Serial Experiments Lain -Psychological Mystery - Anime Review

[@EvilAce360]

"And you dont seem to understand." Cmon everybody!

[@bobsamurai]

Josh A "A shame you seemed an honest man."

[@jaymonie12]

"And all the fears you hold so dear"

[@MrIncorMC]

***** Will turn to whisper in your ears

[@kevinroque88]

Mr Incor "And you know what they say might hurt you"

[@darkchii30]

Kevin Roque And you know that it means so much

[@saekka8537]

*"It's view on society and internet's effect on society was shockingly accurate."* This is so true, SEL really did accurate predictions about internet's influence. I also think how shocking it is, that this series, these days, is even more relevant than it was back in the late 90's.

[@emmared1426]

I really dislike people who say "it's confusing,you can't understand it". No. Everybody can understand in their own way;maybe not in the same way as the creator meant it but hardly anybody can do that. If you don't get it,then that shows how much you paid attention. And the worst part is that I actually fell for it. I avoided the wonders of psychological anime simply because I thought I'd have to turn into a over thinking snob to get it. People,don't be like me,watch what you want

[@glennquagmire7573]

I found it confusing the first time I watched It to he honest, but then I watched it again, and oh man it's amazing lol. It gets better each time I watch it.

[@meh563]

this anime is ahead of its time, never gets old.

[@KetenReviews]

Great review! Well said about reviewers telling others not to watch it, it disappoints me too. Lain is so fascinating, unique and well crafted that it is a must watch for everyone, even if they don't end up liking it.

[@joshgold7219]

Very good review. I'm not the biggest anime watcher myself, but watching Lain a little over a year ago was a legit significant experience for me in many ways. It's a complete experience. I really like how in your review you didn't talk down to your audience about how Lain was "too deep" and "not for fans of X genre", especially considering that a lot of people on the Internet seem to fall into doing just that :-/

[@bobsamurai]

+Josh Gold thanks a lot! yea i think its best if people experience lain so i try and aim for that goal of encouraging them to watch it...twice XD. you should watch it again to catch things you might not have seen your first time around.

[@KazuyaMithra]

You're by far my favorite anime channel on youtube. You're always changing and its always for the better.

[@bobsamurai]

KAZ thanks!

[@yousifriyadh2946]

"Here she discovers anime and porn" LOL I died XD and the Laughing Man logo = Brilliant. Nice review!

[@bgilley8199]

I mean it's pretty clear that the KIDS apparatus was a metaphor for child porn and loss of innocence wrt the web, and the show also repeatedly breaks the 4th wall of between anime/real world, so it's actually kind of true that Lain discovered CP and Anime online.

[@DragonAce028]

"Oh wait that's me" hahahahhahahahahaha

[@brasteen1]

PRESENT DAY!!! PRESENT TIME HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

[@brasteen1]

Also Kaiba review hype.

[@OraNui]

I see you quite a bit on meapheandjunk's videos

[@ToaSonus314]

OraNui56 I see you quit a bit TTV's stuff. NEEEEEEEERRRRRDDD

[@brasteen1]

OraNui56 Yeah I really enjoy her channel.

[@Marco85111]

stahpp

[@mariechaney4272]

Thank you for finally reviewing one of the greatest anime of all time.

[@user-qb7he3mi1j]

Ohh Snap finally a good review on Serial experiments Lain from Bob.

[@weilian6600]

I would agree that Lain is amazing. It is easily been in my top 5 since it came out. I also would say a large part of your analysis is spot on. Yet, I would disagree with the lack of details in the artwork. Although, this could have been partly because of limited budgeting. I feel that it has more to do with a tone and environmental feel of emptiness, isolation, and confusion about where you belong in the world. The lack of detail also draws the person attention to the main aspect of the scene where their is detail, while leaving the viewer a feeling of being trapped in a void. Moreover, the character development is not as limiting as other people incline to believe. I feel that these characters are trying to grasp how to deal with the new frontier reality they are venturing into. Finally, although Lain is does provide some prophesy of developing impact of the internet on the society. I do not think it is limited to Japan and that time frame. A great deal of it would still be true to our modern era and development to this day. The only difference is we are getting closer to the technology level in the show, and some tech. is currently more advance then the show. Yet, the social ramification are still current and true to this day.

