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Jun 23, 2015 2:25 AM

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May 2012
1066
that was intense damn lol, she meets grown up alice, i guess they can meet anywhere because lain is god now 0.o lol so much to wrap your brain around
Jul 16, 2015 12:29 AM

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Aug 2008
781
Ok, I watched all of this and I have come to this conclusion without looking at anyone's comments. lain is a visual representation, a motif of the connection and technological networks people have between the wired, she is a program and everyone's waifu. i feel like she is also a database of information. because she deleted the memories of her from everyone, meaning she like cut off that connection they had with the wired and network.

Basically lain is your waifu, a program, a network and the connection of memories (aka database) which is stored on the network. If erased, you forget the memories aka the history you had. For example a chat log. If erased you probably forget most of it. There might be Remanent but most is lost due to the time passed. This anime brings about the idea that through time and memory lapse, people forget about things easily and memories and data is so easily lost.

The last scene where she meets alice again, that is like alice meeting the wired again, and the connection to the internet. She remembers using it and dealing with it, but can't quite remember. This is where Lain being the motif of the internet (the wired) comes in as Lain herself is that representation. And she says 'nice to meet you'. She also then goes to say anyone can visit her or see her. This means that the internet (the wired) is accessible from anywhere at any time.
Jul 26, 2015 4:22 AM

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Mar 2013
7
i liked it until lain used the dragon balls to reset
Aug 1, 2015 9:59 PM

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Jan 2015
2979
What an amazing show.

I would write something down, but I really can't process my thoughts at the moment.

Definitely one of my new favourite shows!
Aug 8, 2015 12:32 PM

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Aug 2015
177
I like that last bit at the end with the grown up Arisu. ^^ I guess I understand why she reset everything, but after that talk with Arisu in the previous episode, I had hoped that things would have ended differently. The appearance of that God guy just traumatized Arisu too much, I guess, which is not surprising really. ★3/5

Overall, I didn't care for this anime much. It started out strange and interesting, but then dragged on and on and left me confused and lost most of the time. Soon, I pretty much had to force myself to continue watching.

Even when they explained things and I understand more about Lain and what she was, it still didn't explain why certain things happened the way they did. Some of all the weird stuff just doesn't makes sense to me, and probably still wouldn't even if I re-watched it. Much of it was weird simply to be weird, and mess with our heads more than have actual meaning. At least that's my opinion.
Aug 12, 2015 6:49 PM

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Aug 2014
139
Masterpiece. Gonna rewatch it like a madman! I grew to really love Lain.
Aug 13, 2015 3:39 AM

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Jul 2014
235
This is definitely the most unique anime I've ever seen. I enjoyed every bit of it, and I definitely wanna add...Lain is always gonna be in my memory.
An anime worth all that brainstorming. Loved it. <3
Aug 15, 2015 12:29 PM

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Mar 2014
580
I love Lains character and her adorable bear onesie, although i enjoyed the first half way more. Some episodes were kind of boring like the one with the 11 minute flashback, i felt like in some parts it could have done with a little more explanation although after reading about Lain i now understand most of it.

The ending made me cry, poor baby Lain D: anyway 7.5/10 although i guess i rounded it down to 7/10 in the end.
Aug 25, 2015 4:39 PM

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May 2014
8798
I really liked this show but...it just feels incomplete
Too many things dont add up and I guess I'll have to rewatch it to see the big picture or maybe there simply isn't one.
Hmm I dont really know what to think
I've been here way too long...
Sep 3, 2015 5:18 AM

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Apr 2015
560
I'm gonna miss Lain so much! I like it very much!
Oct 30, 2015 9:37 PM
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Nov 2010
79
Ratohnhaketon said:
I just realized that this anime aired in 1998. I wonder what people thought of this back when Y2K was all the rage.


It's hard to describe to a generation that's grown up with the Internet always present ... indeed, might not remember a time before YouTube.

