Serial Experiments Lain - Boxed Set (Signature Series)
from Geneon [Pioneer]
Disturbing, perplexing, sometimes infuriating, Ryutaro Nakamura's serial experiments lain covers some of the same themes as The X-Files and the films of David Lynch. When introverted 13-year-old Lain receives an e-mail from a dead classmate, she gains access to "the Wired," a virtual world that promises unlimited power to those who can exploit it. Gradually the borders between the real and the virtual blur, and Lain's own identity begins to fade and fragment. Her parents tell her that she is not really their child, her online self grows in power and independence, and shadowy organizations pursue her in both worlds. Finally she begins to realize that she is either reality's only hope, or its worst enemy.
Nakamura keeps the pace of serial experiments lain deliberately slow, imbuing the early episodes with a sense of mounting dread that pays off as the plot develops. The anime technique of panning across static images creates a meditative stillness that works perfectly, and the repetition of certain key images gives them a dreamlike significance. Viewers will either love or hate the complex plot, which seems intent on incorporating every possible paranoid conspiracy, from sinister nanotechnology to alien plots. However--unlike many other anime--it somehow hangs together, and frankly not understanding everything is part of the pleasure of this kind of story. Fans of action-heavy anime and people who like every loose end tied up should steer clear, but those who surrender themselves to the slowly unfolding mysteries of the plot will be amply rewarded. --Simon Leake
We're all Connected. The world around us, made of people, tactile sensation, and culture has begun to blur with the wired world inside the computer, of images, personalities, virtual experiences. The day after a classmate commits suicide, Lain, a thirteen year-old girl, discovers how closely the two worlds are linked when she receives an e-mail from the dead girl: "I just abandoned my body. I still live here..."
Serial Experiments Lain - Boxed Set
by Ryutaro Nakamura
from Geneon [Pioneer]
Disturbing, perplexing, sometimes infuriating, Ryutaro Nakamura's serial experiments lain covers some of the same themes as The X-Files and the films of David Lynch. When introverted 13-year-old Lain receives an e-mail from a dead classmate, she gains access to "the Wired," a virtual world that promises unlimited power to those who can exploit it. Gradually the borders between the real and the virtual blur, and Lain's own identity begins to fade and fragment. Her parents tell her that she is not really their child, her online self grows in power and independence, and shadowy organizations pursue her in both worlds. Finally she begins to realize that she is either reality's only hope, or its worst enemy.
Nakamura keeps the pace of serial experiments lain deliberately slow, imbuing the early episodes with a sense of mounting dread that pays off as the plot develops. The anime technique of panning across static images creates a meditative stillness that works perfectly, and the repetition of certain key images gives them a dreamlike significance. Viewers will either love or hate the complex plot, which seems intent on incorporating every possible paranoid conspiracy, from sinister nanotechnology to alien plots. However--unlike many other anime--it somehow hangs together, and frankly not understanding everything is part of the pleasure of this kind of story. Fans of action-heavy anime and people who like every loose end tied up should steer clear, but those who surrender themselves to the slowly unfolding mysteries of the plot will be amply rewarded. --Simon Leake
We're all connected... The world around us, made of people, tactile sensation, and culture has begun to blur with the wired world inside the computer, of images, personalities, virtual experiences. The day after a classmate commits suicide, Lain, a 13 year-old girl, discovers how closely the two worlds are linked when she receives an email from the dead girl: "I just abandoned my body. I still live here..." All 13 episodes of this amazing series collected in a special boxed set featuring original art from Yoshitoshi Abe (character designer)!
