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May 13, 2024
I have had a lot of time to think about this show, as I watched it in multiple sittings with time in between. After finishing it, I've come to the conclusion that I'm one of those people that think this anime is something special.
I think one of the most important things to consider when diving into Lain is the way in which it could be viewed and interpreted. By this I mean that if you want to view it as a standard anime with normal plot and character development, you will get little to nothing out of it. The story is basically nonexistent, characters do
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not have formal character arcs or change much at all, ideas and plot points are introduced and/or forgotten, imagery is thrown about in strange ways. You will be very, very bored. However, if you view it differently, like an art piece, you will feel much more fulfilled.
That probably sounds incredibly pretentious, so let me explain.
I'm not saying that this anime is so incredible it must be viewed purely as fine art. No, far from it. What I mean is that, in my many years of experience as an artist dissecting and writing about tons of different pieces, some art asks many questions and do not give many answers. These pieces are invitations for their viewers to digest their words, their imagery, their craftsmanship and motifs. They provide these things, but the true meaning of the piece is for the viewer to discover something about themselves or the world around them as they haven't before. And in doing so, the viewer feels connected with the piece and gains new perspectives. This is exactly what I think Lain is: an open conversation. It shows the effects of its proposed ideas and philosophies of a world similar to ours and asks the viewer what they think. "How would it affect our world? Is memory history? If something is forgotten, does it exist? What exactly is a God?" All of these questions are answered vaguely in this world. But that's not the point. The point, in my eyes, is for the viewer to take these questions with them afterword and ponder them. It opens up so many discussions, from memory to morality. And you get really neat visuals too, so that's a plus.
I'm not going to sit here and try to describe the plot of Lain. If all of this sounds pretentious and boring to you (which, I've seen many people describe this show as, and I wholeheartedly disagree) then it is not the anime for you. I feel that it is so great because it asks all of these things in such beautiful, haunting ways. It kept me invested for the entire duration without fail. I felt connected to Lain, (which is... fitting), but interested in the rest of the cast as well. So many of its themes apply to the world-- both digital and "real"-- now more than ever, so I think it holds up well aside from some outdated computer graphics.
If any of this sounded even remotely interesting, please give it a shot. Watch at least to episode 3, as the first couple are very quiet. I find it beautiful, but I don't think it would be everyone's cup of tea.
I don't know. I thought it was pretty fun to watch Lain have multiple existential crisis. (My only major complaint is the amount of times characters said "Lain". I know it has value in relation to its themes and messages, but it definitely got grating after 13 episodes ^u^; )
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 23, 2022
Most of the other reviews are short, were made based on only the first chapter, or didn't provide much information on what the series is actually like. It's still publishing (volume 7 is out, I've read up to volume 6) so I'll do my best to talk about it up to that point.
The humor in this series is something you're either going to love or hate. There's a ton of jokes about smoking, physical violence, and absurd (almost childish) types of jokes. Our main character is an asshole who very, very rarely shows signs of being a good person (and even when they do,
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it's kind of suspicious). She bullies everyone around her but also shows signs of actually liking her only friend. She is a heavy smoker, and a ton of jokes are centered around her being addicted to it. Moreover, there's a ton of fan service and skimpy outfits, along with panty shots galore. What I'm trying to say is that it's extremely edgy, but for me at least, most of the jokes land.
The art deserves its own section. If I'm being completely honest, it's some of the best I've seen. Backgrounds are beautifully rendered, and the action scenes are utterly fantastic. In the first couple of volumes, it was mainly about the fight scenes and gags, but now there's an actual story and some mysteries (why does she have an underground bunker? What's the deal with her dad? What happened to her to make her so pessimistic?) are actually presented and I feel that at least a couple of them will be discussed in later volumes.
If you want to see if this manga is for you then read volume one. If you like the art, the general premise, or the humor, you will probably enjoy this series. If you're scoffing at it as you read in utter disgust, you will get nothing out of this series. My take, however, is that it's a fantastic satire on magical girls and a stupid, yet somewhat charming story about interesting characters. I would recommend it to someone who's feeling adventurous.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 23, 2022
I'm going to be as fair as I can be here, considering Yoko Nogiri is one of my favorite Mangaka.