For me, Lain showcases the limitlessness of connectivity, in all its forms. I'll never forget the first day a friend of mine introduced me to IRC (EFnet -- look it up). I was so fascinated by this strange new world -- with its own rules and concepts and politics and powers -- that before I knew it 12 hours had passed, it was dark out, and I'd forgotten to eat dinner.

Cyberpunk is about futurist ideas of technology, and the analog of the 1970s and 80s (think Blade Runner) was giving way to "networked phenomena" now that humans were finally interacting electronically in a large scale as "cyberspace" took off. Shows like Lain, Revolutionary Girl Utena ('97), Evangelion, and films like The Matrix ('99) or even The Truman Show ('98) all deal with aspects of reality, metaphysics, and (in Utena's case) the explicit "Revolution of 'The World'". In some ways, it was similar to the "end of century" malaise of the 1890's.

But really, consider why the concept of "jacking in"to the connected world was such a meaningful motif in The Matrix, and how the exits to the world weren't just anywhere, but relied on a "hard line" (land line), representing a means for travel.
EtceteralOct 30, 2015 9:42 PM
Dec 14, 2015 3:55 PM

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Jan 2012
8
skapuppet said:
I'm glad I watched this anime. :] I admit though, this anime was confusing as hell and really boring to watch most of the time but still, this was pretty good as a whole. I will always remember Lain. :]


I second that
Jan 6, 2016 4:22 PM

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Jun 2015
2575
Can someone explain to me how did Chisa came back to live?!
I mean even if Lain reseted people's memories; how would this brings back dead people? unless she wasn't actually dead?
Also why did Chisa suicided? Was she a failure former subject used by God aka Eiri?

Was Lain really a homunculus created by Eiri as he stated? if not; are those her real family? if not; who they are? hired adopters?
Jan 15, 2016 6:25 AM

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Jun 2013
3513
Mindfucked from the beginning, things got clearer and I enjoyed interpreting the events that transpired. A lot of the best Anime are from the 90s and early 2000. I'm so tired of repetitive and predictable plots from the same Anime and manga producers that I'm so glad I gave this a chance after reading so much about it.

I enjoyed it a lot and that ending was really touching. It's nice to see a grown-up Arisu meet Lain in her only known form. I was really touched by it. Especially when Lain said that they would eventually meet again.

10/10 for me. I'm sure watching this a second, third, fourth, etc. time would make it more comprehensible and enjoyable too.

Also, people claiming they know what the true story is about is full of shit. The creators of the show have explicitly said that any interpretation is welcome and is accepted as it is your own and that is how you perceived the transpired events. There is no wrong or right.
BibimbapskiJan 15, 2016 6:37 PM
臭い-
Jan 21, 2016 10:39 PM

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Jul 2014
203
This anime is seriously a masterpiece. 10/10
Jan 22, 2016 9:34 PM

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Jan 2010
1526
quite a kickass ending tbh

6/10 raised from a 5 in one episode

it had some nice quotes...but on overall this anime was just really weird..
Sayonara,papa!


"Just how a mirror reflects you,people will also reflect your heart."
~Athena Glory,Aria

"Whatever happens,happens"
~Spike Spiegel's thoughts on dying(Cowboy Bebop)
Jan 23, 2016 8:29 AM

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Aug 2014
1867
I liked that song in the first half of the episode , Good ending .

My Opinion of the series :

- Animation - Bad
- Art - Average , didn't like it so much but its unique and spooky lol .
- Soundtrack - Good OST , but not so much .
- Voice Acting - Good
- Sounds - Bad , very annoying sound effects .
- Visually acceptable for its release date , but nothing spectacular .
- Characters - meh , not interesting , the only character which i can say great is Lain , it is actually Excellent , amazing personalities for the main character , other characters are below average . Lain Personality was really DEEP .
- Story - Wasn't interesting for me , ( coming from someone who didn't liked the matrix much :P ) , good themes though , original , some episodes were interesting and some were not . but overall its a good story .
- Development - Lain - Great , Other characters - Bad .
- Themes - Very Good
- Entertainment - Average
- Re-watch Value - Great
- Directing - Average
- Value - 8/10
- Best Episode : Episode 9 ( so damn amazing )
- Worst Episode : Episode 11


- Overall : I have some mixed feeling for this , it is good and important and a must watch for every anime fan , but it wasn't that great for me , perhaps on another rewatch it may get better .

