Changes

The blurring lines between the physical world and the world of the wired in Serial Experiments: Lain are representative of the move from a rigidly organized hierarchical social system to one of almost chaotic individualism as a result of the Westernization of Japan.  These are issues that the Japanese have had to deal with for decades now, either on a subconscious or on a conscious level.  Through the example of Lain we have seen how concepts of self and group, omote and ura, and the individualization effect of technology, have affected and changed modern day Japan.  The anxieties of the Japanese in the digital era become apparent when Lain asks, confused and alone, “Who is me, who’s me?”

The blurring lines between the physical world and the world of the wired in Serial Experiments: Lain are representative of the move from a rigidly organized hierarchical social system to one of almost chaotic individualism as a result of the Westernization of Japan.  These are issues that the Japanese have had to deal with for decades now, either on a subconscious or on a conscious level.  Through the example of Lain we have seen how concepts of self and group, omote and ura, and the individualization effect of technology, have affected and changed modern day Japan.  The anxieties of the Japanese in the digital era become apparent when Lain asks, confused and alone, “Who is me, who’s me?”