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In America, sci-fi fans have the X-Files to totally confuse us. In Japan, sci-fi anime fans have the anime series entitled Lain. From the first episode, called Wired, I knew I was in for a strange ride. So far, I have not been disappointed.
How can I describe this series? I'm not exactly sure. Every episode, which are known as Layers, seems to get stranger than the last. Usually during a series when I can't figure something out, I normally give up and move on to something else. But this is not the case with Lain. I can't stop watching it and now that it is over, I still have many questions, which would normally anger me, but has instead, made me want to watch it all over again, just to figure it all out.
The premise of the show is that we are all connected by the wired world (or Internet); which is all around us. The computer age has finally taken over-and the few that are aware of this merging of worlds want the ability to control it.
The Wired world has taken on a personality and a culture all its own. It's like there are two worlds, but each one is closing in on the other. One young girl seems to be the one breaking the boundary between the real world and the computer superhighway. Her name is Lain, and the whole strangeness begins when a classmate of hers, who seems happy, commits suicide. After her death, Lain receives an e-mail from her. The post-mortem e-mail says, "I just abandoned my body. I still live here." Lain wonders is this letter a hoax or have people found a way to live in a world without a body? Can people live in a world where programming is everything and it's all about being connected?
The world of Lain is very strange indeed. One minute you think you know something, the next you're second-guessing yourself. Another minute people are claiming to see a wild Lain in a club, but then you see that she hasn't even hooked up to the world of computers yet. In the real world, Lain is not wild at all, but reserved, almost non-existent. She hangs out with friends, but they seem to know nothing about her. Two men are following her and one man wants to know just who she is and what power she possesses. Lain cannot seem to comprehend why people know her and have seen her do things she doesn't remember doing. Lain seems to be in two places at once, but is she really there at all. She begins to wonder if no one remembers you, do you truly exist at all? As the show progresses, that theme becomes the prevalent one. Everything is distorted. Nothing makes sense. What are memories? What does it mean to exist? What is real and what is just an imagination? Everything seems to merge and we are there for the whole experience.
I have so many questions and I am still wondering what exactly I was a part of here. Still, I enjoyed the whole show, spanning four tapes and 13 Layers. Lain is like the X-Files in that when you get really confused, you will still watch the show because you just need to know what happens. Now that it has ended, there is more I want to see. Well, I am happy to have found out that Lain will continue. A new series is being worked on and rumor has it that this will be a collaborative effort between the US and Japan. Interesting indeed. Lain was kick ass before and it can only get better now.
If you like anime and you want to experience something different, then check this series out. Lain combines great animation with an interesting plot. Be attentive and watch carefully. Miss one scene and you will be banging your head against the wall trying to figure what the hell just happened. I am going to go watch it again. Get yourself connected. Get wired.
Please send your thoughts and comments on Lain or this article to Badseed@ybfree.com