Serial Experiments Lain – 3 [Psyche] – Throwback Thursday

Starting off, let me apologize for the lateness of this weeks Lain post. I tend to try and digest an episode before writing, and Lain makes that… difficult. As this week we get into the human psyche, the line between reality and the Wired blurs and Lain becomes multiple people. Lets hop right in!

Starting off, this week was weird. Like, really weird, but also very interesting. I loved the use of consistent imagery, connecting different events of the show. For instance the red dots in the car window, mimicking the red dot of the gun last episode. Building upon Lain’s trauma with it. The empty house which Lain comes home to, apparently each night, and how Lain mills about like this isn’t anything new. Really nailing home how alone and disconnected from everyone she is. Idling away her hours on the computer. I actually stopped Lain for a second and looked around my apartment, realizing I had been doing the exact same thing. Its a really weird feeling to get from a show made in ’98. Even the name of the chip Lain gets this week is filled with connotations. So much so I probably missed most of them. It’s ridiculously layered.

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Serial Experiments Lain – 2 [Girls] – Throwback Thursday

Welcome to week 2 of Serial Experiments Lain, or as I like to call it, Screw With Lenlo. This week 4 friends walk into a club with drugs and a gun. Sounds like a good time, so let’s jump in!

Starting off, I really need to remember when Lain was made. I got half-way through this episode critiquing its “animation saving” cuts, before I realized Lain was made in 98. Granted this isn’t a get out of jail free card, Cowboy Bebop was also made in 98. But it did renew my appreciation for cell-animation. It’s a very different aesthetic from digital, much… not rougher but maybe rustic? Regardless, as limited as it is I watched this coming off of One Punch Man Season 2 and whew. Lain is drastically more engaging. There is much less motion on screen, and yet the framing and direction make it visually interesting. Whether it be framing a man’s face through a doorway or some almost hallucinogenic sequence, Lain drew me in. Considering I still understood almost nothing of this story and was still engaged, I would call that a job well done.

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Serial Experiments Lain – 1 [Weird] – Throwback Thursday

Welcome one and all to another season of Throwback Thursday! I see you all really wanna screw with my mind, cause this time its Serial Experiments Lain! You can find it, legally, for free on Youtube posted by Funimation. Feel free to follow along. Now let’s jump in!

First, like always, production. Whew, Lain is weird. Like, I thought Paranoia Agent was weird, but Lain one ups it. Stark white backgrounds in contrast with shadows, blowing out all the scenes. It kind of reminds me of Steins;Gate’s first episode, and the heat haze. Setting up this “wrong” feeling for the rest of the season, telling you right out the gate that this series is going to be… weird. The sound design is also fantastic, really setting the discomfort throughout the episode. Cutting in and out with our lead, Lain’s, attention. Not only do I think this is very interesting from a direction standpoint, but the actual sounds themselves were well done. For example, during the dinner with her family, the sound effects on the glass and tableware was great. As was the train or classroom. However, Lain doesn’t stop the weirdness here, no. It’s just getting started.

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