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| First thing first - the ending was better than I hoped for(judging from my NGE experience I expected this thing to end in some horrible way). The ending was... ok, it really is bittersweet if you give it enough thought. Yeah, it's nothing obviously bittersweet, but still it fits into this definition. Lain has gotten into problems so deep that no matter what she's done, she couldn't solve them. The only way she could solve her problems were to erase her existence. Sometimes, people face such problems - ones which they can't solve. They can stop their existence, by lets say suicide, or just keep on living, leaving their problems behind them. But I guess Lain couldn't live while being hated by Arisu and everyone else, so she just chose the most fitting for her thing to do. You might end up wondering why she was still existing, while being forgotten by every person in the world. This explanation is this - even if no one remembers or acknowledges your existence, you'll still be existing, 'cause you'll be existing in your own mind and thoughts. After all, the real Lain's personality(the one we see from the very start) was the one which exists in her own mind, and that's why she in this exact personality was present after the world restart. The sweet part of the "bittersweet ending" is the fact she can still interfere in the real world and start living there again if she decides so. Arisu was sexy at all the time, but in the ending she was just killer! Yeah, even after many things got cleared I still think that many mysteries remain unsolved, but I guess this is the moment where our minds have to start working for themselves. Like, lets say - Eiki. He said he was god who created Lain's body, but she ends up as existing person even after he's not having the slightest idea of being god. Was he lying? Or her existence is more like paradox right now? I got the feeling, that 13 episodes will be nowhere near enough to finish the whole story, even before I started watching this anime and now I know I was right. Anyway, here comes the other part: 1. Character - 1. There weren't really many developed characters, but the few ones were developed really well - Lain, Arisu, Eiki. 2. Atmosphere - 1. Really, this anime has one of the most solid atmospheres out there. Even if it was a sucker on every other aspect, it'd worth it just for the atmosphere. 3. OST - 1. Not much OST at all, but the ED is quite good, and the OP is just on of the best OPs I've ever heard. The sounds at the start of each episodes are irreplaceable part of the atmosphere too. 4. Animation - 1. The art helped very much for the overall atmosphere build up and there weren't many flaws at all. 5. Background story. No point here, probably because we didn't get actual background story - even if there is one, we must think it for ourselves. 6. Storyline - 1. I almost decided not to give point here either, but then I thought on it again. There IS an actual storyline, even if it follows mainly Lain's character build up. 7. Ending - 1. This one even deserves more than one point. If you think for a little on the ending, it's not really hard to understand how good it actually is - one of the best endings I've ever seen. If NGE has ended in such a way it might have been the best anime ever. 8. Fight scenes. [x] 9. Drama. No point here, this might be one hell of an anime, but still it doesn't include much drama in itself. Probably not at all. Except if you go after Lain's personality development, but I already gave her credit for that. 10. Overall feeling - 1. This anime fulfilled my expectations and even ended up in a better way than I expected. This happens quite rarely with most of the animes. Bonus(extra) point for:... - 1. For the overall idea/concept - the Wired. The people involved in it, and most importantly Lain and her connection with the Wired. This the main flavor of the anime and I can just say it's somewhat unique and really hard to forget factor. Overall score: 9/10. It was really great to watch this masterpiece. |
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| OST - 10/10 Mindfuckedness - Over 9000 |
entauri.deviantart.com |
| That was a really interesting show. I'm glad I watched it, I'm excited to go on and read some theories about it now. :P |
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| 10/10 one of the best animes ever made, Period. This thing is gonna be remembered way long in the future. |
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| The last two episodes were very helpful as they brought some sense into the series. Even though what the authors tried to convey became rather apparent by the end of it, the show was overflowed with confusing moments and it was boring as hell to watch. I did like it, though. |
| What am I watching? Its only real if I can remember it. |
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Finally finished the series. Well, I have to admit it was really good. I was expecting a more confusing ending, but this one was nice. Great show. |
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| Don't really know what ppl see in that series? Average, only opening was good and animation, but story? No comment ; d |
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| Terrible series. |
