Family

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Family plays an important role in [[Serial Experiments Lain]], especially in the [[Serial Experiments Lain (anime)|anime]].

[[Lain]] is visibly uncomfortable with her family and interacts awkwardly with every member, showing the extent of her isolation. If anything, all their family interactions - even the ones not involving Lain - seem forced from the very beginning. This foreshadows that her family is not, in fact, real. This is revealed in [[Layer 10]]. Even so, her "father" [[Iwakura ~~Yasuo|Yasuo~~]] still expresses affection towards her.

[[Lain Iwakura]] is visibly uncomfortable with her family and interacts awkwardly with every member, showing the extent of her isolation. If anything, all their family interactions - even the ones not involving Lain - seem forced from the very beginning. This foreshadows that her family is not, in fact, real. This is revealed in [[Layer 10]]. Even so, her "father" [[Yasuo Iwakura]] still expresses affection towards her.

The only other family shown in the anime is the Masatsugu household, consisting of [[Masatsugu ~~Shoko|Shoko~~]] and her son [[Masatsugu ~~Shou|Sho~~]]. They appear to get along well, even sharing a common interest in video games, but the family comes to an untimely end in Layer 10 when the [[Knights of the Eastern Calculus~~|Knights~~]] are exposed and Shoko dies.

The only other family shown in the anime is the Masatsugu household, consisting of [[Shoko Masatsugu]] and her son [[Shou Masatsugu]]. They appear to get along well, even sharing a common interest in video games, but the family comes to an untimely end in Layer 10 when the [[Knights of the Eastern Calculus]] are exposed and Shoko dies.

In general, Serial Experiments Lain subverts the idea of family as a source of safety and stability. This contributes to the idea that [[reality]] is unreliable and that connections between people are fragile.

[[Category:Themes]]