“Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the Weather.” ― Bill Hicks
@@xIcyStarzz What?? It's just a quote from a comedian mate. It's not meant to do anything for you except maybe make you laugh or give you peace of mind. There's no meaning. life is just a ride we all experience differently. The only gift is life and consciousness. And how do you know there's no upper level? Have you completed the game? I doubt it 🤷♂😂
If you'd like some more anime to consider, I'd recommend the loose (very loose) trilogy that's around lain: haibane renmei and texhnolize. They all have art by the same character designer, which is what mainly binds them together, but all have a push and pull amount of themes exploring religion, purpose hood, and free will. I hope these recommendations find you well.
Thumbs up for Texhnoloyze. My first impression was purely emotional, but as I grew older, I was also getting more and more attached to it's philosophy.
Texhnolyze is a great nihilistic exploration of the concept of an utopia amongst other themes, it's a bit slow at the start but it's one hell of an anime, it's in my top 3 easily.
Ergo Proxy and Lain together can tune you into some weird & painful reflection state yet it will promote your life experience to the highest level of reflection and understanding it, giving you space to remaster yourself and others. I literally am shaping my life however I want right now and it's beautiful, that's all I gotta say
I'm so happy people are discovering and rediscovering Lain. I'm one of the people who mentioned it on your SOMA video. Lain is one of my favorite anime of all time but it took me a while to actually understand it. It predicted so much about the path the internet would take integrating into everyday life as well. The way I've always interpreted it is the company that set her up with a fake family sort of connected to a god-like being and pulled it out of the Wired, creating Lain.
I've had a SE:L wallpaper for over 20 years now. I wanted to become a software engineer because of this anime....ok I ended up becoming an electrician but still see this as this anime having a big impact on me. I still read psychology and philosophy books due to this show sparking such an interest back then. I recently rewatched it with my niece and she seemed to have liked it, being a questioning curious teen now. Personally I'm still hoping the Despera anime gets completed, the premise sounded like a very good "sequel" to SE:L.
@@sunnynova6 admittedly havent read a whole score of psychology book, more sociology themed like Beyond Good and Evil and Ordinary Men I guess. If you have any recommendation I've got free time coming up and reading new books sounds good.
For me it is clear consciousness goes beyond space , beyond the body , and beyond time .. Based on my experiences of out of body , and visions of future , as well as dreams of future and information which saved my life also for example.. We have won lottery scratch offs because felt a gut and energy pull towards one ticket , as heard number 12 and then lastly seen an confirmation of a bright orb white light flash as had hand on the ticket at number slot 12 ^^ .. we won 50$ that day lol .. To many things as these and seeing the future .. or having random gods show up in dream time or in vision when still awake some say is third eye awareness/ third eye sight .. it layers over the normal eyes view .. and I see both running at same time like a double screen tv and one happens to be in center on top as the background is running is wider and larger in back of the screen in center laying over top of it .. I also have experiences as causing and witnessing a black out happen just over mediation.. where a black obelisk with skulls appeared as I spun it by using my hands , by putting my hands up to interact with my closed eye that was seeing pitch black goo and this obelisk appear in middle of eye sight as if a touch screen lap top really ^^ .. and it would move as spun the way I tapped it to flip it around or spun it around so to see all it’s sides and the bottom of it or view from top of it .. as spun it faster and faster it caused a black out in my bedroom for a moment but clicked all power back on as snapped out of mediation from the shock of the room noise going silent all the sudden and dark on me .. I had a brother pass on recently also who contracted .. as he spoke it was too a white orb .. many times I see grids of energy around life as yellow sparkles and light lines in air .. and in storm clouds it gets very active and around running water and in nature and so on .. I also see shadow people and yellow orbs .. flashes of all sorts of colors and other orbs lessen seen and experienced are red and blue for me personally .. Humans or higher consciousness beings who feel pleasant often come as white orbs as my brother appeared as and has white flashing .. he spoke about he just wanted us to know he had passed away .. and mentioned he was proud of us and loved us and so on .. I haven’t seen my brother in years and days later his old friend msgs me on Facebook.. asking me to please speak privately about my brother soon as I can with him ..as shared the bad news on my brother passed on via ODing .. he wasn’t alone and believed in a higher power and seemed happy enough .. so I hope this means he was in a better place and states of being .. and those states would last as close could to eternity or at least a long of time to enjoy after such a hard go at life .. but who knows? I don’t like to speculate I just know what’s true based off on what’s been proven before me through such experiences with the consciousness in this weird ass reality of ours .. Some times I wonder about things they say as time isn’t real .. and think it’s possible there is nothing after death then and we maybe just as living capable to utilize our imagination to travel through folds of memory and time of the consciousness.. and talking to the subconsciously spiritual / soul part of the persons mind that is always in dream state yet rare to be aware of what’s going on in that background of the consciousnesses dream worlds .. or what’s that means if true .. Maybe life does go one after death though and is more as a waking never ending dream that drifts between imagining and memories along with time frames of places in reality x shrug x aka maybe some form of consciousness and spiritual bodies able and capable are possible .. and maybe all those in religious cults do know some way to benefit more from certain practices which helps focus our consciousness after we lose our minds and bodies in a most gruesome mannerisms never pleasant to be mentioned or dwelled on x x .. death .. Who knows ? I only know myself Who has these experiences.. I haven’t met anyone else yet .. I hope I do or someone better at it all then I am capable of so can learn from them such ways to seek more answers for myself .. and always excited to hear from anyone who has knowledge and experiences of your own which gave you deeper questions or deep answers or funny unexpected moments that were just brilliant :) So conclusion lol you never know do you ? Can you even know Any thing for sure here too ? Seems like just as valid questions and conclusions to draw here based on these whacky reality rules we go by here .. it’s all a bit mad , scary , a blast and magical all at once it seems to me is all I can say is certain for me today lol
Regarding Serial Experiments, i think its also worth mentioning how it more or less approaches solipsism and the idea of what constitutes reality. You could perhaps say it suggests that truth and information are in a sense, one and the same. Some would say Lain is about the internet, and to a degree that is true, but mostly in that the internet is a way of connecting people via information. I would suggest this is why it is called "the wired" as it relates to things being connected together. If i was to suggest what exactly lain the character is (besides a "goddess") i think it would be an egregore. I dont think people were "tricked" into thinking she was there in the same way that her "sister" disappearing, or her reverting time at the end i dont think are illusions. The idea is that by manipulating information itself, you are also manipulating reality itself.
