Revisiting the Classics -- Serial Experiments Lain

Looking for something that will change the way you view the world around you? Try the epic anime Serial Experiments Lain.

Lain Iwakura was just a normal, albeit somewhat disconnected teenager until the day her classmate committed suicide. That should be the end of it, but Lain starts receiving messages from her. "I have simply abandoned my body," the email says. How can a dead person be sending computer messages? How are Lain and the computer network called the Wired involved in all this? Why are complete strangers seeing religious visions of Lain? Who are the creepy men in black standing watch outside Lain's house? And why, oh why, does Lain's family act like zombies most of the time?

Serial Experiments Lain is one of the greatest and weirdest animes of all time. It piles on layers (pun intended; it calls each episode a "layer") of hard science and surreal imagery to create a compelling story you'll be thinking about for the rest of your life. It's been close to a decade since I first watched this series and I'm still trying to figure it out. Hell, I've seen entire web pages dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of Lain. Suffice to say, Philip K. Dick would appreciate the warnings this series gives us about technological advancement.

At the center of it all, ultimately, is a sympathetic character who seeks both her identity and love from those around her, though her goals cannot be achieved without great sacrifice. If you're looking for something besides the typical moè anime or giant robot series and don't mind working through bizarre and possibly metaphorical imagery, check out Serial Experiments Lain.