"(American viewers) won't understand this. I don't want them to understand this. This work is based on the sensitivity and values of the Japanese people. America is different from Japan. The work itself is sort of cultural war against American culture and the American sense of values we adopted after WWII. So I want American people to react to this work."

"The message is, Things are simple."

- Ueda Yasuyuki, producer of lain, responding to, "What do you think American viewers will think of lain?" and, "Is there a message to the show?" Taken from an interview published in the October 1999 issue of Animerica.

Personally, this is what made the show enjoyable for me. I couldn't stand the show (other than the artwork) before reading that interview. It seemed too fake to me (like most of the stereotypical sci-fi toughguy anime), but when I caught onto the "this Lain" versus "that Lain" plot, I started to understand it a bit more.

I think the show was trying to incite a bit of rebellion against the current state of post-war Japan with all the cool geek toys, power lines, the Wired, the conspiracy references, and pretty much the whole environment shown in a harsh light. Western culture as a trite techno-bullshitocracy. It's supposed to be cliche and a little annoying to the Japanese viewers. (It seems those who watch the show for references to technology and conspiracies are being intentionally fooled.)

Of course, I still don't get it entirely and could be way off base.

To make it even more confusing, the TV show was only part of the serial experiments: lain experience, released along with a video game and drama CDs (which explore the same plot, but with slight variations).

Assuming most Americanized cultures don't really understand pre-war Japanese culture, it makes it hard to pick up on, especially since it's not depicted much at all in the show. Pioneer/AIC shouldn't even have thought of dubbing it into English - I read somewhere that Ueda was a little pissed off about that.

I don't think lain changed much in Japan, outside of a few older people (older meaning pre-Nintendo Generation) and some temporary "Wow, I suppose you're right" reactions. Kids are westernizing/being westernized faster than ever. That's a whole different rant/node best left to someone else.

(lain the show underlined to differentiate from Lain the character as needed.)