Serial Experiments Lain
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*[http://www.animelyrics.com/anime/lain Serial Experiments Lain Lyrics] | *[http://www.animelyrics.com/anime/lain Serial Experiments Lain Lyrics] | ||
[[Category:Anime/Manga Series]] | [[Category:Anime/Manga Series]] | ||
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- | {{featured article}} | ||
- | {{Infobox animanga/Header | ||
- | | name = Serial Experiments Lain | ||
- | | image = [[Image:Serial Experiments Lain DVD Vol 00.png|230px]] | ||
- | | caption = DVD box set of ''Serial Experiments Lain'' | ||
- | | ja_name = | ||
- | | ja_name_trans = | ||
- | | genre = [[Cyberpunk]], [[Psychological thriller]] | ||
- | }} | ||
- | {{Infobox animanga/Anime | ||
- | | director = [[Ryutaro Nakamura]] | ||
- | | studio = {{flagicon|Japan}} [[Geneon|Pioneer LDC]]<br /> {{flagicon|Japan}} [[TV Tokyo]]<br /> {{flagicon|Japan}} [[Tatsunoko Pro]] | ||
- | | licensor = {{flagicon|USA}} {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Geneon]]<br> {{flagicon|UK}} [[MVM Films]]<br> {{flagicon|Australia}} {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Madman Entertainment]] | ||
- | | network = {{flagicon|Japan}} [[TV Tokyo]] | ||
- | | network_other = {{flagicon|Canada}} [[G4techTV Canada]]<br /> {{flagicon|USA}} [[TechTV]]<br /> {{flagicon|Mexico}} {{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Locomotion (TV channel)|Locomotion]]<br /> {{flagicon|France}} [[Canal+]]<br /> {{flagicon|Poland}} [[Canal+]] Hyper<br /> {{flagicon|Spain}} Canal C; [[AXN]] | ||
- | | first = July 6, 1998 | ||
- | | last = September 28, 1998 | ||
- | | episodes = 13<ref>{{ann anime|id=166|itle=Serial Experiments Lain}}</ref> | ||
- | | episode_list = List of Serial Experiments Lain media#Anime episodes | ||
- | }} | ||
- | {{Infobox animanga/Other | ||
- | | title = Other | ||
- | | content = | ||
- | * ''[[Serial Experiments Lain (game)|Serial Experiments Lain]]'' video game (1998) | ||
- | * [[List of Serial Experiments Lain media|Other media]] | ||
- | }} | ||
- | {{Infobox animanga/Footer}} | ||
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- | '''''Serial Experiments Lain''''' is an [[anime]] series directed by [[Ryutaro Nakamura]], original character design by [[Yoshitoshi ABe]], screenplay written by [[Chiaki J. Konaka]], and produced by [[Yasuyuki Ueda]] (credited as ''production 2nd'') for [[Triangle Staff]]. It was broadcast on [[TV Tokyo]] from July to September 1998. [[Serial Experiments Lain (game)|A PlayStation game]] with the same title was released in November 1998 by [[Geneon|Pioneer LDC]]. | ||
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- | ''Lain'' is influenced by philosophical subjects such as [[reality]], [[Identity (social science)|identity]], and [[communication]].<ref name="laineva">{{cite journal |last=Napier |first=Susan J. |year=2002 |month=November |title=When the Machines Stop: Fantasy, Reality, and Terminal Identity in ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' and ''Serial Experiments Lain'' |journal=Science Fiction Studies |volume=29 |issue=88 |pages=418–435 |id=ISSN 00917729 |url= http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/abstracts/a88.htm#Napier |accessdate=2007-05-04}} <!-- Napier 2002 --> </ref> The series focuses on Lain Iwakura, an [[Adolescence|adolescent]] girl living in [[suburb]]an Japan, and her introduction to [[the Wired]], a global [[computer network|communications network]] similar to the [[Internet]]. Lain lives with her [[middle class]] family, which consists of her inexpressive older sister Mika, her cold mother, and her computer-obsessed father. The first ripple on the pond of Lain's lonely life appears when she learns that girls from her school have received an [[e-mail]] from Chisa Yomoda, a schoolmate who committed [[suicide]]. When Lain receives the message at home, Chisa tells her (in [[real time]]) that she is not dead, but has just "abandoned the flesh", and has found [[God]] in the Wired. From then on, Lain is bound to a [[quest]] which will take her ever deeper into both the network and her own thoughts. | ||
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- | The anime series is licensed in North America by [[Geneon]] (previously [[Pioneer Entertainment]]) on [[DVD]], [[VHS]] and [[LaserDisc]]. It was also released in [[Singapore]] by [[Odex]]. The [[Serial Experiments Lain (game)|video game]], which shares only the themes and protagonist with the series, was never released outside Japan. | ||
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- | The series shows influences from topics such as [[philosophy]], [[history of computers|computer history]], [[cyberpunk]] literature and [[conspiracy theory]], and it was made the subject of several academic articles. English language anime reviewers found it to be "weird" and unusual, but reviews were still generally positive. Producer Ueda said he intended [[Japanese people|Japanese]] and [[Demography of the United States|American]] audiences to form conflicting views on the series, but was disappointed in this regard, as the impressions turned out to be similar. | ||