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DJ007 said: Don't really know what ppl see in that series? Average, only opening was good and animation, but story? No comment ; d egoplant said: I feel like this series wasn't so much a show with story, but rather a show with substance through themes (such as the nature of existence). A plot is definitely there (the most concrete synopsis that I found is at the bottom of http://animeworld.com/reviews/lain.html, but http://www.cyberpunkreview.com/movie/decade/1990-1999/serial-experiments-lain/ offers a short review, and http://www.cjas.org/~leng/lain.htm is nice food for thought), but the focus of this show is on the concepts that it presents.Terrible series. Admittedly, I think this show is flawed--what with how the story progressed, it could easily have been condensed, and things need to be more explicitly explained (even if they were left ambiguous deliberately)--but in terms of the ideas it presents, Lain is a great seinen anime. It's like Evangelion, with less action and even more concept. |
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| finally gave this another try after dropping it 10+ years ago.. words to describe the show: 10 years ago: wtf is this shit Now: ambiguous (a more polite version of 'wtf is this shit') Also, I feel sad for people that lie to themselves and is convinced that shows like these are amazing just because it's too 'deep' for anyone to understand. Have fun wasting time rewatching this cluster fuck of ambiguity masterpiece. |
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flaxman85 said: finally gave this another try after dropping it 10+ years ago.. words to describe the show: 10 years ago: wtf is this shit Now: ambiguous (a more polite version of 'wtf is this shit') Also, I feel sad for people that lie to themselves and is convinced that shows like these are amazing just because it's too 'deep' for anyone to understand. Have fun wasting time rewatching this cluster fuck of ambiguity masterpiece. So think about it, am i really wasting my time by rewatching it if i enjoy it? just because someones opinion differs to yours doesnt mean that people lie to themselves in thinking its good, Its a given that some people are gonna hate it and some are gonna love it thats just the type of anime it is. so stop being ignorant ive also never seen someone say its "too deep for anyone to understand" you cant deny it is deep and it has a lot of underlying themes and questions a lot of things. |
| Does anyone else need a doctor to confirm that someone without a head is dead? |
jimbob1141 said: flaxman85 said: finally gave this another try after dropping it 10+ years ago.. words to describe the show: 10 years ago: wtf is this shit Now: ambiguous (a more polite version of 'wtf is this shit') Also, I feel sad for people that lie to themselves and is convinced that shows like these are amazing just because it's too 'deep' for anyone to understand. Have fun wasting time rewatching this cluster fuck of ambiguity masterpiece. So think about it, am i really wasting my time by rewatching it if i enjoy it? just because someones opinion differs to yours doesnt mean that people lie to themselves in thinking its good, Its a given that some people are gonna hate it and some are gonna love it thats just the type of anime it is. so stop being ignorant ive also never seen someone say its "too deep for anyone to understand" you cant deny it is deep and it has a lot of underlying themes and questions a lot of things. You are wasting your time if you kept lying to yourself and pretend to enjoy it. I'm just trying to help all the clueless viewers to think and re-evaluate themselves to what they truly enjoy and not become sheep that tend to follow the majority's opinions (aka band wagon). No harm was intended. I just want everyone to enjoy their hobby to its fullest. Sure, I could've said it in more polite way, but it's more provoking this way. :) Cheers. |
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flaxman85 said: jimbob1141 said: flaxman85 said: finally gave this another try after dropping it 10+ years ago.. words to describe the show: 10 years ago: wtf is this shit Now: ambiguous (a more polite version of 'wtf is this shit') Also, I feel sad for people that lie to themselves and is convinced that shows like these are amazing just because it's too 'deep' for anyone to understand. Have fun wasting time rewatching this cluster fuck of ambiguity masterpiece. So think about it, am i really wasting my time by rewatching it if i enjoy it? just because someones opinion differs to yours doesnt mean that people lie to themselves in thinking its good, Its a given that some people are gonna hate it and some are gonna love it thats just the type of anime it is. so stop being ignorant ive also never seen someone say its "too deep for anyone to understand" you cant deny it is deep and it has a lot of underlying themes and questions a lot of things. You are wasting your time if you kept lying to yourself and pretend to enjoy it. I'm just trying to help all the clueless viewers to think and re-evaluate themselves to what they truly enjoy and not become sheep that tend to follow the majority's opinions (aka band wagon). No harm was intended. I just want everyone to enjoy their hobby to its fullest. Sure, I could've said it in more polite way, but it's more provoking this way. :) Cheers. I dont think is the sort of series someone would lie to themselves about liking though if im honest and i wouldnt say the majority like lain all that much id say it has quite a select audience (especially nowadays) But yeah ofc if someone is lying to themselves then they are wasting their time and also wasting themselves :P I enjoyed the series but i feel the thing that really makes it stand out is the after thoughts and theories its certainly interesting and it also made me question a few things i never have before and of an anime can do that i feel it deserves every bit of praise it gets. but like i say there is going to be a hell of a lot of people who wont like it, each to their own :) I like to have a serious think about things sometimes and this is the most thought provoking thing ever xD |
