Name: Serial Experiments Lain lives up to it's reputation in many ways, but I couldn't help feeling a tad disappointed.
Item: Serial Experiments Lain
Rating: 82
Author: D4lton

Waifra

Serial Experiments Lain lives up to it's reputation in many ways, but I couldn't help feeling a tad disappointed.

This is my first review and I'm still new to anime so keep that in mind while reading this. My opinions will continue to change the more I watch/read.
Serial Experiments Lain is interesting to tackle from a critiquing stand-point. I will break it down into a very basic pro(what I liked) and con(what I didn't like.)
Firstly, I have to acknoledge how absurdly relevant this show is today. it's core plot about the wired is a dystopian future our society today is progressing towards, despite the fact this show was released over 20 years prior. While I appreciate the theme of the show, I feel it's praise(from what I've heard and seen) is slightly overrated. Powerful? yes. Nuanced? Not as much as from what I've heard, but that's going more towards the cons. Additionally, the character of Lain is one of the greatest mysteries I have ever seen, and how much of her character is left to interpretation is a strength of the show. Wrapping up the pros, I'd like to appreciate the subtle technical additions that add immensely to the atmosphere of the show. the shots, the character designs, the color pallet, the music, and the constant buzzing of wires and electricity that encapsulate how digital the society has become.

To summarize the cons, I would say that the show is convoluted. It introduces NUMEROUS plot threats that go no where, such as the KIDS project and the drug introduced in Layer 02. Of course some of these incidents are meant to be red herrings, and force the viewer to think, however this constant shifting of the narrative made the show feel all over the place at times. Another, more personal issue I have is the lack of explicit confirmation. A LOT of the story is left up to be interpreted by the viewer, and that is something that can be quite subjective. I personally had hoped for more concrete explanations to the mysteries and intricate details about the wired and the character of Lain. Lastly, I want to touch up on my statement on lack of nuance regarding the theme. Now obviously this show does a stellar job of being left open to analysis and interpretation, so I may be off base here, but the theme I took away from the show was to obvious, to easy. How dangerous it is to escape the real world, blurring the lines between real and fake, and misrepresenting yourself online(something that is extremely prevolant today and insane how this was predicted decades earlier.) Maybe this is just personal expectations vs reality, but I was hoping for more. I seriously felt like SEL had more in the tank, perhaps something darker. And the theme felt obvious from the get-go, as if they are literally saying "the internet is a dangerous place, It can't replace reality." In the end though, this is more of a nit-pick and not something I'm really hung up about.

In the end, the show is damn interesting, and a very well done slow-burning mystery that requires the viewer to pay close attention at all times. Feel free to critique the review, I'd love feedback. I had these thoughts racking up, and spur of the moment decided to write this. This literally took 10 minutes with no prior preparation other than my personal feelings lol.