Serial Experiments Lain
Serial Experiments Lain was made in 1998 by Geneon Entertainment (formerly Pioneer Entertainment) and consists of 13 episodes called “Layers.” It has won awards in Japan and has been one of the highest selling anime’s for Geneon in America.
If you have seen Evangelion, the theme might seem oddly familiar, but it still breaks the mold and goes on to present itself differently, but with the same amount of depth.
I have heard it be said many times that Lain is particually “depressing” or “emotional,” but I find this type of judgement to be close-minded. The series starts off with the suicide of a classmate of Lain, Chisa Yomoda, but, as always with this series, there is something deeper behind it. After her death, other girls started getting emails from her. In the email to Lain, she states that she abandoned her flesh and that she is still alive in the wire. Soon, Lain starts to spend more time in the wire and comes to search for her true self. There is a plethora of interpretations that can arise from this show...even from viewing to viewing.
