Anyone still remembers Serial Experiments Lain?

[Head]

Serial Experiments Lain is probably my favorite anime (along with Neon Genesis Evangelion), just wondering if anyone ever liked it, and if you did what's your interpretation of it?

[Volk]

I like SEL, it's my second favorite of aBe's works and fairly high on my list.

As for interpretation, there are waaay too many themes to discuss in one post.

My takeaways were the role of technology in society and how it connects human subconcious, and the question of perception.

[Head]

My takeaways were the role of technology in society and how it connects human subconcious, and the question of perception.

I thought it was that too at first. After reading this review about it:
http://www.denbeste.nu/Chizumatic/tm...entsLain.shtml

It kinda made more sense, it being a christian representation.

[Volk]

Skimmed through the article, and personally don't agree that it is religion driven. The creators of SEL purposefully left the series open to interpretation and refused to give answers about what they meant to show.

Though idea of god is examined in the series, my interpretation is that god is a human construct manifested through a subconcious connection of people. In the series there is a mention that a number of humans on Earth aproaches the number of cells in a human brain. When people connect to each other electronically, they become analogous to neurons in the brain. The subconcious of humanity connected by a network of electronic impulses is tuned by Lain and manifests in various events in the real world, such as Lain's face in the sky. At the end of the series, the human network resembles a primitive brain and gives birth to god.

Since Lain is able to tune into the network she can percieve this construct and even converses with him at the end.

[Head]

True. The plan of the knights was to create a united human being network thats able to connect from anywhere and Eiri being the new god of that network. However, Eiri did not have that power even at the end because he was defeated by Lain (she wasn't even trying), the series is actually a psychological battle between the physical Lain and the "other Lains". I personally thought that the wired was just a metaphor for how the "human race has gone too far". I treat the series as more personally battle than a worldwide one.

[Shadow Fox]

I remember watching it but nothing about it. It was one of the anime that I couldn't really watch because I had not the channel that had shown it when it was on.

Was good I remember though.

[Masakisu]

I've been meaning to rewatch it lately, it's been a long time since I've last seen it. I just remember it being awesome and confusing.

[sweetsakura]

This is one of my favorite series, but I unfortunately haven't seen it in a long time. When I move back home, I'm going to consider buying the DVD boxset. This is one show I would have no qualms with owning the physical copy.

As far as interpretations are concerned, I think it's ambiguous enough to form your own. ^^

[moonlightinstudio13]

I just recently re-watched the entire series. It's one of my ABSOLUTE favorites. It definitely was influenced by technology, but you have to remember the time that it was created. It was close to the whole Y2K thing, and other series were challenging the "wall" between the reality we perceive in both this world and an online world. .hack//SIGN had a lot of similar themes to Serial Experiments Lain, and they came out close to the same time.

Personally, I feel Serial Experiments Lain was just as much an anime on self identity and longing for others as it was an anime about technology and how people can take it too far.

There were definitely a lot of metaphors in the series, thats for sure.

[Van Pistol]

Loved the series, watched it waaaay back when it was even showing on PBS/KQED public television. To this day I still have the theme on my iPod

[Squid_Salad]

I remember watching this when I was really young (14/15). It went completely over my head and I only bought it because vol. 1 was on sell at MediaPlay and in those days I was thirsty for all things anime. I wonder if I'd get it now if I watched it again. (Same thing happened with me and Ghost in the Shell and Akira).

[battosai2]

Yeah, I loved it. It took me a couple years to fully understand it... I have to say it is probably aimed more towards the older populace, but yes, I remember it and I love it!