My Final Rating : 6.25/10
Mar 1, 2016 3:28 PM

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Aug 2014
5049
So time reset it is...

Well this was something else, never have I seen a show before that has left me so puzzled and confused.
Overall don't know what rating I wanna give it since I can't honestly say i enjoyed the show in it's entirely.

Something i forgot to mention, while I love the OP and all it seem it was mocking me eveytime i would watch it thanks to the first line "And you don't seem to understand" xD
Mar 15, 2016 4:43 AM

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Oct 2014
417
this was honestly one of the most depressing series I've seen yet

8/10 bc it was really good though i have no idea what the feck was happening half the time but alice x lain ftw!!
Apr 28, 2016 9:34 PM

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Jan 2013
2120
What a trip, this anime was amazing. I love how they referenced John C Lilly. The information that this anime references to is very worth looking into.
May 24, 2016 11:11 AM

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Feb 2016
1117
I'd say partly the message of this anime would be that the net or virtual world has to be considered as an medium that can be used for gathering information. It shouldn't be taken in the wrong way where it becomes essential for yourself and you can't differentiate between reality and the virtual world.
May 30, 2016 5:22 PM
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Jan 2014
12
I loved the atmosphere and the artsyle but the story was overly convoluted and confusing, at least until the last episode.

Thankfully, this series makes perfect sense if you realize that Lain just has severe mental problems, most probably paranoid schizophrenia or something. That explains everything, including the ayylmao guy, all those weird hallucinations, voices and almost any other aspect of the story. However, this makes the series kind of depressing since it shows a girl's descent into madness.

Well, that's the only plausible explanation to me and the only one that makes the anime worth watching, in my opinion of course.
Jun 11, 2016 4:19 PM

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Apr 2015
22
Great series with a great story.
There is also a SEL game for Playstation One.
Jul 24, 2016 2:57 PM

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Mar 2016
164
If you're not remembered, then you never existed.
Jul 29, 2016 12:53 AM

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Jun 2015
2575
CemeteryFlower said:
If you're not remembered, then you never existed.

"If you're not remembered, then you never existed"
Jul 30, 2016 2:16 PM

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Jan 2016
1694
Damn bruh everyone forgot bout my nigga Lain smh


7/10 i enjoyed the fuckery
Aug 21, 2016 6:57 PM

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Jan 2016
26
She was erased for our sins(not really or...was she?I don't know but does anyone know anything?)

gr8 anime overall, well, time to play the game/read the manga and read some theories later:^T
Aug 26, 2016 11:52 AM

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May 2010
8099
So Lain reset everything. And was able to meet with a grown-up Arisu (and the guy next to her is the teacher?) That was a pretty okay ending. Okay as in idk bittersweet but slightly more on the happy side.

So Lein will exist forever?
There were things I understood, things I am still unclear about.

7/10. Solid anime. First 5 episodes were a pain to watch though. Got interesting later on, but remained confusing for a good length. Even now some things require thinking (which is not necessarily a bad thing)
The themes were nice. And Lain went through lots of character development. Arisu played a bigger role than we were initially led to believe, nice. She grew out into a beauty, too.
Aug 28, 2016 7:15 AM

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Aug 2016
1
Deago said:
Can someone explain to me how did Chisa came back to live?!
I mean even if Lain reseted people's memories; how would this brings back dead people? unless she wasn't actually dead?
Also why did Chisa suicided? Was she a failure former subject used by God aka Eiri?

