Serial Experiments Lain

Boogiepop Phantom is another weird and trippy series. The story isn't as linearly defined and it touches on interesting psychological situations, just like in Lain.

Want a dark and moody series after seeing Lain? Then watch Boogiepop Phantom. This series is probably even more of a "screw with your head" type show than Lain was, and is fairly similar in themes, drama, and other aspects overall.

As with Lain, Boogipop Phantom will confuse you at first, but watch it again and you will begin to love it for that reason. These two anime have been delicately designed to mess with your brain functions.

Both Lain and Boogiepop are about mystery and the mysteries of the world itself to the point when you can start questioning your own sanity. Both are dark and depressing as well. If you liked Lain you will probably also like Boogiepop Phantom.

In both series, the atmosphere, complexity of the characters' psychology and nonexistent plot all contribute to a disturbing mental trip questioning the things we know, the people we think we know, and the supernatural.

If you haven't had enough brain damage caused yet by watching either Lain or Boogiepop, I suggest you check out the other. Both throw around plot twists and try to confuse you as much as possible. The pieces of the puzzle only get put together at the very end, but by then you'll have lost even the pieces themselves!

Lain and Boogiepop Phantom are soul mates; they deliver highly convoluted stories with intricate plots that are presented in a non-linear way, which allows for some extremely disorientating moments. The mood of both is very dark and menacing; virtually all scenes are charged with nervous tension. Lain is more coherently philosophical while BP is somewhat disjointed but they share the same spirit of subversive violence, enthralling confusion and constant questioning.

Boogiepop Phantom and Serial Experiments Lain share a load of things. To begin with, both are quite psychotic and confusing, introduce a large number of characters and have many similarities in plot. Its hard to explain what exactly makes those two shows so similar, but you can feel it from the very first episode. So if you can stand mindf***ing anime and even like them, those are perfect titles for you.

Both Serial Experiments Lain and Boogiepop Phantom have underlying themes that usually require a lot of thought to decipher. Even the animation style of both are similiar.

If you are into crazy mind numbing cyberpunk type shows this is a great show to watch as well!

These two series have a lot in common. Whether it's the overtone, the soundtrack, the voice actors, the focus on visuals, the gritty story, the exestential questions, the style, the characters, etc. If you liked one of these shows you are sure to like the other.

Boogiepop Phantom is a tad slower pased but the story is relatively easy to follow thanks to the scene notes. They also take the time out every few episodes to explain connections between characters so you aren't wandering away for too long. Lain is slow but they keep each episode interesting enough so you are focused, but it doesn't really help explain things till the end.

Both shows will severely screw with your mind. The  pacing, darkness and complexity of Boogiepop is very similar to Serial Experiments Lain. Also, every person can draw a different conclusion out of both shows, the experience is completely up to the individual. If you liked either, don't miss out on the other! Disclaimer for both series: Do not marathon these shows! It will most likely ruin the experience for you (as boogiepop did for me the first time around).

Want something that is dark, twisted, and makes you go wtf? Look no further than these two anime. Both have plenty of mystery and questions about them. Both have a very similar feel art wise and story wise. Boogiepop deals with supernatural beings where Lain take on the computer/technology side of things. I highly suggest checking out one if you liked the other.

Lain and Boogiepop are similar in their dark sprawling interconnected storylines.  But Lain is about technology and Boogiepop is more about philosophical madness and blood smeared life legends.  Oh and they have a super hero instead of a god.

Both skrew with your mind and have a dark side to them. even at the end you will be wondering what the heck happened. it took me a few watches with both  to be able to understand what was going on.

While having a very different plot they both can be very difficult to understand at times and the two of them are psychological animes with a very dark atmosphere throughout the whole series.

If you enjoyed either of these two you should certainly watch the other.

A muted color palette, a technophobic approach and several mindfuckish qualities that cooperate to make your thoughts disort into complete chaos. Serial Experiments: Lain and Boogiepop Phantom are like two siblings with plenty of similarities. The most enjoyable shared virtue is probably the Cyberpunk visual approach.

Both Ergo Proxy and Lain question the use, ethics and reality of physical and synthetic existences. Both have a moody atmosphere and very confusing plot. When is artificial intelligence no longer artificial?

Serial Experiments Lain and Ergo Proxy are two of a rare kind. They both have an intelligent plot and well-portrayed characters that have flaws and act like actual people. Neither Ergo Proxy nor Lain is a 'happy-go-lucky' anime and I do belive that if you like intelligent and mature series you will enjoy both.

Lain and Ergo Proxy are insistent in their constant interrogations. They are both intelligent series that demand more than one viewing, Lain is considerably more risqué in that it twists narrative conventions to the point they no longer apply while Ergo Proxy channels its intellectuality via the plot itself, even if it lags a bit at the end.

Both series are set in high-tech worlds, and deal with the relationship between humans and machines. Also, both have strong-willed independent female characters in leading roles. Whoever enjoyed pondering about the philosophical issues raised in one will surely find a treat in the other.

Both Ergo Proxy and Lain deal with philosophical topics and show the main character's search for the truth, while she discovers a completely new world that she must learn to deal with. The stories unfold in a very dark environment, though at times a technical or historical explanation (in order to understand the plot) is shown in a light manner. The characters evolve and slowly show more of their deep psychologies throughout the anime.