This series is pretty good. It's three volumes long, the art is pure eye candy, and the love interests are interesting and quite handsome. But if you're anything besides a person brand-new to this kind of manga, you've probably seen this story before. Girl with way more heart than brains gets involved in a love-triangle with the quirky brown-haired guy and reclusive dark-haired guy. And you have a 99% chance of knowing who she's going to end up with. There are some bumps here and
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there, and I'm glad everyone had a chance to voice their feelings on each other.
This is why I love it. This is why I adore these stories.
You can turn your brain off and enjoy some silly over-dramatic romance between two gorgeous guys who have no real reason to be in love with the girl, and slowly (very slowly, mind you) figure out their feelings and address her directly. At least in this series main girl figures out who she truly likes a but earlier than others. But if I really like it, why did I rate it a 7? Well, I really enjoyed it, but in the grand scheme of things, it isn't very special. Would I recommend it? Of course! Especially if you're new to shoujo. You'll probably get a ton out of this.
Oh yeah, I liked the whole photography thing. Photos are cool.
Tl;dr: A fun. silly (not to mention short) romance series that has likable love interests but doesn't have too many new ideas.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Dec 19, 2021
I'm going to keep this short and sweet because I think a lot of other reviews go through many of the main talking points in general.
The art in incredible. The backgrounds are insanely detailed and even the most subtle of expressions are conveyed. I think some people label the story as "paper thin" is because it is not horribly complicated like many people are used to in their movies. The plot has a main goal and yet it is quite enthralling from complex characters and emotional moments. Sounds are implemented well, from walking and the tiniest lock on doors, everything is captured. Besides, this is
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the only production where the English dub is actually good.
I know you've heard all the hype around this movie and it's the only case where I can safely say that it is all warranted. It is not long and trust me, you won't regret watching it. It truly is a masterpiece.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 2, 2021
It's alright. Mediocre at best. Here's why.
The art is fine, and is extremely clean. It's just a bit bland in my eyes, especially considering some panels show a lot of action and movement for gags, but those are far and few between. Backgrounds are rendered and characters are distinct. Not much to comment on.
The same goes for story and characters. There just isn't much here. Our protagonist is quite bland and his only traits are introvert, quiet, and try hard. Other than that there isn't much to him. There's basically no story and it's obvious that the author was expecting more volumes because
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it doesn't have a conclusion per say because there's NOTHING TO CONCLUDE. I liked the basic ideas enough, but there just wasn't enough done with the ideas that were there, besides some reoccurring jokes.
It's a fine duoligy. There's cool vampire interactions, nice art, and decent characters with very few traits, I guess. If you find it on clearance give it a try.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jan 20, 2021
I hereby entitle this manga: "Mixed Feelings Galore!"
*Spoilers ahead*
Story-
"Love will save the universe!" Is by far one of the stupidest lines to come out of this manga, and certainly isn't the last. The story starts off pretty simple, with ridiculously slow pacing. The Dears have come to Earth because their ship crashed, and they're immediately welcomed through numerous exchange programs without any hesitation. We follow Ren, a "defect" Dears, through her misadventures with the "master" she chose, that being Takeya. For the first 6 volumes, there isn't too much conflict or an overarching threat that needs to be stopped. It's mainly "What is...love?" and "Whoops!
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Did I just touch a boob?"-which gets old pretty quick. More characters get introduced throughout the series (Which I'll get to later) that add a little bit of action and interest, but some of them get annoying very quickly. However, basically everything happens in the last 7 or so chapters. By everything I mean rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. At first I found myself trying to rush through the chapters to get it over with, because while I thought Miu and Takeya had much better chemistry, and you know, genuine affection between them, in the end it was obvious that Ren and Takeya would be together. All of a sudden, I was rereading things because everything was moving so quick. What happened to Takeya's parents? What's the deal with his dad? What's with this space-war-thing? Well, none of these questions were answered, which is downright annoying. All of this time was spent doing literally nothing, then an entire half of a story was crammed into a couple chapters. I have never once read something with such horrible pacing. I'm feeling generous so I'll give it a 5/10.
Art-
Classic Peach-pit. Big eyes, big boobs, and the sharpest chins around. All jokes aside, there are some pages that were absolutely gorgeous. For the most part, the backgrounds are well developed, which is appreciated. I can remember the locations and character designs with ease, and I love the individuality of the Dears' costumes. I loved the over the top emotions, and the chibi panels were cute. I agree with many others when I say that the art is probably the most enjoyable part of this series. I liked it a lot, so 8/10.
