Making Sense of Serial Experiments Lain

[@socksensei]

Apologies for pronouncing Id wrong, I am aware it's id as in 'did'

[@thishandleistacken]

No need to apologize it's amusing just like the Japanese voice-over saying Eggo instead of ego :P In any case one of the themes of the show is the effect growing up with the networked digital age has on us and one the less consequential results of that is each of us has at least one word we've only ever read online we think we're pronouncing correctly but will find out eventually we were wrong about. It's far more important your analysis was as solid as it was. Thanks for the vid. There's very few things I think I could add you missed like the connections to certain mystical traditions such as Sethian Gnosticism (which has as its focus the idea the God of the Bible is a false God which thinks itself to be God whereas the true God is far more subtle and ineffable) and some of the more in depth aspects of Jungian Psychology which Freud disagreed with strongly despite them having worked together to form the umbrella of psychoanalysis (Freud was, imo, too rigidly anti-spiritual and Jung was, imo, a little too prone to letting his openness to spirituality influence the credibility of his science). Jungianism is hugely important to Japanese media with references to it in more than a dozen anime I can think of off the top of my head like Evangelion, Psycho-Pass, Perfect Blue, Ergo Proxy, Madoka Magika, Berserk, Gurren Lagann (which also has a lot of Gnostic themes), and the games Xenogeares, Nier Automata, Persona/Shin Megami (I mean... one is called Persona! plus both deal with Gnosticism and Kabbalah) and I'll stop there :P Of all Japanese media I've gone through none has tackled Jungianism and Gnosticism as well as Xenogears in the realm of videogames and Lain the realm of anime

[@socksensei]

@@thishandleistacken I do wish I went into more detail on the mystic side but didn't know how deep down the rabbit hole to go with Lain. I felt I'd be going into too much when I was already tackling so many concepts and ideas, and the video was nearing 90 minutes lol. Maybe I'll tackle a large video on Jungianism cause as you pointed out there are so many games and anime from Japan that play with its idea.

[@heysiri3327]

@@thishandleistacken As an aside, the word "ego" is the Latin word for "I", in which it is in fact pronounced as "eggo". I'm also tempted to think that the way they pronounced "psyche" ("psukhe") mirrors how it's pronounced in Greek.

[@jonathanperez1212]

While it did irritate me a touch i will say the video was a fun look at Freudian psychoanalysis through the lens of anime. I highly recommend some extra literature on different schools of thought and especially some work of Noam Chomsky or behavioralism. Good luck on your videos dude

[@andrewstrausbaugh4517]

Don’t worry. Regardless of pronunciation this was a sick analysis. I watched this on dvd back when it first released in the late 90s and its story has haunted me since. I was 15 I think when I first saw it and was already on the internet all the time but didn’t understand just how deep it could be. This show was onto something that would take us decades to comprehend the consequences that the birth of the net would give us. Oh and also they don’t teach much freud in high school anymore so it’s not surprising the pronunciation gets muddled. But amazingly done analysis.

[@jamesmatsoukas8012]

Bro fr wanted to commit human instrumentality

[@Phosphophyllitekinnie]

What I was thinking

[@bloodshotred6334]

Underrated comment 🎉🎉🎉

[@maxmock8712]

Is that an evangelion reference😱

[@brunobucciaratiswife]

Lain is a lot more depressing than I thought. She wants to be loved, but she can’t properly exist without dissociation. It’s also really sad that her father, though truly loving her as his child, couldn’t continue to care for her. Makes the game even more depressing when you see Lain make an android of her dad and snuggle with it. Knowing that life would be better if you didn’t exist hits close to home

[@CatzyCatzy]

I think it's enlightening: I could make a second life and kill off my previous life...kinda like an actor/imposter...but that's far off the mark.

[@citizenvulpes4562]

@@CatzyCatzy YOU DON'T SEEM TO UNDERSTANNNNDDD!!!!!

[@theimaginationcafe8474]

Interesting idea, maybe a bit too bleak. As in, only if someone exists could they think of not to exist. Therefore it is up to each human to change their existence, as long as the self is retained within a physical body. Should it be like in Lain's case, that there is another self, many different selves in fact, in another way of existence, then there would be a world where it would be better to not exist in, because then we could know it. The world of the internet has many of us. There is that. Yet we cannot be in that world as agents of out own. We need the physical body to interact with the digital world. Thus, we could erease the digital self, as the agent of creating the digiral self. To erease the physical or the mental self has no agency. It is not a choice because you cannot control your own creation and neither can you control your own destruction. You are bound by existence to know that you exist, there is a self, or many selves, and the idea of 'if I had not exist...' is only an illusion, because you cannot know any world without you in it. If you then think, "oh yeah, but what of I do this or that to change that?" well then it is a self that has existed already anyways. Might aswell accept yourself and move forward as the agent of your life ahead of you, till it is the memories of you, by others, that can pounder about your existence. In Lain's case, she could erease herself, and yet, the world without her still relied on her having existed. So even if she made a choice, it already impacted the lives of those she [never] met. To exist, to be a self, to be in sociaty, to be in a community: as long as you have existed there will always be others that will be impacted and you cannot under what is done, only do what you can withe time given to you.

