This has mild spoilers by the way. Just letting those who read have a heads up!

Serial Experiments: Lain, similarly to Ghost in the Shell, explores the concept of memory and the implications of mating it with technology. In Ghost in the Shell this manifests in questions of self-hood and truth/deceit, but Lain takes it a step farther and applies it to spirituality and existence. The presentation is also drastically different and somewhat psychedelic, emphasizing the fickle nature of reality and the sensory information pertaining to it. The unique presentation also represents the uniqueness of the main character as well as her isolation from the rest of society. The plot does not become comprehensible until the conclusion of the series. Up until that point, it basically seems like an acid trip infused with conspiracy theories.

The first episode presents one of Lain's classmates who commits suicide in order to transfer her consciousness into The Wired. This provides a release from "the cumbersome limitations of physical existence" and allows her soul to transcend to a higher plane. The Wired, at this point, has become a highly advanced entity which, in addition to enticing physical creatures into its domain, can even interact with the physical world in various capacities. The extent of these capacities and the nature of their relationship is confidential government information and is seemingly controlled by the state. Eventually, human error accompanied with greed and vanity causes humanity to ultimately lose control of the technology. The result is a chaotic war over supremacy of reality/existence which results in a somewhat unsettling and mysterious conclusion.

The series follows Lain's perspective as she learns more about the world she lives in, her past, and her relationship with The Wired. Lain quickly begins to realize that she is not an ordinary girl and must battle with her feelings of uniqueness and uncertainty. When confronted with a choice, Lain decides to leap into the unknown and deal with whatever truth she finds.

In its conclusion, similarly to Akira, Serial Experiments: Lain addresses spirituality by beckoning the question of God and creation. It does so through demonstrating mankind's ability to both create and fabricate as well as to destroy and alter. Serial Experiments: Lain offers a fun psychedelic trip for the more groovy viewers while also offering an intricate and meaningful plot for the more analytic.

Serial Experiments Lain is an amazing anime from the late 90's with some truly mind bending sci-fi themes. It's about a girl who receives a mysterious message and begins going on the Wired, which is somewhat an equivalent of the net. The fundamental story is about technology and the blurring of the borders between the real and online worlds. It explores exercises in surreal existentialism and abstract deconstructions of identity and consciousness. There are numerous questions posed in the series, and even the answers are very open to interpretation. For a show made in the 90's, this anime was truly ahead of it's time and the topic matter is still very relevent with the progress in technology with such things such as AI.

if you like anime where there multiple layers of meaning to stretch your imagination. Then enter the wired.

take a trip through the concepts of communication, identity, reality and the fear of death. death may be the wrong word here as it is more the concept of death and what that entails. The loss of ones self from the tangible(material and physical) to the intangible (abstract). why do we put so much worth to our memories of the past when it all disapears in the end.

This is not an anime for everyone Haibane Renmei is a much better starting point but it is one of those everyone should attempt sometime in their life. it might be a long time before you can sit an enjoy the more mature themes in it.

I don't own too many physical copies of the anime i have watched, this series is one of the ones i do

...and finds out she IS the woods.

This anime's primary scenario is rooted in apprehension, fear, and despair covered up by mundane, comforting details of streets and houses, schools and old surroundings. But the dead talk to the living, the virtual and real exchange places, and home is a strange and hostile place that seems routine.

Lain, one of anime's great protagonists, wanders streets filled with strange abysses and shadows. Electrical wires talk to her. And slowly but surely, she is drawn into a world to which she belongs, to which she is essential, but which no one would ever want to know.

Others have described the film in all sorts of ways, but what never ceases to haunt me, after several viewings, is Lain herself, whose paradoxical belonging to humanity parallels the cold-blooded, networked reality that runs counter to her gentleness, compassion, and insight.

Alongside the films of Satoshi Kon, this is my favorite anime. It tells us a lot, maybe too much, about the predicament we have collectively created for ourselves, and offers great hope achieved at great sacrifice.

This anime, from 1998, rivals many new and old anime in terms of uniqueness. The artwork and animation is very unconventional and bizarre at times but ultimately very enjoyable.
The story is very original and sci-fi covering topics such as spirituality, technology & psychology through an alternate version of the internet called The Wired and the main character Lain. The anime's plot is very deep and frankly hard to explain.
Serial Experiments: Lain is a very trippy anime and is difficult to truly understand as it is a genuine work of art. As with most art, people will interpret it differently upon various levels. This anime may just change your perception & perspective of some things.
If you want to watch at least one truly special anime then watch Serial Experiments: Lain!

Overall I loved this anime and would recommend it to anyone, either a hard-core cyberpunk fan or not. It was a masterpiece.

The story was simple while remaining complex and full of content, never a bland minute while also not feeling rushed to the punch. It never had one spot in the story I didn't love.

The Art style was amazing and had an amazing 90's cyberpunk feel to it. This will remain my favorite cyberpunk anime and show, as it is unique in style while also very stereotypical in content, leading to some amazing art choice.

The sound very much complimented the surrounding piece. Nothing bad, But actually pretty good.

Lain is an amazing character and is very dynamic and flexible. Every character feels natural while not feeling too lose. I love it.
I enjoyed the shit out of myself watching this show, sayonara baby.