[@peculiarnewbie]

Well said

[@weilian6600]

Cur Newb Thank you.

[@bobsamurai]

A BobSamurai anime review of "Serial Experiments Lain" (1998) a psychological mystery.

[@Deepicanimefreak]

dat intro 10/10

[@MrIncorMC]

Are you a fan of that anime snob??

[@rustyshackleford932]

Mr Incor I heard he's friends with him.

[@Shermos]

BobSamurai Anime Reviews Do you have a myanimelist profile? I'm be curious to see what you've seen and how you rate them.

[@starseven1981]

Shermanator1989 I also enjoyed the intro to this series.

[@slickboymcgee8624]

Thanks for the review man! I was truly worried that it was gonna be super complicated because of all the reviews I've seen of it. I'll hopefully get time to watch it.

[@bobsamurai]

Slick Boy Mcgee awesome hope you enjoy. its on youtube uploaded by funimation if youre in usa

[@slickboymcgee8624]

BobSamurai Anime Reviews Nooice!

[@slickboymcgee8624]

And btw, did you change your rating system?

[@bobsamurai]

Slick Boy Mcgee nope, i still use it but some anime exist outside of my conventional grading system as my system is centered around telling a story but sometimes anime have a different objective , this is one of them, paranoia agent was another

[@slickboymcgee8624]

Yeah, I feel you.

[@civilwarfare101]

I think the "bad" visuals added to the whole surreal aspect of the show. After watching it a second time I like it much more now. I just love it's commentary on how the internet affects society and how information should be handled. If I think about it more this could be one of my favorites. I agree with the opening, it's also one of my favorites all though I barely listened on my second watch. I never noticed the word psyche being said like that only when the guy said the episode name itself.

[@isaactorres3126]

Am I the only person who actually enjoyed the animation and thought it was good? Loved the art direction

[@civilwarfare101]

+Isaac Mata-Torres I found it to be fine.

[@Weesa4]

You really put a lot of thoughts in your reviews man. I hope your channel becomes big one day. Keep it up!

[@KillerOInstinct]

Bob leveling up his editing skills. I like. xD

[@sarahvalerie4307]

Great review, Bob. I've never seen this anime before, and I think because of you I will. By the way, your editing skills are really progressing. nice :p

[@bobsamurai]

sarahvalerie thanks! and i hope you like it

[@captainkondoriano7869]

i love that Laughing Man you put in the background! Could that foreshadow a review of Ghost in the Shell:Stand Alone Complex?? The world may never know.

[@bobsamurai]

Captain Ginko maybe ;) haha i was rewatching it for a review but its so long i got sidetracked. ill do it after i review the movie

[@exeacua]

I love Lain, and for people who have difficulties with understanding this series, there are videos that explains it with psicological and philosofical concepts that complement the series so good. Lain is beautifull directed in every aspect, sound, cinematic, animation, art.

[@matthewkatigbak]

nice review bob, I've only seen the first couple episodes, and the main reason I couldn't continue was that I was flustered with racking my brain, just really confused, but I think I'll take you up on the idea to just watch it the whole way through despite that.

[@bobsamurai]

Matthew Katigbak yea it might work out better for you, dont try to find clues because there honestly arent many. thats why its good to watch it twice

[@matthewkatigbak]

+BobSamurai Anime Reviews alright, sounds good, thanks for the advice

[@CornishCreamtea07]

The animation should get some praise, it was an early Digital Ink & paint show, sort of advance for 98.

[@pragyan394]

What I like about your reviews is that you don't spoil the series unlike other reviewers *cough* Glass Reflection *cough*.

[@Redharvest10]

This is so far the best review of lain i have seen in all of you tube in both english and Spanish and even the one i saw in German that i just did not seem to understand.

