Existentialism, Technological Extremes and Identity Crisis all wrapped up in one big ball that is Serial Experiments Lain.
To be absolutely fair, Serial Experiments Lain isn't for everyone as it's by far an anime without much context which can EASILY confuse the audience with it's overused stylistic choice and anachronistic story, which comes to an anime you need to watch twice to "get it".
The meta-textual narrative is also given someone like Lain Iwakura voiced by Kaori Shimizu a somewhat unreliable narrator and this happens throughout the anime and what with it's anachronistic story and style doesn't help matters into giving "context" to the anime. To be fair, there isn't much about the actual narrative due to the massive ambiguity of the meta-textual narrative which again makes this anime hard to get into if not for your own curiosity of Serial Experiments Lain.
Now LA kept talking about Lain, but who is Lain?. Lain is a shy, awkward highschooler and is a highly technological girl who gets sucked into the world of Wired. Lain really is a manifestation of the anime in itself, her name is in the title no?, she not only crosses the boundary between reality and the virtual world (a la Wired) but she also goes through existential crisis as her world is not what it seems conveying both identity and technological extremes. LA knows LA should be talking about voice acting section in the voice acting section, but Kaori Shimizu did an excellent job in voicing Lain, from the shy loner type to the complete opposite into a raving lunatic and outright creepy sometimes, this might be one of Kaori Shimizu's best performance in LA's eyes.
So outside from Lain, what about the other characters?, well they do have a purpose to the story albeit they're all shoved into the minor character and supporting role type of characters, the only three that aren't are Arisu Mizuki voiced by Yoko Asada, Lain's friend, Masami Eiri voiced by Show Hayami and Taro voiced by Keito Takimoto.
So LA actually hasn't "talked" about the plot, well if there is a bit of plot to Serial Experiments Lain, then round the half way mark, it goes into two warring factions going after Lain due to the technology she has obtained with Wired and the factions either want to get rid of Lain or abuse Lain's powers for their own benefit. In speaking of which LA might just say this but for Lain's technological extremes she has obtained it does bring up something profound in our current "Internet age" about technology in itself which makes an anime released in 1998 to still have some impact to our current technological age we're living in.
In terms of animation done by Triangle Staff, the animation was very atmospheric with it's bombastic and schizophrenic intentional pacing, the technological animation felt very decent and in the more "Wired moments" is where the technical animation gets to shine. The character designs are also very distinct, yes mostly in Lain and her designs makes her both very memorable and adorable (even in her more creepy moments). But really the characters designs of nearly every characters are very distinct and you know who they are quite easily.
In terms of sound, well LA will have to say that the anime's soundtrack and effects can really make the anime very atmospheric, a sort of intense catharsis. LA says "intense" as Lain utilizes TV static and electrical offputting cords to really make it intense when it needs to, the catharsis more or less comes in as to how atmospheric the anime is throughout. Finally Lain also uses sorta indie rock and blues in it's OST's which makes Serial Experiment Lain have more of an aesthetics choice and identity to itself.
The ending if anything was confusing even to LA but LA understood the majority of it even with the confusion and really because of Lain's ambiguity doesn't really give us 'definite answer" and really LA thinks that Serial Experiments Lain isn't about "finding the answer", it's about making us think about our own existentialism. Overall a good and ambiguously intentional ending.
Serial Experiments Lain isn't for everyone, it's schizophrenic meta-textual narrative along with it's stylistic pacing choice can deter people from watching it from the get go, but for those interested in Lain won't be disappointed, sure it doesn't tell us everything about the plot threads under the real world of Lain but LA doesn't think Lain doesn't need to and it's not the intent to answer all the loose plot threads, Lain is more interested in it's themes of Existentialism, Technological Extremes the world will lead itself to and identity itself. LA may be waxxing poetically throughout this anime, but it's really the way LA could talk about this anime, what with it's ambiguity littered all throughout the anime, LA thinks that Serial Experiments Lain did it's job about talking about it's core themes all manifested in Lain herself.
Lain is Lain...
Lain is watching everyone...
