Think you are smart? Think again.
I always considered myself capable; I have scored a 129 IQ. Far from a genius, but match me against your average Joe, and I could probably outwit him if I tried hard enough. Serial Experiments Lain made me feel like a monkey. But I still really liked it. I only wish it was slightly less complicated so I can enjoy it more, but maybe that's the best part. I doubt Lain would have the same charm if it were the same story but just easier for my monkey brain to understand. Speaking of my monkey brain, this is what it was able to comprehend.

Lain is our protagonist; she is a 14-year-old student who is pretty shy and introverted. In this universe, there is a 'realm' I guess you could call it that parallels the modern-day internet; for instance, it is assessable via a computer, but this internet is way more advanced, and it's called the Wired. One crazy thing about Wired is you can upload your own self conscious there, which is what one of Lain's classmates does before she takes her own life, and because of this, the girl can still send emails to her friends and other 'computer' things people can do. Lain receives one of these emails, which prompts Lain to get connected to the Weird and upload her conscience online.

Now, this sounds like a great start to a cyberpunk/matrix-style show. Wreck-it Ralph Breaks the Internet type shit. Absolutely it is not. As the audience, we are given no context as to what is real, what is fake, what is online and what is offline. All we have little clues that Lain fans have spent decades decoding. Personally, the decoding of clues doesn't seem worth it; we don't know what is real and what is fake for a reason, at least in my opinion. I very much see Lain as a commentary on technological advancement, addiction, the blurred lines between truth and fiction, the possession of possessions, all that shit. As interesting as it is to entertain the idea that Lain is actually God, it is just too frustrating for my monkey brain.

I think a place we all get confused is when it comes to the fact this show was made in 1998, and yet the most obvious meaning behind our questions seem to reflect on issues we see in our own world. I obviously wasn't around in 98, but I can't imagine kids were dealing with internet addiction, only feeling like they belong in online spaces, and so forth the way they do today. Like, how many people even had a home computer in 1998? I guess the fact Lain's dad is like Japanese Bill Gates makes this more understandable, as to how well Lain can just transform into an online personification of herself in just days after she gets hooked into the Wierd. However, the attention to detail in this area is still impressive because the people who worked on this show did not know what we do now.

Personally, I don't believe any of the shit about Lain being an embodiment of the Earth's power or that she is the god of the human consciousness or any of that bogus, I think Lain is about obsession and technology, and it just happens to be set to a gritty cyber aesthetic that I absolutely love. Plus, I haven't been able to stop singing the theme song either.

I would highly recommend but be wear that it'll make you feel dumb as shit. This is a brilliant show.