[@marishiten5944]

Lain was never a child though and her "father" was an employee of the tech company that was overseeing Protocol 7. He was tasked with watching over Lain until she re ascended. It speaks more on the human condition than anything else. Lain is an aggregate of the collective consciousness. She feels everything that humanity feels. So her being so brokenly lonely and needing interaction and love is a mirror of how lonely humanity is. It also speaks on the isolation the Japanese feel due to societal pressure that is endemic to their culture. You can also see it as the dangers of the Internet and though it's supposed to connect us, it really only isolates us and can never be a replacement for human interaction. Your last comment is literally what the entire show is about. It's not better if you didn't exist. Lain isn't a person. She's not human. She chose that humanity should live because she loves each and every single person. She made the sacrifice because she isn't a person. She was never alive. And Lain has the power to manifest herself whenever and wherever she wants. She's the only one that can do that. That's why she made the sacrifice. So that every human being didn't have to discard themselves for a false salvation.

[@CatzyCatzy]

@@citizenvulpes4562 yeah. I AM far off.

[@samuelgonzalez1245]

as the show goes on, watching Lain feels like having ur frontal lobe torn out and being replaced with a half-eaten cheeseburger but in a good way.

[@socksensei]

fair

[@mariokarter13]

Lain: That NFT is my personal property. It exists on the blockchain. DELETE THAT SCREENSHOT!!

[@omega3fatass61]

Property theft is a joke to you? I'll have you know, that the blockchain doesn't lie. I OWN IT. DELETE THAT SCREENSHOT

[@johnbash-on-ger]

@@omega3fatass61 "You Wouldn't Steal a Car" - NFTLain, 2024

[@johnbash-on-ger]

@@kris__crystal I'm under the assumption we're just joking around with some memes. Although the origin of some of these memes is claimed to be real. There is truth in "Truth is stranger than fiction!" and crazy people (non-fiction) exist!

[@mariokarter13]

@@kris__crystal Top result when you search "delete that screenshot." It's audio of a guy telling people to delete that screenshot set to Lain footage.

[@TheObserver3]

No it must be propagated and spread till it loses all "value".

[@big_gamer1234]

i know this show is said to be confusing, but i understood most of it on my first watch. i think people are missing the point. the show isnt supposed to give you answers, it is merely giving us concepts to think about and come to our own conclusion with. the show blurs the line of what is real and what isnt, and the point is because it wants us, the viewers, to draw that line for what is real and what isnt. we individually decide what is real and what isnt. just because many people believe the same thing is real doesn't automatically make it a fact.

[@Narko_Marko]

Yeah, because a show that just said "this is what God is, this is what consciousness is, this is how collective unconscious works..." Would just be stupid, no one can give these answers so the best a show can do is ask these questions.

[@j.2512]

midwit take, The answer is gnosticism

[@kriszenn1125]

@@j.2512 stupid philosophy.

[@MOS-mq9rq]

バカバカしくはない。 多様な解釈が可能ではあるが、全てが視聴者の想像次第とも言いきれない。

[@Bound2chaos2]

@@j.2512The show is about transhumanism with some jung like spiritual elements. thats it, it has shitty narration and pacing thats confusing and not because it’s super deep or anything it’s just bad story telling. for example the whole alien documentary was pointless. the only thing relevant in it was the schuman resonance. but that shouldn’t of even been explained because they don’t explain anything else. grey alien served literally zero purpose whatsoever

[@jor1469]

I can hear Duvet playing in the background.

[@NoeActually]

Duvet went unnecessarily hard. 🥹 i remember how much I hated the anime when it would come up on tv. Would I listen to the song before switching to Cartoon Network? 100%😂

[@orangejjay]

I had a hard time in high school with bullying and adult aholes in my life so didn't do much homework but for a project I played the intro to Lain and how the world would be a better place if we were all connected. By being united, there would be no eccentricities to be afraid or wary of. By being connected to each other, we'd know how everyone felt about one another and through that would see the pain that everyone experiences in the human existence. By seeing that pain, we would better accept people because connected would also bring about the true experience of that pain if we hurt someone. I got a C+ on it. 😂

[@vee-bee-a]

I can hear that, too... And the Dua Lipa Remix, as well.

[@Sea_Dub]

Oh I... I think I seem yo understand now

[@madampawsy1903]

Can u actually hear it or are u making a joke cus I honestly can’t hear it ToT

[@wynnew.3401]

I just finished the anime yesterday and I think the thing I found the most heartbreaking was her having the realisation that everyone would be happier if she didn't exist, going through with that, and seeing that every person who had been in her life even for a moment was objectively way happier without her existence than with it.

[@crystalcxke]

I lowkey relate to that a lot cause I have a obsession with not wanting to exist for months now and I recently completed the anime

[@TOAST424]

@@crystalcxkewhere can you watch it?

