The second volume of Lain begins by pounding what's left of your brain into mush with a bowling ball. If by some miracle you survive the torture, relief begins to manifest itself. Some insight is offered, perhaps as a reward to those strong enough to withstand the hurt. This volume is mostly about the Knights, and Lain's 'presence' in the wired.

Episode 5, "Distortion", is all about prophecy. Enter afore-mentioned bowling ball, stage left. The idea presented is that time is a linear collection of events, and prophecy is a way of forcing events to be connected (here we go with connections again). This episode also introduces a being in the wired who calls himself God. Unfortunately, I'll spoil something if I reveal the event which will irrevocably injure your mind, so I must refrain. One thing I will reveal is that Lain meets an interesting group of characters on the wired, who at the moment treat her all too nicely.

Lain's sister Mika. Seemingly the only person in Lain's family that isn't stark-raving mad.	Uh oh, she's plotting something.

Episode 6, "KIDS", is somewhat of a side-story, showcasing one of the more notable 'pranks' by the Knights. Lain is beginning to become wary of the Knights, because of a strange phenomenon which has been happening in the real world. Lain is able to trace the sources of the prank back to an old experiment called KIDS, and has words with its creator. The major benefit of this episode is that we learn quite a bit about Lain, and what makes her different from others.

Episode 7, "Society", is about the Knights. It looks as though they've taken an active interest in Lain, but we don't know why. There are also two mysterious men who have been watching Lain. Could they be Knights? This episode also touches on Lain's real world presence as opposed to her presence on the wired. More insight is offered into who Lain is. There are some who see the Knights' interest in Lain as being dangerous, but why? Many questions are raised in this episode.

One thing to note about the "Knights" volume, is the growing clutter of machinery in Lain's room. She has gone from knowing virtually nothing about computers to exceling above many in technical prowess. Her sister Mika is the first to notice her change in behavior, and her father watches silently as she expands her capabilities. The friendship between Lain and Alice is developed a little further in this volume. Alice becomes worried as Lain slowly turns into a 'net addict.

The extras for the second volume include a no-text opening sequence, and conceptual drawings.

Video Quality: A+
Audio Quality: A+
Presentation: A-
Content: B+
Overall: A-