Serial Experiments - Lain: Knights (Layers 5-7)
from Geneon [Pioneer]
As Lain's story continues to unfold, she--and the viewer--becomes increasingly unsure of what is real and what exists in the cyber-realm of The Wired. The cyber-Lain grows bolder and more unpleasant, spying on her friends and spreading rumors, while her real-world counterpart seems to be fading out of existence. Does she need a body any longer? Does she still possess one? Her father departs, announcing that her family has never been anything but a group of actors. The Knights, who seemed omnipotent within The Wired, lose a critical power struggle: its members are executed by agents of Tachibana Laboratory. Lain greets these revelations and questions with her usual fixed stare and little indrawn breaths. Chiaki Konaka clutters his already fragmented screenplay with references to alien contacts and some odd theology. Lain debates the nature of God and free will with the Masami Eiri, who researched the idea that human minds are linked like electronic circuits on a subliminal level--before he was found murdered. Director Ryutaro Nakamura doggedly reuses the same close-ups of Lain's eyes, the shots of power wires, the simple computer graphics, etc. Viewers will love or hate Lain; no one will watch it with indifference. Rated 16 and up for violence, implied sexual situations, and an abstruse story line. --Charles Solomon
Who are you really?" lain delves deeper into the Wired World, and is confronted by the men in dark suits. They know something about the Knights and the rash of kids who seem to be committing suicide, yet they ask lain "Are those people who you live with really your parents?" and "Are you lain of the Wired?"
Serial Experiments - Lain: Navi (Layers 1-4)
by Ryutaro Nakamura
from Geneon [Pioneer]
In serial experiments lain, things get very weird very quickly, and they stay that way. A schoolgirl commits suicide, but several days later her classmates receive e-mail from the dead girl. One--an introverted 13-year-old called Lain--replies, and her correspondent claims not to be dead, but to have passed into the "wired world." Eventually, Lain must join her. What follows is a story that combines virtual-reality, nanotechnology, a host of other science fiction concepts, and a healthy dose of postmodern paranoia. It would be unfair to reveal much more about the plot, but the phrase "nothing is what it seems" applies to just about everything in this compelling anime.
The beauty of serial experiments lain is the deliberate pace at which the story unfolds. Director Ryutaro Nakamura eschews the hyperkinetic style of many anime, allowing the plot to develop in slow motion and making every single image count. The first episode (a total of four are included) is a masterpiece of shifting moods and slowly building tension. Every detail--from the strange blotchy shadows to the ever-present hum of power lines to the slow tracking shots across the dazed face of Lain herself--helps create an atmosphere of unease, and as the truth is gradually revealed, that unease is amply justified. The art direction is superb, mixing computer graphics with traditional animation and making frequent use of high-contrast images that set deep shadows against a blinding white sky. The first four episodes of serial experiments lain combine the millennial dread of Neon Genesis Evangelion with the subtle menace of The X-Files to create a uniquely disturbing beginning to an imaginative and intelligent story. Stay tuned. --Simon Leake
We're all Connected... There is the world around us, a world of people, tactile sensation, and culture. There is the wired world, inside the computer, of images, personalities, virtual experiences, and a culture all of its own. The day after a classmate commits suicide, lain, a thirteen year-old girl, discovers how closely the two worlds are linked when she receives an e-mail from the dead girl: "I just abandoned my body. I still live here..." Has the line between the real world and the wired world begun to blur?
Serial Experiments Lain: Deus
from Geneon [Pioneer]
lain - Reset (Vol. 4) (Geneon Signature Series)
from Geneon [Pioneer]
"I'll delete myself and reset everyone's memory." Who am I? The question is asked over and over again throughout the noise. Lain destroys her own creator and loses her best friend, now Lain must decide what to do - should she delete herself from everyone's memory! If she does, the real world should remain exactly the same, but if no one remembers her, did Lain ever really exist? layer 11: INFORNOGRAPHY layer 12: LANDSCAPE layer 13: EGO
Serial Experiments - Lain: Deus (Layers 8-10)
from Geneon [Pioneer]
