Rating: 
Summary: simply disturbing
Review: I'm not going to tell you the story line, as that would ruin the story.(Assuming you haven't seen it.) This series isn't near what I expected it to be. It was so much better. To totally immerse yourself into Lain, you must be willing to delve deeper than what the movie hands you. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who's disturbed by a face consuming girl that periodically pops up. (No joke.) This is going to seem more scary than thought provoking the first time you see it. With the images you're givin you can't help but be frightened. But watching it a second time reveals far more than you could even hope to understand. Lain will run circles around your head. If you've heard people say the theme song is catchy, it's an understatment. Wath the beginning a few times and you'll find yourself wanting to memorize it. I know there's someone out there like me. Saw the lain picture, hungered to see the series, only had access to cusumer reviews. Read all the customer reviews you want. This'll only bias your opinion, and you'll never get the full effect of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Lain.... a review of a fan
Review: Lain..well this has got to be the trippest anime's i have ever seen... she is an eleven year old girl that goes through some mind blowing events... starts out slow but the last few shows make up for it..... i would not recommend this for the first time anime veiwer...but for the hardcore anime finatic...like my self...
Rating:
Summary: The Gordian knot of entertainment
Review: Lain is a quality anime, there is no doubt about that - The animations are great and pleasing for the eye, the dub is well done and the story has depth. And these are my main checkpoints when passing judgement on an animefilm.The irony is that these checkpoints are also the problem with this particular set, the animation is so well done that you either get sucked into the storyline, or get repelled by its strangeness. The story is so deep that you have to watch it atleast twice before you can put the ends together. This makes the series into something you love or something you hate -- I loved it! The story is an ambitious one though, and if you dont get interested in it you are lost. You have to let yourself go with the flow, but this isnt so hard as the story is compelling and interesting. Parts of resembles the philosophical "Sophies World" and some tend to "The Matrix" with two realities, but most parts are entirely unique. In fact, they are so desperatly unique that you are in for a whole new experience, an experience that cannot be achieved through any other movies. So for the cons - Why is this a 4 DVD set?? The last three disks only contain three episodes each, while the first one has four. Each episode only lasts 25 minutes, all episodes are directly tied together without any theme changes between disks, so there would not be any problem to release this as a two disc set. The *only* reason I can think of is that they cash in more money on 4 discs, and this makes me feel robbed. The lack of extras makes the matter worse..They included the intro and ending without credits, some concept drawings and some garbage without any meaning at all -- who gives a s##t about these things? There are 13 episodes here, so even if you love the themesongs you get to hear it enough while watching, and conseptdrawings are special interest only. Even so, Ill have to conclude that this set is high quality anime altough not suited for everyone (Then again, what is?). The box looks exceptionally well in your bookcase and is highly recommended for collectors. And even though it is a bit of a ripoff to pay this much per disk when most of them only contain 75 minutes of film, this is partially (Pioneer folks! Read this: PARTIALLY) redeemed by the fact that you have to watch it several times before you can fully apprechiate it, and after that you can still watch it again and again -- it is that good! If you like dark and foggy stories with deeper meaning, dont mind watching a movie several times and feel that you can afford all four disks -- Go for it! Expand your mind! Brag to your friends about having the weirdest thing ever released on any electronic medium! Wash your car! Loose a lot of sleep! See Serial experiments:Lain!
Rating: 
Summary: Very Overrated
Review: This is not quite as great as everyone makes it out to be. The animation is amazing, but the story is very hard to follow, and disjointed. It is also very slow, and easy to fall asleep while you watch. This is a hit or miss in my book
Rating: 
Summary: Nothingness
Review: My experience with anime series has been that it often takes more than one time through a series to fully aprreciate it, or sometimes to appreciate it at all. I wasn't sure whether I liked Evangelion the first time through, but I watched it again, and it became much better, watched it again, and it got better yet again. Everytime it got better.
Well, I watched Lain for the first, and thought it was the stupidest piece of garbage I had ever seen. But I thought I'd give it a second chance, and still had no appreciation for it. It was by far the worst anime series I had ever seen. I thought I must be missing something, as I just couldn't comprehend anime being that bad, so I watched it one more time. And it just got worse.
First and foremost, the animation in this series is horrendous. I know it's supposed to be artistic and meaningful and make the viewer see the world in a different way or whatever, but it just doesn't. The animation is boring and looks unfinished, and it makes the series very hard to watch.
Beyond the animation, the plot is boring, and not nearly as thought provoking as so many people think it is. The series moves along far too slowly, rarely does anything happen. There are entire episodes that could be left out and the only difference I would notice would be the shorter running time. The series is not philosophical in anyway. It tries to rip off concepts from other series (Evangelion for one), and approach them from a different light, but it only does that: approach the concept. Never does it actually fully discuss or deal with the different concepts.
I would reccomend someone looking for a thought provoking series to just watch Evangelion again, or if you are looking for something different and artistic, check out Boogiepop Phantom, which bares many similarities to Lain, but is done much better. The only redeeming quality of the series is that it comes in an exceptionally pretty box.
