lain.and.the.matrix >> The Wired vs. The Matrix

It would not be too outrageous to compare the "real world" and Wired in Lain to The Matrix. They both feature two realities in which the boundary between them is blurring. In both worlds, it is hard to decipher what is and is not real. In episode "Layer 05: Distortion" of Lain, Lain’s mother tells Lain that the "real world" is made up of nothing but holograms of our true, Wired-selves. It is explained that the Wired was created to be a new world. However, Lain feels that the Wired and the "real world" are one and the same, and that there are no differences. This is a stark contrast to the ideas represented in The Matrix. The "real world" in The Matrix is the fake world. It is a computer program designed to prevent people from realizing the hellish, AI-controlled world in which they live. In The Matrix, the two worlds are completely different, while in Lain, some believe that the two are becoming one. However, the similarity between the Matrix and Lain’s "real world" is that people in both situations are trying to realize the differences in both worlds, and some are attempting to break free from those worlds, or bring them together. They also present the idea of our bodies being represented digitally in a world where we can imagine ourselves in any way we desire. What is unique about Lain is that it came out a year before The Matrix, so it is impossible to say that one was influenced by the other. It would appear that the creators of Lain had the idea that the effects of intertwining the cyber world and the real world were soon to be realized, even before the creation of The Matrix.