Serial Experiments Lain Episode 5 Discussion

What did you think of this episode?

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Nov 9, 2022 1:49 AM

#151

BetaMaleUltra

scientia exitus

Offline

Mar 2020

6003

Lain be really surfing the web, gaining knowledge from who knows what or who these things are, A.I. perhaps?? She's probably going to control the entire realm of the wired and with it also obtain world domination. Her poor sister though, it looks like she's the one who's really on the brink of losing her mind. Does a part of everyone who's used the wired, exist in the wired, not only Lain? I'm assuming we'll at least get SOME answers, but most will probably have to be left up to speculation.

NYANPASU

whiskey tango foxtrot

Dec 8, 2022 12:02 AM

#152

Xenoforge

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Oct 2012

So, maybe the Wired has spawned a parallel universe? Lain's sister is also stuck there? I guess we'll find out.

Dec 24, 2022 6:40 PM

#153

Rasco

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Mar 2010

55828

Twill be me next, I want lain to personally purge me.

Behold of my awesomeness~
controversial and/or sensitive topics likely devolve into the same repetitive, derogatory, abusive, and harassing comments can no longer be posted.
But my feels.

Jan 3, 2023 3:39 PM

#154

byKazna

Offline

Oct 2015

172

I feel like her sister is kinda concerned for Lain and that made her interested in The Wired. So she started connecting all the dots -like the secret agents, the spam prophecy mails she probably got as well and Lain's behaviour - and started getting a bit paranoic. But I'm pretty sure that her increasing involvement with The Wire is what is making her merge it with reality and that's what we just witnessed. I may be wrong tho.
And as some of you pointed out, I think that prophecy thing has to do with some sort of 'in order to evolve we must get rid of our body' idea. Somewhat like NGE did.
Now, what was going on when Lain had those conversations with her plushies and parents, I have no idea.
What I know for certain, is that I'm getting creeped out the more this series progresses.

byKaznaJan 3, 2023 3:52 PM

Jan 4, 2023 6:29 AM

#155

percept_det

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Jul 2022

Sound design was really on point in this episode. The dinner table sounds, the plaza ambience and the errie atmosphere achieved in the bathroom scene was amazing, even for the sounds of things that don't exist, like what I assume is the Wired apparition of the sister towards the episodes end. Story-wise, I am left with more questions. What was happening with the sister feels quite sudden and lacking in build-up. Maybe I'm not too smart to understand; and maybe I will by the series end; but it felt like stuff just happened. It may have expanded on the world of the Wired somewhat, and hinted at what I would assume is a storyline involving Lain bridging the world of the Wired and the real together or her becoming its' Deus (to use a term from the episode) or her choosing to exist in it as opposed to the real world (I hope I'm wrong with these predictions so I can be surprised). It's likely that once I understand everything at the end, I'll be more satisfied or surprised, but I wonder if this incredibly unknowing aspect to the story is or isn't to its' detriment, as I sometimes wonder why I'm watching, and even debating as to whether or not the answers will be worth it or even comprehensive to really follow. SEL makes wonder if the storytelling model of obscurity is good or not, as the more answers I get, the more questions they spawn. Let's hope I dine on these concerns by episode 13 and have SEL completely have changed my life or something like that. I'll end this off by mentioning that I like the segments of the episode where Lain is being told some philosophical concepts/ideas/truths. The one in particular I liked, is when Lain's "Mother" or "Wired Mother" explains that the body exists so that we can 'verify' that we exist in the universe. I feel that concept alone is what the series is all about.

Jan 6, 2023 5:07 PM

#156

Ahri293

Offline

Aug 2021

idk i starded the anime yesterday and every episode i watched was like 5 minutes this episode felt like 10 minutes tho bc i was pauseing it a lot bc i had things do tobut yeah i really liked it as an episode btw i feel that sel will be one of my fav anime bc its just the type of anime i love to watch like especially i like the artstyle and how lain personality is btw she is one of my kins even tho i havent complete it but for now my rate for serial experiments lain is 10/10

Jan 13, 2023 6:14 AM

#157

HiljainenSipuli

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Aug 2019

2372

who is next?.....