Rating:
Summary: Close This World
Review: I happened upon Lain one day in a local comics store that rents anime and I was immediately drawn to the series by the art of the cover. Instead of your usual beautiful anime girl, Lain wasn't classically beautiful or sexy. Instead, she seemed sad, haunted almost. I rented the series and soon fell in love with it. I knew then, I had to buy the series. Admitingly, this series can be confusing at times, but that's part of its appeal. On one hand, the plot seems simple; an introverted girl finds her way to the 'wired' and as she travels through this world, the lines between reality and imaginary began to blur. Sometimes, you find yourself not knowing whether what you are seeing is real or if you're just caught up in one of Lain's illusions. I have seen the series about 5 times now and I still don't claim to understand all of it. Yet, every time I watch I find myself stumbling upon some idea I hadn't thought of previously. While Lain's main theme is that of reality within the 'wired' world, this series manages to question all basic human beliefs about life, death, religion, evolution, existance, etc. One second a character will make a statement that you'll immediately think is wrong but in the next second they'll say something you accept as a universal truth. The best way to watch this series is not trying to understand ever triviality, but journey with the characters as they search for the truth, yet it is up to the viewer to decide what this truth is. To summarize, Lain is a beautiful, haunting series that asks everything yet explains little. It doesn't have a nice tight ending where all lose ends are tied up, but that would have ruined the series itself.
Rating:
Summary: Good for Lynch fans, too!
Review: This is one that you'll be able to watch repeatedly and get something different out of it each time.
Rating:
Summary: Word of Advice
Review: Be advised that one standard approach to experiencing culture, "This MUST make sense" is counterproductive with "Lain." It is best to simply experience it as a sensory trip until the plot occurs to you (in my case, halfway through) if it ever does. The point here, I believe, is that "Lain" is ART, with a narrative aspect, rather that a plot that happens to be artistic. Sit, stare at the screen, and be amazed.
Rating:
Summary: in the eye of the beholder
Review: Take it out of the Anime genre, take it for it's worth. This series is definately complex and bizarre, but also one of the most intriguing and thought provoking pieces ever assembled. With beautiful imagery that sometimes would go from epic to downright trippie. "Lain" was so superb visually, not simply because the animation was fabricated in such a high standard, but because it was combined together in such a perfect state. The soundtrack also accented the series in golden form, the sounds linear to every scene, some sounds nothing more than hums, but still sharp in your mind. Above all, the storyline anchored the whole series, as you go from episode to episode you seem to learn more of the plot and at the same time get a little more confused. You really can't say enough of the writing of this series, really a great marvel. Definately for those with a very open mind, since the major theme of the series is in fact our very existance. The existance of our being physically and even the very fabric and importance of our memories. I guess you can also call this a character piece. I really took an interest in Lain, who was this young girl so bland and emotionless and at the same time so human. It's really hard to explain, but in some odd way, I related to her more than any of the "normal" characters in the series. Not really a pick-up for your average Anime fan. Recommended to those that are serious film and related media spectators. Very similiar at times to even a David Lynch film, with great under-lays of the plot and a heavy message. Very much a challenging viewing, very serious, and at times very bizarre. Probably a perfect fit for Lynch and Kubrick fans, even Bergman or Fellini fans will probably enjoy. Anime fans that enjoyed the plots of "Jin-roh" and "Ghost in the Shell" will probably enjoy this series as well.
Rating:
Summary: I've got that song stuck in my head now...
Review: Close the world txen eht nepO If that doesn't work for you, how about the opening sound of each episode: "Present time.. heh .. Present day... hah hah hah" LAIN, or rather Serial Experiments Lain, is a series that takes your brain out of your head, slaps it around a bit, and then rolls it through one of those playdo noodle machines. Being un-spoil-giving as I am, the series focuses around Lain, a young girl who just wants to lead an ordinary life. In the first episode, one of her friends commits suicide; somehow, though, people start receiving e-mail from her, claiming that she is still alive but just gave up her body. From this point forward, Lain struggles to define reality, the world she knows, with the Wired. She finds that the two are not as different as she would like. The animation is unique, reminding me more of "old school" anime than more current styles. The quality of the dubs and subs are both good, thanks to Pioneer (they usually do a good job on both, which is rare). And that opening song will, and I mean will, get stuck in your head. Getting back to the plot, the world of the Wired is an internet-like network that contains all the information there ever was; through the series, you (and Lain) learn how humanity interacts with this network, the origins of some technolgies that exist, and that Lain is already known throughout the Wired before she even owns her first computer. Whether you're like a friend of mine and like to get really zoned out by this type of anime or you just want to watch a real mind-bender, this is a series for you. If you're looking for a more casual, comedic style or something with more action and less plot, I wouldn't recommend sitting down for this one. Whatever you do, I urge you all to draw your own conclusions about this one - don't borrow anyone else's or trust other opinions - they will only harm your ability to take away understanding from this series because you will have pre-formed ideas. Excellent quality and plot make this one worth 5 stars.
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