Lain#1: Navi

Reviewed By: Kristy Isla

Geneon Entertainment DVD

Review based on 1 Disc (episodes 1-4)

Rating NR

What it’s (basically) all about: Recently a girl at Lain’s school committed suicide by jumping off a building, but people are still getting email from her.  Lain, a shy junior high girl, also gets the email, but the email states that the girl is still alive, she just gave up her body and now she lives in the “wired”.  Things start to get interesting as Lain explores this “wired” world, and discovers a world unlike anything else she has known.

Nitty Gritty: Meet shy, young Lain, a junior high girl who is not popular but not disliked either.  One day at school she overhears a girl crying and is then asked if she “got the email too”.  The email refers to one sent by another girl at the school who committed suicide the previous week. (We see this in the opening credits and yes there is blood.)  Lain says she isn’t “up on all that” and the other girls tell her she is missing out on everything and that she needs to brush up on her computer skills.  Lain goes home that evening and turns on her Navi (computer), which does things only by voice command, and reads the email.  The girls states she didn’t die, but she gave up her body so she could live in the wired and that soon “you will all know what I am talking about.” 

This whole series is a little on the dark side, with Dad spending all his time on the computer, or the mom not responding to Lain stating a classmate killed herself, it gets a little creepy.  Also, Lain starts showing up in place you are not sure how she gets to.  It is a little mind-bending, especially since we see Lain always dressed at home in her pajamas, which are a little bear suit. 

Also, all sorts of characters show up but the viewer never gets their purpose, such as two men with matrix-like mechanical eyewear and the DJ from the club. There is rampant drug use and a whole bunch of strung out people, and it seems as if little kids get into clubs all the time.  

Overall, the language is okay, s**t is thrown out in one of the death scenes a few times over and over again.  Other than that section the words are all PG.  While there is violence, the gore of it pushes a little too far.  Especially when another strung out character kills a small child which you see under a sheet in the wind.

As for special features on this disc include:

Conceptual drawings: For places like the house, club and drawing of characters and Navis

Promo Video: Which is really a promo for the group that does the title song

DVD Credits: credits to the DVD

Languages are also you standard with Japanese, English and English subtitled, which are actually pretty good subtitles.

Survey says: With the gory violence and senseless deaths, including those of children, this anime should be housed in the Adult section.  Also, on the cover is what looks to be a young sweet girl and that cover may throw some parents or teens off, even if housed in a YA section.  While teenagers will appreciate the concept of the movie and you could probably have a long debate over the similarities to the “wired” world and the internet this is better off in the Adult section.

Personal Ad: Wow…I was surprised.  When I watched the first episode I wasn’t paying enough attention so I had to watch it again.  And then I was hooked.  While the story is slow moving at first, you start to wonder “where on Earth is this going?”, but then you know.  Quite a bit of social commentary could be said about this series…in fact I know I will be watching the rest of it.