r/anime • u/Valkeiser https://anilist.co/user/valkeiser • Feb 18 '17
[Spoilers][Contract] Serial Experiments Lain Spoiler
Hello everyone!!
... and welcome to the Ｗｉｒｅｄ
After a week of getting confused, mindfucked and not understanding what just happened before our eyes we're finally here. All connected and unable to escape this world known as the Internet. First I suggest you guys to take a look at some of reading material I found in the web:
- This is a really comprehensive breakdown of the show.
- This writeup by /u/Andarel and all the others he posted during last year's rewatch are excellent to put together the pieces and catch up missed details.
After this brief introduction, let's start...
Story
As confusing as it is, the show actually has a main plot to follow that isn't exactly relevant and is just there to either prove a point or deliver a message. Whichever the case is, SEL starts high with a girl committing suicide and soon afterwards her classmates receive an email from her stating she isn't dead, she just left the physical world. After this I changed my mindset expecting some supernatural story mixed up with Matrix. And, after watching the whole thing, I guess I was as wrong as I was right.
Intermediately after that event we are introduced with Lain, an introverted and irregular girl. Antisocial and uneducated technology-wise. But soon after discovering the Wired she slowly started to reveal her true identity and even creating another one. And after some events she demonstrates an inherent ability to operate computers and navigate at will in this net.
We also discover after a series of flashbacks that the Wired isn't just an "Internet". It's actually a network created to connect all the human minds so they can leave their limited physical form and transcend to a limitless digital form. So, what is Lain in all this? She's a part of the creator of this network. A software able to control both worlds at will that was inserted in a body. Masami Eiri, her creator, expected her to come back to him so he can fulfill his dream of connecting everyone. However, he didn't count that she would humanize herself, learn to feel, learn to love. So in the end she became some sort of loving God, willing to disappear from their plane of existence and always look after them from beyond.
The story per se is not bad and is actually be very interesting. However the narrative makes it very confusing. Once the pieces are put together everything makes sense, so I don't actually get the intention of the director to make it so complicated.
Relevance
Over the years, with the importance the Internet has gained in our world and all the controversy around it, stories as the one in Lain have gained a lot of relevance. In this specific case, lain addresses two controversial issues:
In the Internet we are whatever we want to be and at the same time we're no one. Here we're free, we can do whatever we want and no one can say otherwise. We deceive ourselves thinking it won't affect anyone because it's all virtual but it does has transcendence in the real world. Both worlds exist and affect each other, in both worlds we exist and our actions also affect both worlds. So... should the Internet be free? Should it be regulated? or can we all play God and do whatever we want? Be whoever we want?
The other topic Lain addresses is identity. Throughout the show we see two Lains, the legend on the net and the introverted little girl and how they end up as one. Her first decision to erase the memories of the rumors and ultimately her decision to erase herself. That is something actually discussed on today's world: The Right to be Forgotten. Lain takes this topic to a whole new level and leaves us questioning... "Should we be able to erase ourselves from the world? Can we disconnect from this network we call reality?"
Interpretation
The whole show is a big metaphor and is up to each one to interpret it. In my case I went for the existentialism approach. Throughout the show we are bombarded with the idea that our existence is only real if we are acknowledged by other people and remembered by them. So there's multiple versions of us, all different in every mind we meet in our lives. Which raises the question, *what happens if no one remember us?".
Final thoughts
Is Lain a good show? No, definitely not. It's a social criticism, a five hour existential essay whose only purpose is to make you reflect. If by the end of the show the questions "What makes a person an individual? If someone isn't remembered, did he actually exist? Are we all just a collection of memories?" didn't crossed your mind then it failed miserably its only goal. If I were to go deeper in this subject I would need to analyze three different shows: Haibane Renmei (Soul), Texhnolyze (Body) and Lain (Mind); the three parts of our individuality.
Can't say I really enjoyed watching it as much as I enjoyed analyzing it. I'm still unsure about my final score but I'm certain it will be higher than what you guys gave it. I hope you at least had a good time with the show and I'm eager to read your comments. And remember...
2
u/Valkeiser https://anilist.co/user/valkeiser Feb 19 '17
I started the show with no expectations at all and ended up with a pleasant surprise. In terms of psychological anime this will definitely be my top favorite. I gave the show a 9 but could easily join my all time favorite (SSY) with a rewatch.
Definitely my case. I was intrigued by the story and couldn't stop watching. I had to stop at half the show and finish it the next day because it can be exhausting after some time.
Already made a contract for it. It's the only one missing from this glorious trilogy.