I understand its popularity but I do not think the anime is a mind screw anime like many consider it to be, I do not think it is hard to understand what is going on, at least to me. The anime is more fanciful than grounded-realist, personally I need more grounded-realism than fantasy in any show I watch if there is both but it is not liked it was off-putting.

I very much liked it, I don't consider myself a fan but I enjoyed it, I thought that it was very interesting, the themes used such as the consequences of the web which are loneliness, obsession, questionable behaviors, escapism, being out of reality (not knowing yourself or where you live anymore) and becoming superficial were well handled. I also liked the allegories between religion and the web (visually, dialogues and metaphor-wise). Lain actually leading the hackers was something I expected 2 episodes before the reveal, was not a twist for me, Masami Eiri is very weird but his story and motives were interesting even if I would have liked a bit more backstory on him. My only small disappointments were that the fantasy aspect was more used than grounded-realism and it lacked the subject on why people use internet before getting to the consequences, the KIDS project was only something that was just there, no development on it or at least a little more important focus on it to truly have the bigger picture clearer.

The sub conscience into the conscience leading to non-moral behaviors that includes loneliness and fear of getting exposed on the web subject with Alice was the most interesting part for me. The memory subject was good too but was more about Lain, it was interesting to see if her parents were real or just memories created sub conscientiously and I think that more could have been showed of what is happening inside the wired.

The solipsism and dualism used was good but considering the motives of the main character and the enemy but they were not primary themes but it is not like they were needed to be important.

The secret agents investigating on Lain, the hackers and the wired in general were afterthoughts unfortunately, the parents and sister of Lain and their relation with their daughter was a good side-story but they felt more like pawns for the continuity of the story rather than important, I think that it needed to be clearer about them, the parents and the sister seem to be memories created by Lain which explains why she is alone when people like the secret agents or the postman are here. More hackers could have been showed as well.

Lain creating her own "reality" and her parents/sister as the latter are not real were a good touch to show her hidden loneliness but more could have been done I think on that part.

The final moral was good too (internet being a creation just like god which is why it is better to not get brainwashed by the web like religion), the suicide theme being used as a bad path metaphor to god for the religion and the web was interesting too.

Overall, it was more about Lain than what happens with the wired, I think a balance between the two would not have been bad.

Would I rewatch it? Maybe but I do not think I would learn anything new.