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so, i gave everything a 10. and im about to explain why.

Story: 10
the story is mind boggling, and can be hard to follow due to the fact that it strays away from what a linear plot line is, but that fact is probably the main thing that makes the story so incredibly unique, and therefore not for everyone. However, the series would not be as good if it werent for the fact the the story is told in a non linear way. Thats because there are actually a lot of cyberpunk anime that tackle similar concepts as Lain does, but none of them do it ... as good because theyre all the same. Lain doesnt try to pander to its audience; it treats its viewers intelligently and forces them to think. The themes are brilliantly portrayed, not only through the non linear story telling, but also through the use of imagery, which brings me to my next point.

Art: 10
even though the anime was made in the 90s, the art is incredible. The atmosphere and mood contribute to the story, and are enforced by the colors and settings. The use of shadow and light contribute to the general message being conveyed as well. When the art goes beyond being something pretty to look at to something that contributes to the story telling is when it's a 10.

Sound: 10
the ambient noise throughout the scenes combined with the empty or sometimes dark settings created the eerie atmosphere that this anime hit with a home run. You feel uncomfortable, as the tension is building up in a scene, since you're just waiting the whole time to get answers to questions the series keeps planting in your head. You feel like something's not right the entire time, due in part to the sound, which contributes to the theme of what constitutes reality. The viewer is constantly wondering or trying to determine who and what is "real" and the off putting sound, and sometimes lack thereof, re enforce the viewers suspicions. when the sound goes beyond being background noise to something that contributes to a theme or motif in the story is when its a 10.

character: 10
Lain is one of the most well written anime characters ever. The story is in a way, centered around who or what she is. The mystery in her identity, and if shes even real, was executed to perfection. In the story, the real world and The Wired begin to 'blend together' and the differences between the shy and quiet "real world" lain and the more abrasive "wired" lain begin to blend together as well. This transition is done gradually, which makes it really believable and therefore disturbing, because the two Lains being "one in the same" becomes something you feel, even though you dont want to believe it.

Enjoyment: 10
even though everything else is a 10, the enjoyment may not be a 10 for everyone even though it's a 10 for me. This anime is unconventional and isnt really accessible to the casual viewer. If you're not willing to bend your way of understanding a story when it bends the pre established formula for story telling, then you wouldnt enjoy this anime, in fact you'll be bored with it. Something this anime does which may put off some people is that it builds up a lot of questions for a long time without answering them, so the viewer has to exercise a lot of patience. If you can not stay interested without being instantly gratified, then you will get bored with this anime. however, i find stories that keep you wondering and puzzled more interesting and fun so for me, the enjoyment was a 10.

Overall: 10
it's flawless. Forget about being a good anime, it's an incredible work of art. You learn so much about the nature of humanity, personal identity, and the blurry lines that outline reality. It makes you uncomfortable, but you're enlightened because of it. For true anime nerds, you may want to watch it for its importance to the progression of anime, and its lasting influence it's had on anime that have followed it.

Okay so i just have to say after hearing of all the hype and popularity surrounding the series here in the west i came in expecting an anime as good as death note, since death note had the same amount of praise and popularity in 2007. PLEASE DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID. I realize i would've been a lot more satisfied with the series if i didn't let people's high praise and acclaim for SnK influence my expectations. it is a VERY over rated series, but all that aside, here is the review:


STORY: 6

The premise and setting is excellent. The execution, not as ... much. the first episode created a fantastic set up that by the end of series, ended almost absolutely no where. I feel the main plot/point of the series, to find the origin of the titans and use the knowledge found to end the rein of titan terror and to set humanity free, deviated greatly and the focus of the series became these sort of side issues that i honestly didn't care about. Dialogue is very unnatural. i found it hard to imagine actual people saying some things in real life. But probably the worst thing about the story is the fact that in the end, we are literally back at square one. Like everything you just watched might as well have not happened and the circumstance would have been exactly the same.

ART: 10

The art was so great it almost redeemed everything wrong about the series.The 3DMG was animated in a way that provided flawless motion and captivating movement. The gore added a sort of surreal dark-like element but wasn't over the top at all, which i appreciated. The character designs were great. There were no purple/pink/blue haired people. It was all realistically animated but almost dreamlike at the same time, being so vivid. Great animation.

SOUND: 8

Sound was awesome. The intensity of the music aided in making the action scenes even more enjoyable. The openings and endings sounded great. Nothing stuck out or sounded out of place. The music backed up the scenes very well without being overwhelming. The reason why i gave it an 8 instead of a 10 was because i never felt pressed to listen to any of the Soundtrack outside of watching the series. None of the OST's were particularly fantastic, but they were a perfect fit for the scenes they were put together with.... if that makes sense.

CHARACTERS: 5

Probably the most disappointing aspect of SnK. MC was your typical revenge driven hero who could never seem to formulate any thoughts or concerns beyond his own goals. Heroine has no other sense of purpose aside from protecting MC. Her devotion to him is almost robotic. MC's side kick was the only character who had a shred of realistic depth. And by that i mean he was the only one who thought of things outside of his own set of objectives and purposes (his being to be of use to his friends, which he sort of achieved in a round about way by thinking of ways to solve the big issue instead of his own personal one). Side characters were so unremarkable. Every time one of them died and their names were mentioned i literally couldn't remember who it was, which means they served no purpose other than being a corpse added to the death list.

ENJOYMENT: 6

Even with its flaws, i still enjoyed the whole post-apocalyptic feel to it. I also enjoyed simply watched the images, since the animation was so fantastic. I was sort of bored at times though. Progression is very slow. And i would've been totally fine with the slow pace if it paid off in the end and if the things happening in the slow pace even mattered a whole lot when it came to the end of the show, but like i stated earlier i felt really unsatisfied with the fact that in the end everything i stuck through proved to be pointless, as in the situation is almost exactly the same as prior to all the work, battles, ect. No new information surrounding the titans was brought to light, there was still no way to effectively exterminate them, the main issue and conflict held no progress toward resolution what so ever. Which sort of made me question why i even watched any of it in the first place. If you're bored, looking for a show to pass the time with, this is it. If you're looking for something worthwhile to enthrall you, you might want to look elsewhere.

OVERALL: 7

I would've given this a 6 but the animation so so fascinating i had to add an extra point solely for that. I mainly wrote this review to warn people not to start watching SnK expecting it to live up to it's praise and acclaim. The first episode may trick you but please dont get to hyped up cause the direction it goes will only prove to be disappointing. I mean it is good, just not as great as what everyone cracks it up to be. but definitely a solid 'good'.