| Does anyone else need a doctor to confirm that someone without a head is dead? |
| This episode was way more enlightening than I expected.What a nice way to end this series,I loved it! |
| I kind of saw that ending coming a mile away what with Arisu freaking out after the fight. The reset is the only thing that could make Lain's only friend happy again. As someone said earlier, the ending was bittersweet. The sweet part being that everyone is alive again and happy. The bitter part is having all memories of Lain erased. Though, the ending isn't as sad as some I've seen. Lain can still go into the world and interact with it. Apart from when she met Arisu, we don't ever know if she will do it in the future. I found it interesting that she only removed the records of the past which do no include records of the future. That is probably how Arisu kind of remembered Lain. Wonder what she was thinking of Lain that pertained to the future. A part that didn't make any sense to me was when Lain was having tea with her dad in the clouds. The only explanation I can come up with is that Lain's father really was the god of the real world because it is after their conversation that Lain learns that Arisu still has future memories of Lain. Now that I think about it, maybe her father was truly the person who programmed Lain. He was indeed good with technology, but that is the only thing I can use to prove that thought. The reason I was thinking he was god had to be with the part where he was looking down on lain from above and light was beaming down. Plus, there were the clouds that made it look like they were in heaven. Beyond those points, her father did have some kind of significant role in the story for him to appear near the end like that. I'll have to re-watch the series again in order to fully understand what is going on. I found I really liked this series. It posed a lot of questions that made you keep wondering what was going on. It is because of this that the show is interesting. The show draws you in and reveals just enough to keep you wanting to learn more. The anime was really artsy and confusing, but in the end, was really enjoyable. I'm on a border between a 8 or a 9. The fact that I have to re-watch will have to bump it down to an 8. I shouldn't have to re-watch a series to really get "it" so to speak. Maybe that was what that little recap was for? If that was, then it didn't do it for me. I'll rewatch the series sometime. It was something unique and unforgettable that is for sure! |
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| Well it ended with rather a weird ending, she restarted or rebooted the world or at least wiped out everyone memories of her existence and what all happened, still quite confusing, I've watched this in one run and it was quite boring in general but it had this very interesting feel over it, this mysterious feel so I would keep watching and giving me allot of questions and headache :p Still good anime in general but hell is it confusing 7/10! |
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| Reading up on science fiction, parapsychology, existential philosophy and computer history really helped me understand this show. I was quite impressed that they managed to get Sigmund Freud's "ego" correct! I have never seen another show do the same. |
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| "If I'm nowhere, who am I?" Well, overall this series was alright. I liked the themes presented although I can't say well for the animation. The series definitely had some good vibes and writing though. Also, that last meeting between Arisu and Lain was done well. Good bye Lain, maybe someday they will meet (:  7/10 |
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| This episode was very well done actually. As for the series overall, it was alright. Nothing special really, just different. xD |
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| I'd say 7.5/10 |
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| I could've enjoyed this a lot more if I wasn't spoilered to death. Oh well it was still good. |
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| I feel like the creators added a lot of unnecessary ambiguity just for the sake of confusion, much like Boogiepop Phantom. I think that cheapens the overall product when you go out of your way to produce pseudo-complexity with vagueness. Unlike Boogie, however, I was able to tell the characters apart in Lain, and have a pretty solid grasp on the story now that I've finished it. You can play your mindfuck games all you want as long as it makes some sort of sense in the end. 8/10. |
| woah, i'll probably have to rewatch it to fully understand everything |
Close the world, ƚxƎn ɘʜƚ nɘqO.  |
| my brain literally shut down half way through the series trying to comprehend what was happenin >__<;; but ive gotta give it to this anime for being super refreshing actually , took me on a very different roller coaster ride. 9/10 ! |
