None before it has taken the same concepts and themes introduced in the movie Ghost in the Shell (1995) to unreachable heights in the same time span,
has the same amount of disagreements among the staff about what the heck they made,
is purely a mindscrew that required thorough analysis of every scene of every episode, including the stock footage,
shows the story mainly through dialogues and symbols
and has little/no superficial entertainment.
STORY SECTION - 9.75/10 (Is this all real?)
Plot, Content, Logic - 4/4
Set in modern times, boundary between virtual and actual reality is gradually blurred with the development and increased usage of technology in society with PCs, handheld devices, video games, social networking, and the ever-expanding computer network, called “The Wired”. A hacker organization, led by Eiri Masami, attempts to unify humanity into “The Wired” through the collective unconscious so the virtual and actual reality cannot be distinguished. This is justified with the unknown effects of Earth’s magnetic fields (Schuman Resonance), Psi ability of humans, evolution, etc. To achieve this, the only heroine Lain Iwakura must comply with the wishes of the said organization and live only in the Wired.
Spoiler or not, that is the plot and is more realistic than NGE’s Instrumentality with similarities from the original movie Ghost in the Shell (1995). No need for cyborgs, mechs, supernatural BS, and the distant future; just real science, philosophy, and psychology with a dash of conspiracy theories and a few major twists (e.g. fantasy/religion, reality as a whole).
As the title suggests, this is a series of unique experiments (one per episode), focused mostly on LAIN (not just Lain Iwakura), that revolves around its central theme, perception. The material is openly presented through minimal storytelling in the form of monologues, open-ended dialogues, anonymous characters, symbols, and psychedelic and surreal imagery so nothing is absolute. By watching at face value, there are plot holes because the viewer’s vision throughout the entire series is limited. Thus, the audience is forced to make their own interpretations to fill those holes and complete their “reality” of the series while answering its questions about identity, memories, time, existence, morality, concept of God, and more controversial topics. This alone is not confusing enough without the common schizophrenic hallucinations, stagnant or creepy atmosphere, and subtle lies. Add as well the cynical yet fairly accurate criticism of our dependence with technology because of the lack of live communication (or abundance of chats in “The Wired”), insecurity and isolation, apathy and despair, technology (virtual) over human life (real), definition of humanity (anthropological, psychological, sociological, or something else) and other ideas to support the notion of “abandoning the flesh.” This all makes it a series only for the brave few.
Structure - 2/2 (NO FILLERS & BREAKS!)
Everything is almost divided equally in layers and the opening and ending sequences with a key concept related to Lain, the Wired, the organization and Eiri Masami, or the content. There is not a single second of filler as it gets straight to the point since the first viewing of the opening.
Everything is relevant to the plot, character, atmosphere, schizophrenic experience, or just the mindscrew. At first glance, they are disjointed or fragmented but do follow a linear timeline shown in different perspectives through the characters and the medium for communication.
Think of it as a spiral Mandelbrot set with the last episode as its center/core/tip. To which point the series begins is for the viewer to decide.
Since the information is transferred from layer to another, the viewer must have understood the meaning and relevance of every single scene and the importance of the introduced concept or idea to the overall story.
Pacing – 1.75/2
It moves along with Lain Iwakura’s involvement in the Real and the Wired.
The episode pacing is slow enough to give the viewer enough time to ponder the philosophical questions asked and interpret the slight changes in the current frame/s while unnecessary events are skipped and hints were shown sparingly to move on to the next concept and keep the viewer interested. On an episode basis, the pacing is slow or realistically paced but, when examining the entire picture, it is quite fast and can leave you puzzled for the entire duration. The first six episodes are consistent, down to the last second of the ending theme, but the next seven lost its screws and started the mindscrew and WTF!? moments (if the first episode was only slightly/partially confusing). I admit that this second half is hectic to the point of deducting this section a bit but the execution does deliver everything extremely well.
Concluding Arc – 2/2 (Sensible only if you survived the mindscrew)
Consistent with the memory motif that was mentioned and applied in plot developments and twists, the bittersweet ending is perfectly fitting and foreshadowed a few times. Every loose end is tied up if all of dots are connected.
CHARACTER SECTION – 8.25/10
LAIN – 2.75/3
Omnipresent in both the Real and Wired, this being is represented ... well, anything you can think of. In this series alone, it is shown in the form of a Lain Iwakura, a shy, naive, curious, and “ordinary” junior high school girl with two main conflicting personalities, and Lain of the Wired. Her introverted and socially challenged outer layer is meant to relate to the audience and criticize the hikikomori, NEET, otaku, obsessed Internet users, etc. who have abandoned the “real” world to some extent while her repressed inner self asserts her beliefs in the presence of agents, apathetic classmates and family, conspiracists, trollers, and strangers, states her own opinion in straightforward and honest manner, thinks logically, and does her own way. Freudian and Jungian psychology are applied in the usage and blending of these two personalities as she further engages the people around her and translate herself into the Wired.