Let's be honest --- Lain has identity issues. She must sort through these issues as the series progresses. Ergo Proxy, while set in a more futuristic environment, has several characters with their own identity problems, so you get the same philosophical undertones in both series.

I think you would like Ergo Proxy if you watched Serial Experiments Lain because it also deals with some philosophical ideas like Descartes’ idea “Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum”, the Pinocchio epic of becoming a real human being and other ideas that I’m not going to say because I don’t want to spoil the surprise. Have fun watching it :)

It shares that unique ambient only achieved by submerging the viewer in a puzzling story-telling. Both series share a kind of inner search. If you liked one of them, you'll be sure to love the other.

It's a smart anime for smart people, it can be too slow at certain times, but that is required to create the suitable ambient for the story to develop. And it's always fun to see series that goes against the typical in our "instant enjoy" society.

Two great works of art

When you like one you will like the other because the both are very filisophic and they look up the boundries of the difference between virtual or artifisial life and real lif. Non of the series have much action and the conversation is the most important part of both.

These are two philosophic animes, which both "plays" with metaphysics. The result just happened be a depressed atmosphere as well.

Both Ergo and Lain are immensely similar in several ways.

They both have deep, complex stories that slowly unwind, often not revealing themselves until the very end; they both tackle complex issues like mans place in the world and "god's" role for man and vice-vers; and they both deal with female leads who explore their relationships with others but also explore their relationships with the world.

Lastly, Ergo Proxy is perhaps more violent than Serial Experiments Lain, but they both exist in the same dark, somber atmosphere.

Serial Experiments Lain and Ergo Proxy are both phychological type, with not defined plots and makes you think to draw your conclusions.

I recommend both for maure poeple, and those who like a good storyline and plot.

Serial Experiments Lain and Ergo Proxy deal with more mature, serious themes compared to most anime. Both deal heavily with philosophical and psychological topics.

If you have a particular interest in matters such as existentialism, human psychology, and the possibilities of technology, I highly recommend that you watch both.

These series each mix together a lot of elements from varsious intellectual fields, such as psycology, philosophy, ethics, and technology and present it in a way that is hard to understand in a single watch. While dealing with questions of individuality and the point and origin of existance while trying to uncover a large mystery, these series advance along an unforseen path.

Both Animes contain gothic/cyberpunk elements and feature female protanogists. By the end they both grow slightly complicated, and in order to understand them fully you'll have to use your brain.

... Both deal with human beings as software, also in the both the protagonists are teenage females. 

Ghost in the Shell is a great cyber-thriller with lots of action. If you liked the technology aspect of Lain, you will really like Ghost in the Shell.

Both Lain and GitS raise questions of where man ends and the machine begins. Lain and GitS are also quite laconic, they are never in a hurry to get to where they're going, but that's just fine with me, they're both great anime.

Like Serial Experiments Lain, Ghost in the Shell explores questions of self-identity and personhood in the context of people being ever more absorbed into a global data network and artifical intelligences becoming ever more complex and person-like. Lain is more intellectual, GITS is more action-oriented, but there's a lot of crossover between the two.

The only reason I can think of that someone who liked Lain would not like GitS is the police procedural/paramilitary setting of GitS, which is about as far from Lain's middle-school life as you can get.

'Everyone is connected'. As in 'Lain', it is in 'Ghost'. Some of the themes explored are similar. 'Ghost' is more action than reflection, but you still have to think about what you're watching.

Both of these cyberpunk anime contemplate the implications of ever more powerful and sophisticated technology on the nature of humanity. Ghost in the Shell focuses on artificial intelligence and cyborgs, while Serial Experiments Lain deals with the Internet and communication.

Both can also be enjoyed for their presentation alone: Lain has an unparallaled sense of style, an eerie atmosphere and some excellent "mindfuck", while Ghost in the Shell boasts some of the best music, scenery and action to be found in anime.

Both of these series are darkly themed, and bring up questions about the nature of our reality and the power of information and the internet. (However, Ghost in the Shell has a lot more of the badass gunslingin' ass-kickin' Major than the confusion and symbolism of Lain...)

Lain and Ghost in the Shell have both a cyberpunk subject. While Lain is more related to the phylosophical aspect GitS is more pragmatic (considering that one is focused on the internet and absence of body while the other deals with the replacement of a human body with a cyborg one). This is why the first one is slow paced and reflective while the second one has more action (even if it has a lot of phylosophical implication too). Of course the fact that Lain is a series (and not a movie) helped to develop the subject in a different way. I think that if you liked the subject of GitS you will appreciate Lain and, on the other hand, if you liked Lain you will enjoy GitS too.

Both series ask questions about how the human mind  and soul works, what it is and if it can be digitized. While Serial Experiments Lain is harder to follow, both shows are very thought provoking. Thus, if you liked the one, you will most likely enjoy the other.

Each of these series closely tie in the cyber world and the physical world in what could be considered a futuristic setting. If you like the thought of the internet becoming more substantial, then these series go extremely well together.

'Ghost In The Shell' has the Cyberpunk aspects and the intelligence that 'Serial Experiments Lain' is famous for. Therefore, if you enjoyed Serial Experiments you'll most likely enjoy 'Ghost In The Shell' and vice versa.

Both are dark, surreal, cyberpunk.  If that doesn't sound good to you, I don't know why you watched either of these.