Post for 4/24
Iâm really glad that we got to watch Serial Experiments Lain for this semesterâs last class. It was a cool show! The animeâs art style is unique and I think the bleak backgrounds really added to the atmosphere. Itâs very minimalist, but it works wonders for this show.
I was sometimes confused by random, short sequences that the plot didnât really explain. For example, there was a guy who was chased around and murdered (?) by a little girl, but I donât think the show ever clarified who either of them were. Then, some guy killed (?) that girl in a game called Phantoma in the Wired using his handgun (no pun intended). Also, where is Mika? Can someone check up on her?
However, the moments when I could comprehend the show were good. I wonder if the version of Lain that is confident is a reference to how the shield of anonymity makes people lose their expressional filter when theyâre talking on the internet. Also, it was kind of annoying to see Lainâs family basically neglect her well-being, except for her father to some extent. I did end up watching the very last episode of the anime, too, and it was nice to see her father talking to her in limbo.
My favorite episode was the last one we were assigned, where Arisu reminds Lain that she is human and stops Eiriâs plan from coming to fruition. It was wholesome to see Lain trying to comfort Arisu and vice versa, despite Lain letting her see man-made horrors beyond her comprehension, going so far as to erase herself from everyoneâs memories to stop their suffering. It felt like Lain was more human than she ever was during those moments. Actually, I think they intentionally made it ambiguous whether Lain is a human, homunculus, program, or a God. In any case, it was awesome to see her putting Eiri, a false God, in his place. By all means, own that fraud!
Image of Lain from https://pen-online.com/culture/god-is-in-the-wired-serial-experiments-lain/.
In regard to Lain's confidence boost throughout the episodes, I think it might be a sort of commentary on how social media has affected people. What with the idea of the keyboard warriors and the shield of anonymity, Lain might fall into this category for part of the show, seeing as how she had so much power in the virtual world that she lacked outside of it or in her own home.

