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- | ==Plot== | ||
- | {{see also|List of Serial Experiments Lain media}} | ||
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- | ''Serial Experiments Lain'' deals directly with the definition of [[reality]], which makes its complex plot difficult to summarize.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.movie-gazette.com/cinereviews/847 |title=Movie Gazette: "Serial Experiments Lain Volume 3: Deus" Review |accessdate=2006-10-11}}</ref> The story is primarily based on the assumption that everything flows from human thought, [[memory]], and [[consciousness]].<ref name="Ep12">'''Alice:''' "One have never existed if there is no memory." ''Serial Experiments Lain'', [[Ego (Serial Experiments Lain episode)|Layer 13: EGO]].</ref><ref name="DVDoutsider"> | ||
- | {{cite web|url=http://www.dvdoutsider.co.uk/dvd/reviews/s/serial_experiments_lain.html|title=DVDoutsider Review of Serial Experiments Lain|accessdate=2006-11-24}}</ref> Therefore, events on screen can be considered hallucinations of Lain, of other protagonists, or of Lain fabricating the hallucinations of others.<ref name="DVDoutsider"/> Story misdirection is central to the plotline;<ref name="AnimeJump">{{cite web|url=http://www.animejump.com/index.php?module=prodreviews&func=showcontent&id=201 |first=Mike |last=Toole |title=Anime Jump!: Serial Experiments Lain Review |accessdate=2006-09-16 |date=2003-10-16}}</ref> even the offscreen voices or narrations' information cannot be considered truthful.<ref name="gazette">{{cite web|url=http://www.movie-gazette.com/cinereviews/828 |title=Movie Gazette: "Serial Experiments Lain Volume 2: Knights" Review |accessdate=2006-09-16}}</ref> The series consists of a cross-reflection of [[philosophy|philosophical]] themes instead of the traditional linear events depiction: episodes are called "[[layer]]s". | ||
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- | ''Serial Experiments Lain'' describes "[[the Wired]]" as the sum of human communication [[Telecommunications network|networks]], created with the [[telegraph]] and [[telephone]] services, and expanded with the [[Internet]] and subsequent networks. The anime assumes that the Wired could be linked to a system that enables unconscious communication between people and machines without physical [[interface]]. The storyline introduces such a system with the [[Schumann resonance]], a property of the Earth's magnetic field that theoretically allows for unhindered long distance communications. If such a link was created, the network would become equivalent to Reality as the general [[consensus]] of all perceptions and knowledge (''see [[consensus reality]]''). The thin line between what is real and what is possible would then begin to blur.<ref>'''Narrator:''' "It is called "Shuman Effect". It is the brain wave of the earth. But we still don't know how it affects humans. Human's population on earth will become the same number as neurons in a brain. [[Douglas Rushkoff]] claims that it will awake the consciousness of earth itself by connecting humans to each other by network." ''Serial Experiments Lain'', [[Protocol (Serial Experiments Lain episode)|Layer 09: PROTOCOL]]. '''Eiri Masami:''' "Humans have been already connected. I just restored them. You did cause it. So you may do anything you want." [[Landscape (Serial Experiments Lain episode)|Layer 12: LANDSCAPE]]</ref> | ||
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- | Eiri Masami is introduced as the project director on Protocol 7 (the next generation internet protocol in the series' timeframe) for major computer company Tachibana Labs. He has secretly included [[computer programming|code]] of his own creation to give himself control of the Wired through the wireless system described above. He then "uploaded” his [[consciousness]] into the Wired and died in real life a few days after. These details are unveiled around the middle of the series, but this is the point where the story of ''Serial Experiments Lain'' begins. | ||
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- | Masami later explains that Lain is the artifact by which the wall between the [[virtual]] and [[material]] worlds is to fall, and that he needs her to get to the Wired and "abandon the flesh", as he did, to achieve his plan.<ref>'''Eiri:''' "But there is one believer left. If there is one believer, I'm still God." '''Lain:''' "Who?" '''Eiri:''' "Are you kidding? It's you, Lain. You can be you because of me. You were born in the wired. You were a legend in the wired, and a heroine in a Wired fairy tale (...) You don't need your flesh, Lain. (...) You'll love me who sent you to this world." ''Serial Experiments Lain'', [[Love (Serial Experiments Lain episode)|Layer 10: LOVE]].</ref> The series sees him trying to convince her through interventions, using the promise of [[unconditional love]], charm, [[wiktionary:fate|fate]], and, when all else fails, [[coercion|threats]] and force. | ||
