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An Introduction to SEL
Serial Experiments Lain is the story of a shy, timid thirteen year old girl named Iwakura Lain, whose life begins to spiral out of control after receiving an email from an apparently dead classmate. Lain's classmate, a girl who had committed suicide, sent out a mysterious email to many people at Lain's school, which stated that the dead classmate wasn't really dead. The email was shrugged off as a bad prank by many, but seriously disturbed others. But in Lain's case, the email drew her into the world of the Wired -- a place where people could connect without the need of a physical body. Before this email, Lain knew nothing of the Wired or even how to use her own Navi (her home computer). But now that she had read the email, Lain begins to change; she becomes fascinated, drawn to the Wired.
At school, a fellow classmate named Mizuki Alice began to befriend Lain. Shy, timid Lain had never had a friend before, and Alice filled a void in Lain's life. Alice became Lain's link to humanity. But as Lain continues to delve into the Wired, a terrible realization occurs...
There is someone in the Wired who looks just like Lain, but acts completely opposite of how Lain acts. And the horrible thing was that this doppelganger was hurting the only friend she had. Alice was suffering because of a secret -- a secret that everyone found out about. Wanting to save Alice, Lain goes even deeper into the Wired, and finds something that she's not prepared to accept...
As Lain descends even further the Wired, more questions come to the surface. Was there a real world to begin with? And what did it mean to exist? Lain's mind is clouded with questions of her own existence, as she fights to save Alice, the only person who Lain truly cared about. Who is Iwakura Lain...?
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Thoughts On SEL
Serial Experiments Lain consists of thirteen episodes, first aired in Japan in September of 1998. SEL blends a technology driven society with the difficult themes of religion, humanity, and even questions our thoughts of how we perceive our own existence. Potential viewers should be warned that this is not an anime for light viewing, and truthfully, I've known people who found the series boring. There's no slapstick comedy or stories of unrequited love; but what SEL offers is more than just the average anime experience. SEL's storyline moves at a furious pace, often leaving people with a sense of confusion, and more importantly, a yearning to watch more -- to understand the complex storyline and the message of the series. Serial Experiments Lain is a profound and wonderful series, one that every anime fan should see.
In terms of animation and artwork, SEL boasts a simple yet beautiful style. The music of this series does well to enhance the mood of SEL -- and always, you hear the ever present sound of electricity and computers. And what else can I say about the opening and ending themes? Simply gorgeous.
Obviously, I'm a huge fan of this series. So go out and get Serial Experiments Lain if you can!
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Marionette is © 2000-2007 Rose Panzo. SEL is © Yoshitoshi Abe, Chiaki J. Konaka, and its respective creators. Please do not reproduce the contents found here without permission.