. It was really sad to see that Lain erased her existence from everyone's minds for Arisu's sake but that one act saved everyone from putting themselves in harm's way because of her being there as the mysterious godlike program of the Wired. I really liked how she denied her lonely existence as an omniscient overseer when her more rational side tried to convince her to accept her current fate and seeing her being content with just talking to her friend again even if she doesn't remember her was very heartwarming and bittersweet. Once she knew the beauty of just simply existing in the hearts of others and cherishing the memories she had experienced, she just couldn't give it up and that's a beautiful thing. Good for you, Lain~ |
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| Even though you can get the gist of what's going on throughout the series, I believe that a lot of the episodes were unnecessarily convoluted and weird. Thankfully, everything falls into place at the end, and the main themes are excellently portrayed imo. Definitely a unique anime. |
| Rely on nothing under heaven |
| I don't remember having given anyone the permission to give me an existential crisis. As if I wasn't anxious enough already ! But well, that was a great experience. I ultimately was very far from the truth but at the same time, not as much as I first thought... Though I don't really know how to put it. I don't really know where I was right and where I was wrong because well... There's a lot to proceed. The message is a very interesting one that I actually more or less figured before, though in a way less messed up way. "If no one remembers you, you've never existed. If they only remember a specific side of you, only this side ever existed." It is so confusing but it also somehow makes perfect sense. I also saw someone explaining that according to the show's producer, the finale message is supposed to be that due to us recalling Lain, Lain exists in our world too and is more than just an anime character, something I figured before thanks to the opening with Lain appearing on the screen, and that's quire an interesting message, I love it. I actually thought about similar stuff before, that basically everything that happens in a fictional story is real in the way that we know this story exists... I mean, it technically doesn't exist since it's fictional but since we know about this story and those characters, we can't stay it truly doesn't exist. It does, in our mind. Speaking of mind, I'm currently destroying mine. To get back to the show, I think the whole thing about Lain existing due to us remembering her is also pretty confusing since well, while the characters don't remember some events, we do, so they still happened. There's also the existence of the other Lain, we remember her so she does exist. That's so confusing but I love it. As a whole, this show is very, very confusing but great. There's a lot I haven't understood yet, especially when it comes to the plot and the different Lains, but I'll rewatch it to figure it out better. (Though definitely not before some time, I don't wanna kill my brain again.) I give it 9/10, and I don't think that will change. It was truly great, mostly when it comes to the characters (especially Lain), the themes and the atmosphere, but the story itself was very confusing. I think the lack of actual explanations can make people sound smart but ultimately, it doesn't make for a good narrative, which is what costed it a 10 but it's still a great anime ! Edit : Oh, and one last thing : I really like the fact that Lain expressed real pain when she made people forget her. It's too often that shows preent this kind of situation with the forgotten character always being perfectly fine, as if being forgotten and alone isn't at all an issue. Lain has always felt very human, love it. |
FafetteAug 13, 2020 5:35 AM
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| I understood the story and what it was trying to convey but my god was it boring. If only it had been adapted to be entertaining to watch this would've been in the top 10 ranked animes on MAL. |
CPU: i7 6700 | GPU: GTX 1070 | RAM: 16GB | HD: 1TB | Moderators are mean! | D. Gray Man Hallow is UNDERRATED! |
| I just finished this series after hearing about it for 20 years. What a disappointment. I didn't find it especially confusing or deep. Just kind of pretentious and dumb. I guess this goes on the list of highly regarded classic anime that I don't care for along with Akira and Ghost in the Shell. It's not like I wasn't an anime fan in the 90s either but maybe I have bad taste. Around the time of Lain I was enjoying what I consider to be better anime like Ninja Scroll, Project A-Ko, and whatever cool anime movies the Sci-Fi channel would air for their Saturday anime block. 4/10 from me. Overhyped and not particularly great on the art or writing front. The animation wasn't terrible but it wasn't anything particularly good either. I'm glad it's off my bucket list at least. |
| Terrible. I don't think I wanna give it a 3, because there were some parts that intrigued me, but the bad parts overshadow the whole thing. Can definitely see why elitists love this anime tho. 4/10 |
JOELbedulla said: You think Lain is pretentious but Evangelion is deep? I don't seem to understand... Those people usually think both are pretentious works with no depth. |
| unnecessarily tedious for what it's worth |
| And so, Alice actually ended up dating (and probably marrying) her teacher. Well, the guy seems... decent and if she's happy with him, so be it I guess. A reward for the amount of madness that "didn't happen" but she still had to go through. Well, we got a somewhat bittersweet ending but honestly, it was a far "happier" one from the conclusion I was expecting. Lain ended up defeating Masami but due to the panic of seeing Alice in such traumatized state, she also decided to take the "easy" escape and reset everyone's memories in order to protect her only friend's happiness. The last scene with adult Alice sure was curious but I guess that after such heated deliberation with her more rational side and after a more relaxed talk with "her dad" (or real God himself?), Lain simply decided to deny her loneliness and embrace her God-like status. That is, in a way where she can be surrounded by the humanity she ended up loving but with the intention of avoiding any further interaction beyond that. Overall, a truly interesting series that addresses some very intriguing topics such as God's existence; the definition of one's identity and the impact of technology in society. Unfortunately, it gets unnecessarily ambiguous for moments and I can't deny the fact that it sometimes felt like the narrative was left unclear on purpose just for the sake of confusing the viewer. There were also some plot points and story lines that could have received more attention such as the Men in Black people; the KIDS system; the whole Protocol 7 stuff; the role of Lain's "dad"; among others but this said, SEL is from that group of series that precise an obligatory re-watch in order to have a better grasp of all the details so maybe these already mentioned plot points may become clearer once I watch the show for a second time, who knows. 7/10 - All things said, this anime sure was a ride. The dark and oppressive atmosphere was perfectly executed and the fact of this series being so ahead of its time is truly impressive. To think that being able to connect with different people without the necessity of physical closeness as well as having our own separate personas/avatars on a separate plane from our tangible world were already foreseen by a series created when internet was only giving its first steps... |
SouthRzVaOct 8, 2020 11:07 AM
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