The only minor problems for her characterization are her naivety, ideas that rarely come out of nowhere, and confusing personality switch which is rarely done for plot convenience.
The rest – 2/3
All of the characters represent the “normal” citizens of modern society that are purposely designed to be realistic but unlikeable with the selfishness, betrayal, lies, fear, depression, mental breakdown, and death in various ways. Existing only to contribute to the plot and fully develop Lain Iwakura, not all of characters have enough screen time and depth. In a way, they are perfect as this allows the audience to focus mostly on the story, the best aspect of the show.
Development – 1.5/2
Atypical for the plot and character are integrated. Both advance at the same pace. Unlike most series where there has to be some sort of obvious conflict, the main protagonist simply levels up by interacting with strangers, going to different places, obtaining new friends, gaining new information, and other normal stuff most of humans do. Each information introduced in the episode adds another layer to her characterization. Gradually, her multiple personalities blend, and access in the Wired improves. What is still unclear in the end is how she manages to switch her personality.
The rest do change but only for the sake of the current demands of the story.
Catharsis: 2/2
Since the characters are never given the same amount of focus on Lain Iwakura, they might as well be dealt with in style. Suicide, insanity, mindscrew, murder/homicide, memory loss, removed from existence, disappearance, abandonment, etc.; everything is there in its uncensored glory. Most are not spared, not even Lain Iwakura. This is not like the Matrix, Black Lagoon, or any other show that just wastes its NPCs or side characters for the sake of plot convenience. Every concluding point of the character’s lives/existence is with reason and can be explained by previous events.
ART SECTION – 8.5/10
General Artwork and Visuals - 5.25/6
Production values are lower than Ghost in the Shell (1995) and Akira (1989).
Stock footage is sometimes used. Passable CGI and real photographs don’t blend well with the actual animated artwork.Common animation flaws in the 90s are probably present here. I can nitpick every single flaw there is but resistence is futile against the experimental art style from a late 90s Japanese anime TV series.
The minimalistic artwork and visuals is filled with so much symbolism in most of the frames that the story can never be fully understood without it. Simple color changes, stock footage, and even just the text (e.g. lain in the OP) has some hidden meanings. High contrasts, striking lighting effects, dark color palette that gives off a melancholic feel, bright watercolors, different animation styles, varying detail of background and foregrounds, screen caps, and smooth lines are good enough just on the aesthetic value. What is more impressive is the entire artwork of its computer hardware and software. Monitors, processors, motherboards, wires, cooling systems, etc. are accurately drawn with detail while the programs used are quite similar to the real ones we have.
Character Figures/Designs -1.75/2
Designed by the talented Yoshitoshi Abe (Haibane Renmei, Texhnolyze, Niea_7), every character looks exactly as one should be, even the NPCs and avatars. None look like blobs, sticks, or other characters in the show; none have weird hairstyles, and faces and reactions (if you exclude the hallucinations and the mindscrew); all are drawn realistically but never distracting. Detailing, shading, and clothing also change depending on the occasion and complement the physicality and personality of the characters.
As for Lain Iwakura, her unique hairstyle, eyes, and bear clothing (e.g. pajamas (my profile picture), hats, and toy) symbolize something and improve her moe and nymph aspects.
There are couple of inconsistencies in some frames due to angling.
Some NPCs lack faces and overall detailing but they are meant to be generic just like the backgrounds so one can focus on the story, the main thing anyone should care about.
Transition/Fluidity - 1.5/2
Accurate positioning/angling and zooming or scrolling of still frames, along with slow movement, is repeatedly used to compliment its content and artwork. Transition between stock and new footage is handled well especially with the change in audio. This, along with artwork mentioned above, produced the atypical OP and simple ED, each perfect in its own right.
As for actual character movement and special effects, it is paced similarly with the atmosphere but is a bit slow at times. There were key moments when characters should actually be moving instead of the frame only. Certain scenes can be presented on a larger scale so we can see more of just everything from characters to backgrounds without sacrificing the story and the focus on Lain.
SOUND SECTION – 9.25/10
Soundtrack – 3.75/4
The opening theme “Duvet” by Boa and the ending theme “Tooi Sakebi” (A Distant Cry) by Nakaido “Chabo” Reichi are excellent choices for they achieve the following:
1.) allow Lain Iwakura to communicate her feelings to the audience (personal pronouns are commonly used)
2.) perfectly describe her situation in her empty “Real” and dark “Wired” lives.