sovaca said: I think we can call the end happy one. Everybody is still alive. The anime was great. Psychodelic cyberpunk with strong philosophical base. 10/10 Well that is one good point IMO. Anybody care to explain the WHOLE anime to me?? lol, I am still confused as hell. I only know that Lain was ever only born in "the Wired" and was translated in full body to the real world. Who set that up? who knows. Point is Lain is like a god who can rewrite memories and reset the world to an earlier point in time. Everyone who died is alive now, no one remembers Lain, and they move on. Lain has been laying low, more like hiding in "the WIred". And finally shows face and encounters Alice (Arisu) as a young lady now. At first I thought it was her sister, but it was Alice. Alice somehow got the feeling she knew that girl upon seeing her. Even though her memory didn't remember her correctly, her heart still did. She was a good friend, I am sad that they didn't get to grow together. I hate aging lol. So Lain will always and forever stay like that? I hate time. :/ Well this anime was certainly a confusing one, but entertaining nevertheless. I do not regret watching it, and like others above mentioned, rewatching it will probably be a good idea to get a better idea of what the hell just happened. 8/10 for me. |
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flaxman85 said: jimbob1141 said: flaxman85 said: finally gave this another try after dropping it 10+ years ago.. words to describe the show: 10 years ago: wtf is this shit Now: ambiguous (a more polite version of 'wtf is this shit') Also, I feel sad for people that lie to themselves and is convinced that shows like these are amazing just because it's too 'deep' for anyone to understand. Have fun wasting time rewatching this cluster fuck of ambiguity masterpiece. So think about it, am i really wasting my time by rewatching it if i enjoy it? just because someones opinion differs to yours doesnt mean that people lie to themselves in thinking its good, Its a given that some people are gonna hate it and some are gonna love it thats just the type of anime it is. so stop being ignorant ive also never seen someone say its "too deep for anyone to understand" you cant deny it is deep and it has a lot of underlying themes and questions a lot of things. You are wasting your time if you kept lying to yourself and pretend to enjoy it. I'm just trying to help all the clueless viewers to think and re-evaluate themselves to what they truly enjoy and not become sheep that tend to follow the majority's opinions (aka band wagon). No harm was intended. I just want everyone to enjoy their hobby to its fullest. Sure, I could've said it in more polite way, but it's more provoking this way. :) Cheers. Megaton said: I feel like the creators added a lot of unnecessary ambiguity just for the sake of confusion, much like Boogiepop Phantom. I think that cheapens the overall product when you go out of your way to produce pseudo-complexity with vagueness. Unlike Boogie, however, I was able to tell the characters apart in Lain, and have a pretty solid grasp on the story now that I've finished it. You can play your mindfuck games all you want as long as it makes some sort of sense in the end. 8/10. This. I get the feeling that a lot of people, especially on the reviews, are doing this. But this is shitty MAL, so that level of misery is expected. |
LogicielApr 20, 2013 4:25 AM
| Critic. |
| Wow a somewhat happy ending did`t expect that bump it up to a 8/10 for me unlike NGE whose ending ruind the hole show. Any way worth watching if not for anything else but to check it of your list of classic anime. |
| I think, for the average viewer, this will be hard to follow. At the same time, I believe some people get hung up on how others interpret it, they spend so much time trying to match what they gained from this series rather that finding what it means to THEM. This is an open-ended story that lets the viewer see it how they think it's suppose to be seen. There obviously is a solid plot throughout it, but themes differ between individuals. In this regard, it's brilliant. But at the same time, my taste preference doesn't completely agree this is a masterpiece. I personally enjoy character development for several different characters rather than a select few. I'm a HUGE fan of psychological anime in general, and I did like what SEL brought to the table, but the way it was presented came out clunky. I'm going to have to go against general consensus. 7/10 (Which means good, NOT terrible as some people seem to rate things on here...) The themes were fantastic, but this isn't something that creates emotional attachment to the characters. I'm going to write a review with a general plot guide for those who have a bit of an issue understanding it, as well :) |
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| Just finished this, I feel it's one of those anime's that I'm glad I watched, but will never do so again. The ending was amazing, but the journey to there was dull in many parts. I've got my own general interpretation in my mind, but I'm fighting myself to keep digging deeper. It's too taxing on my mind, time to find something light to watch lol. |
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| A great series indeed. I've never watch an anime with such a strong brain-polishing plot. The story was very damn deep. In the beginning there was a lot of confusion but the end puts everything in its right place. But there were some thing that i didn't quite understand. Guess I will have to re watch the series. With all that said my overall score will be 9/10. My brain needs a vacation ^_^ |