[@jimjimmy8900]

@@TOAST424animepahe

[@crystalcxke]

@@TOAST424 aniwatch

[@quanxiluverr]

​@@TOAST424all episodes are in english

[@ikari3188]

you’ve quickly become one of my favorite anime long form content youtubers

[@socksensei]

I appreciate that

[@rufaro-]

I second this, the research, depth, even the vibe and pacing of his uploads is what I look for in long-form analysis videos

[@Faputa-the-demigod]

Same

[@christianlei2519]

Fr sock sensei is amazing I miss long form content something to listen to as you do other things is amazing

[@ProjektBurn]

Agreed. Your vids have quickly become some of my favorites as well.

[@mmaaoorr]

I think that all of the supernatural powers come from one power of Lain, and it is the ability to control the collective unconsciousness as it is connected to the wired. And the way she manipulates physical objects later on in the series is that she manipulates the unconsciousness of the earth itself, as explained in the show that humans can be neurons in the mind of the planet itself, which means that in some way the earth can be sentient, so Lain manipulates the sentience of the earth

[@j.2512]

Lain is Sophia, therefore an aspect of the real god who broke herself apart to interact with this world and be able to reach humans which are under the dominion of the Demiurge (Eddie) and his archons (the knights). The demiurge thinks of himself as god but is only a corrupt impostor delluded by ego. The big twist of this anime is that it literally is just gnosticism: the anime .

[@ok.7378]

I discovered this show 3 days ago, I just finished watching it and I immediately checked out if you made an episode about it like you did for evangelion. And it turns out you’re releasing a video about it, on my birthday. This is a great gift, thank you !

[@socksensei]

That's awesome! Happy early birthday!

[@ProjektBurn]

Its as if Lain rewrote reality to present you with this serendipitous gift for your birthday. Happy belated 🎉

[@_Ciosu..]

Koinkidence..

[@FUNKY_BUTTLOVIN]

It was such a cool show to have caught contemporaneously, such a vibe I'm sure it's still cool, but it was cooler in 1998, when the world and media was considerably less cool than it now is. I thought it was aired on Adult Swim back in the day, but I guess it was actually on "Funimation" some other TV channel, idk. So yeah, a bunch of Americans caught it then, while the Twin Towers still stood, it's actually kind of funny how old it is The whole cyberpunk thing was the coolest thing culturally going on in the 90s though, and Lain really encapsulates that whole vibe... the people who were celebrating the beginning of the information age, the smart, and also intuitive people, nobody knew what was coming, but those folks knew that everything was about to start changing, and it'd be mostly for the good

[@Rowieismellow]

Where did you watch the show? I can’t find it anywhere.

[@bluejellyfish4983]

Lain: "and you dont seem to understand...." Me: "😵‍💫"

[@ProjektBurn]

48:30 the visual simbolism appears like Lain is alone in Plato's cave, the "toys"/stuffed animals mere shadows on her wall, and the screen shining as the beacon of knowledge that she's positioned to have her back to, as if contemplating rejection of the knowledge it brings. I can not stress how much this series affected 19 y/o me trying to understand the world around me. I sported everything from posters all over my apartment to acid parties where we'd watch Lain (or Evangelion) and then go off for hours about what it all means and how it applies to our paradigms of reality. Fun times indeed. And again, your deep dive is the best one I've seen for Lain. Thank you for another trip down to nostalgia-town. I seriously am too hyped for whatever the next vid brings to us. Thank you

[@TiiroyGX]

huh? "strange", I myself will be 19 in three months. its all connected if look for it

[@FilmyLabyrinth]

why the fuck is it always 19? that's when i first saw this show.

[@gabetheprodi-g5940]

@@FilmyLabyrinth turning 19 in a month its real.

[@dr.dishonored.15yearsago.57]

I'm 19 and just finishing watching

[@rioreethasangma8139]

Layer 13 made me tear up while eating lol, i was wondering how my rice was kinda salty and felt a warm liquid on my cheek. To see Lain hug arisu and apologizing to her, just to be forgotten in the end is just depressing and just makes me wanna give her a hug even more🙁

[@rioreethasangma8139]

it was worth it.

[@smeyely]

No one will remember us; is both scary and peaceful to a mind

[@Sky_guy0bby]

it's scary on the internet, but peaceful on real life.

[@nakitosmh]

This feels like if AI acquired human consciousness

[@omega3fatass61]

that's basically what lain is

[@darreideamos2309]

I disagree. AI cannot become intellent, at least not the one that exists today. Its just a neural network doing guess work by recognising patterns it doesnt think and never will. It just does guess work on such a large scale thanks to the power of modern hardware it got to the point of competent results. Lain isnt an algoritm. She is more esoteric a neural network that isnt made of logic gates, but human brains. The collective unconscious of millions as described by Karl Jung, mashed together into a godlike being. She isnt AI because AI is just tech, logic gates. Lain is in nature spiritual but manifested through technology. She is like a wire that connects humanity together through technology into a higher form, a collective connected not by societal rules but by the unconsicous. Lain is god. The tech talk in Lain is awesome but lets not ignore its esoteric nature that comes up all the time. Its just my interpretation of course but I hope you found it interesting.

