Virtual in the network - "Lain" Japan TV TOKYO Corporation launched an experimental animation "Lain" (シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン) in the late night period of the TV station from July 6 to September 28, 1998. The ratings for this anime with only 13 episodes were not very good at the time. People seem not ready to accept such "alternative" works. Extremely jumpy, messy scenes, obscure plots, depressing atmosphere, coupled with slow narrative techniques, we seem to be able to use things like "unprovoked, dazed, unpredictable, unknown, undisciplined, mysterious, ." words to describe it.
The plot of "Lain" is very jumpy and random. We must get rid of those abstract expressions and simply extract the plot from the perspective of a story in order to have a general understanding of the plot.
The story begins with the suicide of Sifang Tian Chisa. When Sifang Tian Qiansa committed suicide, she left clues about the development of the whole play. She said: People like me should not have existed in this world. Why shouldn't it exist in this world? Can there be a breakthrough? Iwakura Siliaルエクスペリメンツ・Rein later proved it. After she committed suicide, she received emails from the deceased as her classmates one after another. There was panic and commotion among the classmates. Issues that Iwakura シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン had never paid attention to or deliberately avoided before—life and death, suddenly appeared in front of her eyes. She asked Sifang Tian Qiansha: But why did you want to die? Sifang Tian Qiansha replied: Life and death are actually the same. no difference. Man does not need a body. After Shifang Tian Chisa's suicide storm, シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン was like an activated program, and suddenly began to realize the existence of oneself or the self, which is also the id entity. She gradually realized that the world was a little different. Or maybe she's a little different herself. Ordinary students were watched by strangers on their way to school. In the corridors of the school, they saw the vague figures of non-physical human beings flashing. She was horrified to discover that she could control the world around her and see events that never happened. For example, on the train to school, it was very noisy, and she thought silently and annoyed in her heart: Can you be quieter? As a result, the whole train suddenly became quiet, and everyone looked at her in surprise.
These subtle changes made シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン feel very scared. Her friend Alice told her that she saw another シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン in a DISCO at night. However, Siliaルエクスペリメンツ・レイン is quite an autistic person, and would never go to such a place at night. Gradually, she discovered that she could connect to the Internet even without the aid of a computer or other tools. These changes forced her to find out why. In the process of pursuing the ultimate truth, she gradually came into contact with the founder of this interconnection technology - YINGLI GROUP Zhengmei known as "God" . And the group that controls this network - the "Knights of Eastern Algorithms". It turned out that the "Knights" group created another シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン, and she destroyed the group angrily, but why did the "Knights of the Oriental Algorithm" copy the シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン and not copy others? シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン asked in pain: Who am I? What am I? In what way do I exist? YINGLI GROUP Zhengmei told her that she was not a real person, but a program written by him. Siliaルエクスペリメンツ・レイン was extremely distressed by this truth. False parents, sisters, false life, false classmates. But all of this is so real in the memory of Shiriaルエクスペリメンツ・レイン. YINGLI GROUP Zhengmei then said: Memory is just a record, if there is no record, it means that it never happened. This means that the important basis for human beings to identify the world - "memory", is actually not real in itself! Because since it can be erased, of course it can also be written. So what is the ultimate truth! ?
シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン found that he could rewrite the memory of others or even the whole world at will, because people in this world have been connected with each other in various ways from ancient times to the present, and the system to maintain this connection is called "collective consciousness". (WIRED)”. As long as you can enter this system, you can arbitrarily modify other people's memories. Rewrite the memory, erase the pain, leave happiness and good memories, then the whole world will be happy. シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン rewrote everyone's memory, and the city besieged by death and fear suddenly calmed down again. In the world of シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン, it seems that there has never been Sifang Tian Chisa, and there has been no suicide of Si Fang Tian Chisa. Is the world in balance? However, even シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン herself did not know why, but she left behind the memory of Monta Ellis . Monta Ellis, who has the only complete memory, came to the house of シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン and begged シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン to let her forget those painful memories. But being the only one who knows should be another kind of happiness. シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン looked at Monta Ellis in confusion, because she likes Monta Ellis, which keeps Monta Ellis' memory intact, why is it painful? At this time YINGLI GROUPMasami appeared, and he said that since シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン likes Monta Ellis so much, why not let Monta Ellis connect to シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン? シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン told YINGLI GROUP Zhengmei that you are not a god, because "collective consciousness" already exists, it existed before YINGLI GROUP Zhengmei didn't exist, this system is just discovered by YINGLI GROUP Zhengmei instead of He invented it. Even if there is a god in this world, it is not YINGLI GROUP Zhengmei, he is just an agent - the agent of God. In other words, now, it is time for her to take this position. YINGLI GROUP Zhengmei was very angry, and tried to kill シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン and Monta Ellis together, but instead was eliminated by シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン. Monta Ellis was stunned (or scared to death?) in the process of witnessing this horror. シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン looked at Monta Ellis, who was unconscious in his arms, and finally understood: For ordinary people, some things do not need to be known. The final truth of reality, for their lives, is actually It doesn't make sense at all! She finally understood that people like her don't really need to exist in this world! This is why Sifang Tian Chisa committed suicide. Or Sifang Tian Qiansa did not commit suicide at all, but cleaned the system and detached herself from this world.