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| As confusing as the series could be at times, I think the anime gave enough explanation, though I'm still little confused on how and what created Lain prob need a re-watch. I still found The End of Evangalion last half far more confusing though, the fate of shinji in that is far more ambiguous. |
ElPysCongroo said: As confusing as the series could be at times, I think the anime gave enough explanation, though I'm still little confused on how and what created Lain prob need a re-watch. I still found The End of Evangalion last half far more confusing though, the fate of shinji in that is far more ambiguous. I think that the long haired god-wannabe dude created Lain, but he never expected her to disobey him. No, not really created her, as she already existed as a some sort of omnipresent being in the wired, he merely gave her a shape and an identity. I'm more curious to know when exactly did she start existing ( my guess is that she was "born" when the wired was created and she grew more powerful as more and more people connected to the wired). BTW, does wired= internet ? Anyway, I made a big mistake in choosing to watch this series during exams, it requires a big deal of concentration. Usually I like to pick a lighthearted series to watch during study breaks and relax, but man, this series requires way more thinking than studying. One of the charming points of this series is that you are left wondering how much of what happened was real and how much wasn't. |
Don't talk to me about character development if Kaizuka Inaho or Slaine Troyard are in your favorites. |
| 2deep4me 5/10 |
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| That was a nice way to wrap this series. Lain became Arisu's guardian angel. I thought the ending would be Lain becoming a ruthless god or something like that. xD 8/10 Confusing as hell but interesting once you put all the pieces together. It tackled philosophical subjects such as reality and communication. However, it lost points for its subtle and vague expression of these themes. |
 "And if, there were so many people in the world, there had to be someone living an interesting life that wasn't ordinary. I was sure of it. Why wasn't that person me?" - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part V [/center] |
| 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 great what having a new perspective can do for you when rewatching a series. For me, this went from an easily forgettable lump of nonsense to a memorable story enriched in philosophy and critical thinking. In some ways this series even felt ahead of its time when looking at how far our technology has come and how our wired (or rather wireless) network connects everyone. Originally had this marked at a 6/10, now moving up to an 8/10. Also, this episode gave me some Madoka Magica vibes. |
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RaindropFlower said: woah, i'll probably have to rewatch it to fully understand everything This. |
| I had enough grasp on the anime throughout that it wasn't stupidly difficult to understand. However, the series does get a bit silly continually. Nevertheless, 'twas magnificent. |
| Just finished watching, awesome anime! I really liked the ending, personally - I didn’t expect it to end this well. I feel like I’ve missed a lot of stuff watching this just once and in a relatively short span of time (a week or two). Even though I understood quite a lot of things, or at least had a pretty good grasp at them, there’s one thing that bugs me. What was the whole point of the KIDS thing? I remember it being mentioned only in one episode, and it was never touched upon again afterwards... or did I just miss some important point? |
| It was sad to see Lain make the choice to erase herself from everyone's memories. I really do think eventually she'll find that real human interaction will be essential, merely being an observer just won't cut it. Arisu stayed with that teacher? Creepy... 9/10 for me even if it remains rather confusing. Definitely will need a rewatch at some point. |
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| Very confusing, this was a real mindfuck and even now I still can't understand it. But this anime provides some really interesting philosophical thoughts. Overall solid 8/10 Now I should watch some mindless ecchi to clear my brain |
| Well this was definitely unique. Despite most things never really being properly explained, I actually managed to stay focused and get a good grasp of the plot by the end. I was tempted to fade out during some of the info dumps though. There's only one thing that still confuses me. I know by the end, things are back to normal but in episode 6 it seemed like she was replaced by an alternate version of herself from the wired. In the character description here it says "While Lain begins freely delving into the Wired, Mika is taken there by her proximity to Lain and gets stuck between the physical world and the Wired." It was an interesting story, had a really good OP and Lain herself was very well developed. However,with the slow pacing, lack of character development for the others and leaving a few too many questions up to the viewer's imagination, it could have been better. 7/10 |
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