[@grmgt]

Watch Pantheon (2022), it deals with those themes if you are interested!

[@mnrvaprjct]

@@darreideamos2309the only reason current AI can’t capture subjective awareness is because of its physical architecture, it’s static and not dynamic (unlike human brains). If you had AI based on Neuromorphic architectures you’d probably get something like “lain” but on steroids…

[@where2eternity]

@@darreideamos2309 hard agree + based chito pfp

[@chrisxavier1848]

The truth is that it is unnecessary to know all; it is enough to know enough.

[@danielaayers3449]

Yes, and yet seeking knowledge is what makes me feel alive Sidenote, has anyone watched Amazon’s Pantheon?? I feel like it reminded me of a lot of the themes in Serial Experiments Lain.

[@JohnDoeWasntTaken]

Am I the only one who finds Mika's death utterly horrifying? Imagine what that must have been like.

[@valentinbezdan570]

imo the most horrifying part was others' reaction to it (or lack thereof). Lain sees the echo of her soul with that awful expression and doesn't even acknowledge/understand it. Her stand-in is still there so no one else even knows she died. Freaky stuff.

[@wearyatlas]

17:20 just have to say- they’re not experiencing “dissociative disorder” as Lain does, they’re experiencing derealization/symptoms of dissociating from what they saw. [Edit: referring to lain’s friends in this clip / clarification on my meaning]

[@ariwest1998]

Derealization is a form of dissociation, also multiple personalities is not a symptom of derealization or depersonalization, whatever lain was experiencing psychologically was way more than dp/dr

[@wearyatlas]

@@ariwest1998 I’m aware- i have OSDD. I was referring to her friends in this clip, they’re the ones experiencing derealization/depersonalization based off their dialogue. Their dissociative experiences are different than lain’s- that’s why i had to point it out. i’ll edit it for clarity, sorry about that.

[@marcinkuc9349]

Nah, they're actually diabetic.

[@jackdaniel3135]

She's faded and Ballin

[@syzygy.levity]

Im faded Im ballin'

[@Sandux930]

I have losterol 🍾

[@SomnambulistMist]

1:10:24 "This is where things get a little ambiguous" Oh good! Lain was far too simple and easy to understand before this point 😶‍🌫

[@_moon_mama_]

i watched this when i was very young originally. my dad had rented it from the library as a way to show he was interested in my interests (anime) but he didn’t end up watching it with me. Now as an adult i’ve turned to Lain (and other anime) in moments of confusion about life. i bonded with a wonderful girl over this series who is no longer here, i think of her often when i watch it now, how i miss the connections i’ll never be able to regain. to live is to love and lose i guess

[@shinenight]

Episode 9 protocol was a trip for me, started getting Gurren Lagann vibes when humanity reaches a population point and Neon Genesis Evangelion with the Human Instrumentality Project connecting consciousness with both angels and humans

[@nemuirisuki]

watching the anime i was like "huh?" after watching this video i was like "aaahh"

[@cakecryptid]

same

[@DooDoo-f4v]

Ah the cultivation of useless slave stock with no ability to infer. The future is as dull and dark as you all your wits. Orphans one and all.

[@DooDoo-f4v]

Ah the cultivation of useless slave stock with no ability to infer. The future is as dull and dark as you all your wits. Orphans one and all.

[@Sky_guy0bby]

and then "huh???????" again if you go down to the rabbit role

[@k0dori]

Something I just realized is that wired is also an anagram for weird, I’m sure it holds some significance.

[@josh-vk9tl]

I always interpreted the father who appears in the end as a manifestation of the "real" god that created Eri and Lain, and who resides in the world that the Wired is ultimately connected to. It was interesting to see how it could be interpreted as her superego

[@w1zardbeard101]

yeah thats what ive always thought too, and its a nice ending. As if shes finally fulfilled her purpose and gets to rest

[@pardontheopinion8679]

This explained so much why weird and crazy people use lain avatars. Thanks for clearing things up

[@skraaaaz]

this anime left me so confused watching this at around 15 years old. thanks alot for the explanation.

[@MightyMurloc]

I've started Lain so many times, but never finished the full 13 eps. I love the theming and the questions posed, but the pace is languid to the point of almost feeling anesthetized. I'm not expecting a philosophical show to have a thrill a minute, but for how much I love the CONCEPT of SEL, it's delivery has never truly hooked me. Possibly because I'm aware of how much work will be needed in dissection. Thank you for compiling everything in a manageable format.

