Forum - View topicREVIEW: Serial Experiments Lain BD+DVD
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AnimeMaine
Posts: 123 |
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I guess I'll have to re-watch it. I enjoyed it many years ago, but don't remember it as an A+ anime.
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Ggultra2764
 Subscriber Posts: 3882 Location: New York state. |
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I still own the Geneon Signature Series box set of the series that came out years ago. But I'm glad to see that more recent anime fans now have a legit means of checking out this classic mind bender of an anime.
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darkhappy1
 Posts: 495 Location: PA |
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Dang, Carl sure loves this show. I found the show quite enjoyable myself, and I plan on getting the new release as I slowly cut away my backlog.
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Mikeski
Posts: 608 Location: Minneapolis, MN |
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I just finished watching this new box yesterday (I've got the old Pioneer box as well, which I've watched several times over the years.)
Carl nailed it. Lain is one of two shows that have been in my "top ten" since I'd seen enough anime to have a top ten. Everyone should see this. (and Haibane Renmei.) |
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amagee
 Posts: 333 Location: Orlando, FL |
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Is Carl saying that Haibane Renmei is "diametrically opposed" to Serial Experiments Lain or is that entire parenthetical statement meant to be self referential? |
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Megiddo
 Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
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Love the review as Lain is one of my favorite (and most commonly rewatched) anime.
However one line annoys me quite a bit.
What does the reviewer mean by this? Sure, Colorful was terrible, but that's more due to the source as I don't think anything Nakamura could do could make Colorful a decent watch. Likewise Sakura Wars was a beloved game series so he likely would have been given a lot of flack by diehards of the series if he made a lot of changes to the series' formula. After that he did Kino's Journey which is very highly regarded, Rec which is generally well-received, and Ghost Hound which is also well-received. I've been waiting years for Nakamura to return to the spotlight be it with Despera or another series, so it disappoints me to see his body work being looked poorly upon. |
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504NOSON2
Subscriber Posts: 647 Location: Body:Santa Barbara, CA ~ Heart:New Orleans, LA |
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That's a good question. Perhaps he means that while Lain was, like HB, introspective, it was sort of philosophically pessimistic in nature about the path of human social evolution, parallel to our technology and dependence upon it. While Haibane Renmei, on the other hand, delivered a spiritual and uplifting message, concerning regret and forgiveness, though somewhat hidden in metaphor and religious symbolism. |
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jymmy
 Posts: 1244 |
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A great review, I really enjoyed reading it. Mostly spot-on, though perhaps overstating how confusing the series is (for all its ostensible impenetrability, the reviewer was able to offer a lot of insight and several well-supported interpretations). I'm also slightly disappointed there wasn't a word on the amazing opener, visuals or music-wise, but what are you gonna do? Seriously, though, along with Gunslinger Girl's it's my favourite anime opening with a song from a British indie/alternative rock band with a woman singer.
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Ortensia1980
 Posts: 803 Location: some town near Amsterdam |
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This review was spot on. The first time that I saw it was when I was in my early 20s and despite only seeing the entire series twice (I only managed to get two tapes and missed out on the dvds), it's been one of my favourites ever since simply because it's such an impressive series.
I cannot wait to finally own this set. Last edited by Ortensia1980 on Mon Dec 17, 2012 12:01 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4084 |
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I never saw it way back when and while I love a number of series from before that time and after that time, the overall pretentiousness in series from that time {*deep breath*LainCowboyEvangelion} in both shows and reviewers who look fondly at said shows is kind of sad.
So, a question, the question in fact {as if I don't already know the answer; It's in the review itself discussing/dismissing Ghost Hound}; Is the fondness for these overblown shows in the fact they're not otaku moe bait? Look, for a show to get A+ across the board, Carl can't come out and say Lain's good.
If it's up to interpretation, then I can obviously choose to say and feel this 13 episode series that had no right to be saved, exist in the first place. Otherwise, it's all in the eye of the creator and not the beholder. In all honestly, I'm not a fan of Lynch either but at least I can date his wierdness back to Eraserhead and not Twin Peaks. |
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Sylontack
 Posts: 193 |
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I'm sorry to question the reviewer's opinion; but I feel this is somewhat bias to get A's across the board.
