The story of SE Lain could not be any more mind melting in the fact of, unless its watched all the way through, it continues to make less sense with each episode. The final couple of episodes seem to be the only ones that make a sane person not tear their brains apart in confusion, while piecing together and making sense of the mess that was the previous 10 episodes. So much is thrown in, not much is answered and then it orders it in a way that makes little sense but doesn't make things dis-interesting.
Art is very unique in the way of light sources are often exaggerated and shadows are a bit abstract in their portrayal. The outside world is displayed as a very early 21st century neighborhood but electronics and any electrical device are shown as a few decades beyond its seemingly given timeline. Many scenes are reused and hardly in flashback which is easy to pick out. Faces seem to be the one thing in the animation art that was given the least attention to detail as many characters lack a lot of expression and the "Thousand Yard Stare" they give of so often is sometimes unnerving. Animation at some points is jumpy and at other is so incredibly smooth it deserves enough credit to have the scene played back two or three times.
Now... Sound. Possibly the one thing that gives this anime its biggest impact. Seldom is music played that isn't at a club or some other music device. Mostly the ambient sound are single tone noises that are supposedly simulating the buzz or hum of electricity, moving about the abundance of wires in the world. It almost enough to send a weak minded person insane. Music to set the "mood" of a scene? Doesn't exist outside the club and some times even the ambient monotone sounds will cut for a number of reasons leaving the scene dead silent. The biggest downfall is apart from when dealing with the "Wired" as its called, the voice actors seemed to have lacked in their emotional input and the animation of what little emotion characters have, is often ruined by an un-wavered voice.
The toughest assessment topic for this anime is Character. Development development for anyone other than the main character seems non existent, and if there was any for others, It doesn't exist in the end. The main characters development only goes forward. No incite on past or what lead them to make some decisions, it just rolls from the start and leaves us to believe people gain a second personality when accessing the wired. What we are not told about the main character and their self in the wired, is eventually explained but then disappears without a true explanation as to what happened.
Despite all the timeline spaghetti that is the story, character development and what seems like a bad voice actor budget, Serial Experiments Lain really does manage to make the best out of what it has. A lot seems like it could have been done better but for a psychological anime, it seems very well played out. It's to the point where no matter how confusing it may get a times, you enjoy it enough to want to watch another episode. And another. And another. But you will realize to yourself this is an anime that need to be taken or watched in moderation to preserve your sanity.