[@river_brook]

something that I see in a lot of older media is a different sense of pacing and time; SEL is even more so with its ambiguous structure and explicit fiddling with time I had the reverse experience where I happily watched the whole thing because I liked the otherworldly atmosphere it commanded, but I couldn't really make sense of what it was saying until I started looking into analysis of it heh

[@marishiten5944]

That's the point. It's supposed to feel like a dream and it's not real. It should have a hypnotizing effect. It's designed to make you feel like Lain feels going through her day. It's not DBZ or Inyuyasha or whatever Shonen designed to hold the attention of ADHD 13 year old boys. It's a quiet series designed to provoke thought and emotion. It's not even a slice of life as there is little to no intentional humor in it. It's a character study with subtle warnings about the human condition.

[@sommerblume9671]

​@@marishiten5944there's an inbetween, and a whole lot of different pacing options and anime than "dream like/slow" vs "adhd". This isn't some black & white competition.

[@j.2512]

Boogiepop Phantom and Lain both did the same thing, if you only watch the anime you don't understand the lore because its hidden in other media. Lain is a multimedia project, the anime is just one part and then there's manga, videogame, a bunch of japan only complimentary stuff, etc

[@HelloOnepiece]

@@j.2512 And I hat this concept with a burning passion, thank god they did not hide crucial information behind pachinko games (yet)

[@EnnuiGoldfeld]

I spent all week watching Serial Experiments Lain, and finished with the final episode at around one in the morning.. It has instantaneously become my favorite piece of media to ever exist..

[@wearyatlas]

8:39 this scene also references dissociation through her inability to read/fogginess in the classroom -it stood out to me majorly the first time i saw the anime (as someone w/ a Dissociative disorder). It could *also* be a reference to her newly made body “adjusting” to the world around her, with the steam rising out of her fingers.

[@Plasmawiz]

52:00 One interesting thing to note about this sequence is that through both the audio mixing (note who has the echo effect) and voice acting it is highly implied that the conversation is flipped between both characters, with each performing the others lines (this is also more apparent in the dub as well). So when Lain says "I caused the protocol that governs the wired to evolve" you could interpret this as actually being said by Eri. Great video, definitely keeping an eye on the channel to see what you make next 😄

[@CrystalLily1302]

I understood it that way when I watched it and I'm still trying to parse meaning out of that "flipped lines" interpretation

[@Tivoli-nv5jh]

watching the anime i was mostly confused, but still knew something deep ws going on. in the last episode, i understood that lain erased herself and found the happy upbeat song ''signal of loneliness'' sad, even without knowing its name at the time. when i watched this video, the sadness i felt during the end in the anime was multiplied, fully understanding what happened, i couldn't help but cry a little. This anime is beautiful.

[@SaladTaste]

I’m glad this show is getting more deep-dives, I’ve been watching the same handful of videos for more than a decade now lmao

[@takemotoyoka1]

the intro of this anime is so iconic

[@ALLHEART_]

Lain is the god of Whitehead's process theology given a digital and kenotic spin.

[@Herr_Gamer]

Surprised to see such an involved Lain video in this present day, at this present time. Haha.

[@LassBisharp]

Are we not gonna talk about the fact that the teacher waited until Alice was 18 tho? 💀

[@5tr4wberrys0da]

groomer alert!

[@ryaimo]

The best SEL analysis by a fucking mile. Holy shit. It just never ends. No matter how much you dig, the geniuses that brought that title put infinitely more. Lets all love Lain

[@marcinkuc9349]

1:55 you didn't mention that Eiri also hidden all his personal data in protocol 7. And since protocol 7 was using the 8hz earth frequency as a method of communication, Eiri's data could be anywhere anytime. The only not-explained in the show part is how did the data get conciousness.

[@Eterrath]

Finally, happy 25 years Lain ❤

[@havila1906]

We should all love Lain tbh

[@thishandleistacken]

It's okay to love the show and love the character for the emotions they represent about ourselves, our world and each other... but the "lets all love Lain" section of the show was supposed to warn against blind faith and collective thinking without individuality. just be wary :)

[@Davavo]

@@thishandleistackenlet’s love Lain :)

[@thishandleistacken]

Oh. Sure.

[@earlyej3008]

I've watched the whole series, and I'm not even 5 minutes into this, and I didn't know ANY of that. It's truly one of the most complex and hard to follow pieces of media ever made, and I love that.

[@bluestar_kun]

I saw it when I was only in HS and even I can tell my ability to deciepher things has gotten deeper since then (not broader, which is what most people would say, but that's not what I mean), yet I hadn't revisited this series ever so this was a nice change of pace

[@Lqvy2]

@@bluestar_kun Critical Thinking go brr

[@bluestar_kun]

@@Lqvy2 it really does

[@j.2512]

because the show hides 90% of its lore in alternate media and its never addresed on the actual anime.

[@thomaslowry7410]

I was just feeling the same way. I have watched this anime all the way through, own it on bluray, and have enthusiastically recommended it to friends. And yet I felt like I didn't know anything he brought up in the first 5 mins either lolol.

