Rating: 
Summary: "Hello, Navi."
Review: How do I even begin reviewing a show like "Serial Experiments: Lain?"To start with, this is one of the most visually amazing, compelling, twisted, sci-fi-ish, dramatic, different and confusing anime series I've ever seen. It all centers on Lain, who, in all respects, appears to be a normal, if not independent (read: loner) young girl. She doesn't have super powers, she isn't anime-style sexy, and she doesn't own or operate a giant mecha -- but she does wear the cutest little teddy bear outfit: ears, tail, and all. The story begins with the suicide of one of her classmates. A short time later, she's emailed by this classmate, from "beyond the dead..." Lain, having likely never powered on her Navi (think future, voice activated Macintosh -- it even run's the "Copland OS"), clears off her desk and sets the machine up. And she's hooked. She asks her "Papa" for a new Navi, as her's is a little old and dated. With her wish granted, she's soon cruz'ing the Wired (the future Internet) in her brand new Navi. By chance (or is it?) she comes into posession of a Psyche Processor, and reads up on how to install it. That Processor is only the beginning, and soon her room is transformed into a dark cave of twisted wires and green, bubbling coolant. The series, like I said, is confusing. If you had a hard time with "Eyes Wide Shut," you might pass on "Lain." It's difficult to review, because of everything that happens in it. True, there are only 13 episodes, but those episodes contain so much story line, that missing one is like missing two hours of a movie that's two hours and ten minutes long. Only until the last disc makes it into your DVD player do you begin to understand some of what's going on. And then, the story line changes on you again, and you're once again thinking, "Huh?" If you've never seen "Lain," I wouldn't recommend this box set. I also can't recommend the purchase of just the first disc to "try it out," as the good, confusing stuff doesn't start happening until the next disc's episodes. You might want to try a rental store or friend, to give it a test drive. If you already own all the DVD's, there's really no reason to buy this box set, as all you'd be getting is a box (and, of course, a second copy of each DVD). Repeated viewings of "Lain" are recommended. Personally, I think a little "viewer companion" for us American audiences would have been a nice touch. "Serial Experiments: Lain" should be watched by all anime fans, as it provides a different approach to anime, but some may come away feeling lost and dazed. Lain will do that to you.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbingly beautiful. Truly.
Review: In the world of anime, for many people, Serial Experiments Lain holds the title as the most disturbing, most convaluted series of all time. Quite frankly, I agree with them. But there is also more to S. E. Lain than its mere "freakish-ness." Lain, like its fellow notoriously controversial self-analytical anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion, makes a point of taking typically over-played, over-used philisophical concepts and questions posed in many darker, psycho-analytical animes, and proposing them in a new light. Lain's analysis of the human condition and of human nature through the characters of the series is truly deserving of praise as well. As a matter of fact, when one watches Lain, they may get the feeling that the characters hold a purpose less as characters, and more plot devices used to embody and demonstrate the questions and concepts proposed by the series (as is especially evident with the character Alice/Arisu), as do many of the events that occur throughout the series as well. This is not neccessarily a bad thing, in that S. E. Lain is more a concept/analysis based than a plot based one. Yet, even in all of the "psycho-babble" that Lain is based on, the series sets itself apart from other animes in that it does not attempt to act as if it can truly answer all of the questions that it itself poses; as if there is some sort of absolute truth that everyone is bound by. All in all, the entire story serves as a metaphor. What that metaphor is, you must decide for yourself. I would recommend watching the Neon Genesis Evangelion series before watching Lain, as the two share many common concepts, and having watched Evangelion adds a bit more intrigue to watching the series. In the end, Serial Experiments Lain is one ot those love-it-or-hate-it animes. Personally, I loved it. It's also one that you appreciate more and more every time you watch it over again. And you WILL end up watching it a good number of times before you can finally put it down. Trust me.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece of Anime and Animation.
