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"I have only abandoned my body, I still live here" - are the words emailed to friends of Chisa, several days after her death by suicide. As Lain delves deeper into the world of the "Wired" (also known as the internet), the line between it and reality becomes more and more unclear. Close the world, open the nExt.
In a massive online world, people act only as well as their conscience demands. When one player's punishment is to be trapped in this world, a disparate group of people seek the answers why. Their motives are varied; their methods even more so. What stands between when we tear down the walls of reality? Where does our soul end and we begin?
Both hack//SIGN and Lain deal with what happens if you can no longer separate reality from the internet. Both set up a plot which involves around what happens when you find out what the real truth is. You will most likely like one if you liked the other.
Both Lain and .hack//SIGN are about reality vs. the internet. The real world is harsh and cruel - what better way than to go and hide in a world that you can create for yourself? While these worlds do not make the main characters happy, by going to them they are able to learn the hard truths about both worlds in a way that makes sense to them. You will definitely like one if you liked the other.
Both Lain and .hack//SIGN involve a character being stuck in a computer world where he/she obtains godly powers and has the ability to override the world's rule, whether is it the real or game world. Both main characters are rather introverted and learn to open themselves up and get along with others throughout the anime.
If you liked Serial Experiments Lain there are a couple obvious reasons why you might like .hack//SIGN. Both series involve a unique internet world which is incredibly addictive. In Lain it is "The Wired" which is basically a huge human communication network, and in .Hack//Sign it is an immersive online video game. Another similarity is that both anime involves a main character is confused about reality and their existince. If you liked Lain, you will probably enjoy .Hack//Sign, and vice versa.
both series have in-depth, character driven plot lines. the story lines take place in both the real and wired worlds. Altho .Hack has a much clearer distinction between these worlds.
Both .hack//SIGN and Serial Experiments Lain are anime that feature main characters who are on the surface, shy, afraid, naïve and isolated from the rest of the world. However each cause great disturbances in the normal order of things, reluctantly shoving them into the spotlight. Simultaneously, both of them seem to have a sort of dissasociative identity disorder, where they display a kind of doppelganger personality which is aggressive, touchy and megalomaniacal.
Both anime take a hard look at what being connected on a worldwide web really means, and what that could mean for us in the future as technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace. In the process of dealing with the rest of the cast, whether on a regular basis or during chance skirmishes, the main characters are pushed to reexamine their perspectives in a way that forces them to question their very identity, the purpose of their existence, or whether they truly exist in any corporeal manner at all.
Discovering one's identity and looking for the features that make one unique... That is a journey that all of us take on some level, and both anime remind us that- in a time where technology grants us anonymity and the chance to start anew in different social circles- it's important to maintain a sense of self and to keep from getting lost in the vast reaches of internet space.
Aside from .hack//SIGN being a very good anime in its own right, It's like Serial Experiments Lain in that it deals with the communication of people through the internet, along with every facet and pitfall that comes with this type of communication. Some would say that the two animes are very, very different (and they'd probably be right), but for some reason, it just feels right to recommend SIGN to Lain fans, and vice-versa.
A young woman quietly falls to the earth, escorted by a solitary crow. This sort of dream, as many other before have dreamed, comes just before being reborn as a Haibane, a charcoal-winged angel. On the outskirts of the walled-in city lies Old Home, a haven for Haibane to study, live, and learn, while waiting for their chance to ascend to the heavens and escape the confines of their new world. Rakka is the newest inhabitant of Old Home who wants nothing more than to remember her past and discover the secrets of her kind. Together with Reki, Kuu and plenty of other new friends, Rakka will laugh, explore, and search for the meaning of their existence in the process.
If you liked Serial Experiments Lain, I will recommend that you watch Haibane Renmei too. Both these anime touched me on an emotional level that is definitely comparable. I found these anime to be two of the most thought provoking that I have watched.
Haibane Renmei is about a young girl who is similar to Lain, who also embarks upon a journey for answers about a world she no longer knows. Both girls ponder about the reasons for their existence, God, faith and salvation. If you like the questions raised about humanity in one, you'd definitely be interested in the other.
Words cannot express the true beauty that binds Haibane Renmei & Serial Experiments Lain. Both are subtle yet in depth explorations of other worlds from the point of view of one young lady who must evolve and come to terms with such a world. They will challenge the viewer into really questioning what lies beyond the walls that keep them prisoner and the rules that entrap, whilst developing far beyond the expectations of others. However, it is really the overall ambience, psychological inquisition and subtle messages during these anime that will appeal to a similar type of viewer.
Both Lain and Renmei are plot driven with little to action. They focus instead on a deeper plot with many darker elements to them. They both have a lot to say about humanity and spark great joy and deep sadness from their viewers
Although the setting in Haibane Renmei and Serial Experiments Lain is completely different, the brilliance in both is about the less-obvious part of the story. Both anime are very thought-provoking and have a very interesting underlying story. If you like it when small clues about the unspoken part of the story are handed to you bit by bit, you'll love either of these shows!