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- | In the meantime, the anime follows a complex game of [[hide-and-seek]] between the "Knights of the Eastern Calculus"<ref> {{cite book |last=Konaka |first=Chiaki |title=Scenario Experiments Lain |year=1998 |month=November |publisher=Sony Magazines |isbn=4-7897-1320-2}}, p. 166 notes that this is an allusion to the [[Knights of the Lambda Calculus]].</ref>, hackers who Masami claims are "believers that enable him to be a God in the Wired", and Tachibana Labs, who try to regain control of Protocol 7. | ||
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- | In the end, the viewer sees Lain realizing, after much [[introspection]], that she has absolute power over everyone's mind and over reality itself. Her dialogue with different versions of herself show how she feels shunned from the material world, and how she is afraid to live in the Wired, where she has the possibilities and responsibilities of a goddess.<ref>'''Lain 1:''' "I'm nowhere... If I am nowhere, what am I? Where am I?" '''Lain 2:''' "Even if you don't like, it is Lain. It is me. You know it. Yes. Lain is not a human. (laugh) Lain exists everywhere. Lain watches still. Yes, Lain is a goddess!" '''Lain1:''' "No! No!" [[Ego (Serial Experiments Lain episode)|Layer 13: EGO]]</ref> The last scenes feature her erasing everything connected to herself from everyone’s memories. She is last seen unchanged - re-encountering her old friend Alice, who is now married. Lain promises herself to look after Alice. | ||
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- | ==Characters== | ||
- | [[Image:Lainx1.jpg|right|thumb|250px|(clockwise from bottom right) Lain, her sister, her father, and her group of friends.]] | ||
- | {{Nihongo|'''Lain Iwakura'''|岩倉 玲音|Iwakura Rein}}<br/>{{anime voices|Kaori Shimizu (seiyū)|Bridget Hoffman}} | ||
- | :Lain, the main character, is a 14 year old girl who uncovers her true nature through the series. She is first depicted as a shy junior high school student with few friends or interests. She later grows multiple, bolder personalities, both in the physical and Wired worlds. | ||
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- | {{Nihongo|'''Masami Eiri'''|英利 政美|Eiri Masami}}<br/>{{anime voices|Shō Hayami|Kirk Thornton}} | ||
- | :The key designer of Protocol 7. While working for Tachibana Labs, he illicitly included code enabling him to control the whole protocol at will and "embedded" his own consciousness in the protocol. Consequently, he was fired by Tachibana Labs and was soon found dead on a railway. He believes the only way for humans to evolve further is to absolve themselves from their physical limitations and live as digital entities. | ||
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- | {{Nihongo|'''Yasuo Iwakura'''|岩倉 康男|Iwakura Yasuo}}<br/>{{anime voices|Ryūsuke Ōbayashi|Barry Stigler}} | ||
- | :Passionate about computers and electronic communication, he is shown as working with Eiri Masami at Tachibana Labs. He subtly pushes Lain, his daughter, towards the Wired and monitors her development until she becomes aware of her condition. He leaves her telling her that he did not enjoy playing a family, but did love her. He seems eager to lure her into the Wired,<ref name="ep1">''Serial Experiments Lain'', [[Weird (Serial Experiments Lain episode)|Layer 01: WEIRD]]</ref> but warns her not to get overly involved in it.<ref>''Serial Experiments Lain'', [[Psyche (Serial Experiments Lain episode)|Layer 03: PSYCHE]]</ref> | ||
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- | {{Nihongo|'''Alice/Arisu Mizuki'''|瑞城 ありす|Mizuki Arisu}}<br/>{{anime voices|Yoko Asada|Emily Brown}} | ||
- | :Lain's classmate and her only true friend throughout the series, Alice is a devoted confidant and has a simple, sincere personality. She is the first to attempt to help Lain socialise by taking her to a nightclub, and from this point always tries to protect and take care of her. Alice is introduced as the shyest part of a junior high school trio, but her character development shows a fearless dedication to her friends. Alice, along with her friends Juri and Reika, were taken by Chiaki Konaka from his previous work, ''Alice in Cyberland''. | ||
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- | {{Nihongo|'''Mika Iwakura'''|岩倉 美香|Iwakura Mika}}<br/>{{anime voices|Ayako Kawasumi|Patricia Ja Lee}} | ||
- | :Lain's older sister, an apathetic 16 year old student who casually picks on her little sister's habits and behavior. Mika is considered by ''Anime Revolution'' to be the only normal member of Lain's family:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anime-revolution.com/anime/sel-character-profiles|title=Anime Revolution: ''Serial Experiments Lain'' character profiles |accessdate=2006-12-30}}</ref> She sees her boyfriend in [[love hotel]]s, is on a diet, and shops in [[Shibuya, Tokyo|Shibuya]]. At a certain point in the series, her consciousness is seriously damaged by violent hallucinations: While Lain begins freely delving into the Wired, Mika is taken there by her proximity to Lain and gets stuck between the physical world and the Wired.<ref name="otakon">{{cite web|url=http://www.cjas.org/~leng/o2klain.htm |title=Otakon Lain Panel Discussion with Yasuyuki Ueda and Yoshitoshi ABe |accessdate=2006-09-16 |date=2000-08-05}}</ref> | ||