After knowing this, Siliaルエクスペリメンツ・レイン painfully "restarted the system". The world started anew from the very first morning. But シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン suddenly found out that no one remembers her in this world that started anew, this world where memory started to record again. But it was only in such a situation that シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン really saw another self, the "self" who had always existed in legends but had never met. "She" said to シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン: In fact, シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン does not exist anywhere, and シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン can only watch! シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン was confused again, she thought she had found the truth, but she was just wandering on the edge of the truth, she said angrily: シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン is the only one, I am me, you not me! So that シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン suddenly disappeared. The whole world has disappeared, and the original question remains unanswered: Who am I, what kind of existence am I, and what am I? In desperation, she saw her father, who was sitting on opposite sides of a table. Her father said to her: Isn't all this what you want and want? Isn't all of this what シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン wants? Silia ル エ クスペリメンツ・Rein burst into tears.
At the end of the story, Monta Ellis is an adult, and she is shopping with her boyfriend. Suddenly, I found Shiriaルエクスペリメンツ・レイン who was still a child standing on the overpass. She ran over in surprise and said, have we met before? シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン said silently: No, we have never met. Monta Ellis looked deeply at シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン. Couldn't say a word. She subconsciously told her that this girl named シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン was a person she was quite familiar with, but her memory told her that she had never been in contact with シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン in her life. Monta Ellis' boyfriend came over, so she hurriedly said goodbye to シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン. シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン stood on the overpass and watched them walk away. Then silently said: Yes, at any time, we can meet again! The whole world suddenly zoomed away, and everyone disappeared, leaving only Siliaルエクスペリメンツ・レイン standing alone on the flyover.
Maybe we didn't feel much impact from the storyline, but on the whole, it does reflect the "experimental" characteristics of "Lain". In terms of character setting, Lain in Abe Yoshijun's pen is not the kind of beautiful girl who is deliberately beautified, she is even a slightly "ugly" girl: round face, big eyes, short hair with equal ears, ordinary The school uniform, showing a slightly dull look; all of this constitutes the appearance of The Girl Next Door , which is refreshing and approachable, allowing the audience to accept and identify with this character psychologically, and it also makes it easier for the whole work to penetrate through this carrier. our hearts.
In addition, "Lain"'s camera usage and graphic art are very skilled, even avant-garde. Although there are many similar techniques borrowed from "EVA", "Lain" still made its own style, and made it bolder in many places. It seems that the producers did not consider the feelings of the audience, but inflated in extreme self-enjoyment! The bright white streets, the dark blue sky, the pale sun, the black wires, the bright red or dark blue spots wriggling in the shadows, the scenes that are both real and illusory constantly flashing in front of シリアルエクスペリメンツ・レイン; maybe We should close our eyes and listen to this work quietly.
Speaking of listening, we inevitably have to talk about the music of Lain, which is exceptionally good, not only setting off the atmosphere of the entire animation, but also working perfectly with the picture. The theme song "DUVET" is raised with the line "And you don't seem to understand.". The singing voice with a slight Light Jazz flavor is used by the singer BOA with a slightly lazy voice, superior indifference and a sense of rhythm. The strong electronic soundtrack is shown, giving the audience the feeling of being integrated into the virtual space: ethereal and mysterious, and the illusion seems real. The ending song "Far い 偳 び" and the theme song are two completely different feelings; based on the complex and deep synthetic electronic soundtrack, the singing performed by a hoarse voice sounds bad at first, but it It plays a subtle role in the whole animation, and a warm soul has been unknowingly injected into the cold music.
In any case, we say that, either way, there is no real correspondence between the value of a work of art and its public response. The temporary bad reviews did not resist the charm of "Lain" itself, and people gradually realized its value and fell in love with it.
In chapter 13, "Lain" explores the meaning of God, human nature, the meaning of existence and the truth of life, etc. In these reflections, what we realize is more of a kind of loss, which comes from the discussion of virtual reality, from our deep admission that virtual reality is not as beautiful as we imagined. After watching "Lain", should we learn to measure a thing comprehensively? Can we put all events in order? The profound and mysterious network, by virtue of which we can only glimpse all kinds of things in life. But at the same time, it also casts a certain darkness on our lives. Recognizing these can make our thinking deeper and more precise. When everything in "Lain" returns to its original position, Lain is in a lonely and awkward situation: how does Lain affirm his own existence and meaning? When the Internet is developing at an unimaginable speed, and virtual reality is gradually becoming something within reach, how should human beings face it?
Before her death, Sifang Tian Qiansa repeated "it shouldn't exist in this world", echoing the emails her classmates received from her after her death, confirming the existence of another world, the illusory world, and materializing it E-mails, text messages and other forms are expressed in the works.
