Serial Experiments Lain
serial experiments lain
Genre	Cyberpunk, Drama, Mystery, Psychological, Science fiction
TV anime : Serial Experiments Lain
Directed by	Ryutaro Nakamura
Studio	Pioneer LDC TV Tokyo Tatsunoko Pro[1]
Licensor	Geneon
Network	TV Tokyo
Other networks: TechTV Locomotion Canal+ Canal+ Hyper Canal C; AXN
Original run	July 6, 1998 – September 28, 1998
No. of episodes	13[2]
Other
Serial Experiments Lain video game (1998) Other media

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. A PlayStation game with the same title was produced by Pioneer LDC, and released in November 1998. Image File history File links Serial_Experiments_Lain_DVD_Vol_00. ... Berlins Sony Center reflects the global reach of a Japanese corporation. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Mystery fiction is a distinct subgenre of detective fiction that entails the occurrence of an unknown event which requires the protagonist to make known (or solve). ... Psychology (ancient Greek: psyche = soul and logos = word) is the study of mind, thought, and behaviour. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... For other uses, see Television (disambiguation). ... The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) For the oleo-resin, see Animé (oleo-resin). ... Ryutaro Nakamura , born April 15, 1955) is a Japanese Director and Animator, most well known for directing the Serial Experiments Lain anime series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Geneon, formerly known as Pioneer Entertainment (or Pioneer LDC) and also a former subsidiary of Pioneer Corporation, is a home entertainment production and distribution company. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... The logo of TV Tokyo. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Tatsunoko Production Co. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Geneon, formerly known as Pioneer Entertainment (or Pioneer LDC) and also a former subsidiary of Pioneer Corporation, is a home entertainment production and distribution company. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... The logo of TV Tokyo. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... TechTV is also the name of a closed-circuit television network based in Ruston, Louisiana TechTV (May 11, 1998 – May 28, 2004) was a 24-hour cable and satellite channel based in San Francisco, California featuring news and shows about computers, technology, and the Internet. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Mexico. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Brazil. ... Locomotion Logo Locomotion was a TV channel that aired in Latin America from fall 1996 [1] until July 31, 2005. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Canal+ (Canal Plus, meaning Channel Plus/More in French) is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Poland. ... Canal+ (Canal Plus, meaning Channel Plus/More in French) is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Spain. ... AXN is a satellite television network owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was first launched on 21 September 1997. ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... The Serial Experiments Lain video game was released for PlayStation on November 26, 1998 by Pioneer LDC, and was never classified into a particular genre. ... Boxed Set, All four volumes Serial Experiments Lain was created as a multimedia production, including an anime, a video game, a manga, and several artbooks and soundtracks. ... The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) For the oleo-resin, see Animé (oleo-resin). ... Ryutaro Nakamura , born April 15, 1955) is a Japanese Director and Animator, most well known for directing the Serial Experiments Lain anime series. ... Yoshitoshi ABe (安倍吉俊, Abe Yoshitoshi) (born 1971) is a Japanese graphic artist who works predominantly in anime and manga. ... Chiaki J. Konaka (小中千昭 Konaka Chiaki) (April 4, 1961 - ) is a Japanese scriptwriter who works predominantly on anime. ... Yasuyuki Ueda (given name in kanji: 耕行) is a Japanese man who has been heavily involved in the production of major anime series such as Serial Experiments Lain (as a producer and story writer). ... Triangle Staff is a Japanese animation studio, responsible between others for Serial Experiments Lain, Slayers, and NieA under 7. ... The logo of TV Tokyo. ... The Serial Experiments Lain video game was released for PlayStation on November 26, 1998 by Pioneer LDC, and was never classified into a particular genre. ... Geneon, formerly known as Pioneer Entertainment (or Pioneer LDC) and also a former subsidiary of Pioneer Corporation, is a home entertainment production and distribution company. ...

Lain is influenced by philosophical subjects such as reality, identity, and communication.^[3] The series focuses on Lain Iwakura, an adolescent girl living in suburban Japan, and her introduction to the Wired, a global 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. Reality in everyday usage means the state of things as they actually exist. ... In philosophy, the issue of personal identity concerns the conditions under which a person at one time is the same person at another time. ... Communication is a process that allows people to exchange information by one of several methods. ... Young Men Organization Teenager and Teen also redirect here. ... Housing subdivision near Union, Kentucky, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. ... The Wired is a fictional computer network featured in the anime series Serial Experiments Lain which is similar to the internet It also closely resembeles the Matrix from William Gibsons Neuromancer. ... “Computer Networks” redirects here. ... The middle class (or middle classes) comprises a social group once defined by exception as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Suicide (Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of intentionally taking ones own life. ... It has been suggested that Real-time computing be merged into this article or section. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... This article is about the word, for other meanings see Quest (disambiguation) A quest is a journey towards a goal with great meaning and is used in mythology and literature as a plot device. ...

