 If you liked
Serial Experiments Lain
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 ...then you might like
Boogiepop wa Warawanai
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Boogiepop Phantom and Serial Experiments Lain are very slow-paced and have very little dialogue. They both attempt to be philisophical....
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Recommended by SY_IS_DEAD_IRL
90's anime style ownage: dull atmosphere, squared character design, electro music on the background, overcrowded city depression, urban mysteries of the concrete-cable town, new age at its best.
strange deaths, beautifully haunting music, and strange color schemes make these two anime series almost siblings. . .
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Recommended by RecursiveGreen
Both mess with your brain. However, Boogiepop creeps you out with supernatural, where Lain (which does have bits of creepiness) uses the modern phenomenon of internet and the decrease in human contact. Boogiepop is perhaps less philosophical than Lain and less conceptual
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Recommended by rayyhum777
Lain and Boogiepop Phantom are soul mates; they deliver highly convoluted stories with intricate plots that are presented in a non-linear way, which allows for some extremely disorientating moments. The mood of both is very dark and menacing; virtually all scenes are charged with nervous tension. Lain is more coherently philosophical while BP is somewhat disjointed but they share the same spirit of subversive violence, enthralling confusion and constant questioning.
Both employ a philosophic style, approaching dark, almost disturbing themes and nonlinear, vignette-effect storytelling. The character designs are similar, not surprisingly because they are done by the same artist (Shigeyuki Suga). Both series also use sparse color palettes, with Boogiepop Phantom extending it further to noise-filled, sepia tones, to reflect the anxieties and tragedies of the characters as well as give the series an over-all psychological, surreal atmosphere.
It seems that Lain and Boogiepop share the same gothic approach to their respective views of the world. I like how both make you really think about their true meanings and how deep they really are.
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Recommended by tranceotaku
Boogiepop is like a more violent, mysterious, horrific version of Lain.
Both have:
- Bizarre deaths, schoolgirls, a god of sorts;
- Confusing, thought provoking and complex story with flashbacks;
- Awesome dark/electronic/industrial music;
- Same character design, creepy atmosphere, and slow pacing.
If you enjoyed one, you’ll probably love the other.
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Recommended by RenaPsychoKiller
Total mind screw. Serial Experiments Lain is more understandable and has a (sympathetic and well developed) main character, while Boogiepop Phantom is more confusing and creepier.
Both are outstanding creative series, have a really alternative development, similar art, treat about dark stuff like suicide and gives a lot to think.
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Recommended by kurodayuchi
Both shows are very similar to one another, and both deal with the same basic thing, the degradation of the human mind. But while Lain deals with one single person, Boogiepop Phantom deals with a larger group of people who are all connected.
This show shares the same character designer and key animator as Lain. It's also very dark, gloomy, and deals with how young people living in modern Japan are disconnected from one another. Boogiepop delves more into the horror genre and it's a little easier to follow, but in terms of atmosphere and storytelling style they are quite similar.
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Recommended by BelmontHeir
The two shows are both willing to progress the story without clearly defining it to the viewer in full. It instead lets you take the knowledge you have and attempt to piece the events from it. These both have effective, dark, dreary atmospheres. The artistic styles are similar and have a huge payoff when you get a full story out of it.
I'm sure everything about similarity of those two wonderful non-mainstream anime was said already so I'm just adding a vote.
Both have strange deaths and haunting music. There's a creepy atmosphere to them both. With dull blurry-like colored backgrounds and characters.
Both series involve disturbing, psychological elements born through twisted technologies. Dark atmospheres encompass the lives of seemingly average students, each with their own past tragedies and/or mental instabilities. A first glance, the plotlines are confusing—albeit, both TV shows are intended for viewers who enjoy re-watching episodes to digest the subtle details, symbolisms, and intellectual undertones.
The anime which feels the closest to Serial Experiments Lain. I am talking about the general atmosphere, though Boogiepop is more gloomy and there is no one main focus of the anime. Might be trying to watch due to the slow pace and disjointed storytelling way, but the payoff is unique-you won't find anime like this much now anymore, or even 20 years back.
