Review of Serial Experiments Lain: Vol. 1

Introduction

Last year, I received an anime to review that had a thought provoking and challenging story, and was visually astounding. It was most certainly a cut above the average animation, asking questions about existence, consciousness and the nature of thought itself. It was weighty stuff indeed, and something that I enjoyed thoroughly. As luck would have it, I received the final disc in the series, and in effect got to read the last page of the book. It isn`t the ideal way to approach these things, so now given sufficient space, I can once again take a look at Serial Experiments Lain, but this time in the right order starting with Volume 1.

Serial Experiments Lain is the groundbreaking anime that introduced Yoshitoshi ABe to Western audiences. It takes place in a world where the Internet has become even more ubiquitous than in our own. Communication, friendships and relationships are defined by links created in the Wired as well as the real world. Lain Iwakura is a schoolgirl who isn`t as tech savvy as her friends, but a tragic event leads her into a fantastic world that has her questioning the nature of reality itself. This first volume contains the first four episodes of Serial Experiments Lain.

Layer 01: Weird
Chisa Yomoda`s suicide is harrowing enough for her schoolmates, but when people start receiving e-mails from the girl, sent after she died, it`s put down to a sick prank. Lain becomes curious about this, and dusts off her old Navi to see if she has also received an e-mail. Sure enough there is a message from Chisa that states that she isn`t dead, but alive in the Wired.

Layer 02: Girls
Lain`s friends have seen her, or someone resembling her at the Cyberia nightclub. They invite her to come with them the next night. She begs off, and comes home to find that the new high performance Navi that she asked her father for has arrived. She doesn`t have much time to get acquainted with it when another text from Arisu arrives, inviting her to Cyberia. When she gets there, she walks into a drug instigated shooting incident. But this shooter recognises Lain.

Layer 03: Psyche
Lain returns home from the police station to an empty house, albeit one that is under surveillance by two enigmatic Men In Black. At school the next day, Lain is understandably detached given the events of the previous night. She finds a package in her locker that contains a chip. She returns to Cyberia to find out more about it, and meets a group of young kids who recognise her, or her digital presence as they put it. She also learns that the chip is a revolutionary Psyche chip, one that dramatically increases a Navi`s ability to form connections.

Layer 04: Religion
Lain is spending more time in the Wired, and getting to know the inner workings of her Navi, something that worries her family. Meanwhile, an online game called Phantoma is beginning to extend into the real world, with lethal effects. Everything points to an enigmatic hacker group known as the Knights.

Video

Serial Experiments Lain is presented in the original 4:3 format. The image is sharp and the colours are strong, however the four episodes on this first volume, as opposed to the three episodes on subsequent discs, result in a couple of compression artefacts. This is especially noticeable in the first episode. The animation itself is breathtaking. In keeping with the reality warping storyline, there are several styles of animation, mixed with real word footage. Occasionally stark images contrast monitor style footage to keep the viewer confused as to what is real and what is surreal. The characters are traditional anime, but how they perceive the world offers a melange of styles that keeps the viewer guessing.

Audio

You get a choice of DD 2.0 English and the original DD 2.0 Japanese. The dialogue is clear throughout and optional translated subtitles are provided (Japanese text is translated with burnt in subtitles captions, as is the end credit song). As usual I went with the original Japanese as opposed to the English dub. This being a relatively dialogue light programme, the dub is pretty good as well. The stereo is remarkably effective in setting up an unsettling atmosphere. Even something simple like the sound of chalk on a blackboard is used to provide a claustrophobic feel. The sound design is certainly successful in this regard, muffled voices, the oppressive hum of power cables, the tangible impression of heat haze, the visuals go hand in hand with the sound. The stereo track when output through Dolby Surround is excellent in making the most of the sound design. Serial Experiments Lain does stand out in terms of music though. The soundtrack is something special, with a selection of haunting tunes that uplift the story.

Features

You get Navi style menus for the disc, and there is the usual MVM Jacket picture. The extras are limited to 18 stills of concept art, brief trailers for the TV series, DVD, soundtrack CD and Playstation game, and finally a 10-second clip merely titled Weird. Is it an enigma, a clue, a random image? You figure it out.

Each episode is followed by Device, a brief clip of live action footage featuring Kaori Shimizu, the actress who voices Lain, and who also served as inspiration for the character`s design.

Conclusion

If you want a quick anime fix, some eye-candy and action then you are in the wrong place. Serial Experiments Lain is one anime that requires that you watch all 13 episodes to get to grips with what is going on, and it will make you work for the answers at that. But putting some effort into this story is ultimately rewarding, as it is one of the most provocative and challenging anime available today. It combines a variety of animation styles, and presents striking imagery that tells a story in a way that takes the genre into new territory. It is deceptively slow paced. It takes its time to reveal its secrets, and you feel that you have time to assimilate what you see. The pacing adds to the atmosphere of the story most certainly, but repeated viewing is essential, as you realise that even the quieter moments are laden with symbolism that resonates through the episodes. I`m watching it for the second time now, and uncovering details that I had missed the first time around.

The story deals with the nature of reality and the way that we perceive it. Lain`s perceptions are at the centre of it, she is a teenage girl who already sees the world in a skewed way, and the design of the anime merely heightens that. The shadows in this world border on alive, the sky is always a blinding white, and the oppressive hum of power cables dominates the outside. How much of this is real and how much of this is idle school girl fantasy is never clear, but it makes the progression into the more fantastical realm of the story all the more plausible, as the transition is gradual and imperceptible. The social relevance is obvious, as this is a world where human connection is eschewed for the digital realm. Lain`s dysfunctional family, who hardly speak to each other, typifies this.

Meanwhile the nature of the Wired begins to be revealed, conspiracies abound with mysterious figures watching Lain, various presences beginning to affect the Wired and the real world, including a digital projection of Lain that has been in the Wired longer than she has herself. The story is layered with symbolism and enigma, and will keep the wheels of the mind whirring long after the end credits have rolled.

That said, Lain doesn`t exactly tell an original story, its blend of X-Files and Cyberpunk musings on the meaning of life, reality and everything is comfortingly familiar to this sci-fi fan, but the viewpoint of a teenaged girl is certainly something new. Lain also benefits from brilliant character design. The interactions between characters show a thoughtfulness and depth of writing that is a cut above other anime. Entertaining and intelligent, Serial Experiments Lain is a stunning anime series, but to make the most out of it, you`ll have to meet it half way.