Quite often I get to the end of a show, book, or movie and am left with a perplexing sense of awe and thoughtfulness. I got to the end of Serial Experiments Lain and felt my world tumbling down. I think this show may have taken a piece of my sanity. This may not be the fault of the show itself–here is what I mean: watch this series while simultaneously reading Nietzsche and Vonnegut and completely refashioning your life and your worldview. All four of these things complement each other incredibly and will leave you with a little less sanity.

Serial Experiments Lain is an old anime–made in 1998 which is still pretty early as far as anime goes. Artistically, it is very well done for its time. Nothing like what we can do now (as in Death Note’s brilliantly rendered scenes) but probably one of the most brilliantly rendered of the 90s.

Haunting. Strange. Those are two words that probably fit it well. Serial Experiments Lain (SEL) doesn’t really have a plot line. It is more like a 13 episode contemplation and distortion. The episodes arn’t episodes–they are called Layers. When you get to the end you see that the whole thing was really just layers of the same instance, the same struggle, the same psychological detachment and philosophical torment. If it didn’t leave me exhausted I would definitely go through it again right away.

Lain is an 8th grader who possesses some ability to interact deeply with the “Wired” which is basically an advanced Internet. The series is about her struggle with detachment and about the nature of reality, self, memories, and our substance. It is directed by a guy who once directed horror movies, so it gets really creepy.  A lot of the stuff communicated isn’t in words but in pictures and sounds–but you need to pay attention otherwise you’ll miss out on those subtleties.  You can’t be the type of person who gets bored easily to enjoy this.

I wish I had more to say about it right now so that I could give you a good impression of how unnerving this show is, but how incredible.  I’m talking…mumbling girls, incredibly deep stares, powerful silences, parents weeping, memories being refashioned, worldview altering materials…

I think I may watch it again soon. I cannot quite gather my thoughts on it. Might come back and add more after that in a few months.