Review: Lain is by far one of my favorite animes of all time. The story is deep, well thought out, and very entertaining throughout. The characters develop perfectly, the atmosphere is incredible, and the story is flawless. Some of the story is left slightly open ended, leaving the viewer to fill in his or her own conclusions. Tech heads will relate to this story effortlessly. The Wired is easily a souped up version of our own Internet, and the history isn't outrageously far from our own and well explained. The parallels between our world and this fictional world really make things interesting. This series really hits a sweet spot for sci-fi technological dramas. Every anime fan should see this series, but be prepared for a brain twister. I've watched it a good five times and I can honestly say I still find new tidbits of the story every time. You just can't sit back and put your brain on cruise control; You must make an effort to follow the story or it will leave you mercilessly lost and confused. And remember folks, this is fiction. You have to be willing to suspend belief a few times and accept the universe of the work at hand. Those unwilling or unable to do this, need not apply. Think of it as a deep mystery novel. Even when following the concrete parts of the story with great attention, there's enough misdirection to leave you wondering what if... and that's half the fun. If you simply can't accept that the story isn't handed to you neatly gift wrapped, and that you may have to fill in the details from your own imagination, then go watch a simpler anime. This isn't for you. If you like the confusing story of animes like Neon Genesis Evangelion, or Boogiepop Phantom then you'll love this. If you live and breath technology, you'll only love it that much more. All in all, this is a masterpiece of animation. - Rirath_com
Rating:
Summary: Postmodern Anime at its Very Best
Review: 'Lain-Serial Experiments' starts with the simple question-"What are you?" Seemingly innocent enough at first, this beautiful little story about an highly introverted, almost autistic young Japanese girl-Lain Iwakura-soon moves into a sinister labyrinth where the viewer is often unsure where or what the story is about. The basic themes of the story revolve around traditional philosophical problems, such as the nature of personal identity, the existence of God, the nature of time, the nature of being, the fundamental nature of the universe, 'appearance vs reality', the evolution of man in the universe, and the nature of history. Set in a super-high tech Japan, about 20-30 years into the future, everyone and everything are connected by a souped-up successor to the internet known simply as the 'Wired', which is accessed both via computers called 'Navis' and also by direct wireless connection. The Wired, however, soon seems to become something a lot more sinister and powerful than a mere super-powerful information network. Lain, her family and friends, and her world seem perfectly normal and innocuous at first; this atmosphere is beautifully established via the depiction of Lain's morning routine before going to school; it must be seen to be understood, but it is the perfect image of what a bourgoise Japanese family must be like in reality. However, things begin to go awry when a mysterious email from a dead girl who committed suicide-Chisa Yamamoda-is received by Lain and her friends with the simple message 'You no longer need bodies.' Lain checks her mail and soon begins to explore the Wired, seeming to plunge into ever darker and seedier places; sleazy chatrooms, violent gaming parlours, and underground hacking hangouts, and along the way she soon runs into increasingly dubious and dangerous characters. Soon strange looking men in suits turn up outside her house and watch her through laser-guided eyepieces, and she begins to experience strange visions and hallucinations which appear to undermine the reality of the world around her. Even more strangely, paralell selves begin to appear and start doing horrible things, from selling drug-like nanotechnology to revealing her best-friend's sexual secrets to the entire school. Behind these sinister developments seem to be two organisations-Tachibana General Labs and a group deemed simply "The Knights', a secret society apparently bent on manipulating humankind's 'collective unconcious', a sort of storehouse of all the memories and information mankind has collected over his 3 or so billion years of evolution, and a rogue scientist called Muatsama Eri, who has dark plans of his own for Lain. The plot only seems to thicken when Eri's far-sighted ideas about artificial intelligence, information theory, communications science, and human biology mixed with queer utopian fantasies of transcendance and perfection are unveiled, within which Lain appears to play an integral role. The resolution of the story, which I won't reveal, is paradoxically open yet final, and leaves one with a sense of emptiness, sadness and self-satisfaction at the same time. The basic message appears to be that we can become whatever we want to, and do whatever we want to, provided we know who we really are underneath appearances. For better or worse, 'Lain' explores these ideas using the non-traditional aesthetic of postmodernism, rather than the linear, simple style narrative one sees in other animes. The postmodern aesthetic means that the story of Lain is told in a highly fragmented, non-linear manner, often jumping back and forth between perspectives, images, dialogue and even colour and sound, with each artistic element being related to another in multiple rather than single ways, which at first is very confusing; the series really has to be watched several times before it 'hangs together.' In closing, it can be said that 'Lain' certainly makes one think and the questions it raises are highly topical to today's world, and to the world of the near future. Is the ultimate reality behind we and the world made of information that is connected together in various ways? Can minds exist anywhere, no matter what the 'substrate' is? Does history really define one's existence totally, and can changing the information and structure of stored information wipe history out altogether? Are we really made of a Cartesian 'I', or a plural of selves shared by all minds, living and dead? Can we evolve by ourselves, or is there really a being one might call 'God' behind it all? How will technology and the increased sharing of information change our lives, memories, and even who were are? In an age when information is increasingly connected and shared, and history can be manipulated in more ways than ever before, Lain makes one think harder about these things than ever before.
Rating:
Summary: Worth every penny
Review: Serial Experiments Lain does exactly what a serious anime should - raise deep, unsettling questions and do so in a deliberate, sometimes uncomfortable manner. Lain is wonderfully disturbing and continues to become more involved and ever more convoluted the farther one gets into it. Of all the anime I've seen, Lain is the single production that went every direction I didn't expect it to. In other words, from beginning to end I was glued to the screen and I don't know how many times I was surprised when some element took some completely unexpected turn. Lain isn't for everyone. I know a lot of people who didn't like it because they found it too dark, too disturbing. It messed with my head, and I loved it for that. If you've never seen Lain, I would say borrow or rent the series before buying something as big as the box set. Just too much money to gamble on something unseen. However, if you've seen Lain and liked it the first time, buy the box set, as if you're anything like me you'll want to re-watch the entire series several times at least. An amazing anime.