Was Lain really a homunculus created by Eiri as he stated? if not; are those her real family? if not; who they are? hired adopters?


Depends, some say that what is more fundamental in the world is information, you can read the article that comments on "it from bit" freely available in the wired. If you can alter the information, the underlying memory of reality, you can effectively manipulate reality.

It is said there exists naturally occurring nuclear reactors, a complex thing that some may think could not have existed naturally. Already it has been shown that what can be called "infinite complexity" can emerge from extremely simple rules.

So a naturally occurring simulation is not out of the question, reality might very well be a naturally occurring simulation.

As for whether it's a real family or not, a homunculus or not, etc those are open questions. We already saw what some call "the first cell whose parent is a computer."( from Craig Venter's research), some super advanced lab producing an airborne micro organism that can either be implanted into a couple or infect them and start embryonic development a bit after sexual intercourse synchronized with the proper time with regards to a woman's monthly cycle, such a thing is not inconceivable.

One possible interpretation of the series is some sort of hard start. assuming the technology of the era can rapidly bootstrap reality warping, akashic engineering.

Radical_DestroyAug 30, 2016 6:43 AM
Sep 3, 2016 3:27 PM

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Mar 2015
133
YuniYasha said:
Holy shit. After finishing this my brain feels like mush. I think I got the majority of the show, and it's pretty epic. I'll have to re-watch it to notice things from the earlier episodes as those were just chaotic to watch without knowing anything about the show.

I personally think Lane never actually 'physically' exists in the real world. She can manipulate memories so I think she makes it seem that she exists by manipulating the memories of people around her, unknowingly. However, there are also a lot of things that prove otherwise, so I'm not 100% sure on this. Guess it's just a theory.

The show also pokes at Religion. Would god still exist if no one believed in him? Think about it. As a figure who only exists because people believe in him, then what would happen when no one believed in him? Would he simply fade from existence?

Can you exist after death? Some character believed that. But did they mean it literally? Could they actually stay alive in the 'Wired' after dying in the real world. Or are the only alive in the wired because of there presence and logged history? Because unlike in real life, in the wired you don't decay. Every post you made a forum for example would still be a capture of you and your personality. So in the wired they could live forever, unlike in real life where they'd decay and fade away and once everyone forgets about them they no longer existed.

Did Aliens help us build our technology? The show also seems to think that. They point out that a Alien spacecraft landed on Earth and Aliens helped Humans created 'the wired'.

Was Lain programmed by the Alien? How could humans program such a diverse program that can literally form into it's own personalty and it's own being. It must have been the Alien who created Lain. The dude who got hit by the train(The fake god) claimed he did, but was determined not to be the real 'god'/'creator'. The real creators were most likely the aliens. In one of the episodes you see Lain with a Aliens body; I think this is the biggest hint that she is linked to the Aliens and this is the only way I could think of.

I am a computer programmer and I specialize in website programming; so naturally after watching this I feel like a god of the internet. :) I can create my own worlds in the 'wired' and do what I want with them.


great episode analysis
Nov 1, 2016 6:12 AM

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Feb 2015
2796
That Proust reference surely takes the cake.

SEL treats the whole NGE world like a baby. This anime is the shit.
Now I wanna read a smut doujin regarding this
Dec 14, 2016 9:42 PM

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Jan 2015
671
So that's what being on LSD looks like. Ok.
The OST is good tho
Dec 27, 2016 9:40 PM

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Mar 2014
4596
Good execution of themes & great development of the titular character.

Enjoyment-wise, definitely a 6, but retrospectively, it's an easy 8.