I watched the series recently (I got sick and never finished the last volume but I get the jist of how it ends) and it was certainly a good series, and some people like it more than others. But a major example is Animation, even for it's time the animation wasn't the most stellar animation out (However I agree with art, Lain has and had some of the greatest art I've ever seen, I don't usually set a wallpaper of a show that wasn't amazing to me) Story I feel should lose points for going off on random tangents that didn't really add much, and really just wanted to test your attention and your patience. Music I don't remember too much, but that may be because it wasn't that great in my opinion I mean I love the opening song and the ending song is good in a not-my-type-of-music-but-I-don't-mind-it-and-most-other-people-would-like-it-more kind of way. Heck in the cons part of the tl;dr says confusing as hell. In recent times a pet peeve of mine is for a story to be "so uberfantasmical amazing" because people can't make sense of it. I'm in no way saying the reviewer is unable to make sense of the story but I think a show's story should lose points if it's hard to understand because you really don't need to put on a pretentious-filter over the comprehensibility of the story to make it memorable. (Note this is not me defending my own lack of intelligence when it comes to more confusing shows. Heck I made more than perfect sense out of Suckerpunch) All in all it is all opinion. But there are just some things I felt were a bit bias. But maybe that's just me, I mean I hated Evangelion. |
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jymmy
Posts: 1244 |
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It really isn't. They're critically acclaimed, objectively excellent, influential and unique anime. No one's forcing you to like anything, but show some intelligence and concede that shows on which most educated, informed opinions are positive are very probably good.
No.
... What?
Yeah, you could say that. You'd be wrong, of course. Seriously, though, your only points are that you don't like the anime (fair enough), you find it pretentious (your opinion, not unsubstantiated) and I swear you're implying it should have been "otaku moe bait". |
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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I'd say what's "sad" is that people like you seem to dismiss anything whatsoever that actually tries to be about something instead of just being dumb, mindless pablum as "pretentious". I mean seriously...calling Lain or Eva pretentious is totally wrong. At least I can see where someone could mistakenly think that though. But how is Cowboy Bebop in the slightest way pretentious? If that is your claim then I almost can't help but wonder if you literally don't know what that word means.
Of course, this is what I really find audacious. If you think such shows are "pretentious" that's fine. You're objectively wrong but that is okay. You're allowed to disagree. What makes you really [insult removed] though is this. Apparently, nobody else can actually genuinely disagree with you. Apparently, this show's fans couldn't possibly see something in these shows that you don't. Their opinion must simply be based on their automatic enjoyment of anything that isn't moe otaku bait.* I mean, good god. [insult removed] *Which itself ignores the fact that a lot of the people you're criticizing here actually saw and liked these shows back when they were new which was before otaku moe bait was really even a thing in anime...but hey, when dealing with [insult removed], being factually wrong is almost beside the point. |
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marie-antoinette
 Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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I have to agree with those wondering how Bebop is pretentious. I will admit, I am not that show's biggest fan but I can't say pretense is even remotely a reason for that (mainly I found it far too episodic for my tastes, though I need to re-watch it at some point).
I haven't seen Eva so can't comment on that. As for Lain, okay, I can see it there but I absolutely love this show and I'm so thrilled that it's finally back in-print, since I've never had the opportunity to buy it before. And I loved Lain before the whole moe otaku bait movement really got started - I actually first saw the show in my first year of university, when I was just getting into anime. |
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Keichitsu0305
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Present time, Present Dayspoiler[ Hahahaha!!]
Mere words cannot describe how much I agree with everything Carl said. So elated that Funimation gave Lain such a glorious re-release (it's so pretty on my shelf!!) but I agree that since it took place in the 90s, the show "looks" outdated. The message, however, still reigns true today about the Internet having such a profound impact on us that it can warp our perception of reality. BTW: Weren't most of the computers in the series based on Apple products such as the PlainTalk program? |
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