Rating: 
Summary: 16 and Up ...!!!
Review: I have just started my addiction to anime with the watching of Ghost in the Shell and Akira. Those movies were definitely not for little kids, or maybe even a mature 15 year old like me. Granted, I own GTA3 for PS2 at my home, and that is definitely not for kids. But when I read up on Serial Experiments: Lain, and found that it was "rated" 16 and up, I figured that it was going to be pretty good. Well, my prediction wasn't wrong - I'm more addicted to this than I was to DBZ - but the rating is definitely wrong! Every teen that is addicted to the internet or video games like me should watch Lain. It provides insight on what happens when one gets too involved into "the Wired". I absolutely love this series. And Lain is definitely a "love-hate" relationship - You'll either love it, or hate it. I had 5 of my friends over to watch it with me, 4, including myself, absolutely loved it, and the other 2 wondered why they wasted their time. Anyway, its a good buy, but I'd find previews on the net before you go out and buy it.
Rating: 
Summary: Very pretty...but vacuous
Review: As beautiful as the animation often is, this has to count as a disappointment. At first sight you may think you're seeing some serious ideas about identity, and about the relationship between the real world and the virtual. But the writers apparently thought long, portentous silences and willful obscurity were acceptable substitutes for well-thought out themes and genuine insights. It's hard to care very much about Lain, with her constant gasps and maddening passivity, and everyone else in the series fades into gray. By the end it's clear the writers have lost track of whatever it was they were really trying to say. I wish I had nicer things to say about the series, but the visual look is really the only exceptional thing about it. Serial Experiments may be a break from the usual pyrotechnics and fisticuffs, but today's anime fans have a right to expect more.
Rating:
Summary: Reality?
Review: Upon watching this DVD, I was thoroughly scared of the internet. The first episode begins with a young girl casting herself from a very tall building and crashing through a neon sign. From there, Lain, a young schoolgirl, is introduced. She is the focus of this series, quite obviously shown by the title. Lain seems to be your average girl, but when she receives a strange e-mail from the dead girl, who happened to be her schoolmate, Lain begins to transform into a new person via the internet. Confusion sets in as it becomes dificult for Lain to distinguish between reality and the digital world.
Rating: 
Summary: Their is alot to be desired...
Review: (WARNING: Review is based on Navi and Navi alone)I'm a Otaku in the genre of freaky, wierd, and brain twisting anime. Lain (layers 1-4) is most likely one of them, but it still flops for many reasons... First off, Layers (1-4) and what I presume to be the rest of the series have shamefully awful background art. It seriously looks like someone cut a pice of fabric and traced a street scene on it. Then they make up for that with hundreds upon hundreds of totally unessasary head shots. I'm quessing a good 11% of the whole four episodes consist of those pore examining scenes. They just seem to be trying to be freaky a little too hard, making it a complete waste of time... Second, sound effects and music are alright but still are second rate compared too alot of the Anime i've seen. Third, the plot line is so incredibly easy to pick up, I smelled it coming the moment I opened the UPS box. I like a challenge, I want to be totally mind blowed and I want to too be totally stupified into watching it about 3 times just to understand the plot. I quess it adds to the re-watchability, gives people space to fill in their own thoughts on the stuff they could not comprehend. So If your a person who finds entertainment in watching the bug zapper flash when it catches its prey, this is your anime! In conclusion, if you want a pure blood freaky and mind twisting anime ,get the first three DVDs of Boogiepop Phantom, don't invest your money in Navi. Navi's Factor chart... (1 being the lowest) Freaky --- 3
Wierd --- 8
Dark --- 2
Plot --- 5
Complexity --- 5
Background Art --- 2
People Art --- 8
Music --- 7
Sound Effects --- 6
Characters --- 6
Originality --- 6
Rating: 
Summary: Not for the Action Junkie
Review: I first witnessed this artistic masterpiece while sitting in a 24-hour anime room at a convention at, say, 4 AM. Most of the suff was either dubbed(badly), too cute, or too cute. (because there were twice as much too cute than badly dubbed) They turned on Lain, and my weary, bloodshot eyes widened, and my tired head lifted from my palm. I stood up, still staring at the screen, listening to the beautiful Duvet by Boa as the opening theme, and sat down in the front row, and watched 'til 7 AM. By then, I was obsessed. I tried finding videos, (since some of us are sadly DVD-less.. grrr...) anyway, they were either on DVD of too expensive. but, i finally got my hands on one, with my wonderful amazon.com coupon, and now i can watch it over and over and over and over. uh, but, i guess i should review it now... *ahem* okay. Lain is not for the action DBZ lovers,not for kids, since they'll be scratching their heads. it is for deep-thought sort of people--with a visible darkside.watch it, and then think about it. try. just TRY to figure out the plot in the first watch. just TRY to end your hunger for more with the first volume... i dare you.
