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| 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 |
| It's not as confusing as I thought it'd be,but there's still something I'm not really sure about.Didn't Lain reset everything at the end?No one remember her or knows of her existence anymore (before meeting her friend again that is) and there is no wired anymore,so how does she exist?with all the talk of something not existing/never happening if no one has no memories of it I'd think she wouldn't exist anymore.Unless I'm talking it all too literary,or if her own memories count too,idk. I have to say I find it hard to agree with that anyway,even if you have no memories of something it still happened,even if no one remember you it doesn't change your existence etc.I understand its importance to the story and the idea of memories being only information but I still can't change how I feel. Other than that this show was good.Unlike many other people I didn't find it boring but very interesting.I'm glad I watched it. 7/10 |
| I truly love this anime. I won't claim to understand everything in the show, but I definitely got 90% of it. It definitely helps to re-watch (this was my 2nd time). It was deep, but not pretentious. It didn't cram nonsense down your throat half the time like NGE. Not to mention, although I hate to admit it, that ending had me crying like a baby. I've watched the ending itself like 4 times and it always makes me tear up. I just grew so attached to Lain and was really sad to see she had reset the world and everyone's memory of her just to repay Alice, who was the only person that truly cared for her. I'm starting to ramble. So bottom line, amazing series. And after re-watching it: 10/10. |
| Okay. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. So, the software created by the acting God, deleted all memories of what the acting God did, and in itself, had the chance to become God? But,she chose to do the opposite (as this show said a couple of times; A god needs to be worshipped by people). Since everyones forgotten about her,but she is everywhere... What truly is she? Lain, i understand your actions, but will you forever live with no connection to anyone? Airsu seems to have forgotten her, maybe they might become friends later on. This ending really was bittersweet.I mean, EVERYONE seems to have gotten a good end. Though Lain... I'm guessing that the 'father' she saw, the one that she had tea with in the clouds was 'God'. You know, 'father' is a term used by most religions for God, and in SEL, multiple 'bodies' can arise. I mean, Lain had one in the wired and real world. To say i'm not confused would be a lie, but to say that i think this show used to deep plot devices is a lie too. I enjoyed watching this show, and yes, the wired doesn't like a word we'd use now; but changing that to the 'net' wouldn't make the plot change too much. This show truly is a classic, will need to re-watch it just because of how awesome it was. I really want to give it a 10, but i'll be honest and give it a 9. Its amazing, but that one question of what Lain's true purpose was should've been answered more clearly. Though Mr.Director, thank you for this show. |
| This...was...just............odd. Sent with Mal Updater |
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| Great anime , a bit confusing though... Lain restarted the world, nice! Maybe ill rewatch this series, just to get rid of some questions -q Like...what happened to Lain's Sister? She just get retarded , or i've missed a thing? O.o I'll give this series 8/10, it was really awesome :D |
| Awesome, but i am not sure i lke the reset button. So 8/10 |
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| Always gonna remember Lain. |
RGBName said: Evangelion is still better, Lain is rather easy to understand if you pay the attention. Indeed, this was exactly what I was thinking. I liked NGE's take better, however NGE was lacking in execution. |
RadiGenNov 3, 2013 3:59 AM
| :/ not so fair making an happy ending by resetting everything (almost everything) but at least the stalker guys are still alive definitely a rewatch is in order |
 Fixes to make the Profile more bearable after "the Modern★Profile★Update★★Rip★Profile★" |
| This anime has pretty much mastered the art of making everyday stuff feel really psychologically scary. I was especially fan of the noises the telephone lines made, and the two mysterious agents. Really liked the whole cyberpunk horror atmosphere of this show. I was just a tad disappointed with the ending, I kinda wanted something more sad, because the whole show until this point had this very "sad" feeling to it. Still, best psychological horror I have ever seen, anime or not. Solid 9/10. |
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| 10/10. To manage covering up the plot and answering ALL of my questions in 13 episodes...this show is brilliant. To fully understand this show, I have to place my full consciousness AND unconsciousness into it, having some prior conspiracy theorist knowledge and psychological studies to understand this. |
| "If you reject me, I'll blast a hole in you!" Kanzaki H. Aria Just kidding.  |
| Overall, rock solid 8/10. |
| Nothing much to say about this episode. Lain realize that the world is better without her, then she feels lonely and comeback in another timeline, because she can, there is no reason to not rewrite everything as you want when you are a god. Awful ending but a great show overall |
| なんとかなる |
| This show is so realistic its actually creepy lol, Felt like a huge puzzle in the beginning but the last episodes made it clear with a nice happy kinda ending. |
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| Ok,I'm surprised,this was better than I expected. I think that the main problem in Lain are the characters,just Lain is decent.So I will give a 8 or 9,the themes are great,the mystery is very good,and the atmosphere is similar to Texhnolyze(which is good). |
| The incredible isolation she will live in the rest of her days. Kind of sad. No doubt a classic. The reset ending used here was later used by many other anime. |
| "Perhaps there is a universal, absolute truth. Perhaps it justifies every question. But that's beyond the reach of these small hands." Mamoru Oshii There is a cult of ignorance (...) nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” Isaac Asimov |
| What the fuck i feel violated |
yeslelno123Mar 4, 2014 2:19 AM
| Oh I finally get it! SPOILER ALERT Now it all makes sense! |
| I just finished this series for the first time and was blown away. The atmosphere this series created is indescribable and was masterfully executed. This is the first series I have ever marathoned from start to finish in one day. Definitely will re-watch this on the weekend, I managed to make my own interpretation on the first viewing but a second should help me catch things I missed the first time. Marzan said: The incredible isolation she will live in the rest of her days. Kind of sad. No doubt a classic. The reset ending used here was later used by many other anime. ikr, them feels ;_; And yeah, kind of lowered my opinion on a lot of anime when I realised this was the source of those endings. |
Have you worshiped our Empress today? |
| Well, I still don't understand many of the finer points of the story, and that ending wasn't the best... Still, this show had some great atmosphere, the characters were interesting, it had really nice art, and a fantastic soundtrack. I'll have to write up a full review at some point. |
::End of Transmission:: What have I been watching? Click here and find out on my viewing blog, "Vigorous Viewing" |
| "Present day, present time! Hahahahaha!" Anyway, I still can't believe this anime was released in 1998... it's way ahead of its time, particularly in terms of the ideas it presents. The different Lains could be alluding to how our personalities change when we're online (as compared to when we're "offline"). Which one is the real you? And how do other people view you when they can't physically see you? A fantastic show and work of art. It was confusing at times but well worth the watch. |
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| Yeah, at the end I didn't understand shit. It was a fun ride tho. |
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| I should probably rewatch the anime. I thought I don't really care that much about the anime,but I kind of do. The show is on my mind for a while now. |
| Good ending. You don't have to be remembered to exist, memories exist in the past present and future. I guess Lain found her own way of existing. Now I say hi to Lain every time I walk past a telephone pole. Now just going to go to rehab for getting the theme song out of my head.. |
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