Rating: 
Summary: Darn you Jean Paul Sartre
Review: I can't decide if I like this series or not. I oscillate between thinking it's boring and pretentious and thinking it's absolutley brilliant. It's very stylized and, well, experimental; about twenty percent of the first group of episodes consists of outdoor shots in which most of the background is whited out, and the only sound is the quietly menacing hum of power lines. Moments like these are very effective. I think the series is at its best when it's not trying very hard. The sense of foreboding and existential crisis is much more effectively communicated by the subtly wrong behavior of the characters, by the minor overheard conversations and the held static scenes, than it is by the moments when a disembodied voice asks the same ambiguous question over and over. Lain deals with themes which are somewhat overhashed (who am I? what am I? where do I end and you begin? what is the difference between the phenomenon as it exists and is experienced?), more now than ever, and its take on these themes isn't all that fresh. Its style, though, is incredible.
Rating: 
Summary: I like Anime but...
Review: I have no problem with anime but this is one series I never really got into. I bought it because one of my friends recommended it, a piece of advice I never should have taken. I think that this is one series in which you either love it or hate it. Lain wasn't my cup of tea although I know some people who thought it was amazing. This only advice I can give when someone is not sure whether or not to purchase Lain is to tell them that if you like computers and religious symbolism, go for it. If you're like my and you like stuff such as HEllsing or X, then spend your cash on something else.
Rating: 
Summary: It doesn't get much worse then this...
Review: LAIN is one of the worst series ever done in anime. It doesn't make any sense, it piles on some useless religious symbolism (any anime grasping for meaning does this) and uses awfully dated fears of the internet to create any kind of mystery. The biggest insult is that this series goes on TOO LONG. If a show wants to be confusing, it shouldn't be long winded as well. The art is pretty awful, and animates slightly more then Clutch Cargo. I am surprised the LAIN crew didn't do the chroma-key mouths to save on animation costs ... Yuck.
Rating:
Summary: Some of the greatests use of symbolism EVER
Review: Every good writing needs a good thesis, hook, supporting paragraphs etc. Anime itself is essentially a long piece of writing that is animated. Lain has many things going for it. One of the strongest thesis in all of anime, great use of metaphors and symbolism, and a very unique look at the world. Lain, however, drops the ball when it comes to character development, and hooking the viewer. The amount of symbolism can make a person spend hours looking into each one of them; however, there was nothing that immediately hooked me, grabbed my attention. The OVA looks the characters had worked well with the tone of the series, however, the characters themselves were virtually soulless. Even their eyes lacked a quality that makes anime characters more than moving pictures. Character motives were left unclear, most of the characters just filled the role, they did not define it. I never felt myself being drawn in by the characters and since its the characters that tells the story, I was disappointed. Otherwise, this a GREAT anime. Metaphors literally everywhere. This is one anime that should NOT be missed. (.....unless you have ADD)
Rating:
Summary: Animae that targets only one audience ( Sadly )
Review: Alright people, this is what i see in this movie, i already bought it not knowing that what it is, i thought it is suppose to be really good according to this huge RATINGS. Nearly every review gives above four or five stars. Well what you people say is true, it is a great animae that opens our eyes to a place where we haven't been before. Sadly according to me, this animae only targets a one audience, a audience that seeks deep dark story line. a Difficult to understand story and makers of this movie ONLY targets that audience and they have completely forgotten about the audience that watches a animae for a good story line and a more colorful work and bit of action. thats a one sad thing about this, Thats what led me down, actually i am a kind of person who looks for a Animae with a balance, deep story line is good but bit of more colors and bit of action do makes me feel good in the end. so i could only give 3 stars because rest of the stars goes for the colors and graphics and action what so ever. I like the movie "Perfect Blue" it had a psychological plot + nice work and some bit of action. I hope you people get what i mean, Go for this movie if you are 100% sure that you are a person who seeks a deeper darker twisting, confusing story line. You care nothing else but that, But if you are a person who is looking for stuff like Wicked City, Ninja Scrolls, watch out because you are going to be disapointed. I also do not recommend this to people who are looking for a nicely balanced animation, coz believe me you guys gonna get bored with this. Story rockz and thats it, nothing else. just very close face shots and large eyes, simple drawn characters, same kind of Opening through out all the episodes. This should have been a real good one if they target all sorts of audiences.
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