Rating:
Summary: Lain... well,
Review: Lain is an anime that will either grab you from the first episode, or you will want to throw the DVD out the window after you watch it. In either case, it will leave you saying "what the hell?" for days. I happen to like the head trip type of anime, so I thought it was great. The animation is simplistic, but very effective. The whole series moves slowly, allowing you to gradually feel disturbed and nervous, without using cheesy suspense tricks like dark tunnels and enemies lurking just around the corner. The story moves between seemingly unrelated incidents randomly, only to have them come together at the end in a way that makes you think oh, well, of course. Except often the oh, well, of course will only come after repeated viewings and long periods of thought. But when you get it, it is so worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Kuhn would like this one...
Review: Intrigued by the artwork that was displayed on the cover, we gave it a chance & were stunned by the beauty and depth of Lain. The next day we ran out & bought the rest of the collection. (4 in all) This is _not_ Akira. This is not shoot-em-up anime. This is mystery, philosophy, psychology, all wrapped in a beautiful package. Yeah, its slow, but in the way Hitchcock can be slow--every moment matters. It's very cyberpunk, postmodern kind of stuff. It challenges reality & makes you pay attention. This is by far my favorite anime--I've seen a good amount and found nothing that compares.
Rating:
Summary: AWSOME!
Review: This anime was amazing. Although SOME people on here thin that the plot was too slow, that was only building up and moving things along better in the long run. I feel that the painful suspense draws people to the plot. The viewer asks themselves questions in their mind, trying to figure all this out as the story progresses, getting a small bit of information each episode. I kept an open mind, unlike people who gave their comments about this, and I actually gave this major thought. Some things were hard to understand at times, but if you kept watching, everything would become clear. Also, to be a fan of this, you must like anime (DUH!). I mean, if I wasn't a big fan of anime, I wouldn't watch...but then again...the story itself is enough to make me watch it. the way the story unfolds is simply amazing. the voices were very good for dubbing (most animes are HORRIBLE when dubbed, so I get the japanese version with subtitles) and they matched perfectly. I think this is a VERY good buy! Amination, dubbing, story, suspense, action, drama, romace (limited, though it's there at times), AWESOME music, and captivating plot. Everything you want in a movie, right?
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing
Review: Made no sense. Boring. The weird animation was entertaining for a while but not enough to make up for the painfully slow "plot." In the grand scheme of anime, a big zero.
Rating:
Summary: Not a Good Purchase!
Review: From the beginning, I'd like to say how much I was disappointed by this DVD. It looks good, but it's got a very slow-moving plot and is very boring to watch. I really couldn't believe how bad it was.
There really wasn't a plot that I could point out to you. Basically, the main character is this shy girl that no one pays much attention to. A girl at her school kills herself and she starts receiving e-mail messages from her. She gets a new computer, is accused of being at some party, and is mocked by her "friends". It really doesn't make sense and is VERY slow moving. There's this side plot about some guy getting high off of some drugs and he is at "the party" and starts trying to kill people. It's very strange and doesn't make sense. I recommend that no one buy this and be as disappointed at wasting money on it like I was.
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