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 video game, which shares only the themes and protagonist with the series, was never released outside Japan. Geneon, formerly known as Pioneer Entertainment (or Pioneer LDC) and also a former subsidiary of Pioneer Corporation, is a home entertainment production and distribution company. ... Geneon, formerly known as Pioneer Entertainment (or Pioneer LDC) and also a former subsidiary of Pioneer Corporation, is a home entertainment production and distribution company. ... DVD (Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ... Bottom view of VHS cassette with magnetic tape exposed Top view of VHS cassette with front casing removed The Video Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS is a recording and playing standard for analog video cassette recorders (VCRs), developed by Victor Company of Japan, Limited (JVC) and launched... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Odex is a Singaporean company that licenses and releases anime for local and regional (South East Asian) consumption. ...

The series shows influences from topics such as philosophy, 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 and American audiences to form conflicting views on the series, but was disappointed in this regard, as the impressions turned out to be similar. The philosopher Socrates about to take poison hemlock as ordered by the court. ... The history of computing is longer than the history of computing hardware and modern computing technology and includes the history of methods intended for pen and paper or for chalk and slate, with or without the aid of tables. ... Berlins Sony Center reflects the global reach of a Japanese corporation. ... A conspiracy theory attempts to attribute the ultimate cause of an event or chain of events (usually political, social, or historical events), or the concealment of such causes from public knowledge, to a secret, and often deceptive plot by a covert alliance of powerful or influential people or organizations. ...

Plot

The image of Lain going to school is a persistent one.

See also: List of Serial Experiments Lain media

Serial Experiments Lain deals directly with the definition of Reality, which makes its complex plot difficult to summarize.^[4] The story is primarily based on the assumption that everything flows from human thought, memory, and consciousness.^[5][6] Therefore, events on screen can be considered hallucinations of Lain, of other protagonists, or of Lain fabricating the hallucinations of others.^[6] Story misdirection is central to the plotline;^[7] even the offscreen voices or narrations' information cannot be considered truthful.^[8] The series consists of a cross-reflection of philosophical themes instead of the traditional linear events depiction: episodes are called "layers". Image File history File links Lain-Doorway. ... Image File history File links Lain-Doorway. ... Boxed Set, All four volumes Serial Experiments Lain was created as a multimedia production, including an anime, a video game, a manga, and several artbooks and soundtracks. ... Reality in everyday usage means the state of things as they actually exist. ... In psychology, memory is an organisms ability to store, retain, and subsequently recall information. ... Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and ones environment. ... The philosopher Socrates about to take poison hemlock as ordered by the court. ... Layer may refer to: Look up Layer in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Serial Experiments Lain describes "the Wired" as the sum of human communication 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.^[9] The Wired is a fictional computer network featured in the anime series Serial Experiments Lain which is similar to the internet It also closely resembeles the Matrix from William Gibsons Neuromancer. ... A telecommunications network is a network of telecommunications links arranged so that messages may be passed from one part of the network to another over multiple links. ... Telegraphy (from the Greek words tele = far away and grapho = write) is the long distance transmission of written messages without physical transport of letters, originally over wire. ... This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Look up interface in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Schumann resonance is a set of spectrum peaks in the extremely low frequency (ELF) portion of the Earths electromagnetic field spectrum. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Social constructionism. ...

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 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. Computer programming (often shortened to programming or coding) is the process of writing, testing, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. ... Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and ones environment. ...

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.^[10] The series sees him trying to convince her through interventions, using the promise of unconditional love, charm, fate, and, when all else fails, threats and force. The virtual is a concept applied in many fields with somewhat differing connotations, and also denotations. ... Look up material in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Unconditional Love is Loveing someone and giving them all you have and not expecting anything in return but accepting all that is givin. ... Look up fate, Fates in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A threat is a declaration of intention to inflict punishment or harm on another. ... Coercion is the practice of compelling a person to involuntarily behave in a certain way (whether through action or inaction) by use of threats, intimidation or some other form of pressure or force. ...