[@ScarletRubyx]

I literally just finished this show last night, insane timing

[@thishandleistacken]

everyone is connected :) the show has a lot of Jungian inspiration, the same Jung who coined the word "synchronicity"

[@journ753]

ever since your evangelion video, ive been hooked on your “making sense of” videos i cannot believe u arent more popular

[@christinaburdick9698]

It makes me so happy that there's a group of fans out there for such an unbelievably underrated series, thank you so much for making this video this is by far the best and most well thought out video I've ever seen about this series, there are plenty of great videos of SEL out there but this def stands at the top I am so very grateful for the amount of effort you put into this video

[@JamesAxis13]

Digital psychological cosmic horror. This was terrifying in a very subtle and nuanced way. This show, this short anime, is scary asf

[@ozzie_cs]

I'm not too big on anime in general, but I had decicided to watch SEL because I was intrigued by it. And after finishing it, I was confused on a lot of things about it but I was also really sad. The final episode where Lain seemingly no longer exists in the real world and is somehow better off that way just hit me very deep, and then the final part where she and Arisu (Alice) reunite and meet but that she has no recollection to Lain other than just familiarity kills me. This is probably the first anime that I've watched that left me emotionally invested. It's a really great show, but damn does it hurt so much. Also the opening theme is the best theme out of any anime I've ever watched. I love this show.

[@xtaniwhax9655]

Lain: I am God Me: you look easy to draw Lain: 👁_👁

[@JVCS-b6z]

Blud thinks she's sonic.exe 💀

[@bluestar_kun]

since when am I god? Oh you mean the anime girl Lain, got it. I couldn't help but try to make a joke

[@cloudoverheaven]

@@JVCS-b6zI am gyatt 👹👹👹👹👹🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵

[@Shywizz]

@@cloudoverheaven go back to fortnite how bout' that.

[@SeanWilliamGeorgeBuc]

Go home gooner

[@takita9495]

Lain is Twitter Jesus

[@GNICHO]

When you realize this show is saying God is purer and more vulnerable than we could ever imagine

[@hell0kitty1uv3r]

can someone elaborate on this

[@misbegotten3508]

@@hell0kitty1uv3r The implication is potentially that Lain has ascended into Godhood. Given that the story is Lain discovering that the world would be happier if she didn't exist, one can easily extract that maybe this is how God felt when faced with humanity. Pure, vulnerable, and better off absent. Not because the people hate God or hate Lain. Simply because tragedy dictates we can't coexist easily.

[@hell0kitty1uv3r]

@@misbegotten3508 thanks bro love this theory, its a whole new perspective to me. Also another question, in one scene where lain confronts arisu saying that she will expose her secret to the whole world, the one sided affair with her teacher. After a few moments, how come she came back saying no but had a alien body? she has other personalities that take over for sure but this was very different. Im still curious to what it might imply.

[@fallenangelcrimson]

. . . w h y ? f o r e v e r . . . the first and last spoken words of serial experiments: l a i n

[@ghoul9988]

I SEEM TO UNDERSTAND NOW. fr tho poor girl she literally can't exist without terrible shit happening

[@hythmrys]

The fact that it still inspires new people all the time to analyze it is a huge part of its magic. Thanks and awesome work

[@lazerlightening]

I first saw this show when I was 13 in 2003. I can't remember if this aired on tech TV or the SciFi network but it came on at 12:30am on a freaking Monday. This anime stuck with me for how unusual it was and also because I was in the same age group as Lain and her friend group.

[@meatballman4329]

The opening of this better just be him jaw open on the final episode with the op. "And you dont seem to understand"

[@LucasSilva-sc5vk]

Let's all love Lain

[@thishandleistacken]

no... let Lain be Lain. love yourself, others the connection you have to others. the "lets all love Lain" section was supposed to show how deranged such a thing is

[@boiledrat]

@@thishandleistacken no no no lets all love lain

[@nicknuts3213]

​@@thishandleistacken Let's all love lain

[@adrianbonnet.674]

@@thishandleistacken nono shut up let’s all love lain

[@Cruzx.]

@@thishandleistackenwe love lain

[@hana3211-d6n]

i first watched lain when i was 8... now i am 24 and it never ever gets old. If anything, it is so relevant now. Every time i watch it, i feel more connected to it all and understand/discover new things within the series. (Also, watching it as a kid..... it did things to me..... kinda messed me up a little haha)

[@scaper8]

I love that this show, once a niche within niche within a niche, is gain more popularity. The fact the it becomes more prescient day by day, is certainly part of that. But that fact itself is more than a little terrifying.

[@jamar3905]

Watched all of your making sense of videos and they always leave me feeling like my life has changed, I love this content so much and I’m so excited for serial experiments lain

[@socksensei]

I’m glad to hear that

[@salome5665]

ive seen this anime last year and did not understand anything at first glance. Thank you so much for making this video and allowing me to fully appreciate this important piece of art!! it was so ahead of its time

[@mrjoetaroe572]

i love all your videos man, It really shows how much work you put into these. I remember watching lain a few years back and was thinking of rewatching it because I didn’t really understand it and I check your channel and see you’ve made a video about it. you’re the anitube GOAT bro

[@mimiosaqueen9817]

Such a great analysis! Made me reconsider a lot of my previous notions about the show.