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- | {{Nihongo|'''Taro'''|タロウ|Tarō}}<br/>{{anime voices|Keito Takimoto|Brianne Siddall}} | ||
- | :A young boy of about Lain's age, who occasionally works for the Knights to bring forth "the one truth". He has not yet been made a member, and is unaware of their full intentions. Taro loves virtual reality video games and hangs out all day at the Cyberia night-club with his friends, Myu-Myu and Masayuki. He has been described as a "techno punk teenager" by Michael Tribett,<ref name="Tribbett"/> and uses special technology, such as custom HandiNavis and video goggles. Taro takes pride in his internet anonymity,<ref>'''Taro:''' "Nobody knows what is fun and why it is fun for me" ''Serial Experiments Lain'', Layer 08, "Rumors".</ref> and asks Lain for a date with her Wired self in exchange for information. | ||
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- | '''The "Office Worker"'''<br/>{{anime voices|Shigeru Chiba}} | ||
- | :A top executive from Tachibana Labs who has his own agenda, which he carries out through the use of the Men in Black. He looks forward to the arrival of a real God through the Wired, and is the man behind the Knights' mass assassination. He is aware of many hidden facts about Lain, but is more inclined to ask questions than to reveal anything. | ||
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- | '''The [[Men in Black]]'''<br/>Karl {{anime voices|Takumi Yamazaki|Jamieson Price}}<br/>Lin {{anime voices|George Nakata|Bob Buchholz}} | ||
- | :Karl and Lin Sui-Xi work for the above "Office Worker" in tracking down and murdering all of the Knights. They are not told the true plan, but they know that Eiri Masami is involved. They say that they "don't need a Wired God".<ref>'''Karl:''' "We don't need God." '''Lin:''' "Both in the Wired and real world." ''Serial Experiments Lain'', Layer 10, "Love".</ref> | ||
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- | ==Design== | ||
- | ''Serial Experiments Lain'' was conceived as a series original to the point of being considered "an enormous risk" by its producer Yasuyuki Ueda.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animeland.com/index.php?rub=articles&id=399 |title=Animeland.com: Yoshitoshi ABe and Yasuyuki Ueda Interview |last=Scipion |first=Johan |accessdate=2006-09-16 |language=French |year=2003}}</ref> | ||
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- | ===Writing=== | ||
- | The authors have been asked in interviews if they had been influenced by ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV)|Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'', in the themes and graphic design.<ref name="HK">{{cite web|url=http://www.konaka.com/alice6/lain/hkint_e.html |title=HK: Interview with Chiaki Konaka |last=Nakajima |first=Shin-suke |accessdate=2006-09-16 |year=1999}}</ref> This was strictly denied by writer [[Chiaki J. Konaka]] in an interview, arguing that he had not seen ''Evangelion'' until he finished the fourth episode of ''Lain''.<ref name="HK"/> | ||
- | Being primarily a horror movies writer, his stated influences are [[Jean-Luc Godard|Godard]] (specially for using typography on screen), ''[[The Exorcist (film)|The Exorcist]]'', ''Hell House'', and [[Dan Curtis]]'s ''[[House of Dark Shadows]]''.<ref name="HK"/> | ||
- | Alice's name, like the names of her two friends Julie and Reika, came from a previous production from Konaka, ''Alice in Cyberland'', which in turn was largely influenced by ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]''.<ref name="HK"/> As the series developed, Konaka was "surprised" by how close Alice's character became to the original ''Wonderland'' character.<ref name="HK"/> | ||
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- | [[Image:Lain hacker small.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Lain's custom computer, which features holographic displays and liquid carbon dioxide cooling, exemplifies the use of advanced technology in the series.<ref name="Tribbett"/>]] | ||
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- | ''Lain'''s creators have been said to be "quite well read" and to "draw upon dozens if not hundreds of real-world sources for what seem to be the most [[wiktionary:outré|outré]] concepts in the story":<ref>[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SerialExperimentsLain ''Serial Experiments Lain'' on tvtropes.org], retrieved on 10-10-2006.</ref> | ||
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- | [[Vannevar Bush]] (and [[Memex]]), [[John C. Lilly]], [[Timothy Leary]] and his [[8-Circuit Model of Consciousness]], [[Ted Nelson]] and [[Project Xanadu]] are cited as precursors to the Wired.<ref name="Animerica2">[[Animerica]], (Vol. 7 No. 9, p.28)</ref> [[Douglas Rushkoff]] and his book ''[[Cyberia (book)|Cyberia]]'' were originally to be cited as such,<ref name="otakon"/> and in ''Lain'' Cyberia became the name of a nightclub populated with hackers and techno-punk teenagers.<ref name="Tribbett"/> Likewise, the series' [[Deus ex machina]] lies in the conjunction of the [[Schumann resonance]] and [[Carl Jung|Jung's]] [[collective unconscious]] (the authors chose this term over [[Kabbalah]] and [[Akashic Record]]).