In the meantime, the anime follows a complex game of hide-and-seek between the "Knights of the Eastern Calculus", hackers whom 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. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

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.^[11] 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. This article is about the psychological process of introspecting. ...

Characters

Design

Serial Experiments Lain was conceived as a series original to the point of being considered "an enormous risk" by its producer Yasuyuki Ueda.^[19]

Writing

The authors have been asked in interviews if they had been influenced by Neon Genesis Evangelion, in the themes and graphic design.^[20] 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.^[20] Being primarily a horror movies writer, his stated influences are Godard (specially for using typography on screen), The Exorcist, Hell House, and Dan Curtis's House of Dark Shadows.^[20] Alice's name, like the names of her two friends Julie and Reika, came from a previous production from Konaka, Alice in Cyberland. As the series developed, Konaka was "surprised" by how close Alice's character became to the Cyberland character.^[20] Original run October 4, 1995 – March 27, 1996 No. ... Chiaki J. Konaka (小中千昭 Konaka Chiaki) (April 4, 1961 - ) is a Japanese scriptwriter who works predominantly on anime. ... Jean-Luc Godard (photograph by David Horvitz) Jean-Luc Godard (born 3 December 1930 in Paris) is a French filmmaker and one of the most influential members of the Nouvelle Vague, or French New Wave. Born in Paris to Franco-Swiss parents, he was educated in Nyon, later studying at... The Exorcist is an Academy Award-winning 1973 American horror and thriller film, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl, and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her daughter through an Exorcisim conducted... Dan Curtis (born August 12, 1928) is a director and producer of television and film, probably best known for the afternoon TV series Dark Shadows, which originally aired from 1966 to 1971 and has aired in syndication for the last thirty years. ... House of Dark Shadows is a 1970 feature-length horror film by Dan Curtis based on his Dark Shadows television series. ...

Lain's custom computer features holographic displays and liquid carbon cooling.

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 outré concepts in the story":^[21] Screenshot from anime Serial Experiments Lain, for inclusion on Lain or possibly hacker. ... Screenshot from anime Serial Experiments Lain, for inclusion on Lain or possibly hacker. ...

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.^[22] Douglas Rushkoff and his book Cyberia were originally to be cited as such,^[15] and in Lain Cyberia became the name of a nightclub populated with hackers and techno-punk teenagers.^[16] Likewise, the series' Deus ex machina lies in the conjunction of the Schumann resonance and Jung's collective unconscious (the authors chose this term over Kabbalah and Akashic Record).^[23] 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.^[23] 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" ("Think Blue, Count Two" is an Instrumentality of Man story which includes images of human people recorded in organic computers and projected into human minds such that they are capable of interacting with those humans in whose minds they appear as if they were real);^[12] and his saying that "madeleines would be good with the tea" in the last episode makes Lain "one of the only cartoons ever to allude to Proust".^[24][25] Vannevar Bush (March 11, 1890 – June 30, 1974) was an American engineer and science administrator, known for his political role in the development of the atomic bomb, and the idea of the memex—seen as a pioneering concept for the World Wide Web. ... The memex was a theoretical analog computer described by the scientist and engineer Vannevar Bush in the 1945 The Atlantic Monthly article As We May Think. The word was a portmanteau of memory extender. Bush described the device as electronically linked to a library and able to display books and... John Lilly John Cunningham Lilly (January 6, 1915 – September 30, 2001) was an American physician, psychoanalyst and writer. ... For the American baseball player use Tim Leary (baseball player) Timothy Francis Leary, Ph. ... The 8-Circuit Model of Consciousness is a heuristic model of consciousness proposed by Timothy Leary. ... Ted Nelson at OpenTech, London, 2005 Theodor Holm Nelson (born 1937) is an American sociologist, philosopher, and pioneer of information technology. ... Project Xanadu was founded by Ted Nelson in 1960 as the original hypertext project. ... Douglas Rushkoff (born 18 February 1961) is a New York-based writer, columnist and lecturer on technology, media and popular culture. ... Cyberia is a book by Douglas Rushkoff, published in 1994. ... // Deus ex machina describes an unexpected, artificial, or improbable character, device, or event introduced suddenly in a work of fiction or drama to resolve a situation or untangle a plot (e. ... The Schumann resonance is a set of spectrum peaks in the extremely low frequency (ELF) portion of the Earths electromagnetic field spectrum. ... Carl Jungs partially autobiographical work Memories, Dreams, Reflections, Fontana edition Carl Gustav Jung (IPA: ) (July 26, 1875, Kesswil – June 6, 1961, Küsnacht) was a Swiss psychiatrist, influential thinker, and founder of analytical psychology. ... Collective unconscious is a term of analytical psychology originally coined by Carl Jung. ... This article is about traditional Jewish Kabbalah. ... Akasha is a Sanskrit word meaning sky, space or aether. The Akashic Records are therefore said to be a collection of wisdom that is stored in the aether. ... Majestic-12 (sometimes written simply as MJ-12 or MJ-XII) is the codename of a secret committee, supposedly formed in 1952 to investigate UFO activity. ... Roswell Daily Record, July 8, 1947, announcing the capture of a flying saucer. ... It has been suggested that Rediscovery of man be merged into this article or section. ... In the fictional works of Cordwainer Smith, the Instrumentality of Mankind is the central government of the human race. ... The genuine madeleine de Commercy A madeleine or petite madeleine or marret (in few countries)is a traditional sweet from Commercy, a town of the Meuse département in northeastern France. ... “Proust” redirects here. ...