[@bobsamurai]

Redharvest10 thanks a lot :)

[@Redharvest10]

BobSamurai Anime Reviews your welcome I'm just glad you UNDERSTAND lol

[@bluestar404]

A good review, I'm looking forward to the review of Kaiba.

[@karutacowboy7477]

This really motivated to actually watch this anime. I was really skeptical because I wasn't sure I would understand it. Thanks for the review.

[@zakariaorzak]

The glaring similarities between the Wired and the Internet, coupled with the social commentary is what sets Serial Experiments Lane apart from other stories. Given that I watched it all today - and I used the Internet to watch it - adds more fuel to that commentary.

[@syphyt808]

It's crazy to think about how much time you spent on this review. This is really well done and well thought out. I'm a big fan of watching psychological anime after this and Evangelion. Any recommendations for newer psych anime?

[@Siderite]

"Oh, wait, that's me!" That was hilarious!

[@martinmalmer9331]

I was on the fence, but I'm going to watch it thanks to your review. Thanks, mate :)

[@bobsamurai]

Enjoy!

[@mayankgupta6213]

I don't know it's coincidence..but i am planning to watch it next in my anime list and here is ur review.. Sorry I skipped it to end just to see ratings so as to avoid anything I can get from ur review..but surely will watch whole video as soon as i finish it and with ur review i am actually hyped about this anime

[@slug2082]

I love your new intro it's badass!!!😀

[@lachlanstill4813]

Good to see some respect for Brent. One of the first high-quality anime KZbinrs, and his content still holds up.

[@MrMasterboy100]

Serial Experiments Lain is one of my all-time fav anime. Its a complex show, but it needs to be complex, it is not pretentious, Serial Experiments Lain deals with some quite difficult themes, like existentialty, God, information, sciene fiction with artificial intelligence, n its put in 12 episodes, a challenge anime, N STILL, u can flly understand if u really want to, n enjoy(that is the important part. Its so realistic, basically, messed replica of our new reality with internet, an alternate reality. Almost 20 years after its realese, this anime reflects our reality even more today, than in 1998, proving Lain is still rulling.

[@Quiestre]

Lain

[@Hiddel]

i see serial experiment lain as one of my favorite anime because it is thought provoking. I would like to see more anime like this but I don't think that would make a lot of money )=

[@peculiarnewbie]

That apply double nowadays where the only shows that are making money are moe and shonen.

[@Hiddel]

Cur Newb yup it is a real shame

[@theanimerapper6351]

Amazing review 10/10 is the lowest score anyone should give this anime anything less is an insult

[@HarpalSingh-eq4lz]

It has 8/10 on MAL...

[@nacho6311]

@@HarpalSingh-eq4lz thats cuz a lot of ppl didn't understand it. I go by the top 4 review on there which for lain are a 10 a 10 a 10 and a 9

[@tms229]

@@nacho6311 everybody understands the meaning. that being lain shows the dangers of the internet how it could rule us in the future and blah blah blah. Also, have you ever thought about the fact that there are people who understood it but thought it was dogshit? Your logic that "if you understood the meaning then you must dickride it to high heaven" makes no sense. Stop acting like y'all are some da vincis or picassos who are above everyone. You and the original commenter have to drill it in your heads Like ok i appreciate the idea of lain and the time it was made but that's about it. It has the worst animation I've ever seen, same for the pacing and the way the story was told. AND OMG HOW TRASH THE SOUND WAS! QUARTER OF THE SERIES WAS JUST POWER LINES GOING "MMMMMMMM" AND EP 11 HAD A REPETITIVE GUITAR RIFF PLAY FOR HALF THE EPISODE. The authors could've told the story in a more bearable way that didn't overly confuse and annoy the viewer and wasn't as boring as watching grass grow. The only thing i wouldn't change would be the characters cause the side characters didn't need any development and i understood why lain was a mysterious character. you never knew what was going on inside her head. I found it quite interesting. Overall, 1/10, fuck lain and y'all mfs that dickride it. The end of my unfiltered rant

[@sheeplord4976]

@@tms229 You have to have been brought up in a certain environment with a certain type of personality to really get sucked into it. That is why it is popular on places like 4chan where these types of people gather. I am saying autistic loners related to the story. The actual message of the show is really good, but the main selling point for many is how amazingly it manages to capture the mental state of such people and how they feel. That is why it is a cult classic, it is the only media that some people can relate to.

