Cyberpunk. No, it is not only part of the name of a famous video game franchise, no. It is also a wonderful subgenre of science fiction that has a great deal to do with artificial intelligence, the existence and individualism of human beings and, above all, the final result: nature paying the high price of human arrogance pretending to own absolutely everything at all times...
Serial Experiments Lain is a bit of this, but with the magic of anime. It is a series that explores deep philosophical themes and challenges the viewer to pay proper attention to each of its episodes. In fact, on platforms such as YouTube there are videos explaining parts of the plot of this series. Not because it is especially difficult or abstract, no, but because it was made for a society very different from the one we have today. And in 1998, both Japan and the entire world were completely different from what we are right now.
At that time the fear focused on the technology of the moment, the Internet and its influence on all of us. It was believed that it would change everything, from the way we consumed information to the way we dated. And they were not wrong. Some of those fears are a tangible reality for you and for me. Nevertheless, this series shows in a more human way the importance of decisions and their consequences. It uses as part of the plot the typical Greek tragedy. Oracles, prophecies, antagonists and a powerful message are part of the appeal of this production.
I think that by this point you already know my tastes well. And for those who read me for the first time, it is enough to look at my timeline in this community and see the type of anime I choose for my reviews and analyses. Far from being pretentious, I get excited by a good and captivating story. My mind is, at times, somewhat diffuse; it does not do very well with simple and shonen consumption. I like complexity, but not out of any sense of superiority. In fact, I consider that it is complexity that gives animation its very appeal. Ghost in the Shell, Death Note, Paprika are some of the iconic anime that follow this logic.
However, what you can expect in Serial Experiments Lain is a story told in no more than 8 chapters about the human longing to pretend to be what it does not understand. We want to be gods without admitting it. We partially dominate nature and along the way we believe ourselves important, outstanding. I like that this series shows the human consequences of our pretensions and turns this into a production. Believe me, the tone of this series does not become dense or overly complicated at all. That said, it demands your full attention; it is impossible to understand it if you are on your phone at the same time you are watching it. I will insist on this, Serial Experiments Lain is one of those anime that aims directly at the critical and challenging thinking of your mind.
