Top-Rated Episodes
S1.E13
Lain's guilt over the havoc caused by her interaction within the wired provokes her to take drastic - and irreversible - action.
S1.E10
Lain encounters a man who call himself the "god" of the wired, and members of the Knights all across the world log on to participate in a cryptic mass suicide.
S1.E12
"God" preaches that our bodies are simply an obstacle preventing the evolution of mankind. An exhausted Lain appears willing to sacrifice her own flesh and blood until Alice convinces her to take a ...
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Title: Serial Experiments Lain (1998– )
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Storyline
A week after Chisa committed suicide, her classmates begin to receive emails from her. Hearing rumors fly at school, a quiet withdrawn girl named Lain goes home that day, turns on her dusty Navi computer for the first time and has a conversation with the dead girl. Chisa's message reads that she killed herself because she didn't need her body anymore, and she now exists in The Wired. When Lain asks why someone would do something like that she gets a response: "Because God is here". Written by Anonymous
Taglines:
Everyone is Connected See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Official Sites:
Geneon Entertainment (USA) Inc. [United States] | Geneon Entertainment, Inc. [Japan] | See more »Country:
JapanRelease Date:
13 July 1999 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Serial Experiments Lain See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1
Edit
Lain Iwakura: Huh?
Iwakura, Yasuo: When it's all said and done, the Wired is just a medium of communication and the transfer of information. You mustn't confuse it with the real world. Do you understand what I'm warning you about?
Lain Iwakura: You're wrong.
Iwakura, Yasuo: Huh?
Lain Iwakura: The border between the two isn't all that clear. I'll be able to enter it soon. In full range. Full motion. I'll translate myself into it.
Iwakura, Yasuo: Even with a top of the line civilian Navi, you couldn't.
Lain Iwakura: I can do it. I've modified mine.
Iwakura, Yasuo: A Psyche ...
[...]
See more »
Composed and performed by Boa
Vocals by Jasmine Rodgers
Courtesy of Polystar Records
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The Psyche processor is pronounced as "psukhe", the original Greek form of the word. See more »Quotes
Iwakura, Yasuo: Let me give you one little warning.Lain Iwakura: Huh?
Iwakura, Yasuo: When it's all said and done, the Wired is just a medium of communication and the transfer of information. You mustn't confuse it with the real world. Do you understand what I'm warning you about?
Lain Iwakura: You're wrong.
Iwakura, Yasuo: Huh?
Lain Iwakura: The border between the two isn't all that clear. I'll be able to enter it soon. In full range. Full motion. I'll translate myself into it.
Iwakura, Yasuo: Even with a top of the line civilian Navi, you couldn't.
Lain Iwakura: I can do it. I've modified mine.
Iwakura, Yasuo: A Psyche ...
[...]
See more »
Soundtracks
DuvetComposed and performed by Boa
Vocals by Jasmine Rodgers
Courtesy of Polystar Records
See more »
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Anime existentialism, generally speaking, is largely inaccessible to western audiences... and it's almost totally inaccessible to myself. I'm not ashamed to admit that I had to watch Akira three or four times before I fully understood it, and Ghost in the Shell had to live in my VCR for a couple weekends until I was satisfied I'd eked whatever shred of understanding out of it that I could. I grew very tired of essays on where mankind came from and where it was going. I decided, at that point, that I would never understand anime to a degree where I could be pleased with it, and abstained from watching it for a while (with the exception of the occasional Ranma1/2 episode, at the behest of my then-girlfriend).
Then, along came Lain.
I was very, very skeptical about watching Lain. Not only did it look like your typical "what is it all about" anime, but it was a thirteen-episode series, clocking in at well over five hours. I figured I'd watch the first four episodes and scrap the rest.
Lain sucked me in.
I can't stress how shocked I was when I swapped DVD #3 for DVD #4 and looked at my watch to realize I'd been sitting in one place for over four and a half hours. Serial Experiment Lain is simply incredible. There's enough mystery and enough seeds planted to keep the viewer watching from one episode to the next. The artwork is friggin' incredible... minimalist yet so rich that each shot breathes with its own life. Even the opening title sequence draws you in, with its careful attention to camera, style, and its mournful score.
Mournful, indeed. I don't make it a point to cry when I'm watching cartoons, but Lain beat the living hell out of my emotions. In very broad strokes, Serial Experiment Lain is about family, alienation, friendship and humanity. It analyzes the differences between obligation and true love, and comes down to the question of what is right and what will make you happy... and most importantly, what happens when we're forced to choose between the two?
Lain takes a lot of chances with style and presentation, and is a truly refreshing breath of fresh air from a medium that has grown far too comfortable with itself. The combination of cel animation with computer graphics and live action footage creates a world not unique to anime, but totally unique unto itself. Serial Experiment Lain rekindled my faith in anime, which is saying a lot. It is a great experience (I wouldn't be here telling you about it if it wasn't) and a great piece of film. If you've got a few hours to kill, step into Lain's world for a while, you won't be disappointed.