These two series are as close as anime can get to a philosophical book. If your "brain" is still hungry after seeing one, don't hesitate and try the other one.
These shows have really great art, in every scene I pretty much loved it. The storyline is really interesting and intriguing, starting you off without really knowing what's going on. It's pretty short too, another show that doesn't have a ton of filler and can stand on its own just from 13 episodes.
Two words: Slow-Paced.Ok, three words: Super Slow-Paced.If you like to watch animes that seem to take an eternity to see, Serial Experiments Lain and Haibane Renmei are two of my reccomendations. Because theres nothing wrong with being Slow-Paced. xD
The stories may be different, but the art style, pacing, and mood of both series are very similar. Haibane Renmei and Lain have stories that make you think deeply about the subject at hand. They're also created by the same person, Yoshitoshi Abe. If you liked one, you should give the other a try.
In the future, a devastating event known as Second Impact has destroyed Tokyo as we know it, giving rise to Tokyo III - a city under siege by mysterious lifeforms known only as Angels. Mankind's only line of defense are the Evangelions, a set man-made machines piloted by a trio of fourteen year-old teenagers, Rei, Shinji, and Asuka. The fate of Japan and the entire world now lie with these three children, though they might not have the power to save the most important thing of all: each other.
Eva is kind of like Lain, but with mechs thrown into the equation as well. If you liked Lain, you might enjoy Eva.
On the surface, Lain and Evangelion appear to have very little in common. Neon Genesis is primarily focused on mecha and Lain on the life of an eighth-grade school girl. Yet they are related in a deeper context. Both anime deal with the nature and the existence of divinity.
Lain and Evangelion are intrinsically complex series. In both there is a strong presence of technology, which underlines the problematic relationship between individual existence and collective psychological archetypes of a symbolic order. These anime address topics such as the self, the body, the role of communication and the possibility of forging bonds. Lain is heavily intellectual from the outset and slow-paced through and through, while Eva only develops its conceptual core in the later episodes and is much more action-driven. Lain and Eva are prodigies of existential thought transmitted through a visual medium; and as such they go hand in hand.
Many series have a deep meaning, but what makes Lain and Evangelion special is that their meaning relates directly to reality. Both reference philosophy and religion to explain their worlds. We are shown how these philosophies affect their worlds and characters, and thus we see a new perspective on reality. The genre and references might not be the exact same in these anime, but both attempt to do the same thing.
Serial Experiment: Lain is an anime that plays with your mind. You watch it and have no idea what the hell is really going on - and even when you get the idea, you loose it a moment later. It also portrays very well psychological reaction to different situations.
Both of those statemenst can be said about NGE as well. In both series you are constantly suprised with direction the plot is taking.
Both of these series touch on similar topics, but they do it in subtly different ways. Both animes refer to the unconscious and, to a certain extent, human evolution, but they tackle in through various mediums. Evangelion takes a slightly more scientific and fictional approach, through the use of Angels as mediums. Lain explores the same themes through examining the human relationship with the Wired and how that ultimately connects us.
On the surface, the two series don't seem to have much in common. However, they are both all about the psyche of the main character, and both become quite philosophical towards the end (especially if you're watching the original ending of NGE). They will both leave you with some material to think about.
Serial Experiments Lain and Neon Genesis Evangelion are both very similar in the deep philosphy that they end up communicating. While NGE goes in a heavy sci-fi heavy direction, SEL also has a few elements of technology that are decidedly not in our present day. Often times monloguing and metaphorical, they touch on a variety of different subjects but share a large similarity as they question the meaning and definition of existence itself. SEL has less of straighforward plot but says many of the same things. If you enjoyed the journey of one of them, you will certainly enjoy the other.
This series both toy with aspects of philisophy, psychology and even religion. While delving into questions of self, God, and reality, they progress the series in a way that can often be slightly hard to follow (the later parts of NGE are more like this than the start, though) and question the ideals and morals of the main character while coming very close to breaking them completely down.
When popular pop idol Mima decided to retire from her group, Cham, and become an actress, she had no idea that one person's obsession would soon spiral out of control. With death threats, letter bombs and a forged website which details her every move, Mima finds herself slowly becoming trapped in a nightmare she can't seem to escape. With murders piling up and her mental state slowly degrading, can she discover who the culprit is, before she becomes the next victim?
Like Lain, Perfect Blue is another show that has your tearing at your insides to figure out what the hell you just watched. The ending... no wait, the entire movie is really good and really strange... much like Lain.