3.) introduce the right atmosphere for entering and exiting the world of LAIN
Both are also in sync with their respective videos.
The OST composed by Reichi “Chabo” Nakaido is a well-crafted collection of unconventional rock, jazz, and techno music. With the exception of Track 10, there are no lyrics but have the same impact, if not more.
Kodoku No Shigunaru (Signal of Solitude) and Inner Vision give a pleasant and relaxing feeling to mark the end of Lain and our journey in this mess. No other BGMs can match them on the same scenes.
Cyberia (nightclub) Theme, Lain’s Theme (Yes, she has her own special music theme), and Kiri no Ijigen supply the seriousness and suspense while complementing the content and atmosphere.
What made this short of a masterpiece is the lack of variety of similar tunes.
The staff played certain BGMs, specifically Kiri no Ijigen, a couple of times when the artwork and dialogue require something more or less “weird”.
The result is a conflict of the emotions previously and currently invoked.
WOW! or WTF!? responses for every episode happens less often. Also, there are a few moments when the BGM is played at the wrong time or does not give off the right tone.
By itself, the soundtrack is perfect, but, when used in the anime, it is not.
The second soundtrack “Cyberia Mix” makes up for flaws of the first.
BGM/SFX – 3/3
The silence and buzzing sounds of cables sounds helps the audience focus on the finer details and important concepts presented in the artwork while the sparingly used creepy or rock tunes and sound effects change the tone to spice things up when necessary. Never was it ever distracting the audience from the current topic and always gave a sense of realism or just weirdness.
Whatever you hear in a room, sidewalks, buildings, vehicle, computer, etc. in our current world, Earth, sounds extremely similar in this show. It tried to be as real as possible and succeeded.
Voice Acting – 2.5/3
Gnerally good for the seiyuu.
The voice actors may lack the emotional touch in their dialogues and sound dull, boring, wooden, or awkward but they manage to maintain the more important ambiance. Lain's voice actor is commendable though.
As for the English and modified voices, the computer software does it exceptionally and beats everything else, including the modern Vocaloids (e.g. Hatsune Miku).
VALUE SECTION - 10/10 (PRESENT DAY, PRESENT TIME!)
Historical Value and Memorability - 7/7
Along with Ghost in the Shell (1995), these are the only prominent cyberpunk titles in the 90s that have significant influence in the treatment of anime and rebirth of the genre itself.
This is one of the few titles ever made to have only one multi-layered female protagonist that ultimately defined the entire series and be remembered for who knows how long.
Lastly, the bear clothing fetish was reintroduced in the anime community.
Replayability - 3/3
Decrypting everything will take the same time as memorizing and implementing all of the right combinations in Dragon Lair from scratch without cheating. The clues are all over the place and it might take days, months, or years and every rewatch can give a different overall understanding of the mystery behind LAIN and the Wired.
ENJOYMENT SECTION – 10/10 (And you don’t seem to understand...)
Having none of the MOE, unnecessary fanservice and violence, storyTELLING, forced and cliché plot devices, overused formulas, bad pacing, and the damned FILLERS and recaps (but I admit that some are enjoyable), one experiences something nonexistent in the majority of all anime titles.
It is a coming of age experience that treats its audience as independent critical thinkers and mature adults. Never does it attempt to manipulate our emotions, caterto specific fetishes, tell the story, waste time, censor controversial images, sugarcoat the content, and any of the like. Instead, it offers the questions , that fuel the human insatiable curiosity, and pure mindscrew by simply overloading the human brain with the constant stream of information about the mysteries, hallucinations, and philosophical notions. One doesn't need to see themselves in the characters like in Neon Genesis Evangelion and Revolutionary Girl Utena or have eyegasms with the animation in the movie versions of the two mentioned titles above. All one needs is to focus on the story and whatever happens to the main character and the rest will follow. Everything is consistent, neutral, and honest for what it is – avant-garde.
OVERALL OBJECTIVE RATING – 9.29/10
A truly deserving cult classic that still stands to the tests of time by 2011 standards.
Now, watch the AMV (what should be the official trailer) in the given link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaFayr9zI-8t
Suggestion List:
Neon Genesis Evangelion series (popularized the mindscrew/dementia genre)
Revolutionary Girl Utena (deconstruction of the shoujo genre while mindfucking its target audience)
Haibane Renmei (Lain for the casuals)
Texhnolyze (same difficulty, shares some similarities with SELain and NGE)
Boogiepop Phantom (same theme of escapism)
FLCL (easier than all of the above, can be watched by simply chillaxing)