As Lain's story continues to unfold, she--and the viewer--become increasingly unsure of what is real and what exists in the cyberrealm of the Wired. The cyber-Lain grows bolder and more unpleasant, spying on her friends and spreading rumors, while her real-world counterpart seems to be fading out of existence. Does she need a body any longer? Does she still possess one? Her father departs, announcing that her family has never been anything but a group of actors. The Knights, who seemed omnipotent within the Wired, lose a critical power struggle: its members are executed by agents of Tachibana Laboratory. Lain greets these revelations and questions with her usual fixed stare and little indrawn breaths. Chiaki Konaka clutters his already-fragmented screenplay with references to alien contacts and some odd theology. Lain debates the nature of God and free will with the Masami Eiri, who researched the idea that human minds are linked like electronic circuits on a subliminal level--before he was found murdered. Director Ryutaro Nakamura doggedly re-uses the same close-ups of Lain's eyes, the shots of power wires, the simple computer graphics, etc. Viewers will love or hate Lain; no one will watch it with indifference. (Ages 16 and older due to violence, implied sexual situations, and an abstruse story line) --Charles Solomon
I am God in the wired... I created you, lain. There are rumors that lain is stealing people's secrets and spreading them in the wired. Her friends, including Arisu, start to leave lain. Lain finds that her "other" self in the Wired is the one revealing these secrets. "Which is the real me!?" Even her parents leave lain, telling her that they were not her real parents. Lonely lain then encounters Masami Eiri, who calls himself "God" in the wired... layer 08: Rumors layer 09: Protocol layer 10: Love
Serial Experiments Lain - Navi (Layers 1-4) (Geneon Signature Series)
by Ryutaro Nakamura
from Geneon [Pioneer]
In serial experiments lain, things get very weird very quickly, and they stay that way. A schoolgirl commits suicide, but several days later her classmates receive e-mail from the dead girl. One--an introverted 13-year-old called Lain--replies, and her correspondent claims not to be dead, but to have passed into the "wired world." Eventually, Lain must join her. What follows is a story that combines virtual-reality, nanotechnology, a host of other science fiction concepts, and a healthy dose of postmodern paranoia. It would be unfair to reveal much more about the plot, but the phrase "nothing is what it seems" applies to just about everything in this compelling anime.
The beauty of serial experiments lain is the deliberate pace at which the story unfolds. Director Ryutaro Nakamura eschews the hyperkinetic style of many anime, allowing the plot to develop in slow motion and making every single image count. The first episode (a total of four are included) is a masterpiece of shifting moods and slowly building tension. Every detail--from the strange blotchy shadows to the ever-present hum of power lines to the slow tracking shots across the dazed face of Lain herself--helps create an atmosphere of unease, and as the truth is gradually revealed, that unease is amply justified. The art direction is superb, mixing computer graphics with traditional animation and making frequent use of high-contrast images that set deep shadows against a blinding white sky. The first four episodes of serial experiments lain combine the millennial dread of Neon Genesis Evangelion with the subtle menace of The X-Files to create a uniquely disturbing beginning to an imaginative and intelligent story. Stay tuned. --Simon Leake
Serial Experiments - Lain: Knights (Layers 5-7) (Genoen Signature Series)
from Geneon [Pioneer]
As Lain's story continues to unfold, she--and the viewer--becomes increasingly unsure of what is real and what exists in the cyber-realm of The Wired. The cyber-Lain grows bolder and more unpleasant, spying on her friends and spreading rumors, while her real-world counterpart seems to be fading out of existence. Does she need a body any longer? Does she still possess one? Her father departs, announcing that her family has never been anything but a group of actors. The Knights, who seemed omnipotent within The Wired, lose a critical power struggle: its members are executed by agents of Tachibana Laboratory. Lain greets these revelations and questions with her usual fixed stare and little indrawn breaths. Chiaki Konaka clutters his already fragmented screenplay with references to alien contacts and some odd theology. Lain debates the nature of God and free will with the Masami Eiri, who researched the idea that human minds are linked like electronic circuits on a subliminal level--before he was found murdered. Director Ryutaro Nakamura doggedly reuses the same close-ups of Lain's eyes, the shots of power wires, the simple computer graphics, etc. Viewers will love or hate Lain; no one will watch it with indifference. Rated 16 and up for violence, implied sexual situations, and an abstruse story line. --Charles Solomon
Serial Experiments - Lain: Reset (Layers 11-13)
by Ryutaro Nakamura
from Geneon [Pioneer]
"I'll delete myself and reset everyone's memory." Who am I? The question is asked over and over again throughout the noise. Lain destroys her own creator and loses her best friend, now Lain must decide what to do - should she delete herself from everyone's memory! If she does, the real world should remain exactly the same, but if no one remembers her, did Lain ever really exist? layer 11: INFORNOGRAPHY layer 12: LANDSCAPE layer 13: EGO
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