 If you liked
Serial Experiments Lain
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 ...then you might like
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
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Both anime involve complex theories with strange organizations that mess with your mind (especially Lain). And even though both series have an entirely different feel (Madoka is more action-drama, Lain is more suspense-thriller), the endings are remarkably similar, and both are true works of art.
Both center around a seemingly normal girl
Both use unique and "trippy" visuals
Both become extremely dark
Both go deep into human psychology
From the drama, to the psychological, even the story transitioning, except how the story was portreyed. The Themes are even parallel to one another, except MSMM was designed to look light and SEL was designed to be true to the theme and SEL can get a bit too deep in comparison to MSMM. Compatibility is, as estimated, is roughly over 80%
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Recommended by pivotman55
>Both are mindfucks.
>Both have some of the weirdest arts in the story of anime, they are just awesome.
>They have a dark atmosphere.
Serial Experiments Lain And Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica both have these light animations, but with dark undertones(although Lain more so). Madoka and Lain both do not completely know what the world around them really is and they do not know their fate. Both will have you questioning so many things you know.
Mindfuck.
Centered around a girl.
If you understood madoka, you should give this a try.
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Recommended by WeltMeisterTR
Both follow an estranged girl that realizes she is much more important to the fate of the world than she ever thought she could be.
Both the animes have a dark theme attached to it, and both of the series have this unbelievable plot twist. If you like watching animes with an amazing plot twist at the end, you should definitely check "Serial Experiments Lain" out. As a 1998 anime series, "Serial Experiments Lain" might just be considered better than "Mahou Shoujo Magica Madoka".
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Recommended by Farhana_Luba
Madoka and Lain both are seemingly normal girls thrust into a trippy, dark predicament. Both pose some interesting and engaging social and psychological questions. They have a lot more similarities, but diving into these would bring up a lot of spoilers.
I've heard a few people say that Madoka is a rip-off of Lain, touched up for mainstream consumption, however I feel like this is a short-sighted idea. While Madoka clearly does take heavy influence from Lain, the two pose very unique themes and styles. That being said, you might find one a tad redundant after watching the other, but they are both excellent shows in
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Both shows contain...
• An MC that seems like normal girl but is capable of much more than she thinks.
• Scenes that can only be described as surreal or other-wordly.
• Simple yet impressive art & animation.
• GL undertones.
• Dark themes.
Both have a small assembly of characters, so both shows aren’t exactly character-driven. Both are hella “trippy” and dive into dark themes and thought-provoking concepts.
The animation quality for both shows is damn good for their respective styles and eras.
Both MCs end up basically being the “god” of their own world/universe in order to protect it.
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Recommended by Ryuseishun
Lain & Madoka are both shy but otherwise average 14 year-old girls who unknowingly possess a great hidden potential, and their shows follow their journeys in overcoming their uncertainties and discovering said potential. They both find themselves visiting an alternate & distorted dimension throughout their journeys. Certain plot events in each show are also markedly similar. It is quite likely that Serial Experiments Lain helped inspire Madoka Magica.
It's worth noting that Lain faces mostly internal dilemmas while Madoka's troubles are mostly external, but they have a number of similarities as characters and would likely follow similar paths in each other's stories if
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Both have a "normal" girl getting caught up into a strange world and the plot being more complex and dark as time does go by. And both share an unusual and strange kind of artstyle and animation in it too.
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Recommended by Disapeared_Ghost
second most equal in this recomendation list that i watch, both are same dark atmosphere and psycological horror, both MC has a similar personality and become emotinaly unstable after, serial lain is more focus on cyber world and virtual consequences, madoka is mora focus sobrenatural in miracles and prices to pain both ending is similar consequence, madoka had great inspiration in serial experiments lain