Review of Serial Experiments Lain: Vol. 3

Introduction

Wow! This is real cerebral stuff, sinister and surreal, completely at odds with both apocalyptic manga and Japanese bubblegum anime. It`s slow burning, quiet, almost dreamlike, using a mix of live footage and classic manga animation with a sparse soundscape that is almost completely devoid of `atmos`. (For example, in a schoolroom the only sound we hear is the sound of the chalk against a blackboard.). The narrative is cryptic, almost confounding, and within these three episodes, almost completely without resolution. There are hints, nods and winks at a wide range of conspiracy theories, as well as at a world that has spiralled beyond the worldwide web into a world where the distinction between the virtual and the `real` has all but disappeared.

And at the centre of this heady mix is Lain - a wide-eyed schoolgirl with extraordinary powers.

On this disc there are three episodes.

Layer 8: Rumors: follows Lain`s reaction to the realisation that there is another version of herself at large, intent on damaging her relationships with others. She meets this devilish impostor of herself in `the wired`, an alternative reality that seems to be accessed via computer coding. There are some strange moments - like the long silence from her parents as she greets them after returning from school. (Even David Lynch couldn`t hold a silent response this long …).

Layer 9: Protocol: is the most impressive of the three episodes included here using live footage to create a series of connections between classic conspiracy theories, implying a continuity that is still being played out in `the Wired`. We see a report about Roswell from 1943 - and then cut to an alien greeting Lain. We see a 1945 report on a memory expansion concept, later a piece on sensory deprivation experiments, and a piece on ECCO (Earth Coincidence Control Office). We learn about communication with dolphins; the Xanadu project (a giant electronic library that preceded the web) as well as the development of hypertext. Perhaps most significant of all, the Shuman resonance factor showing that the earth is enshrouded with transmissions that are registered at 8Hz, possibly communicating something (or everything) to the entire population. As Lain concludes, `There is only one real truth and one real god!`. What seems complex may in fact be quite simple after all.

Layer 10: Love: In this episode, Lain encounters the self-proclaimed `God of the wired` who looks (and sounds) spookily like a contemporary Michael Jackson, which lends the whole scene a rather disconcerting sub-text! There is cruelty here too as we witness Lain`s own father admit that his `job is done`, as he leaves her to her own devices. Like any school child abandoned there is a moment of crisis as she screams at him, `I don`t want to be alone`. His response is that she`ll never be alone. The episode concludes with mass suicides by members of a strange cult intent on infiltrating the Wired, called `the Knights`. Existential stuff.

Video

The picture is presented here in 4:3 and I guess that the series was produced with TV in mind, though it seems unlikely that it would find much of an audience here in the UK. The picture is digitally transferred and is of exceptionally high quality. The animation is typical of the genre so don`t go expecting Disney`s `Snow White`, where every bird and animal on a single frame is animate. Here, if the mouth moves the eyes stay fixedly open - and vice versa. Very imaginative use of texture and colour though.

Audio

Fine stereo sound and wonderful, though sparing, use of music throughout. The dubbing is typical for this genre, though exceptionally clean.

Features

Under `Promotion` there is a DVD trailer which lasts for under 20 seconds; a TV trailer which does about the same (with the surreal subtitle: `So where did her tears go?`); a CD trailer with about 15 seconds of music on, and a Playstation trailer that gives little away.

There`s an extra appropriately entitled `The Weird`, which lasts for 6 seconds. There`s some Japanese writing followed by a production still. Weird!

Finally, there are about 18 frames of `concept art`, which is interesting enough if you want to view some of the production scamps.

Somewhere along the way I must have clicked on something to generate a hidden extra because I viewed a live-action sequence featuring a schoolgirl combing her hair. Or did I? I couldn`t find it again to confirm!

Conclusion

Lain makes up for lack of pace with intelligent and thought provoking narrative and atmospheric execution. It`s a terrific mix of animated manga and live action, often using abstract textures and abstract soundscapes to help convey it`s complex and philosophical message. It`s not for lovers of `Mad Manga` where explosions, battles and depravity are the order of the day. And it`s not for `Sailor Moon` lovers either. However, it`s utterly compelling and incredibly provocative - leaving you ruminating on the loose ends for days after. Thoroughly recommended!