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The terrifyingly prescient ‘Serial Experiments Lain,’ 20 years later (2018)

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Re: The terrifyingly prescient ‘Serial Experiments Lain,’ 20 years later (2018)

#21

Post by dfxm12 »

jpdb wrote: post #11

Lain catches a lot of flak in anime circles for being "edgy" or "deep for the sake of being deep" in that it tries too hard to be something thought provoking, but lacks any real substance. People still assign what they think the show is trying to say, but because the show is so abstract anything sticks. I tend to agree with the above point, but it has been quite some time since I watched it. I wonder if a new persona…

Even if you if you think the show is lacking substance, however you define that, there's more to a show than just the story. The character designs (and art direction in general), music, sci-fi setting, Apple references, etc. are all other reasons for its critical success & popularity (or maybe cult following is the right term, I don't know). That the soundtracks and artbooks are still so sought after is a testament to that.

Re: The terrifyingly prescient ‘Serial Experiments Lain,’ 20 years later (2018)

#22

Post by LiquidSky »

ergot_vacation wrote: post #20
meowface wrote: post #10

There's a certain brooding, existential atmosphere and mystique to anime like Serial Experiments Lain, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Steins;Gate that really make them stand out and stick with you. Even if the show turned out to not be prescient at all, it would still be one of the top classics. Combined with the fact that it was, it's really something special.

The weird thing is that Evangelion and Lain (and other stuff like them) came out in the early 2000s, and really fit that era. Steins;Gate came out in 2011, but feels like an early 2000s anime, in both visual style, writing, mood etc. I suppose that's somewhat fitting given the content of the show though.

>The weird thing is that Evangelion and Lain (and other stuff like them) came out in the early 2000s,

Evangelion came out in 1995, Lain came out in 1998.

Re: The terrifyingly prescient ‘Serial Experiments Lain,’ 20 years later (2018)

#23

Post by throwaway17_17 »

ergot_vacation wrote: post #20
meowface wrote: post #10

There's a certain brooding, existential atmosphere and mystique to anime like Serial Experiments Lain, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Steins;Gate that really make them stand out and stick with you. Even if the show turned out to not be prescient at all, it would still be one of the top classics. Combined with the fact that it was, it's really something special.

The weird thing is that Evangelion and Lain (and other stuff like them) came out in the early 2000s, and really fit that era. Steins;Gate came out in 2011, but feels like an early 2000s anime, in both visual style, writing, mood etc. I suppose that's somewhat fitting given the content of the show though.

Just a nitpick, but Neon Genesis Evangelion came out in 1995 and Lain in 1998. They do tend to be representative of their period, i.e. 90’s tv anime productions. The early 2000’s where characterized primarily by the Big 3 Shonen Jump titles (Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece).

Re: The terrifyingly prescient ‘Serial Experiments Lain,’ 20 years later (2018)

#24

Post by analyte123 »

rhn_mk1 wrote: post #12

It's interesting how two people can have diametrically opposite readings of the same piece of art. I read the Wired as not less real than the real world, as the influence could flow in both directions, with events in one place causing effects in the other. The ultimate confirmation of that is the final scene, which was actually depicting Lain meeting her grown up school friend some 10 years later, while Lain stayed -…

"A young girl can't stop posting" as a description for SEL is like describing Pan's Labyrinth as "a young girl struggles with mental illness in wartime".

Re: The terrifyingly prescient ‘Serial Experiments Lain,’ 20 years later (2018)

#25

Post by uncletaco »

ergot_vacation wrote: post #18
rhn_mk1 wrote: post #12

It's interesting how two people can have diametrically opposite readings of the same piece of art. I read the Wired as not less real than the real world, as the influence could flow in both directions, with events in one place causing effects in the other. The ultimate confirmation of that is the final scene, which was actually depicting Lain meeting her grown up school friend some 10 years later, while Lain stayed -…

Never trust a "journalist," or anyone who uses the phrase "very online" to review anime in a meaningful way. I stayed away from Mob Psycho for ages because of nutty articles like this reading meaning and intention into it to a degree that would have made Freud blush. It's all just projection. To some people, everything has to be about preaching ideology, spreading their collection of neat, tidy just-so stories about…

You stayed away from Mob Psycho because “journalists” liked it and drew meaning from it? What a sad life that must be.

What I find interesting about anime reviews, as opposed to video game ones IMO, is more often than not the review is about what the writer got out of it as opposed to trying to set expectations for the audience on what they will get out of it. I guess in a lot of ways that’s because anime reviews often happen after the fact or are spurred on by genuine excitement. It seems very rare that someone publishing the review is doing so because the media was dropped in their lap and they were told to review the first three episodes for the release.

I like that, and it works pretty well for video essays.

Re: The terrifyingly prescient ‘Serial Experiments Lain,’ 20 years later (2018)

#26

Post by exhaze »

Saw Lain growing up. Quite fond of it. Pretty weak at predicting the future. You know who was pretty good at it? Isaac Asimov (spoilers ahead). My favorite example:

Protagonist visits a highly advanced planet where everyone lives on their own plot of land. People lead lives of leisure, all of their needs are taken care of by highly efficient robots. However, they are terrified of physical contact, especially with the protagonist, due to a risk of infection with off-planet viruses. Here’s where it gets kinda scary:

- all interactions are done via advanced telepresence. It’s been perfectly replicated to mimic physical interaction. People only meet in person, apprehensively, for reproductive purposes

- one of the main supporting characters is an extreme extrovert who subliminally craves physical human contact. Due to society’s rules, the only thing she’s able to do is take lots of socially distanced telepresence walks with a friend.

This book was written in 1957.

Re: The terrifyingly prescient ‘Serial Experiments Lain,’ 20 years later (2018)

#28

Post by corysama »

Lain does seem quaint when viewed today. But, it was thrilling at the time. A frequent theme was hearing background conversations of random users traveling through the wires. The idea of a couple having a fight and breaking up over “The Internet” was still weird. When the series was made, people were just starting to mainstream the practice of having serious personal interaction online and no one knew where it would lead.

Previously you had in-person conversations, letters and phone calls. But, then the whole world quickly ramped up dealing with love, hate, sex and all the depths of humanity through the network. It was a exciting and worrying transition. For me, Lain was there to reflect on a lot of that angst.

Re: The terrifyingly prescient ‘Serial Experiments Lain,’ 20 years later (2018)

#30

Post by Ma8ee »

exhaze wrote: post #26

Saw Lain growing up. Quite fond of it. Pretty weak at predicting the future. You know who was pretty good at it? Isaac Asimov (spoilers ahead). My favorite example: Protagonist visits a highly advanced planet where everyone lives on their own plot of land. People lead lives of leisure, all of their needs are taken care of by highly efficient robots. However, they are terrified of physical contact, especially with the…

What’s the title of the book?
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