[@robertcoyle1532]

nice review... one of my favorites.

[@lucasgrutzmacher6731]

[SPOILER] My favorite part is the one the fucking alien appears, I lost all my concentration and laughed so hard hahaha. The one Lain's appears in the alien clothes is funny too.

[@lachlanstill4813]

I know things like Naruto, AoT, etc. are often gateway series, but Lain was my gateway anime. Even so I loved it at the time, and I even managed to understand much of it. No one should be afraid of giving it a shot.

[@peculiarnewbie]

Wow, i admire this guy.

[@johnjohnys7153]

Keep up the awesome work dude!

[@IntrepidSkin]

Well done. Nice effort Bobby S !

[@themomenthasarrived160]

bob samurai, keeping it real, there are two anime which i really want you to make reviews for, fate/zero and fate/stay night unlimited bladeworks. i have watched both these animes and i can honestly say it will help support the growth of your channel and there is a lot to talk about and bonus, it is a very popular anime

[@Siderite]

I'll be watching your review on Dennou Coil next and compare. I think you should also cover Summer Wars since you did these two already.

[@bobsamurai]

Siderite Zackwehdex i did summer wars a long time ago but its gone now, i need to remake it at some point.

[@MagickFlavour]

I rewatch this anime yearly.

[@Carlos8560]

I'm watching Lain periodically right now and I'm loving it so far! I love your review you where completely right it's not super complicated just really weird!

[@bobsamurai]

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying lain!

[@CodyLovesAnime]

Great video! Really makes me wanna watch this!! :D

[@linkisntzelda7619]

The animation is beautiful to me. I guess it's just preference. And the soundtrack honestly kicks ass it has that grungy feel I like. Nice video dude!

[@illwasteyourtime]

The social commentary of Lain is its crowning achievement. It's unique blending of the early internet, ethical relativist ideas, and sci-fi is awesome. Unfortunately the show takes way too much time before it gives any meaning exposition and is desperately lacking in dialogue. I get it, Lain is an introvert, but at least some more internal dialogue would help greatly in getting to know and care about her deeply. This could probably be inserted in the 10 minutes each episode of blank staring and computer buzzing lol.

[@djfussell1987]

Perfect Blue is obviously a big influence and inspiration for this Anime, both are amazing.

[@MasticinaAkicta]

Lain is Lain :) Not an anime I suggest for beginners but you definitely should have seen it at least once.

[@aditibisht22]

Your profile

[@frequency15k]

"oh wait, thats me" well said bob, well said lol

[@starseven1981]

I've watched Serial Experiments Lain several times myself. I personally wouldn't recommend watching it all in one sitting being that it may overwhelm some people. I would recommend watching it. It doesn't hold as high a spot on my list as Ergo Proxy which I would say is a masterpiece. I would personally recommend to those who like Serial Experiments Lain to try Paprika and Ergo Proxy.

[@NipahAllDay]

Thanks for the review. I would of plan to watch the anime sooner or later despite people saying it's "confusing."

[@Kocurek1921]

Great video.I give thumbs up for Laughing Man sticker in the background :)

[@stkaris]

LET'S ALL LOVE LAIN

[@everywherdo]

"here she discovers anime and porn and never leaves the home again!" xD i feel ya!

[@AmbroseCadwell]

Apparently the nutso way they pronounce "psyche" in the English dub is the way the equivalent word was pronounced in Ancient Greek, wherein it also has a slightly different meaning to the modern use of the word- "animating force / life force" rather than "mind / structure and behaviours of the mind as in psychology". But still, they use the modern alphabet and spelling, so it's not consistent enough to not be weird.

[@DarthPP22]

One of my favorites.

