Later, her sister informs her parents that “Lain’s acting funny,” also in an isolated scene. Her father watches, isolated from Lain through editing. The opening scene sees Lain silent and by herself working on her computer.
This further puts her in line–spiritually speaking–with mystics and hermits, those who perceive an abstract truth that is not shared with their spiritual communities. It opens with Lain noting that she does not “need parents,” suggesting a breakdown of family structure, which is associated with some organized religions. As we have seen, Lain is frequently isolated, both in the script and in the shot framing. However, we are less interested here in what religion means academically and more interested in what it means to “Lain.”įor Lain herself, it is important to remember that religion can refer to one’s private spiritual life. Even the etymology of the word is somewhat dispute. Setting aside the fact that religion is–along with politics and health–one of the topics you’re not supposed to bring up at dinner, a concrete definition of religion is something that has plagued scholars for years. The fourth episode of “Serial Experiments Lain” is called “Religion,” which is a tricky word on a variety of levels.
#Serial experiments lain opening name series#
So, each week this summer, we’ll post an analysis of each episode using its title as a kind of guide to the series as a whole. Famous for its abstract narrative and obscure references, each episode (or “layer”) of “Lain” sports a one-word title, which provides a handy entry point for analysis.
This summer marks the 20th anniversary of “Serial Experiments Lain,” a cult anime that is still boggling minds decades later.