The writing hits hard on both the need for conformity and individualism, as well as the existentialism of the new computer age. The therapy sessions and diaries of both Lain and Touko are extremely candid. If I were to describe this game’s depiction of mental health, it would be raw and dense. While the conversation around mental health is much less taboo today, it’s still misunderstood people often throw around the words “psychopath” and “sociopath” as if they mean nothing. The story progresses as you listen to audio recordings of Lain and Touko’s therapy sessions, as well as their separate diary entries over time, players learn more about the individual characters and how their minds work. This focus on mental health and therapy is what makes “Serial Experiments Lain” special, as most of the representation of mental health onscreen at the time was either romanticized or trivialized. Much of the game consists of listening to audio recordings backed by a still image of a street corner or Lain sitting in a chair during a counseling session.Ī lot of the imagery in the game reflects Lain’s splitting sense of self, artistically evoking a science-fiction feel to make players feel almost alien. The anime feels more fantastical and trippy, and, while the game holds similar elements to the anime, the mood overall feels more somber and realistic. The game itself is quite different from the show, and much more grounded. The game follows both Lain Iwakura, the protagonist of the anime, and her therapist, Touko. For a more linear gameplay experience, I would recommend doing the simplified version. For those interested in playing, the website has two options: the regular play format as well as a simplified version. The video links to a completely free English fan translation available to be played directly using the browser of your choice. A fan of the show for years, I only found out about the game recently through YouTuber hazel’s video, “ Playstation Lain and the Weird World of Interactive CD-Roms.” The game, also titled “Serial Experiments Lain,” didn’t feature extra fun scenes from the anime, but rather a completely canon addition to the story. Both in Japan and the West, “Serial Experiments Lain ” has a relatively small niche fan base, possibly due to it being made by a relatively small studio, Triangle Staff, which has no other major titles to its name. This obscurity hides the fact that the anime was actually released alongside a game for the original Playstation. The show reflects a lot of the computer age existentialism from the late 1990s. “Serial Experiments Lain” is an avant-garde anime that aired in 1998, which follows 14-year-old Lain Iwakura, who lives a pretty typical life until people at her school begin receiving emails from a dead classmate.
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