[@gilliandaemon1788]

I don't know why people keep saying "SEL is too confusing don't watch it" you can get a general idea of what happens or just read the summary in the wiki if you're still a bit confused. unless you're a complete brainlet.

[@robiu013]

sounds similair to paranoia agent in style... will definetly watch soon

[@1992crimsonnoble]

Locomotion commercials of this were amazing

[@BuckROCKGROIN]

You're wrong that there was no other time for Lain to be created. Videodrome is Lain in 1983.

[@monroenow]

Hey Bob have you check out Ghost in the shell: Arise, they have the 4 OVA and the 10 episode series based off the 4 OVA, i would really like to see you review that.

[@bobsamurai]

robby monroe nope not yet

[@dragoncross42]

Well this well get me thinking a lot. I can't wait to check it out

[@civilwarfare101]

I found that jab at Arkada to be oddly satisfying.

[@tiktokexposed898]

civilwarfare101 but kinda unfair because that Arkada review is like 8 years old

[@civilwarfare101]

Roy Senpai's Fan Club Doesn't make it any less shit. The Room came out 13 years ago and it's still bad.

[@TheMerk52]

I love SEL I wouldn't say 10/10 but definitely amazing honestly I'd probably say 9.6 so not far off lol, I know some people care for texnolyze or ergo proxy more but idk SEL is greatest psych show for me

[@bobsamurai]

TheMerk52 i felt maybe 9.5 but its not really a calculated score so its a bit much to give half scores imo. i stopped doing that for those types of scores

[@penguindrummer252]

9.6 is a ten.

[@gilgamesh310]

I wouldn't give this a 10/10, but it is a fairly high tier show.

[@bobsamurai]

gilgamesh310 i was thinking somewhere in the 9s but the more i thought about it, the issues i had really were minor

[@amichiganblackman3200]

I watched a bit of lain a few years ago. I was completely lost but I have to say I wasn't the most mature viewer. At the time I just wanted to see fighting scenes but now that I'm more mature and can appreciate other genres and presentations, I think I will give it another go. Bob, How many 10/10 have you given so far?

[@bobsamurai]

Fiddler Green off the top of my head, ill say 5 but idk for sure, paranoia agent was close at 9.5, kemonozume, lupin castle of cagliostro, macross

[@walrusking14]

Bob have you ever read Brave New World? I've never seen Lain before, so I was wondering if you think they're comparable in terms of "future predicting"?

[@bobsamurai]

walrusking14 nope but ive heard great things about it, i need to check it out

[@animelibrarian6525]

walrusking14 That's not that type of show, Lain isn't a utopia/dystopia or even si-fi set in distant future,

[@penguindrummer252]

They do go in the same direction.

[@dhgghoul8220]

1:19 I can relate Bob.

[@Fummy007]

I'm going to have to rewatch it.

[@nit1991in]

Dat laughing man logo.

[@AA-xg9mj]

Tbh I always get kinda scared watching reviews of Lain, since it's one of my favourite anime of all time, and seeing people label it as "pretentious" simply because its story is layered really gets to me. I've got to say that your review made my day. Glad to see someone else loves Lain as much as I do. I'm also watching Texhnolyze right now, and although I can't really say for sure, I'm already enjoying it almost as much as Lain. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if it made my top 5 list as well. And have you watched Haibane Renmei? It's by the same people behind Lain and Texnolyze, and while it's much lighter on the dark themes and elements, it's still an amazing watch

[@bobsamurai]

Liam Karl Agius Camilleri wow glad you enjoyed the video. i gotta rewatch texh and i still need to watch renmei, sometime soon i plan to but not sure when

[@penguindrummer252]

Few things have done what they wanted to do as good as this beautiful show.