[@JoeVanore]

If there's a "Making Sense" video about an anime, then it's probably worth watching.

[@Lucy_Ford]

Throughout Serial Experiments Lain I kept finding myself relating the series to gnostism, the demiurge and sofia. You do such an amazing job in all of your videos. I really envy your ability to articulate your understandin of the media you cover. Lain's decision and logic is a lot like that conundrum: "if a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it; does it make a sound". Schodinger's cat, the observation is key to existance. If no one remembers Lain, did Lain ever exist at all? If Lain erased her existance then did she ever truly make the sacrifice she ultimately chose?

[@justus-0b3]

Whether or not people have memories about lain doesn't matter. Imagine you broke something at home and make your parent believe that the cat did it does it mean that you're not responsible of what happened because no one knows about it? Moreover if you end up forgetting it somehow does it mean you're not responsible? What is done is done and you can't change it. So Lain erasing her existence from people memory doesn't nullify her sacrifice nor the fact that she did it even if she erase her own memory😊. the observation is key to existence... Does observation exist without consciousness? I don't think so! You need to be conscious in order to observe something 👀 so I would rather say consciousness is the key to existence 😄...

[@Lucy_Ford]

@@justus-0b3 She didn't just erase memories she erased her existence.

[@justus-0b3]

​@@Lucy_Ford Guess you're right if we assume that consciousness can't exist outside the body (which means that destroying one's body leads to destroying one's consciousness). However from the anime's perspectives it seems that consciousness does in fact exist without the body which explains why Lain even after erasing herself from earth was still able to witness people's life in the last episode. She even had a discussion with herself or rather her ego who said to her to just be an omnipresent being like God with a purpose of just observing humanity while staying far from people's judgement. In summary while it's true that she erased all trace of her existence from earth, her consciousness stills exist. That's what explains her last words to Alice : "I'll always be next to you... forever". Also the fact that she has been able to meet Alice once again means Lain can interact with the world whenever pleases her.

[@gabetheprodi-g5940]

she remembers that sacrifice

[@Lucy_Ford]

@gabetheprodi-g5940 someone who doesn't exist doesn't have existing memories.

[@Parriscite]

Phenomenal video. Really eloquent script with great flow and pacing. Perfect balance of inspection that didn't add unnecessary complexity (or tangents) whilst still achieving a good level comprehensiveness.

[@ComfyLilith]

Finally having time to myself so I can watch this in one sitting… absolutely amazing channel and another banger video

[@benfrancois7856]

Thank you for explaining this in such length I am definitely going to check this anime series out and you just earned a new subscriber you remind me of Max derrat

[@EagerStripedTiger-og7vw]

Yes he does a great job

[@asiskaur1104]

My best theory would be that Lain is a complex bit of neural network who is back-propogating. In back propogation a network needs learn and unlearn a lot things and that’s what is happening to her. Her end agenda or why she is designed could be to blur the difference between wired and reality. She is herself a small network she doesn’t and cannot know everything like “where the wired is connected ?” But in the end she is fully ‘trained’ or ‘matured’. As in she understands herself now and knows her purpose. That’s why in end when Arisu leaves she says, yeah we can meet anytime !

[@MonocleBunny]

Wonderful explanation of a complex show. I cried at the ending of Serial Experiments Lain, I felt that Lain didn't get a happy ending, but I guess it was the ending she chose.

[@sleepysartorialist]

So you're telling me Serial Experiments Lain basically predicted the Metaverse and Mark Zuckerberg is the crazy scientist? Because that's all I can hear 😂

[@akiradkcn]

Yup

[@darreideamos2309]

not at all. Metaverse is a meaningless slob that exists to make money. Its useless and obsolete

[@jamesdeley8053]

Thanks!

[@EtheRenard]

This series basically sums up Linux users Vs Technobros

[@user-unknown1705]

mate you really deserved a lot more subs than where you are now, this is some top tier stuff but then again you're a anime content creator which is one of the harder path to walk on youtube. Keep up the good work man

[@blanchjoe1481]

Dear SS, Serial Experiments Lain ( much like the original Ghost In The Shell ) is more than Comic, Aime, or Manga, the stylization, content, and an almost Tarot-Symbolism, put them both closer into a Contemporary Fine Art Form. While wonderfully done in Art Form, Serial Experiment Lain is a exposition into the nature of "Unconscious Belief" and how that process cements the perception of existing as "Person-Ness", or as a egoicially self-identified psychological entity. The corporeal form of Lain manifests the same wants, needs, desires and fears of the other individuals around her, because she suffers under the same assumptions ( or beliefs ) about their common experience. The ending of this story is "ambiguous" because to move the story to its next development means that the creators of the actual story themselves must transcend their own limitations in understanding a larger and more fundamental picture, i.e. Freudian model is useful, but insufficient. If one should go to sleep and wake up with the lose their entire non-functional memory ( which is fundamental merely "data" ) then who makes up John Smith, no longer exists, and instead leaves open the potentiality for the creation of an entirely new identity with its own desires, fears, plans and beliefs. The base ( or bedrock ) form outside of mere data, or individuated personality, is "Awareness" ( Consciousness ) itself, and "that" exists as everyone at the same time.

