Customer Reviews

Serial Experiments - Lain: Reset (Layers 11-13)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After watching all of the Lain DVDs I can confidently say that this series has soared to my #3 favorite anime series of all time. Lain is basically a show of metaphores concerning the Internet, so if you don't have a firm grasp over the concepts of computers and the Internet or "wired" (as the series terms it) world such as what hackers, chips, etc. are you may not enjoy it. The art is really different and beautiful - every frame looks like a painting, with interesting use of colors and negative space. These episodes really need to be watched in order, so make sure you start with the first volume. The last episode literally had me crying! Lain's world is totally absorbing and not just a little bit creepy, and although you don't get all the answers at the end of this series, the last volume has a sufficiant wrap-up, leaving a jumping off point for the viewer's imagination. I reccomend this to everyone who can stand a little intelligence in their anime!

With with Layer:11 almost all clips from the previous ten layers, I was sort of wary of watching the rest of the DVD. But in tradition, Lain surprised me with two and half layers of first-rate story telling. Like LAIN: DEUS, the story is X-Files style but highly original and creative. The animation here come close to the gripping marvel AKIRA in its most intense scenes. Watching the finale of LAIN would make anyone want to watch the entire series over again to fill in the gaps they experienced the first time they watched it. Highly recommended anime masterpiece! If you like The X-Files you are bound to like Lain: Navi, Knights, Deus, and Reset. Enjoy!

I have to warn you, if you're planing on buying LAIN. I bought the whole series without knowing what I was in for, but odds are one of two things will happen. Either you will think "what a load of crap" and then try hastilly to forget how much money you spent on it, or you will find yourself completely hooked and addicted to Lain, feeling those greedy eyes watching you get more and more lost in the complex universe of this twisted series. Ahem. Anyway, that's what hapened to me. I strongly recommend watching this series in it's entirety (probably twice or three times) if you're into stuff that makes you think. Don't o.d. though. Enjoy it in small doses as it has a tendency to pickle your brain if consumed in large quantities. It's like a mix of X-files, the Maxx, Perfect Blue, And perhaps most of all: Alice in wonderland/through the looking glass. And of course it's filled with mythical stuff. I guess it could be interpreted as a modern techno version of the bible with an all new cyber Christ told though colourful images and an amazing soundtrack. Anime style. Or maybe it's just too original to describe properly. God knows how many have tried and failed. Guess, LAIN is something you just have to see for yourself.

Recently I remarked that I keep imagining alternate outcomes to this series. Too many, in fact, to count. It presents a reality whose boundaries with the web keep degrading until, for those like Lain the separation is completely lost. In Lain's world, history can be erased and rewritten, and identity is a matter of perception. And the vision is deeply disquieting.

The underlying structure of Lain's life has eroded. She has no place at school, her parents have left her, and secret agents spying on her confess their love. Against this backdrop Lain persistent questions her own identity - innocent waif or adolescent hoyden. She hopes against hope that she is the true persona.

One can read this as a coming of age story. The powerless Lain of the first episodes gradually coming into a power that is nearly impossible to control. In the previous DVD, Lain attempted to kill God, now she must seek for it among a kaleidoscope of visions. Can she stand the answer? Or will the truth wash her away.

Serial Experiments Lain presents an interior apocalypse. From the chaotic opening sequences of this DVD to the hollow victory of its conclusion the world changes - not with a bang, but a whimper. The Wired is a place where closure is elusive, and loose ends the rule of the day. Where there is no existence without memory.

It is fair to remark that this series gets progressively stranger and stranger. It creates its atmosphere by testing the borders or our own minds. And it doest a pretty remarkable job of carrying it off. The artwork remains capable to producing striking images. Episode 11 'Infornography' is a striking attempt at an e-visualization of the erosion of Lain's well-being. Indeed, the whole series will remain imprinted on the minds of its viewers for some time.

Indeed, the pacing of the Lain series is somewhat slow, but it's slow in the same peculiarly satisfying way that a Wong Kar Wai film is slow. Every lingering shot and mysterious word is obtuse (at least to begin with), but still stunning. And as the series progresses, the vaporous bits and pieces begin to congeal and condense into something increasingly meaningful and powerful. The series is undoubtedly high-concept, but rarely falls into overblown presumptuousness. There is a strange emotional gravity to Lain; a synergystic effect of its characters and its abundant atmosphere. But that same gravity, more than any other single piece of Lain, is what separates this work from the droves of unengaging anime films. To my mind, only Akira can match the sense of resonance of Lain.

