This file is hosted on 'thought experiments lain' - http://www.cjas.org/~leng/open.htm - by Lawrence Eng >Mailing-List: ListBot mailing list contact lain-help@listbot.com >Delivered-To: mailing list lain@listbot.com >Date: Mon, 04 Jan 1999 16:39:02 +0900 >From: keisuke shindo >To: serial experiments lain >Subject: Lain for Playstation (long and spoiler) > >serial experiments lain - http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Gulf/9755/ > >I have played Lain PS game about a month ago. I have a mixed impression. >But, now I know there are many people who want to know about it, I'll try >to write. > > >I can't recommend this "game" to other people. especially non Japanese >speakers. But It really has a completely another Lain story. > >It contains about 5 minutes anime movie and fragments of dialogue by recorded >voice (total about 2 hours?). There is no Japanese texts. English text >won't help >to understand the story. You have to understand from the japanese dialogue >without Japanese text or character animation. I know that it is hopeless >for non >Japanese speakers. But I think that the release of the English version is also >hopeless. > >I can't say that it is a "game". I think that it is like a database >software which >has it's own interface. There is always Lain wearing special costume at >the center >of the screen. Whenever you command to Lain by Pad , Lain picks up one icon by >animation and play the fragments of animation or dialogues of the icon. >The story >was recorded like radio dramas and they were chopped and dispersed randomly to >each icons. You have to seek out the fragments and you have to think what is >going and what it means by yourself. > >At first, you can see only a little data fragments. And you can't play >the data by >time order. As you find out more data, You'll see more about what was going in >past. > >Good thing: > -The atmosphere is similar to TV series. Very odd and complex. > -Cool display design. Same designers as the CG scene of the TV series. > -Many AB's artworks. > >Bad thing: > -I think this is NOT a game. > -User Interface is horrible. You'll feel frustrating by the slow response. > -Character design of anime part is not so good compared to the TV series. > (I think that Lain's character design in TV series is almost perfect.) > -You have to think by yourself what is going from the fragments of the story. > (But it was made so on purpose.) > >Same as the TV series: > -Lain's producer Ueda Masayuki. Lain was originally planned to make 2 > different stories. > -Lain's voice actress Shimizu Kaori. > -Lain's hair style. > -Wired space. > -Philosophy(?). > >Different: > -Character design. > -All of other characters. (There is no Alice, Deus, Knights...) > -Story. No connection to TV series timeline. > >Summary of the story >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >Iwakura Lain is a 11 years old ordinary girl. > >Yonera Touko is a 27 years old psychiatrist. > >This game(?) contains Lain's personal diary, Touko's personal diary, Touko's >council records with Lain, Touko's medical records and few others, and >animation >movies for about 5 minutes which was chopped to about 30 pieces. > >Lain visited to Touko. She had been annoyed by hallucinations. Touko began >to councel her. When Lain was asked about her hair style, she answered. >"It enters from right. And perhaps it goes out from left. so..." > >Lain became interested in psychopathology, and asked many things to Touko. >She answered the expert knowledge about psychopathology in order to keep >close to Lain. Lain became to like Touko. > >Lain entered junior high school. She had her best friend Misato. And she >became to hook on network. She became to communicate to other people >in the wired, and also to be able to cracking. Lain always talked to Touko >about Misato and the net. There are also many things about them in Lain's >diary. > >One day, Lain's father disappeared. No one told where he went. Lain began >to make her own robot "father". She made an AI and his body by a machine >connected to the computer. But the "father" doesn't have the head and the >lower half of the body. Her "father" began to study from net. >(Her true father was killed by someone. But it is not certain who did it.) > >Touko felt frustrating that she can't do enough her own study because she had >to help her boss's own study, and because her only patient Lain looked no >problem. She became to hate her boss. After for a while, her boss killed >himself. > >3 years passed since Touko began to councel Lain. > >Touko thought that she has no problem now. But other patient was not assigned >to Touko. Touko began to be impatient. At the same time, Touko knew that her >lover Takashi married to the other woman. She became to love the other guy >Yoshida who was a salesman in Tachibana Lab. He gave her a trial piece of >machine for relaxation. But he also refused her. > >One day, Touko found out that Misato doesn't exist. But Lain denied the fact. >Touko began to diagnose Lain again. > >Lain realized that the "father"'s machine body is not necessory. She >programmed >her father into the wired, and broke the body. And she also began to program >herself into the wired. > >Touko became emotionally unstable. Lain began to worry about Touko, and >now Lain >has even more knowledge than Touko. So, Lain began to diagnose Touko. Touko's >medical records became Lain's medical records. (It seems that the machine from >Tachibana Lab. made Touko unstable on purpose.) > >"Close the world , Open the nExt." >At a girder bridge, Lain met another Lain, and talked to each other. >"It ended. It began." >Lain put her gun out and shut herself. > >Lain appeared to Touko. Touko knew that she was taken in by Lain who is an >existence >more than human beings. Touko died. > >Lain "What will I need in the wired?" "Existence, will. Others are only data." > >Now Lain and Touko only lives in the wired and began to talk to "player". >Lain "From now, I am always with you." > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >It made me feel as if they really exists in my PlayStation. Many thinks >that this ending >is fearful and too hopeless (including me)... > >This story was not arranged by time order. I have seen all data (perhaps) >and I >estimated that this story is like above. It seems that there are still >many mysteries. >But this game(?) seems to be aimed to make us think about the story by >ourselves >and to have empathy for this story and Lain. > >I think that It is similar to what Lain's TV series aimed to. It makes us >confusing >the fiction with our reality. And It will also make us feel as if Lain >really exists. >You'll see what I mean at the end of the TV series. But it is not so >hopeless as >this.