Serial Experiments Lain. This anime is often regarded as the prototype for the dementia genre. With all the 9’s and 10’s I see here from the top reviews, it’s kind of strange how it notches just below an 8 for its overall score. I was left entirely speechless, moved and disturbed all at the same time when finishing this series, which are all unique feelings. However, due to the sheer open-endedness and shock factor I feel this anime is often overrated amongst reviewers. It did not define the genre, nor did it have me binge watching through to its conclusion. Bear with me regardless of your opinion on the series as I delve into my review.
“Present day, present time… hahahahaha!” This phrase will probably haunt me for quite some time. It’s really interesting how the story of SEL plays out. It starts out with immediate shock factor as our MC Lain watches as a young girl falls to her death from the top of a building during an apparent suicide. To top it off, girls in Lain’s class begin receiving emails from this girl though she is deceased. There is a catalytic blur of a border between the real world and the world of “The Wired”, or the world created by rapidly advancing network technology. Lain becomes increasingly obsessed with this technology and dives further into the muse of reality vs. fantasy. In SEL the story telling is primarily done visually as there is actually little dialogue spoken between characters. It’s an interesting take on things, but is done decently due to the creepy aura created from the artwork and characters. On a side note, this could also be perceived as a weak area due to the sometimes stagnant areas of story where I had to skip back and see if I missed something when I became confused.
The one thing that shines in the ambiguity of SEL is how many different ways the story can be interpreted. The show deals with a character struggling to unveil her true identity through existentialism and discovery. It teeters on the edge of sanity, making what would be clear plot holes excusable through curiosity. I feel if I were to watch it multiple times sequentially, starting each time with a new plot theory, I would focus on entirely different aspects of the series. The setting is slightly dystopian in regards to technology over encumbering the entire populace and it makes it very relatable. I believe this plot was way ahead of its time (1998), and it gives me appreciation for it that much more. The ending filled me with so many questions I felt I needed to phone the writers immediately to discuss my opinions. I took a step back and realized THAT was what they were trying to achieve with SEL; an open interpretation for the ages. It’s been dissected to the lowest possible level, and I’ve heard everything from the story being about rape to a bad acid trip. While I firmly believe this anime is not for everyone, if you open your mind a bit and think about each episode one at a time, you will find an experience unable to be achieved by most stories in the present day.
I gave this category such a low score due to the lack of depth in every character but Lain. Lain is actually quite marvelous and complex as a character, but I would argue to say she’s the only one worth noting in the entire anime. The rest of the cast felt irrelevant or replaceable to me. The constant struggle Lain goes through with her identity crisis makes you feel for her, even though she’s becoming increasingly creepy and obsessive as the show goes on. The transformation her room and relationship with her family goes through is spine-chilling, making me wonder if there is a human side to her at all. To top it off, the random bear pajamas she is often seen wearing takes the cake for fright factor. And her eyes, those EYES. Creepiest shit I’ve seen in awhile. There were some questions about Lain that I feel went unanswered, like her random love interest with Arisu that’s hinted at towards the end of the anime, or the many “forms” of her that other people comment that they’ve seen… most notably the guy at Cyberia saying “Oh, so you’re going for the little girl look today, huh?” Many things regarding Lain’s existence were touched on, but never fully explained. This added to the overall mysterious aura of the show.
Man this is the weirdest art I’ve ever seen, and it fit SEL so well it was scary. The style almost represented that of a lucid dream, the entire environment seemed to carry a hazy tint to it. The shadows were colored with a purple/reddish glow, and many of the characters had blank faces with bulging, dull eyes. It created an overarching dream-like feel to the whole anime which only made it eerier. Also, I don’t know if I’m describing this correctly, but the random close shots of character’s flaring nostrils and mouths was possibly one of the oddest things I’ve seen in an anime. The random androgynous or alien-like figures that would appear at a distance in Lain’s room or on the street honestly scared the hell out of me. For some reason, the copies I had of SEL contained no ED or OP song, which added to the overall feel. I did look them up on youtube, and while the ED was nothing special, the intro was actually really good. The rest of the soundtrack was ominous in nature, and the sound effects like wires buzzing were infrequent but accurate.
I’ll be 100% honest, despite the many ways there were to interpret this anime, I didn’t actually enjoy it. There were moments that penetrated my soul due to sheer freakiness, and some moments I really had no idea what was going on, but overall the lack of character depth and open-endedness kind of ruined it for me. I guess I could say I am more of a logical man, and I enjoy animes with a clear beginning and end, without an extreme room for interpretation.
I don’t know if I could recommend this anime to anyone, unless you were really open to anything or a deep intellectual. Like I previously stated, there were times that I was left dumbfounded or confused but the ominous vibe and plot interpretation keep it interesting for most. It’s definitely not the greatest anime in history like some of these reviews make it out to be, but if you’re into existentialism and questioning your own reality, or just in the mood for something completely different, give SEL a try. Thanks for reading!