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Recommended by Maggot_Brain
The general feel of both anime is similar, especially in art and sound department, but story wise Lain is more open minded with no fixed story while on other hand Boogiepop does have a story you just need to look for it.
Cryptic narrative, horror elements, unconventional sound editing, surreal qualities
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Recommended by lastiri2004
Playing with the minds of people through supernatural events. Which affect people as much as their own environment. All these interconnected events with that same person in an existential challenge .
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Recommended by JuanShot87
Both Boogiepop Phantom and Serial Experiments Lain are dementia anime with a confusing yet enjoyable plot.
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Recommended by dead-leaves
Both are very deep, somber and analytical animations, that deal with societal problems with dark concepts through horror / fantasy / surrealist elements, and both have very interesting, artistic visuals, way beyond the anime clichés. Also very good music, sound effects.
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Recommended by CarolinadeSAM
I don't really know how to explain this, but they do feel similar. They're both philosophical and dementia. They start of slow paced and confusing but as the story continues, you slowly get to know the full picture.
both shows tell their story through different charakters
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Recommended by idontknowman
The story format and themes are practically the same in Boogiepop and Lain, and they also originated during the same era of anime. Serial Experiments Lain is definitely the better-made anime, but Boogiepop Phantom does bring some interesting things to the surface....lol, as if anything is really brought to the 'surface' in either of these anime. Interesting philosophical and moral questions comprise the fabric of both series, which questions are addressed in unconventional and thought-provoking ways. Just who is Boogiepop? And who is Lain? (And who is Rei while we're at it?)
both are art anime with noir themes, recommended for people who like dark psychological anime with a setting that takes till the end to fully understand
Serial Experiments Lain discusses the fear of existence, and how little control we really have over our lives. Boogiepop Phantom does something similar, however the overall message of the show is that regardless of all the bad and the good, everything will move and change. Whether that is depressing or daunting is up to the viewer to decide. Additionally, the animation and character design are extremely uncanny.
-both have a creepy/moody atmosphere
-similar art styles
-perfectly fitting music
-both deal with heavy topics and have a somewhat complex plot
Thematically and artistically dark anime with slow pacing and little dialogue. They follow a series of supernatural occurrences during the turn-of-the-century surrounding a “God” who may or may not exist in the respective fictional worlds. They have a similar unnerving atmosphere to them that comes from the gloomy colour palettes, haunting music, and ambient hum of electronics. Mental illness is an underlying focus of the series, especially paranoid schizophrenia.
Both series have school-aged characters who go through a lot of psychological development. The art styles and ambiances are similar, and they series are around the same number of episodes.
Both go about the everyday lives of citizens as they deal with unnatural circumstances, share a very unique style of storytelling, come to similar conclusions, and have characters that act very similar to one another. Both also possess a similar art style. Really, they're a perfect match for one another.
Boogiepop Phantom has a strange, dark, and isolating atmosphere with a plot that's oftentimes confusing but not to the point of being frustrating. Most characters act in strange ways and many seem disconnected from reality. There's also an element of surrealism that makes the viewer question what is real and what is fake: what's really happening and what's the byproduct of supernatural forces?
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Recommended by FrenzyofParadise
These two shows share a real symbiosis: unsettling auditory ambiance, a mysterious and disturbing vibe and thoroughly unique titular characters. Moreover, Boogiepop and Lain share the same voice actress in Japanese and the eyecatch and layers voice uses the same Mac text to speech software. Both of these shows will leave you with more questions than answers and if you're a fan of psychological and non-linear storytelling, you won't regret checking either out.
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Recommended by sekaiwalpurgis
Very similar look, and atmosphere. A similar style of story telling, with the metaphorical things and a requirement to pay some what close attention. Not a "second monitor show" if you will. The biggest difference would be Boogiepop phantom's non-linear story line. Over all, very similar art style(it will satisfy any ABe fans like my self) and released around the time time, so the animations also look quite similar as well.