It truly astounds me as an American that such an ambitious, complex and subtle piece of work could actually find air time on television. There is absolutely no way that this sort of thing would ever run on American network telelvision, and little chance we'd ever see it in American film, animated or otherwise. Perhaps that's why the experience of soaking in the Lain series for all 6 hours, regardless of its pace, is so mindblowing. Lain provides inventive and thought-provoking science-fiction, the likes of which an American audience is used to only seeing in print form (that is, if anyone in America still reads books). Lain, much like Akira and Ghost in the Shell before it, represents the anime genre at its best.

Upon reaching the conclusion of the series, there are some questions left unanswered. Some of these ambiguities lend greatly to the air of the piece and others simply engender frustration after the time and emotional investment asked of its viewer. There are also some notable problems with the quality of the animation (although from what little I've read about the series, it seems this was due to under-budgeting rather than just shoddy craftsmanship), but thankfully they are rare. The soundtrack is astonishingly uneven, but used so sparingly that it hardly matters. DVD extras are minimal, but the subtitling is fantastic and picture and sound quality are great.

This is without a doubt the best anime series released in years! I was hooked from the surreal opening images of the first episode to the final haunting scene, thirteen episodes later. The exploration of themes such as identity and duality are handled skillfully and rendered beautifully, Pioneer did a great job on these discs! The closest comparison to it I can make is maybe Ghost in the Shell or the works of David Cronenberg. This is as good as anime gets! Learn it, love it, live it! Close the World. Open the Next.

Serial experiments lain, without a doubt, is one of the best constructed pieces of anime I've ever seen. From the moment you are first introduced to the main character Lain, to the credits at the end, you are forced to reevaluate your knowledge and opinion of what you've seen. You start with only a few questions questions, but as each one is answered, more spring to mind! However, unlike many anime films that don't wrap themselves up, Lain manages to provide a tidy ending with only a few questions to leave you thinking.
The animation throughout the film is excellent, and when viewed on dvd you get perfect images from start to finish. Each scene is like a painting, with a meaning that is revealed later in the film. The same excelence is applied to the sounds and music provided, which complements the movie. There are moments when the music is loud to match the atmosphere of a club, while in other scenes there is nothing but the ominous hum of electricity. For those who buy the dubbed version, the english is pretty accurate, another rarity for an anime film.
Serial experiments lain is not a fast film, and you may not understand it the first time you see it. If you want a movie that has a clear plot with a definite ending, then you probably won't like this. However, if you enjoy the satisfaction of comprehension that you get after solvig a riddle, or just want a anime movie that involves a bit of thinking, then this is the film for you!

Though not being an experienced Manga viewer I was attracted to Lain by the reviews it got on the Amazon site. And I was not disappointed: the first 4 episodes took of slow but kept my attention right to the end.

What I found remarkable in the design of the series is that Lain is not showing much of its Japanese origin. This shows up the most in the more grown-up characters who look more European than Asian.

The animation is quite simple for major parts - Just panning and zooming. But the tension of the story and remains, showing the quality of the sheer story line.

From a more psychological/filosophical point of view the buildup is strong, situations and characters are recognisable. Questions about identity, reality and man-machine relationships arise at in very intriguing way.

This series is not everyones buisiness though- my roommate ran out after viewing it for 5 minutes. But I would recommend it strongly for people with an open mind for X-files/Anime/Cyberpunk stuff.

Serial Experiments Lain doesn't begin or procced as one would frequently expect, it doesn't end that way either. The story behind Lain continues in it's own way, a style of anime that is unique to Lain, and I don't think could ever be replicated. I reccommed this to anyone who wants to free themselves of mindless entertainment, and watch something that you actually have to think about.

Wonderful. I love the conclusion of the Lain series; it wouldnt have been better, had I made it up myself:) I love anime that makes my brain excersize while it is being entertained, and this is the highest quality out there.