After watching this 13 episode series, I have come to two conclusions. First, I am now afraid of the Internet. Second, I'm not sure if I'm the real me. ::sigh:: This is one of those crazy shows that likes to play your mind. And it does it effectively.

Serial Experiments Lain is a bit too complicated to be explained but I will try my best. It starts off with an 8th grader who commits suicide by jumping off a building. The next day kids begin to receive emails from the supposedly deceased classmate, which say things like "I have only abandoned my body. I still live here..." The wired (which is like the internet), is a place where souls can exist, but the line is starting to blur and the wired and the "real" world are blending together. Now Lain, a shy, soft-spoken girl, begins to find out that she may not be her only self, but another may exist in the wired, along with many other startling truths that are revealed in the rest of the series.

Ok, the first thing about SE:Lain, is that it has a great plot. It's intelligent, intense, original, weird and surreal. It tackles something that we don't think about everyday, such as how much is the Internet affecting us, and what defines the "real" world. Although, the plot is excellent, it is very difficult to understand, as many little details begin to pop up that just don't make sense. I was confused and most others will be confused too. In fact, SE:Lain is almost as confusing as Perfect Blue. Nevertheless, I do plan on watching this series again to see if I can get more out of it the second time around.

The characters are excellently designed. They have a very different look from typical anime, but everyone looks nice. Lain in particular with her creative hairstyle. The art is pretty good. It's not very detailed but I don't think it's supposed to be. The anime seems to rely on the imagery it provides and not the backgrounds to provide the right feelings and emotions you are supposed to get from SE:Lain. And the whole thing can get very surreal with some weird imagery, such as quotes from an unknown person flashing on screen in front of warped colors.

The music is excellent. The opening theme is excellent. One line that I think relates in particular to this series is "I am falling, I am fading...." So true, so true. The end theme is excellent, as is the theme of Lain, which uses guitars to get its point across. The voice acting is superb. The Japanese voice acting, that is. Lain sounds just, so right, as does every other character. Her voice is just so meek and soft, yet deep enough to fit the mysterious and dark Lain. I listened to some of the English voice acting on the DVD and I must say I will never listen to it again.

The only problem with this anime is that it is very different from your typical stuff. It's the Twilight Zone on Crack. It is weird. It is original and most people might be turned off by the complexities and oddness that this anime provides, which is too bad, because this series is great. I'll admit it. I like weird things. I prefer original stuff to the giant robots.

The only thing that did disappoint me was the end episodes. The last two episodes just get dumb and feel outta place. The ending is predictable, which is too bad, because this series had the potential to finish strong but it goes out on a weaker note than it began with.

SE:Lain is a great series that should not be overlooked because it is too weird. It touches upon so many things that we fail to think of in our everyday lives and making me THINK is always a good thing. So, if you are in the mood for a weird, surreal experience then you will like this series. Even if you aren't, this series is still worth a buy, and it is only 4 DVD's long, so it is affordable. If you don't like weird things, or things that make your brain do......... ummmmmm....... stuff (and shame on you!) then you won't like this movie. But if you want to see things from a different perspective then get SE: Lain. It's wonderful.