Character design

ABe imagined Lain cutting her own hair and making a ponytail of what was left.^[26]

Yoshitoshi ABe confesses to have never read manga as a child, as it was "off-limits" in his household.^[27] His major influences are "nature and everything around him".^[15] Specifically speaking about Lain's character, ABe was inspired by Kenji Tsuruta, Akihiro Yamada, Range Murata, and Yukinobu Hoshino.^[26] In a broader view, he has been influenced in his style and technique by Japanese artists Chinai-san and Tabuchi-san.^[15] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Yoshitoshi ABe (安倍吉俊, Abe Yoshitoshi) (born 1971) is a Japanese graphic artist who works predominantly in anime and manga. ... Kenji Tsuruta , born May 9, 1961 in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture) is a Japanese mangaka and illustrator. ... Volume 1, Part 2 of Fuyumi Onos Twelve Kingdoms novel series, illustrated by Akihiro Yamada. ... Illustration by Range Murata Renji Range Murata (村田 蓮爾 Murata Renji) is a Japanese artist and designer, known for his unique style combining Art Deco and Japanese anime elements. ... Yukinobu Hoshino (星野 之宣; Hoshino Yukinobu; January 29, 1954 - ) is a Japanese mangaka. ...

The character design of Lain isn’t 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.^[28] It was designed as a mystical symbol, as it is supposed to prevent voices and spirits from being heard by the left ear.^[26] 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.^[20] 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).^[20] When she first goes to the Cyberia night club, she wears a bear hat for similar reasons.^[28] The pajamas were finally considered as possible fan-service by Konaka, in the way they enhance Lain’s nymph aspect.^[20] Character animation is a special aspect of the animation process, in which life is breathed into an artificial character. ... // This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of female nature entities, either bound to a particular location or landform or joining the retinue of a god or goddess. ...

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.^[29]

Themes

Serial Experiments Lain is not a conventionally linear story, but "an alternative anime, with modern themes and realization".^[30] 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.
Communication, in its wider sense, is one of the main themes of the series,^[31] 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 existential self: the relationship between self and the world".^[22] The intrusion of technology in the social structure is part of the process described:^[16] 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".^[16]
Loneliness, if only as representing a lack of communication, is recurrent through Lain.^[6] 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".^[7] Friendships turn on the first rumor;^[32][6] and the only insert song of the series is named Kodoku no shigunaru, literally "signal of loneliness".^[33]
Communication is a process that allows people to exchange information by one of several methods. ... Cover of Sartres book Nausea Existentialism is a philosophical movement that claims that individual human beings have full responsibility for creating the meanings of their own lives. ... Loneliness is an emotional state in which a person experiences a powerful feeling of emptiness and isolation. ...