[@tenroujaeger6172]

I like your suit, and your reviews

[@ellieluvable]

Great review, I just finished it. I tried watching it earlier this year, but I just quit watching it about episode 4, when I finally watched it yesterday reached past episode 4, then it did start at last for me, to sort of figure out what's going on, then after that it was really, really good!I put this in my top 10.I need to watch it again, but I sort of get it, I can put things together, but I need to understand it more to appreciate it more.I am glad I decided to watch it again, I don't know, maybe it was my frame of mind or whatever.I just finished Berserk and I sort of watched a few series but never finished, I will, I'm watching tokyo ghoul, but I still have to watch monster and garden of sinners. Another anime I started was red garden, I just watched the ova so I want to finish that way too, and of course, will rewatch some of my favorites too, anyways thanks for the recommendation, I enjoyed watching it!

[@GAsAMVsAnimeMusicVideos]

Any possible chance you could review Date A Live? So far it does not really have any detailed reviews at all.

[@bennybeck]

Hey Bob what are some good Samurai series to get into other than Rurouni Kenshin?

[@bobsamurai]

Black Knight Chi read the shigurui manga

[@eggtoothisland]

Good series. A liked it a lot although it could feel really boring at times.

[@ErikCK14]

Best anime ever made. 10/10

[@MrDzoni955]

Kaiba yay :D

[@delroycampbell5284]

One thing New Bob, if you have even a singular gripe with an anime? How can one rate it with a score of perfection? Serious question there.

[@bobsamurai]

____ its all explained in my "logic behind the scores" video but theres no "perfect" im my grading system. a 10 would mean that it achieved everything i felt it was trying to do and then exceeded even further. this also only receives 1 score instead of 2 because its not a conventional story to be compared by conventional standards

[@nazehk]

dude, you should watch blame! , do a review of it

[@bliffsmosmo]

WOW it's really only 13 episodes?? I've thought it was 26 for like 3 years :))__(

[@bobsamurai]

pubic rock id recommend treating it like 26 lol, watching it twice but yea its like watching 3 movies basically

[@TheJuanTrueKaiser]

Mindfuck the anime.

[@jacoblaventure7554]

The JuanTrueKaiser The alternate personality is the most confusing part for me

[@marvinellis1517]

Let's all Love Lain.........14 years old , but that was 96.....so She is 30 now.......right ?

[@MrIncorMC]

Bob, are you a fan of that anime snob?

[@JackSmith-ym8cg]

If he has taste then I doubt it, TAS is the dude that criticises anime without even watching them, whilst calling all new anime trash (without watching) and disregards the entire sports genre because people aren't risking their life's and therefore makes everything they're doing meaningless.

[@gamefaq]

the "mispronounciation" of the word psyche probably comes from the fact that it is pronounced as "poo-shoo-kei" in japanese. maybe the translators didn't realize what word it was when they read the japanese script. anyways, it's great that you're encouraging more people to watch serial experiments lain. i think that it's one of those anime that all anime fans should at the very least try out.

[@bobsamurai]

gamefaq yea youre probably right about the script but the sub has it properly so idk, i thought they use the subtitles as script once its translated

[@matijatu]

I watched lain a few months ago and I didn't really like it, the philosophical and psychological aspects where nice but I still couldn't bring myself to care about it,I don't think that it aged well

[@MugenNiFukuzatsuna]

I liked Lain, but I don't think it is a 10/10 anime. But then, maybe it's too deep for me...

[@arcanethink]

Do a review of kara no kyoukai

[@BIuejoker18]

Yay Kaiba.

[@peculiarnewbie]

If you haven't finished the video, scroll back up! You'll get the score spoiled for you.

[@BukaKEK]

Dat intro.

[@Wotansfogal]

Ghost in the shell 1995 movie review, pretty please?:D

[@bobsamurai]

***** sometime soon, i have the blu ray and ive been itching to review it.

[@mikeangelo7659]

But you lowered it's score to a 9? And you still have Garbage Macross at 10

[@Djoodibooti]

Ditch the suit, nerd.

[@bobsamurai]

i own a clothing store, i am a walking business card.

[@Djoodibooti]

A WHOLE clothing store and you chose to wear... THAT.

[@Djoodibooti]

Maybe don't.

[@HDKawabata]

a lain gosta de caldo de cana