Serial Experiments Lain

One of the best anime to come out of Japan during the 1990s. It is not for anime fans whose main interests lie with shows with lots of action or romance. This is one of the most thought provoking shows ever, as it explores philosophical ideas such as the nature of reality, perception, solipcism and the idea of God. As usual with these types of shows, prepare for lots of philosophical exploration, psychology and several instances of mind screw. It is one of the more experimental shows to come out as it shows heavy use of surrealism and avant-garde. It also combines those philosophical and experimental ideas with those of cyberpunk. The creator and main writer of the show also went on to write other thought-provoking classics such as Texhnolyze.