 If you liked
Serial Experiments Lain
|
 ...then you might like
Paprika
|
Both very obscure with dark technopunk themes.
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Recommended by WhiteRoseSister
At first glance Lain and Paprika might not seem very similar, Lain being very slow paced for the most part and Paprika being such a riot of energy. Yet both challenge the meaning of reality and the role of perspective. In Lain and Paprika technology has permitted man to dismantle experience, uncovering a deeply disturbing world that deconstructs certainty in a fluid nexus of ambivalence. Lain's stress falls more on existential questions while Paprika deals more directly with the distorting power of dreams but both break the barrier of physical limitations as they capitalize the potential of anime to create truly bizarre and rewarding
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The hallucinatory vividness of SEL is similar to that of Paprika, but much darker.
It's all about human (sub)consciousness & computers, but:
Paprika is more about flashy visual style & crazy weirdness; while
Serial Experiments Lain is more about psychology, philosophy & The Net.
Both have to do with technology and the fact you can't really tell what's real and what's fake until the end.
The world of both series involves technology that deals with unusual experiences. These experiences have different results with the characters but most of them are out of this world. There's also a sense of surrealism that surrounds the origins of both series. The main female character becomes part of that and goes through experiences. These experiences taps into the consciousness and explores various ideas.
Both series also have a conflicting plot that is twisted but has that sense of attraction for viewers especially those into the science fiction genre. I definitely giving both a shot and see what experiences you get out of them.
The idea that someone can immerse themselves in another world, almost like another dimension -- does that world become more real to them than the "real" reality?
Paprika and SEL both raise this question: Paprika in regards to dreams, and SEL in regards to a place called the "Wired" (similar to our internet). However, differences to note are that this idea is not the focus of Paprika, although it is a feature of it. Also, Paprika is (obviously) a movie, while SEL is an anime series. But all in all, if you enjoyed the concept of traveling in dreams, you will most likely also enjoy the
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- Both have perception and reality subjects. Lain has the Wired and Paprika has the DC Mini
- Makes you think, and makes you second guess yourself
- Existentialism themes
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Recommended by -_mAtTeOtAkU-_
Both psychological shows explore the idea of the impact technology has within our society. They are both also presented in a confusing way at first, which may require researching elsewhere to get a proper understanding of the story/themes
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Recommended by Short_Circut
"Don't you think dreams and the Internet are similar? They are both areas where the repressed conscious vents. " SEL and Paprika explore the deep crevasses of the human psyche, being distorted whether by "the wired" or dreams themselves. They both blend reality and fiction in a really disturbing yet fascinating way, sometimes making you contemplate your own existence. Anyway they're both Avant Garde classics and are worth watching for anyone wanting more philosophically driven anime. Warning: their soundtracks both go EXTREMELY hard.
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Recommended by lysanthrope