So I'm going with a solid 7/10.
Jan 11, 2017 4:19 PM

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Jan 2017
11
i loved this show so much! it was a bit of a mindfuck, and felt slow at times but i stil think it was a masterpiece

i'd give it a solid 8/10
May 12, 2017 2:56 AM

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Jul 2009
57
for real.... make a crazy story full of misteries for in the end, throw the development out of window reseting everything? like lost and evangelion? what a waste of time.
May 17, 2017 3:31 AM

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May 2014
2605
Not gonna lie, probably didn't understand even 20% of the show, but it was surely interesting and was one hell of a ride.
May 31, 2017 2:38 PM

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Aug 2014
1185
I think that lain was made after that weird exchange that happened with the alien .
She said in an episode that she exists only for people who know about her so maybe when she resets everything back she changes the idea of doing that old doctor's project and stop the whole KIDS thing therefore stopping chisa from dying and changing the lives of many of the characters there including her sister .
Also the fact that she exists as a god of the wire was how she changed everything because at that time the barrier between the wire and real life was really weak so she was able to manipulate all those memories from the past and present but after feeling lonely she was returned in the future to meet arisu/alice to feel connected to her as she is her only friend .


Anyway i would give the show a 7 / 10 .
"Even if it has good reviews, if I don't like it then it is shit"

-Some random anime character
Jul 8, 2017 12:12 PM

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Feb 2013
1690
Meeehhhhhh, I was really getting the impression a lot with this show it wanted to explore the psyche and psychological concepts, but in the end I felt it was more a mild science-fiction thriller. The show got way too focused on it's lore that it forgot to build further on its character development. Decent show.

Discount Evangelion (honestly that whole instrumentality-like ending really needed more to it)
Aug 3, 2017 8:38 PM
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Jul 2017
4
garytek said:
I went on a marathon and finished this in one day. Very bad idea. My brain cells was sore with confusion when the credits rolled on episode 13.

It's sad that I wasn't able to enjoy this anime as much I would've had. The 1st episode tricked me into thinking that the whole series was a major mindfuck. When I thoroughly read Thoughts Experiments Lain to try and make sense of all the information I literally shoved down my throat, I realized that Serial Experiments Lain wasn't that complicated.

I'll give this a second go once I have obtained a higher quality release. Despite my borked experience, I still gave this a 9.



I did exactly the same thing and i regret it so much :/
Aug 22, 2017 12:45 PM

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Nov 2016
2949
Eh.. Disappointed much? I'll give this a 6/10. Far ahead of its time and is still relevant today. Damn is it boring though.. Haibane Renmei is far better.
Sep 11, 2017 11:28 PM

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Jul 2014
656
This anime was pretty much a masterpiece, the final episode was a perfect way to end the series. The feels were real in the end.
"Most anime makers are basically autistic" - Hideaki Anno
Sep 20, 2017 1:10 AM

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Oct 2015
6915
This anime was a very good on my and got the concept. It was sad in the end when Lain reset and omitted herself from the memories of all those around her, especially when Arisu came to her in the end and ask if she had met her before. The series was thought provoking and had an enlightening message in a sci-fi way.
How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb --- Dr Strangelove

Nov 17, 2017 9:17 PM
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Jul 2016
262
IT'S SO FUCKING DEEP
Dec 12, 2017 12:21 PM

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Jan 2017
622
I think this is definitively one of those shows that doesn't have a definitive or complete answer, many things are left scattered and left to the viewers own discretion to analyze and interpret; this is neither a good or a bad thing, and it's appreciation lies on each individual.

I am too confused about Lain's own existence, i don't think (given the information provided) it's fair to say she was this or that, or neither this and neither that with 100% security . In my opinion Lain actually didn't exist, mainly cause i support the theory hinted by the series (but left unverified) were she was created in the Wired and as such couldn't possibly have a physical body and she just altered people's memories, and after altering them she indeed came to 'exist' in the 'real' world, since she existed inside each human's mind. Thou i can understand how it is also possible to think she existed for real. So that answers for me the question about the various Lain's and how this various Lains were inside everyone's lives.