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:^[29] She is constantly confronted with alter-egos, to the point where writer Chiaki Konaka and Lain's seiyuu Kaori Shimizu had to agree on subdividing the character's dialogues between three different orthographs.^[29] 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.^[20] As a writing convention, the authors spelled their respective names in kanji, katakana, and roman characters (see picture).^[34]
Reality never has the pretense of objectivity in Lain.^[35] 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.^[6] A key debate to all interpretations of the series is to decide whether matter flows from thought, or the opposite.^[36][6] 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.^[35]
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.^[37] From self-realization as a goddess to deicide,^[25] religion (the title of a layer) is an inherent part of Lain 's background.^[37] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A mental illness or mental disorder refers to one of many mental health conditions characterized by distress, impaired cognitive functioning, atypical behavior, emotional dysregulation, and/or maladaptive behavior. ... Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is defined in the DSM-IV-TR as a condition where a single individual evidences two or more distinct identities or personalities, each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment. ... The orthography of a language specifies the correct way of writing in that language. ... Japanese writing Kanji Kana Hiragana Katakana Hentaigana Manyōgana Uses Furigana Okurigana Rōmaji   ) are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with hiragana (平仮名), katakana (片仮名), and the Arabic numerals. ... Katakana ) is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji, and in some cases the Latin alphabet. ... Japanese writing Kanji Kana Hiragana Katakana Hentaigana Manyōgana Uses Furigana Okurigana Rōmaji The romanization of Japanese is the use of the Latin alphabet (called rōmaji )   in Japanese) to write the Japanese language, which is normally written in logographic characters borrowed from Chinese (kanji) and syllabic scripts... Reality in everyday usage means the state of things as they actually exist. ... At Wikiversity you can learn more and teach others about Theology at: The School of Theology Theology finds its scholars pursuing the understanding of and providing reasoned discourse of religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Apple computers

Layer 11: INFORNOGRAPHY features the Apple advertising slogan and an iMac.

Lain contains extensive references to Apple computers, as the brand was used at the time by most of the creative staff, such as writers, producers, and the graphical team.^[20] 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 PDAs. The NAVIs are seen to run "Copland OS Enterprise" (reference to Copland; it was a decision of Konaka, a declared Apple fan),^[20] and Alice's NAVI closely resembles the iMac computer. Image File history File links LainThinkDifferent. ... Image File history File links LainThinkDifferent. ... Infornography (see infornography) is episode 11 of the Serial Experiments Lain TV series originally aired 14 September 1998. ... Apple Inc. ... The correct title of this article is . ... Apple Inc. ... Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. ... PlainTalk is the collective name for several speech synthesis (MacInTalk) and speech recognition technologies, developed by Apple Computer. ... Knowledge Navigator 1987 mockup. ... // Bold textBold textItalic text It has been suggested that Apple Newton Software be merged into this article or section. ... Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are handheld computers that were originally designed as personal organizers, but became much more versatile over the years. ... Copland was a project at Apple Computer to create an updated version of the Macintosh operating system. ... Chiaki J. Konaka (小中千昭 Konaka Chiaki) (April 4, 1961 - ) is a Japanese scriptwriter who works predominantly on anime. ...

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.^[38] This was an unconcerted insertion from the graphic team, also Mac-enthusiasts.^[20] Other subtle allusions can be found: "Close the world, Open the nExt" is the slogan for the 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.^[39] Several different Think Different posters. ... The Serial Experiments Lain video game was released for PlayStation on November 26, 1998 by Pioneer LDC, and was never classified into a particular genre. ... Look up Next in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... NEXTSTEP is the original object-oriented, multitasking operating system that NeXT Computer, Inc. ... Mac OS X (official IPA pronunciation: ) is a line of proprietary, graphical operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. ... Be, Incorporated was the company that developed the BeOS operating system and BeBox computer. ...

Reception

Lain was first broadcast in Tokyo at 1:15 a.m. JST. The word "weird" appears almost systematically in English language reviews of the series,^[8][7][40] or the alternatives "bizarre",^[41] and "atypical",^[42] 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 the 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.^[43] According to Christian Nutt from 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."^[44] Anime Jump gave it 4.5/5,^[7] 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.^[40]   , literally Eastern capital) is a unique subnational administrative region of Japan with characteristics of both a prefecture and a city. ... An Imperial Ordinance issued on December 27, Meiji 28 (1895) Japan Standard Time (日本標準時 or 中央標準時) is the standard timezone in Japan that is 9 hours ahead of UTC; i. ... Cover of Newtype USA Magazine (November 2003 issue) Newtype is a popular monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime and manga (and to a lesser extent, tokusatsu, Japanese science fiction and video games). ...