I found both Lain and Perfect Blue have a similar feeling - I often felt confused, but intrigued at the same time. Lain does not explain itself while Perfect Blue ultimately explains itself at the end, so Perfect Blue is best if you are looking for something less open ended.
Serial Experiments Lain and Perfect Blue tell the story of either a young girl (Lain) or woman (PB) who becomes increasingly aware that they have become part of a world much more frightening then they had ever realized. As fame for each increases via the net (Lain) or the media (PB), their paranoia and fears increase causing them to act strangely and segregate themselves from the society they live in, whilst their worlds darken and the threat around them increases.
Both Lain and Perfect Blue are about the life of a young woman who is struggling to stay sane while in the midst of life changing events - events which would ultimately destroy her view of herself and reality.
Both Perfect Blue and Lain have a main character which seems to have different persona that they can't control. Lain is about the web and how close it can be to reality, and Perfect Blue is about someone who is obsessed with the main character. When you watch them they both give you a similar feeling.
Two words: Mind fuck! If you like being really confused, yet intrigued, "Lain" and "Perfect Blue" are for you. Don't expect "Lain" to tie up as neatly as "Perfect" though.
Both anime involve a female protagonist struggling with identity issues. As bizarre occurrences happen around them, their mental health takes a toll. Both Lain and Mima's relationships seem disconnected as if no one is listening to them.
The animation style relies on similar techniques--"subliminal message" type pictures which flash for only a few moments, interesting POVs, and a muted color scheme.
The writing style for Lain and Perfect Blue is also eerily passive: the protagonists do not set their own problems into motion; rather, they only react when the worst seems to happen.
The soundtracks are similarly clever; weird and techno-esque.
Both Serial Experements Lain and Perfect Blue deal with themes of identity, are both extremely psycological, and both have a similar late 90s animation style. Both anime force the main character to question reality and and their own identity. These anime are highly recomended to anyone who likes anime that makes them think.
In a futuristic world, the virtual world is merely a layer on top of reality; within it, cyberpets are abundant and information is plentiful, and it is only visible by wearing special cyberglasses. In Daikoku City, this cyberspace is behaving strangely: cyberpets are going missing, dark entities known as "the Illegal" roam obsolete space that shouldn’t exist, and a large pink antivirus program known as Satchii wanders the streets, attacking both virus and pets alike. Sixth grader Yuko Okonogi has just moved to Daikoku City, and after cyberdetective children help her rescue her lost dog, she soon joins the others in a search for the truth behind these strange occurances.
Lain and Denno Coil both center around the idea of an upper artificial layer of the real world - a sort of super internet.
The protagonist in both anime is an adolescent girl, but Lain is intended for a more advanced audience than Denno Coil.
Denno Coil and Lain both feature human/machine interaction. There's a fair chance that if you watched either of these series you'll like the technology aspect. Children are very quick at adapting to new technologies, especially if they grow up with it.
Honestly, these series have almost the exact same premise approached from slightly different angles with wildly different feels. The world of Lain is dark and distorted, and the main villain is what lies inside. Coil's world is a child's world: light and sunny, but with things that defy understanding. They both craft these worlds lovingly (with a side of moe), and they both do it extremely well.
Lain is an important forerunner to Denno Coil within the genre. Watching them together, it is interesting to see how much both real technology and technological imagination have changed within a single decade.
Both anime take a look at the future of computing and interacting with the worldwide web, while effortlessly pointing out that there is an incredible power to be had with technology. These anime show us how the internet (or some derivitave of it) will evolve to become part of our everyday environment, and at the same time will demonstrate what kind of problems this path might give to mankind.
If you're the type of person who wants to maintain a different personality, how would you incorporate that behavior into an internet that reaches into real life? Should doing something in real life have consequences online, or vice versa? At what point does the imaginary become truly real?
All of these things are examined and several ideas are presented to the audience in a way that is entertaining, subtle and informative even to those not knowledgeable on the subject.
Both anime play with the line between the internet and the real world. Characters regularly break the boundry in both series and if you've seen one, you will probably like the other!
If you liked Serial Experiments Lain, you most likely will like also Denno Coil. Both of these animes share a gigantic network where most of the people has connected.
Unlike in Serial Experiments Lain, Denno Coil makes more sense from start to finish when they're fighting against the network bugs and finding a solution to fix things.
The central idea behind Serial Experiments Lain and Denno Coil revolves around augmented reality (otherwise known as AU.) Though the tone and animation styles are completely different, many similar ideas are presented in these shows about the intangibility of the virtual world. The main characters also happen to be young, timid girls. SEL and Denno Coil are quite unlike anything else I've ever seen, with interesting, well-executed premises.
Lain and Dennou Coil both deal with futuristic technology, and how the line can blur between actual reality and virtual reality. Lain is definitely more psychological and metaphorical in its development. Dennou Coil is a bit easier to understand.