[@bowlofsoup9174]

you have no idea just how blown my mind is from this rn

[@Bunz0.1]

I hope you do more long-video essays like this, inreally enjoyed it

[@alphacide_2857]

Well done, this video is very thorough and it covered almost every topic relevant to the series and the message it could convey. I didn't know about this series until a couple of years ago and I'm glad I found it. I've been speculating the meaning for a few watch-throughs to compare to other people's interpretations and I was not disappointed by this video in the slightest. Keep up the good work. B^)

[@dragonflower17]

Immaculate breakdown. You were able to put into words what I was debating and thinking about while watching the show into a clearer explanation! Thank you Definitely saving this video to show my friends after they've watched the series.

[@MithCypher]

I watched this series for the first time 20 years ago. Rewatched the series several times since then every time i watched it i was faced with a different dilemma with a new perspective . Still one of my favourite pieces of Anime. And that OST from BOA, still kicks in like a mule. Thanks for this analysis Sock Sensei

[@NemesisTWarlock]

1:15:30 You had the perfect opportunity to end with the "Present Day, Present Time" quote, what stopped you? :P

[@madvulcan8964]

*LAIN is an example on why people should stop giving god-like powers to stupidly immature entities they artificially create which have little to no possibility of comprehending the nuances of the human condition.*

[@Sky_guy0bby]

Like chatgpt?

[@Herr_Gamer]

31:45 The meme still lives rent free in my mind

[@SylasCorrea]

In the prologue you got me to understand the entire show AFTER watching the show

[@someguyy194_2]

Thank you so much dude! I’ve watched a lot of videos about lain because it’s one of my favorites but all these videos talk about different parts and only one actually talked about what actually happens especially so well!

[@comradeerik]

punpun pfp?

[@someguyy194_2]

@@comradeerik yes 😔

[@StoneGiantJake]

How do you feel about From the New World explained next? While you're on the mind duck anime streak.

[@shadowwwwwwwwwww]

to complete the connection, i'll comment: i really dig the tech aesthetic of lain and looking back really makes me think about how samey tech trends have become. seeing all of the individual handheld devices the characters have and how they all seem to have their own user interface makes me kinda yearn for that level of personalization in our own tech.

[@SussySushiRoll1006]

I love this video! Something i want to add is that besides Freudian themes, this show also explores something Jung talked about: the collective unconsciousness (a part of our uncounsciousness that all of us share, supposedly much greater than our own uncounsciousness).

[@ZERODIS0]

dude just keep putting these kinds of videos out, they are so good!!

[@lovabletrash8341]

I also think that ironically the reason why the wired makes the real world void of any life almost like a liminal space, is due to the creator of the wired not being real God. The ending scene where the real world is highlighted, without Lain proves that

[@bmbmbm05]

this thumbnail is fucking gorgeous

[@Alfareon]

i feel like the ending implies Lain descends from the Wired elsewhere, on an alien world, then visits earth to observe.

[@grmgt]

Nice video, you streamlined the main plot really well -it's gonna be a great one to share with friends of mine that didn't get it in the first viewing! The only thing that bothered me was the lack of mention of Jung (another Professor Hodgeson lookalike btw lol) when you briefly touched on the "collective unconscious" since he created the concept and it is also integral to the plot, so a little name drop - such as you did with Freud - would've been neat. Other than that, congrats. I'll be checking your other videos :)

[@eric2ill4u]

Man, i watched this show during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when everything and everyone was driven online even further than we were already. It was such a surreal, and enveloping experience. Felt like perfect timing.

[@lemurcrispin8576]

You could make at least two more of these, covering the exact same elements through a different psychological lens. I love this.

[@Teu-qk8ul]

I just finished this show today and it was phenomenal! Other than the story I also really loved the art direction and its aesthetic. One scene especially, when everyone disappears around Lains sister, there’s a shot of the seats which immediately reminded me of an artwork by John Register and I’m almost convinced by the similarities alone that his artwork was the inspiration behind that scene. There are also probably many more references to the works of other artists throughout the anime that I haven’t even noticed yet.

[@35mmonrose]

wonderful and comprehensive video essay. stellar job.

[@ghostclout]

god what a good fucking video. ive always felt such a weird connection with this anime but never understood it, but now i do. i had to just sit and stare at the screen for a moment after the video ended. wonderful job

[@orangejjay]

It's not often that I make plans to watch something on KZbin but this, this I planned to watch and am loving every bit so far. Can't wait to see what you've got coming up. ❤❤

[@AllGamingStarred]

The sheer existence of this show is a testament to the will of writers. I only got halfway listening to this. My brain, my poor brain. Subbed