Lain's neighborhood. The "blood pools" represent the Wired's presence "beneath the surface" of reality.^[15]

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".^[45] 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 existantial" anime that "pushed the enveloppe" (sic) of anime diversity in the 1990s, alongside the much better known Neon Genesis Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop.^[46] 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.^[47] 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 Japanese culture.^[16] Image File history File links Serial_Experiments_Lain_(TV)_Screenshot_01. ... Image File history File links Serial_Experiments_Lain_(TV)_Screenshot_01. ... Original run October 4, 1995 – March 27, 1996 No. ... Original run April 3, 1998 – April 23, 1999 No. ... Motoko Kusanagi from the manga Ghost in the Shell. ... Hayao Miyazaki ) (Born January 5, 1941 in Tokyo, Japan) is a director of animated films and a co-founder of the animation studio and production company Studio Ghibli. ... Spirited Away, originally known in Japan as Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi ), is an Academy Award winning 2001 film by the Japanese anime studio Studio Ghibli, written and directed by famed animator Hayao Miyazaki. ... The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over the years, from the countrys original Jomon culture to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America. ...

Producer Ueda had to answer repeated queries about a statement made in an Animerica interview.^[15][48][26] The controversial statement said Lain was "a sort of cultural war against American culture and the American sense of values we [Japan] adopted after World War II".^[23] 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.^[48] Animerica is one of the original magazines reviewing anime and manga in North America. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Publications and other media

Main article: 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."^[22] 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.^[22] Several soundtrack CDs have been released. Boxed Set, All four volumes Serial Experiments Lain was created as a multimedia production, including an anime, a video game, a manga, and several artbooks and soundtracks. ... Yasuyuki Ueda (given name in kanji: 耕行) is a Japanese man who has been heavily involved in the production of major anime series such as Serial Experiments Lain (as a producer and story writer). ... Dōjinshi (; also romanized as doujinshi) are self-published Japanese works, including but not limited to comic books (manga), novels, fan guides, art collections, and games. ...

See also

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Serial Experiments Lain

• Serial Experiments Lain PlayStation game
• Brain-computer interface
• Boogiepop Phantom
• Simulated reality

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ... The Serial Experiments Lain video game was released for PlayStation on November 26, 1998 by Pioneer LDC, and was never classified into a particular genre. ... // A brain-computer interface (BCI), sometimes called a direct neural interface or a brain-machine interface, is a direct communication pathway between a human or animal brain (or brain cell culture) and an external device. ... Boogiepop Phantom is based on the Boogiepop series of books by Kouhei Kadono, which have also been adapted into the live action film Boogiepop and Others. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ...

Notes and references

This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... May 4 is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... October 11 is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Ego is episode 13 of the Serial Experiments Lain TV series originally aired 28 September 1998. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... November 24 is the 328th day (329th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... Protocol is episode 9 of the Serial Experiments Lain TV series originally aired 31 August 1998. ... Landscape is episode 12 of the Serial Experiments Lain TV series originally aired 21 September 1998. ... Love is episode 10 of the Serial Experiments Lain TV series originally aired 7 September 1998. ... Ego is episode 13 of the Serial Experiments Lain TV series originally aired 28 September 1998. ... Weird is the first episode of the Serial Experiments Lain TV series originally aired 6 July 1998. ... Psyche is the third episode of the Serial Experiments Lain TV series originally aired 20 July 1998. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 1 day remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... Animerica is one of the original magazines reviewing anime and manga in North America. ... Animerica is one of the original magazines reviewing anime and manga in North America. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... October 11 is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... November 24 is the 328th day (329th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Rumors is episode 8 of the Serial Experiments Lain TV series originally aired 24 August 1998. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Kids is episode 6 of the Serial Experiments Lain TV series originally aired 10 August 1998. ... The logo of Internet Archive Internet Archive headquarters The Internet Archive (IA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining an on-line library and archive of Web and multimedia resources. ... Infornography is episode 11 of the Serial Experiments Lain TV series originally aired 14 September 1998. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... Cover of Newtype USA Magazine (November 2003 issue) Newtype is a popular monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime and manga (and to a lesser extent, tokusatsu, Japanese science fiction and video games). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 26 is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

This article contains Japanese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of kanji or kana.

• Serial Experiments Lain official website (Japanese)
• Serial Experiments: Lain at the Internet Movie Database
• Serial Experiments Lain (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Serial Experiments Lain on AnimeNFO
• Serial Experiments Lain: Information at the Open Directory Project