AMV’d: Serial Experiments Lain
Ξ December 16th, 2009 | → 2 Comments | ∇ Music is Life, The Anime Annals |
I thought I’d start up a new series that features a favorite anime as represented by some of the more readily-available (*cough YouTube cough*) AMVs out there. Today’s initial installment will deal with one of the more unique and incomparable series made, namely 1998′s Serial Experiments Lain. With initial character designs by Yoshitori ABe, who also did those for Haibane Renmei, and at times startling, disturbing and quixotic direction by Ryutaro Nakamura, Lain is a psychedelic cornucopia of visual and aural sensations. The story begins with a classmate committing suicide, and then days later seems to be sending messages via the Internet about now existing in a place called “the Wired” where she claims to have found God. Dealing with (among many other things) reality, identity, and being, it’s probably best not to try to explain what it’s about, as different viewers will come away with their own interpretations. For those unafraid of spoilers, the Wikipedia has an interesting article on it here.
One of Lain‘s elements that is immediately noticeable is the use of sound, both in effects, music, and even silence. Even the ominous and everpresent humming of electrical overhead wires lends much to the atmosphere. While it’s not an AMV, this clip of the initial seven minutes from the first episode will give you a taste of Lain’s apparently-strange world, and introduce you to the theme song, “Duvet” which you’ll hear more of later on (suggestion: watch in Full Screen and High Quality):
It was tough coming up with AMVs of quality in both presentation and especially song choice, as music is so subjective. I wanted to have a sort of progression as well, so that the flow reflects the series movements. So let’s start out with the intriguing character of Lain herself, shall we? A quiet, introspective, and shy girl, she gets a computer upgrade courtesy of her enthusiast-father, who has no clue as to the “monster” he gives birth to. It’s not long before Lain surpasses his own expertise and is soon connected to The Wired. There she encounters… well, let’s let the AMV show you. This one’s quite pixelicious so you may want to just keep it normal-sized; it’s here mainly for the song, “Mad World” by Gary Jules, and the excellent scene choices by its creator:
The next AMV, accompanied by Natalie Imbruglia’s “Smoke,” deals more with Lain’s immediate circle of family and friends, and the increasingly disorienting world which she inhabits. Her parental units and sister are all seemingly detached from her, but her closest friend Alice stays with her through thick and thin; she’s just about the only reliant one she knows.
This next award-winning AMV is backed by “Cells” by The Servant, and depicts Lain’s place(s) in her environment(s), and her shifting sense of self. Or should that be “selves”?
Finally, we have a spoilerish but excellent AMV that focuses on several key scenes from the series: the “men in black” set up as opposition to Lain’s explorations, the harrowing nightclub shooting scene where a deranged gunman takes aim at Lain, and a confrontation near the end with Alice and …?… It’s hard to describe anything as spoilers with Serial Experiments Lain as it will constantly keep you scratching your head and trying desperately to un-blow your mind! This video is backed by Frou Frou’s “Psychobabble,” some might say quite fittingly 
That should be enough to entice you, assuming your genres line up accordingly! Needless to say, “psychological” is at the top with this anime It’s really an incomparable series, and as I mentioned above, the sound alone is pretty amazing. For the first third of episode 11 there is no dialogue, and aside from sound effects a feedback-distorted guitar is the only ground you’ll have to accompany the disorienting imagery.
And speaking of music (kind of), here’s the “live” version of “Duvet” as performed by Boa. This song is one of my favorites, and I just can’t get enough of it! First up, the lyrics, written by (and sung by) Jasmine Rodgers:
A shame you seemed an honest man
And all the fears you hold so dear
Will turn to whisper in your ear
And you know what they say might hurt you
And you know that it means so much
And you don’t even feel a thing
I am fading
I have lost it all
And you don’t seem the lying kind
A shame that I can read your mind
And all the things that I read there
Candle lit smile that we both share
And you know I don’t mean to hurt you
But you know that it means so much
And you don’t even feel a thing
I am falling
I am fading
I am drowning, help me to breathe
I am hurting
I have lost it all
I am losing, help me to breathe”
I LOVE watching Jasmine dance 
Think I’ve got a(nother) crush 
Hope you enjoyed this installment; now go out and buy it if you like what you can sample here (and there). It really belongs in your collection, if the type is your thing ;-)
Until next time 
on December 28th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
My favorite Lain AMV was always http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaFayr9zI-8
on December 29th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Hi waterfall, nice to see you outside of IRC
That was an awesome video; wish it was of high quality because the concept behind it was very unique and it deserves to be seen in as good a quality as possible. Maybe I’ll check out the amv site to see…
Thanks for the visit, and for sharing