<ref name="Animerica"/> [[Majestic 12]] and the [[Roswell UFO incident]] are used as examples of how a hoax might still have an impact on history, even after having been exposed as such, by creating sub-cultures.<ref name=Animerica/> This links again to Vannevar Bush, the alleged "brains" of MJ12. Two of the literary references in ''Lain'' are quoted through Lain's father: he first logs onto a website with the password "Think Bule Count One Tow" ("[[The Rediscovery of Man|Think Blue, Count Two]]" is an [[Instrumentality of Mankind|Instrumentality of Man]] story featuring virtual persons projected as real ones in people's minds);<ref name="ep1"/> and his saying that "[[Madeleine (cake)|madeleines]] would be good with the tea" in the last episode makes ''Lain'' "one of the only cartoons ever to allude to [[Marcel Proust|Proust]]".<ref>'''Yasuo:''' "I will bring madeleines next time. They will taste good with the tea." ''Serial Experiments Lain'', Episode 13, "Ego".</ref><ref name="Gazette">{{cite web|url=http://www.movie-gazette.com/cinereviews/860 |title=Movie Gazette: "Serial Experiments Lain Volume : Reset" Review |accessdate=2006-10-11}}</ref> | ||
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- | ===Character design=== | ||
- | [[Image:Lain Haircut.JPG|Right|thumb|250px|ABe came up with Lain's hair by imagining Lain cutting it herself and making a ponytail of what was left.<ref name="chat"/> This was later included in his ''Omnipresence in the Wired'' artbook.<ref>{{cite book |last=ABe |first=Yoshitoshi |title=Omnipresence In The Wired |chapter=Hair cut 01-04 |publisher=Pioneer LDC |language=Japanese |date=1998 |isbn=4-7897-1343-1}}</ref>]] | ||
- | [[Yoshitoshi ABe]] confesses to have never read manga as a child, as it was "off-limits" in his household.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://animejump.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=33&page=1 |title=Anime Jump!: Lain Men: Yoshitoshi ABe |accessdate=2006-09-16 |year=2000}}</ref> His major influences are "nature and everything around him".<ref name="otakon"/> Specifically speaking about ''Lain'''s character, ABe was inspired by [[Kenji Tsuruta]], [[Akihiro Yamada]], [[Range Murata]], and [[Yukinobu Hoshino]].<ref name="chat"/> In a broader view, he has been influenced in his style and technique by Japanese artists Chinai-san and Tabuchi-san.<ref name="otakon"/> | ||
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- | The character design of Lain was not ABe’s sole responsibility: her distinctive left forelock was a demand from Yasuyuki Ueda. The goal was to produce asymmetry to reflect Lain’s unstable and disconcerting nature.<ref name="fruits">’’FRUiTS Magazine No. 15’’, October 1998.</ref> It was designed as a mystical symbol, as it is supposed to prevent voices and spirits from being heard by the left ear.<ref name="chat"/> The bear pajamas she wears were a demand from [[character animation]] director Takahiro Kishida. Though bears are a trademark of the Konaka brothers, Chiaki Konaka first opposed the idea.<ref name="HK"/> Director Nakamura then explained how the bear motif could be used as a shield for confrontations with her family. It is a key element of the design of the shy "real world" Lain (''see "mental illness" under [[#Themes|themes]]'').<ref name="HK"/> When she first goes to the Cyberia [[Nightclub|night club]], she wears a bear hat for similar reasons.<ref name="fruits"/> The pajamas were finally considered as possible [[Fan service|fan-service]] by Konaka, in the way they enhance Lain’s [[nymph]] aspect.<ref name="HK"/> | ||
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- | ABe’s original design was generally more complicated than what finally appeared on screen. As an example, the X-shaped hairclip was to be an interlocking pattern of gold links. The links would open with a snap, or rotate around an axis until the moment the " X ” became a " = ”. This was not used as there is no scene where Lain takes her hairclip off.<ref name="MAX2">''Manga Max'' Magazine, September 1999, p.22, "Unreal to Real"</ref> | ||
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- | ===Themes=== | ||
- | ''Serial Experiments Lain'' is not a conventionally linear story, but "an alternative anime, with modern themes and realization".<ref>''Benkyo!'' Magazine, March 1999, p.16, "In My Humble Opinion"</ref> Themes range from theological to psychological and are dealt with in a number of ways: from classical dialogue to image-only introspection, passing by direct interrogation of imaginary characters.<br /> | ||
- | [[Communication]], in its wider sense, is one of the main themes of the series,<ref name="THEM">{{cite web|url=http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=353|title=T.H.E.M.Anime Review of Serial Experiments Lain|accessdate=2006-11-24}}</ref> not only as opposed to loneliness, but also as a subject in itself. Writer Konaka said he wanted to directly "communicate human feelings". Director Nakamura wanted to show the audience - and particularly viewers between 14 and 15 - "the multidimensional wavelength of the [[Existentialism|existential self]]: the relationship between self and the world".<ref name="Animerica2">[[Animerica]], Vol 7, No 9, p.28</ref> The intrusion of technology in the social structure is part of the process described:<ref name="Tribbett"/> as Lain embraces the Wired, the viewer can see her drifting apart from her friends and family, to the point where "she can no longer relate to and interact with her fellow humans".<ref name="Tribbett"/><br /> | ||