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Jan 15, 2023 12:54 PM

#158

removed-user

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Jul 2018

564084

I'm starting to get the feeling that somebody wants Mika to complete the prophecy tbh

Jan 24, 2023 9:42 AM

#159

Slatpile

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Jan 2023

There's a LOT to brew on with this. I have multiple ideas already, a lot about the difference between the physical world and the Wired. I'm partially thinking that there's two versions of everyone through the physical world and the Wired and maybe there's something in between and that's where Lain's headed. Seeing the spirit-like Wired Mika at the door of their house was really unsettling.

I think back to the start when the Wired mom was talking to Lain during one of the plushie scenes, and how she mentioned that the physical body is only used to verify our own existence. When the girl killed herself and yet emails still went out to her classmates- did she abandon this world for the Wired? Is that all where dead people have left to go other than the nothing? The note that was given to Mika in the crosswalk scene...

There's so much to think on, I'm loving this lmao

Mar 8, 2023 5:15 PM

#160

Kiba_Senpai

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Apr 2016

Man this show is just getting stranger and stranger haha

Apr 2, 2023 1:47 PM

#161

Villenno29

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Feb 2021

Just when I thought the story was going to take a more coherent turn my comprehension takes a nosedive.

Hooked on the aesthetic and vibe this show gives off though, it gives me the heebie jeebies

Villenno29May 31, 2023 3:16 PM

May 14, 2023 8:43 AM

#162

AceGeek

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May 2022

141

i don't know what's really going on, but I'm in for it.

May 14, 2023 10:50 AM

#163

UnknownGhost5

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Aug 2022

3024

I really hope that the anime will start explaining some things soon. I understand nothing.

May 21, 2023 11:43 AM

#164

Lain_the_silly

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May 2023

here's my analysis for this episode. As you may know there were voices talking to lain up to this point on how "you don't need a body". I think theres someone behind all this. Like in i think episode 4 or 3 a god talks to lain, the god is probably behind some of this but i do believe theres actually more ppl behind this. Not the knights but like a other worldy creature. I think lain's sisters soul or self disconnected from her physical body somehow and now her body is basically an empty shell while her "soul" or "self" is free is a way. Like how she no longer needs a body to do things.

May 22, 2023 11:02 PM

#165

eexzzm

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Feb 2019

what the fuck just happened?!. seems like lain's sister got wired check

May 23, 2023 1:41 PM

#166

sunne_jpg

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Apr 2019

Creepy episode, delved more into the psyche connection with the real world

May 24, 2023 7:19 PM

#167

Diangelo18

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Jun 2016

955

Looks like Lain hacked the internet too much to the point that a 2nd world was created and her room looks like a whole Lab right now. She's definitely the #1 hacker in Japan to be able to hack street lights and what not, someone needs to stop her asap.

May 29, 2023 11:05 PM

#168

SwedenFan505

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Feb 2022

this show is getting really fucking good

May 31, 2023 5:38 AM

#169

johnardo1

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May 2013

I really don't understand what's going on, but I can't stop to watch it, maybe we don't have a linear plot, and as suggest one quote of this episode, we have to link all the dots to understand what's happening. How intriguing!

But what's the point of this episode? Why Lain says 'Who's the next?' ?
And the Mika's part of the episode was disturbing, Is she into the Wired (which I haven't already understand what it is)?

Let's figure it out

Jun 16, 2023 10:06 PM

#170

Wrongthinker

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May 2023

106

hly fk that episode just turnt everything up too max level. got deep. +_+

Jun 23, 2023 9:13 PM

#171

chow141

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Jun 2023

This episode Lain goes to the mental illness dealership and trades in her autism for schizophrenia. She even got a 2 for 1 deal and gave the extra copy of schizophrenia to her sister! How nice!