Character-
I hated Takeya. With a seething, burning, inferno-like passion. He treated everyone like crap, even when they were trying to be nice to him. He was more tolerable in the last two volumes, but other than that he was a total jerk to Ren. Granted, I would probably get annoyed at her too, but he has no concern for her feelings or anyone else's. And this isn't some sort of tsundere thing, where the character actually loves someone and is hiding it by portraying themselves to be "tough". He's just an ass. I couldn't stand him and actually wanted him to be put in his place, and I think Nekoneko did something kind of like that in the last volume. Not on the scale I would have hoped for, though. As for Ren, I thought she was really sweet and honestly wanted the best for her. However, some of her dynamics bothered me after a while because they brought up the same things over and over. She likes melon bread. She is devoted to the idea that Takeya is her master. She doesn't really know what clothes are. All of these things were brought up so much that I got sick of them. I liked Miu and Nekoneko, though, as I thought they were the most likable and I can actually sympathize with them. There are many more characters but this section is long enough already. 6/10 because I genuinely like some of the characters but hate other ones.
Enjoyment-
5/10. I hoped and hoped that this manga would get better, that some sort of interesting thing would happen. Well, I guess it did in a way, but that isn't my point. My point is that there were a lot of things I enjoyed, such as the art, general concept, and a few of the characters, but there are so many things that I hated that I really can't see myself going back to this series anytime soon. I read it on a whim, and I'm kind of glad it's over. I didn't really hate it, but it wasn't that good either.
Overall, I'm feeling generous, so I'll give it a 6/10. I'll give it some points for an interesting concept and having unique characters, I loved the art, and there were some moments that made me laugh out loud. I think Peach-pit made some better series than this, so only read this if you're REALLY curious or like Peach-pit in general. If not, skip it.
Tl;dr: Boring story (until the end when things get rushed), good art, and characters that range from likable to intolerable. Read it if you like Peach-pit or the premise, skip if it not.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 12, 2021
(Still don't know why I can review literal songs and music videos on this website, but here we go anyway)
Another banger by artist and producer Mitchie-M.
This one has extremely bright visuals, and actually tells a story somewhat. I'm just disappointed at both of the project diva charts, as they are surprisingly bad. Seriously, some parts aren't even on sync, and don't remind me of that drum section. That gives me nightmares.
I mean, what am I supposed to say? I guess I can tell you to go support Mitichie because he's pretty rad. Still think Seraphim on the ring is better, but you know, I
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won't ever diss any of his stuff because he's one of the most talented producers I've ever seen.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 11, 2021
Come on guys. This is a 30 second pocky commercial. That's it.
The miku module looks outstanding, and this is the only commercial I've ever watched on repeat. Seriously, the little jingle makes me smile every time.
You see, when I watched this for the first time, I wasn't aware that you could freeze the pocky- I thought you were supposed to eat them straight out of the box. (Horrible, I know) But this video showed me the light; I now understand the true way to ingest and digest pocky, I understand the balance of life and death, and I now know the secrets of the universe.
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It all came flooding through my screen into my soul.
Remember kids, let your pocky sleep in the refrigerator first, then eat it.
Wait a second- am I recommending a 30 second commercial? Jeez, you could have watched it in the time it took to read this review. Shame on you, reader. Shame on you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jan 11, 2021
Why are people giving this thing crap reviews?! Even if it's a joke, this video is 54 seconds long, is honestly mind blowing and realistic, and that's why it deserves a good score! You guys brought this thing down to around a 5, and I'm mad af right now >:(
I'm so disappointed >:(((((((((((
Seriously i will not tolerate you guys dumping on my girl miku like this she deserves better
meanie heads this changed my life 10000+/10 and it did the same for you fess up
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(I haven't given anything a 10/10 on this website yet and this is the thing that gets it oooof)
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jan 11, 2021
I haven't watched the anime, but even still I'm disappointed.
I honestly loved this series, until the very end. I liked the characters and loved the art. I did like the "twist" (I guess you could call it that) at the very end, but it seems like the other half of the story was chopped off. I even looked online, hoping there were more volumes, but no. This series had a 3 volume adaptation and that's all. It's kind of a slap in the face, especially if you got your hands on the physical volumes. They're extremely expensive and they're cheating you out of a great
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story.
I loved what I read, but it leaves on a cliffhanger and says, "screw you, watch the anime because I have nothing else to offer." Guess I need to watch the anime now, but I'm going to have a bad taste in my mouth after the manga, which is a shame.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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