- | [[Loneliness]], if only as representing a lack of communication, is recurrent through ''Lain''.<ref name="DVDoutsider"/> Lain herself (according to Anime Jump) is "almost painfully introverted with no friends to speak of at school, a snotty, condescending sister, a strangely-apathetic mother, and a father who seems to want to care but is just too damn busy to give her much of his time".<ref name="AnimeJump"/> Friendships turn on the first rumor;<ref>''Serial Experiments Lain'', [[Rumors (Serial Experiments Lain episode)|Layer 08: RUMORS]]</ref><ref name="DVDoutsider"/> and the only insert song of the series is named ''Kodoku no shigunaru'', literally "signal of loneliness".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animelyrics.tv/anime/lain/|title=List of Serial Experiments Lain songs|accessdate=2006-12-07}}</ref><br /> | ||
- | [[Image:Lain Split Personnalities.JPG|left|thumb|250px|The different personalities of Lain have their names written using different scripts.]] | ||
- | [[Mental illness]] in general, and specifically [[Dissociative identity disorder]] is a significant theme in ''Lain'':<ref name="MAX2" /> she is constantly confronted with alter-egos, to the point where writer Chiaki Konaka and Lain's seiyū Kaori Shimizu had to agree on subdividing the character's dialogues between three different [[Orthography|orthographs]].<ref name="MAX2"/> The three names designate distinct "versions" of Lain: the real-world, "childish" Lain has a shy attitude and bear pajamas. The "advanced" Lain, her Wired personality, is bold and questioning. Finally, the "evil" Lain is sly and devious, and does everything she can to harm Lain or the ones close to her.<ref name="HK"/> As a writing convention, the authors spelled their respective names in [[kanji]], [[katakana]], and [[Romanization of Japanese|roman]] characters (see picture).<ref name="visual">{{cite book |last=ABe |first=Yoshitoshi|title=Visual Experiments Lain |year=1998 |publisher=Triangle Staff/Pioneer LDC. |id=ISBN 4-7897-1342-3 }}, page 42 </ref><br /> | ||
- | [[Reality]] never has the pretense of objectivity in ''Lain''.<ref name="MAX">''Manga Max'' Magazine, September 1999, p.21, "God's Eye View"</ref> Acceptations of the term are battling throughout the series, such as the "natural" reality, defined through normal dialog between individuals; the material reality; and the tyrannic reality, enforced by one person onto the minds of others.<ref name="DVDoutsider"/> A key debate to all interpretations of the series is to decide whether matter flows from thought, or the opposite.<ref>Serial Experiments Lain, [[Kids (Serial Experiments Lain episode)|Layer 06: KIDS]]: "your physical body exists only to confirm your existence".</ref><ref name="DVDoutsider"/> The production staff carefully avoided "the so-called God's Eye Viewpoint" to make clear the "limited field of vision" of the world of ''Lain''.<ref name=MAX/><br /> | ||
- | [[Theology]] plays its part in the development of the story too. ''Lain'' has been viewed as a questioning of the possibility of an infinite spirit in a finite body.<ref name="Univ">[http://web.archive.org/web/20060302194747/http://www.ahcca.unimelb.edu.au/refractory/journalissues/vol3/colman.htm Study on ''Lain'', ''Buffy'', and ''Attack of the clones''] by Felicity J. Coleman, lecturer at the University of Melbourne. From the [[Internet Archive]].</ref> From self-realization as a goddess to [[deicide]],<ref name="Gazette"/> religion (the title of a layer) is an inherent part of ''Lain'' 's background.<ref name="Univ"/> | ||
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- | ===Apple computers=== | ||
- | [[Image:LainThinkDifferent.jpg|right|thumb|250px|[[Infornography (episode)|Layer 11: INFORNOGRAPHY]] features the [[Apple Computer|Apple]] advertising slogan and an [[iMac]].]] | ||
- | ''Lain'' contains extensive references to [[Apple Computer|Apple computers]], as the brand was used at the time by most of the creative staff, such as writers, producers, and the graphical team.<ref name="HK"/> As an example, the title at the beginning of each episode is announced by the Apple Computer [[Speech synthesis]] program [[PlainTalk]], using the voice ''"Whisper"''. Tachibana Industries, the company that creates the NAVI computers, is a reference to Apple computers: "tachibana" means "Mandarin orange" in Japanese. NAVI is the abbreviation of [[Knowledge Navigator]], and the HandiNAVI is based on the [[Apple Newton]], one of the world's first [[Personal digital assistant|PDA]]s. The NAVIs are seen to run "Copland OS Enterprise" (this reference to [[Copland (operating system)|Copland]] was an initiative of [[Chiaki J. Konaka|Konaka]], a declared Apple fan),<ref name="HK"/> and Lain's and Alice's NAVIs closely resembles the [[Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh]] and the [[iMac]] respectively. | ||