Jul 12, 2023 2:21 PM

#172

MyAngelHaku

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Mar 2022

this series has got me stumed for now, i can't understand a thing.

Jul 13, 2023 7:05 AM

#173

arwegve

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Jul 2023

I don't understand what is happening <3

Jul 18, 2023 11:48 AM

#174

yeobo

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Jun 2019

Need to find the instrumental that was playing during the scene where the sister sees a duplicate of herself, this epsiode gave more clarity on the series for sure

Jul 21, 2023 11:50 PM

#175

waalex11

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Dec 2009

9622

Original Thoughts:

Thoughts upon Rewatch:

waalex11Jul 24, 2023 8:37 PM

Jul 27, 2023 11:18 AM

#176

Yumeiraosu

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Apr 2021

The episode was a thrilling experience since it touched some points it had it's own mind (?)
It was ascending at most.

Oct 18, 2023 8:38 PM

#177

plus_SlamDunk

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May 2019

its starting to get more interesting...

三
刀
流

炎

无

Dec 29, 2023 1:41 PM

#178

marcovce

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Dec 2023

It's getting interesting now

Jan 24, 4:34 PM

#179

lumine_2

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Jan 2024

Was Lain's sister replaced by someone else? Did someone else take here place?

Jan 30, 3:59 PM

#180

Virtecek

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Oct 2023

485

this anime is jsut hella confusing lol. i hope things will get more clear soon. but i guess this means that some god is coming and Lain is the god? thats kinda what im getting. and poor Lains sister

Feb 10, 3:01 PM

#181

KanadeJaeger

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Jan 2022

COnfusing..........

Feb 24, 4:18 PM

#182

gannoncannon55

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Dec 2022

4467

extremely quotable episode

Mar 19, 10:08 PM

#183

Gf2002

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Mar 2024

Oh yeah baby we're starting to get into it. What an extraordinary show.

Aug 5, 7:18 PM

#184

Scatmilk

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Jun 2023

I love how fucked up Lain's room got.

Aug 19, 10:24 PM

#185

Code0018

Offline

Aug 2019

1153

Holy shit what a crazy and trippy episode. Man if anything this ep just made me feel worse for Mika with how reality looked like it was literally warping around her like a sick nightmare, all the weird paranormal shit happening around her with the message "fulfil the prophecy" were wild. She really does feel like this innocent bystander caught up in path of an tornado invisible in the story rn.

The scene changes to Lain talking to various objects and her parents were interesting, i think the overarching message of them being along the lines of questioning God and their hand in deciding fate, came in quite nicely as it help present the idea of (I think anyway) the Wired creating or having it's own God somehow, and also in relation with the last scene, maybe the Wired is also starting to bleed into reality causing all these weird distortions of the virtual world and real world?

The ending as well felt insane and like the icing on the cake for me. Both Mika's meeting one another, only one able to see the other and then the camera swapping to Lain's perspective and all we see about the second Mika is a ghostly shadow, honestly such a breath-taking scene that sparks so many new theories about the plot and Lain.
Some of my own crack theories are,

"yabe."

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Aug 25, 7:43 PM

#186

TheMangaManiac

Offline

Jul 2010

1716

...okay what the actual FUCK

That scene with two sisters was creepy af

And I understand why this show is so "off", there's little to no background music, only background noise. Also faces, while stylised, are extremely uncanny in the way the emotions are portrayed.

My man Taro is the real MVP of the episode lmao
"Hey oneesan... u single? ;) wink wink"

Sep 12, 2:51 AM

#187

Sun_Chan

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Aug 2019

3003

Now her sister is caught up in all of this

Oct 15, 4:48 AM

#188

Felix_Argyle_907

Offline

Oct 2016

I also have panic attacks in bathrooms but not from a skibidi jumpscare.

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