Current Events > Watching Serial Experiments Lain. What a jarring atmosphere.

(+) Yeah! (+)

I'm made so uncomfortable by the stilted conversation of the family. I assume it's intentional, or is this a really bad dub?

I'm intrigued by the premise

---

It's intentional and comes off that way watching with subs and Japanese va


---

so you mean, it is okay to watch dubbed

---

I switched to subs because the dub I was watching didn't translate the writing

I gotta say I'm still baffled more than intrigued. Ep3

---

Alright got back from homework. Here's EP4. Honestly I still feel like I'm missing something. Was this a weekly broadcast at one point?

---

You should feel like you're missing something. Because you're definitely missing something. Stay with it.

Oh, the bafflement has just begun. You'll understand by the end. Or won't.

Trust me.

Or don't.

Either way, we are all connected.

---

I was just thinking about this series today ironically.

Wait until you hit Layer 13.

---

Episode 9. They're talking about the Roswell UFO incident? Uhh ok.

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp5kUmni5Dk fantastic opening i bought the whole thing at goodwill a couple years ago but have yet to watch it

---

Seriously though what's with this weird Deus Ex conspiracy dump. I really hope this shit doesn't turn out to be a farce.

I do admit it has one of the best anime OPs I've ever which is probably part of what kept me invested

---

It sucks, but everyone says its good and you just go along and say its good as well because you can't face the possible reality that you either didn't get it, or you wasted your time watching crap

The man behind it is Chiaki Konaka and he is a self-proclaimed Lovecraftian writer.

And literally all his stuff is like this. Even his kids stuff, like Digimon Tamers and Ultraman Gaia lol

---

Probably my favorite opening song.

---

Present Day.

Present Time.

Hahahahahahaaha.

---

Well, I finished it.

*shrug*

I don't have any one particularly strong response.

I thought the stuff in Ep13 about the loneliness of God being kinda interesting.

Altogether, this was absolutely inscrutable. Worse than the denser Coen Brothers movies. I at least agree that it's "Avant-Garde." It's the first anime I've seen that is profoundly and unapologetically not audience-friendly.

Most of the things in the story felt only partially developed at least from this single viewing. I stand by my bafflement over the real-world stuff. There was also "Accelera" as one example. My initial guess is that it's to emphasize the idea of the body being a machine like a processor? I know the Knights symbol precedes the sister's seeming mental breakdown but I don't know what further meaning that sequence had, or her mimicking of a cell phone.


---

I think the most interesting aspect to me was Lain's slow burial by monstrous technology in her own room and her drifting away from the real world, since it kinda speaks to the present day. But it seems that plot point was more a means than an end.

---

I liked it a lot on many levels, but I think perhaps it's intentionally incoherent in places.

---

p-m posted...

intentionally incoherent

oh, I don't think there's any question about this lol

---

bump

---

Let's all love Lain.

---

SmidgeIsntBack posted...

Let's all love Lain.

Hey yo!

---

Doe posted...

I think the most interesting aspect to me was Lain's slow burial by monstrous technology in her own room and her drifting away from the real world, since it kinda speaks to the present day. But it seems that plot point was more a means than an end.

That and her being a different person when in The Wired. Anime came out in '98 and foresaw how the masses would become consumed by technology. Which leads to people portraying different personalities irl and online to the point where it becomes blurry as to which one is your true self.

Wonderful anime but I agree with some of the ideas not being fully developed...or I just couldn't fully wrap my head around everything. It's definitely a show you need to rewatch a few times in order to fully understand what's going on. I was very lost for half of the first viewing. I also keep in mind it's very Avant-Garde so I don't expect everything to make complete sense. I just roll with it.

Side note. I love the humming effect of the power lines.

---

Doe posted...

I switched to subs because the dub I was watching didn't translate the writing

hate when that happens

---

Side note. I love the humming effect of the power lines.

Lain and Eva are the reasons I love above-ground power lines.

---

I feel like I'm getting this show mixed up with another wierd show.

What show was it that aired on cartoon network back in the day, and either the intro or end credit was a real upbeat song and there was a nuclear explosion. And the last or second to last episode involved giant monsters attacking Tokyo and destroying a bunch of stuff, but the next episode everything was fine and back to normal, and you're left wondering if it was some kind of wierd illusion.
---

^ Paranoia Agent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEsNDDwhSJ4

---

Ahhhhhh yes that's it. I remember I preferred that anime big time over Lain.
---

BlazinBlue88 posted...

It's definitely a show you need to rewatch a few times in order to fully understand what's going on.

Agreed. I got so much more out of Lain on my second time watching through it.

Couple cool sites about Lain

http://www.cjas.org/~leng/lain.htm
http://www.cjas.org/~leng/apple-lain.htm specifically is a deep dive into all the Apple/Macintosh references that would fly over most people's heads

https://fauux.neocities.org/ (warning: strobing lights)

---

babby's first 2deep4u anime

coh posted...

babby's first 2deep4u anime

Is it? I never hear it mentioned.

---