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- | During a series of disconnected images, an iMac and the [[Think Different]] advertising slogan appears for a short time, while the ''Whisper'' voice says it.<ref name="INFORN">''Serial Experiments Lain'', [[Infornography (Serial Experiments Lain episode)|Layer 11: INFORNOGRAPHY]].</ref> This was an unconcerted insertion from the graphic team, also Mac-enthusiasts.<ref name="HK"/> Other subtle allusions can be found: "Close the world, Open the nExt" is the slogan for the [[Serial Experiments Lain (game)|''Serial Experiments Lain'' video game]]. [[NeXT]] was the company that produced [[NeXTSTEP]], which later evolved into [[Mac OS X]] after Apple bought NeXT. Another example is "To Be Continued." at the end of episodes 1–12, with a blue "B" and a red "e" on "Be": ''this'' "Be" is the original logo of [[Be Inc.]], NeXT's main competitor in its time.<ref name="Be">{{cite web|url=http://www.beatjapan.org/mirror/www.be.com/|title=(Archived) former Be, inc. official website|accessdate=2006-11-27}}</ref>. A hacker is seen using Apple's [[HotSauce]] software<ref name="Infomania">{{cite web|url=http://www.cjas.org/~leng/apple-lain.htm|title=What is the relationship between Apple and lain?}}</ref><ref name="IMDB trivia">{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0500092/trivia|title="Serial Experiments Lain Trivia"}}</ref><ref name="Anime-Myth.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.anime-myth.com/amanda_lain_notes.htmltrivia|title="Anime-Myth.com Serial Experiments Lain Notes"}}</ref>. | ||
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- | ==Reception== | ||
- | ''Lain'' was first broadcast in [[Tokyo]] at 1:15 a.m. [[Japan Standard Time|JST]]. The word "weird" appears almost systematically in English language reviews of the series,<ref name="gazette"/><ref name="AnimeJump"/><ref name="referencekatamari">{{cite web|url=http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue123/anime.html |first=Tasha |last=Robinson |title=Sci-Fi Weekly: Serial Experiments Lain Review |accessdate=2006-09-16}}, {{cite web|url=http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews2/disc_reviews/687.php|title=AnimeOnDVD: "Serial Experiments Lain Vol. #1" Review |last=Beveridge |first=Chris |accessdate=2006-09-16 |date=1999-07-13}}, {{cite web|url=http://www.thespinningimage.co.uk/cultfilms/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=872&aff=13|title=The Spinning Image: "Serial Experiments Lain Volume 4: Reset" Review |last=Southworth |first=Wayne |accessdate=2006-09-16}}</ref> or the alternatives "bizarre",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/reviews/display.php?id=34 |title=Anime News Network: Serial Experiments Lain DVD Vol. 1–4 Review |last=Silver |first=Aaron |accessdate=2006-09-16}}</ref> and "atypical",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=1081 |title=DVD.net: "Lain: Volume 1 - Navi" Review |last=Lai |first=Tony |accessdate=2006-09-16}}</ref> due mostly to its almost total absence of sexual and violent content, and due to its philosophical and psychological context. Critics responded positively to these thematic and stylistic characteristics, and it was awarded an Excellence Prize by the 1998 [[Japan Media Arts Festival]] for "its willingness to question the meaning of contemporary life" and the "extraordinarily philosophical and deep questions" it asks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070426014853/http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/english/festival/backnumber/10/sakuhin/serial.html |author=Japan Media Arts Plaza |title=1998 (2nd) Japan Media Arts Festival: Excellence Prize - serial experiments lain |accessdate=2006-09-16 |year=1998}}From the [[Internet Archive]].</ref> According to Christian Nutt from [[Newtype (magazine)|Newtype USA]], the main attraction to the series is its keen view on "the interlocking problems of identity and technology". Nutt saluted ABe's "crisp, clean character design" and the "perfect soundtrack" in his 2005 review of series, saying that "''Serial Experiments Lain'' might not yet be considered a true classic, but it's a fascinating evolutionary leap that helped change the future of anime."<ref name="newtype">{{cite journal | last = Nutt | first = Christian | year = 2005 | month = January | title = Serial Experiments Lain DVD Box Set: Lost in the Wired | journal = [[Newtype (magazine)|Newtype USA]] | volume = 4 | issue = 1 | pages = 179 }}</ref> ''Anime Jump'' gave it 4.5/5,<ref name="AnimeJump" /> and Anime on DVD gave it A+ on all criteria for volume 1 and 2, and a mix of A and A+ for volume 3 and 4.<ref name="referencekatamari" /> | ||
- | [[Image:Serial Experiments Lain (TV) Screenshot 01.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Lain's neighborhood. The "blood pools" represent the Wired's presence "beneath the surface" of reality.<ref name="otakon"/>]] | ||