If i understood 'correctly' both Tachibana and Masami worked ultimately for the same goal even if Tachibana wasn't aware of it, since Masami was that client even if the man in black didn't actually wanted the Wired to be fused with reality they were unconsciously cooperating with knights/Masami's goal since he was behind their orders, hence the fake family and the man in black monitoring Lain.

Now, the father is something i don't quite understand, i thought he was some random guy payed to fake as Lain's dad, but that last scene of Lain being uncovered by him and then sitting on the table really got me. Is this father the true creator? is he just a passing guy? is he God? i mean i don't know. Also, what happened with the sister? Last thing shown was her completely lost and out of herself in that destroyed house, Arisu was quite shocked when looking at her and no wonder about that!

Lain's ultimate solution was really sad. She ended up being all alone by herself, confused about who she is and what she is, maybe even regretting resetting it all. But ultimately came to terms with it since it was the best she could do for the sake of the only person she could ever call a friend, and for humanity's own sake. She finally meeting again Arisu felt like a nice conclusion to her.

I guess the only reason i can think of for not calling her a 'God' it's the mere fact that she desperately seeks to exist and affirm her existence, and as such she leaves the Wired to connect with reality acquiring a body and merging with such reality, hence her 'human' part.Also, after deleting herself from ppl's memories nobody can love or worship her. So is she basically a program that seeks to be human and thanks to this very same desire went berserk and forgot and betrayed the purpose she was created for? Hahha, anyways, i loved how the whole internet, God, even what a person is and what it consist of, is touched in this series. Also, how the Wired or the Internet are kinda taking over the reality, and ppl's multiple versions all very real, are very relatable things nowadays.

That being said, i'm part of the population that isn't that much bothered by the questions still remaining cause i love this type of very interactive and quite subjective series. It really makes us wonder and question and make our imagination work.


9/10
SEIZON SENRYAKU: Hungry 100% of the time.
Vzla-IT



Mar 2, 2018 6:36 PM
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Jul 2016
31
I was really confused in the begin of the show...and I still confused in the end
.
I love the show in general...but a lot of things should be explained -_-
.
sad ending for lain ╥﹏╥
.
7\10
Apr 4, 2018 7:46 PM
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Nov 2015
182
So she went all Madoka in the end. Or, better saying, Madoka went all Lain in the end.
Apr 11, 2018 11:16 PM
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Mar 2017
636
I just came to say:
THE SHADOWS HAVE RED POINTS / SPOTS!


Out of jokes, I thought that at some point it would be something important for the story, perhaps it had a purpose and I did not see it (nobody saw it?).
Maybe it was just aesthetic and add a "dark" environment (that redundancy)
The question isn't "What anime do you like?" That is merely a list.
The question is "Why do you like it?" That tells a story. Your story.
Apr 13, 2018 6:10 PM
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Dec 2014
723
Only a masterpiece can make every second enjoyable even when you don't understand 99% of what is happening.The atmosphere was impressing and the music work perfectly with the type of anime Lain is.
The most interesting thing about the show is that it have a million interpretation.Big respect for the people who posted their analysis in the forum..
Apr 18, 2018 6:22 PM
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Feb 2017
33
I watched this anime when I was in middle school, maybe 2001-2002? I remember working with a friends mom to make the school uniform and rocked it on Halloween. I didn’t understand most of what was happening then. I was depressed, suicidal, and felt connected to this anime in a weird way. Now, I’m an old woman (not really, I’m almost 30) and this anime makes no more sense than it did then. It’s beautiful art, existential tension, lovely ambient sound. That’s it. It’s not as deep as people try to make it. A beautiful piece, outdated ideas about technology and computers. If it was made now the creators would have little to work with, as our lives are now fully fused with the internet. We are all Lain, we are all the web, we are all living and not living at once.
Apr 19, 2018 11:27 AM
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Apr 2018
89
meowhollymeow said:
I didn’t understand most of what was happening then.


Based on your post, I could easily say you don't understand most of what was happening now either.
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