- | ''Lain'' was subject to commentary in the literary and academic worlds. The ''Asian Horror Encyclopedia'' calls it "an outstanding psycho-horror anime about the psychic and spiritual influence of the Internet".<ref name="horror">{{cite book |last=Bush |first=Laurence C. |title=Asian Horror Encyclopedia |year=2001 |month=October |publisher=Writers Club Press |id=ISBN 0-595-20181-4 }}, page 162.</ref> It notes that the red spots present in all the shadows look like blood pools (see picture). It notes the death of a girl in a train accident is "a source of much ghost lore in the twentieth century", more so in Tokyo. The ''Anime Essentials'' anthology by Gilles Poitras describes it as a "complex and somehow existential" anime that "pushed the enveloppe" ''(sic)'' of anime diversity in the 1990s, alongside the much better known ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV)|Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' and ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]''.<ref name="essential">{{cite book |last=Poitras |first=Gilles |title=Anime Essentials |year=2001 |month=December |publisher=Stone Bridge Press, LLC|id=ISBN 1-880656-53-1 }}, page 28.</ref> Professor Susan J. Napier, in her reading to the American Philosophy Society called ''The Problem of Existence in Japanese Animation'', compared ''Serial Experiments Lain'' to ''[[Ghost in the Shell]]'' and [[Hayao Miyazaki]]'s ''[[Spirited Away]]''.<ref name="Napier">''The Problem of Existence in Japanese Animation'', by Pr. Susan J. Napier, in ''Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society'', Vol. 149, No. 1, March 2005.</ref> According to her, the main characters of the two other works cross barriers; they can cross back to our world, but Lain cannot. Napier asks whether there is something to which Lain should return, "between an empty 'real' and a dark 'virtual'". Mitchell Tribbett from Reed College interprets ''Lain'' as a symbol of Japan's post-war social and cultural struggles. In his essay ''Serial Experiments: Lain as a Reflection of Modern Japanese Anxieties in the Digital Era'', Tribbett sees the Wired in ''Lain'' as representative of the westernized, non hierarchical society that co-exists with traditional [[Culture of Japan|Japanese culture]].<ref name="Tribbett">''Serial Experiments: Lain as a Reflection of Modern Japanese Anxieties in the Digital Era'', by Michael Tribett. Anthropology of Japan, Reed College.</ref> | ||
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- | Producer Ueda had to answer repeated queries about a statement made in an [[Animerica]] interview.<ref name="otakon"/><ref name="Ueda">{{cite web|url=http://www.animejump.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=32&page=1|title=Anime Jump!: Lain Men:Yasuyuki Ueda|accessdate=2006-09-26}}</ref><ref name="chat">{{cite web|url=http://www.cjas.org/~leng/lainchat.htm |author=The Anime Colony |title=Online Lain Chat with Yasuyuki Ueda and Yoshitoshi ABe |accessdate=2006-09-16 |date=2000-08-07}}<!--Note: The moderated part is also available here: http://www.scifi.com/transcripts/2000/animemonday.html--></ref> The controversial statement said ''Lain'' was ''"a sort of cultural war against American culture and the American sense of values we <nowiki>[Japan]</nowiki> adopted after [[World War II]]"''.<ref name="Animerica">[[Animerica]], (Vol. 7 No. 9, p.29)</ref> | ||
- | He later explained in numerous interviews that he created ''Lain'' with a set of values he took as distinctly Japanese; he hoped Americans would not understand the series as the Japanese would. This would lead to a "war of ideas" over the meaning of the anime, hopefully culminating in new communication between the two cultures. When he discovered that the American audience held the same views on the series as the Japanese, he was disappointed.<ref name="Ueda"/> | ||
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- | ==Publications and other media== | ||
- | {{main|List of Serial Experiments Lain media}} | ||
- | The ''Lain'' franchise was originally conceived to connect across forms of media (anime, video games, manga). Producer [[Yasuyuki Ueda]] said in an interview, "the approach I took for this project was to communicate the essence of the work by the total sum of many media products."<ref name="Animerica2"/> The scenario for the video game was written first, and the video game was produced at the same time as the anime series, though the series was released first. A [[doujinshi]] named "The Nightmare of Fabrication" was produced by Yoshitoshi ABe and released in Japanese in the artbook ''Omnipresence in The Wired''. Ueda and Konaka declared in an interview that the idea of a multimedia project was not unusual in Japan, as opposed to the contents of ''Lain'', and the way they are exposed.<ref name="Animerica2"/> Several soundtrack CDs have been released. | ||
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- | ==Notes and references== | ||
- | {{Reflist|2}} | ||
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- | ==External links== | ||
- | {{wikiquote}} | ||
- | *[http://www.geneon-ent.co.jp/rondorobe/anime/lain/ ''Serial Experiments Lain'' official website] {{jp icon}} | ||
- | {{anime-links|imdb=0500092|ann=166}} | ||
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- | [[Category:Serial Experiments Lain]] | ||
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