If I could become like the Cthulhu mythos gods (sans Nyarlathotep), I'd be cool with it. Sure, people might faint and go insane when they catch a glimpse of me, but ultimately, I would just mind my own business, while they mind theirs.
i gained multiple sclerosis and broken heart syndrome from immortality. it was 99999% awesome until death started following me everywhere and the shocks skyrocketed in pressure. i still like to think it'll balance itself out when roundtable discussions start occurring, but it seems like nobody got time for that for free. :(
I have Broken-Heart Syndrome, died once already, so... Yes. I'd accept immortality and deal with humanity on whatever universe as a whole. I already have been stuck in that surreal paradox for thirty years. It's endless stocism, melancholy and acceptance (up until something needs to clearly be changed -then there is a clear objective to switch from passive to active). Most would not want to make the choice to wake up and become so untethered.
Lain didn't HAVE to deal with humanity's destruction and grief - she chose to. In fact, pre-series Lain pressed herself into physical reality to begin with because she loved and wanted to be with human kind, and cried when she had to leave us behind. Becoming a God in this case is complete communion with the collective consciousness - Lain. There would be no destruction or grief, as we would be one.
I'm reminded of "The most profound moment in gaming history" where you discuss artificial intelligence and how it's directly affecting society as a whole. One subject I felt you missed was this anime basically predicted smartphones, social media and how always being connected can isolate us on a personal level. Or how they discuss people developing a separate personality while online, under the guise of anonymity people's true selves shine through for better or worse.
And all that while the internet was little more than Geocities pages with animated GIFs. Rewatching Lain a few years ago, I was absolutely amazed at how accurately it predicted so much about the modern internet.
Just a note it didn't predict those things, as those things already existed. It was a mirror of a lot of things that were coming about around those times. For example, "social media"-like things were on the internet in the form of message boards, and I remember participating in several of them.
So I'd like to point out, and I have all sorts of mystical theories about the people of distant Nippon, that Japan is ahead of the adoption curve (for historical and cultural reasons) of the US by about 10~ years because of its place/roll in the military-industrial complex So this is explaining some of the prescience. It literally happened there first, so what can appear like being ahead in time is really just a function of proximity of the countryside (again writ large) to the city (awl)
I honestly think the idea of finding our fully-realized “self” is one that is constantly up to being challenged, given how we, as human beings, are constantly growing and learning and adapting to new norms. That is one factor that I feel pervades the idea of plowing through to the end, and depriving oneself of the journey there: you miss so much vital information and lose sight of how you learned it in the first place, as well as how the process of learning it has shaped you into the person you are.
That's the point: growing and learning is part of the process to reach a fully-realized self. You experience that finality when you have learned all there is to know about yourself - so much so that there is nothing else to change you.
Well, one thing I do not understand about this journey is that; well, I do know that to skip to the end would deprive you of some added knowledge since you haven’t added all of the thoughts from this inexistent lifespan into the (actually nigh-) infinite pool of the “Collective Unconscious”; but then, actually, the real object that we might lose from this premature transformation is smth tied to the human experience; and that makes the latter so crucial to have with us once we’ve fully translated the Unconscious (both Personal & Collective, the former of which I assume the villain of the story has neglected wrongfully), even thought its transference into the Conscious might need to take more time ? Is that what was being meant ? Was that the lesson ?
@@timeforamazingchest5271 And what is “you” ? Does it change ? If so, does it ever stop changing ? How ? And under what condition ? Since otherwise, it’s an endless quest while it was implied in the sentence that you’re meant to actually reach such an end And what _is_ this crucial difference between the transference of the Unconscious (i.e. unknown) part of your self (i.e. identity/nature) into your Conscious throughout your lifetime as opposed to doing it more quickly ?
@@nicholasleclerc1583 What "I" consider the Self to be and what Jung considers the Self are not the same thing. Asking me what the Self is will not illuminate you on what Jung's Self is, it will only tell you my second-hand opinion on something that's already being described by someone else. You may have to specify if you want my personal thoughts on what "I" am, otherwise I will assume that this is in relation to Jung's works, since Jung's works and their relation to Lain are the main crux of this video. I will do my best to explain my understanding of these ideas to you. Jung's "you" is considered to be somewhat synonymous with the Freudian Ego, that is your rational consciousness that contains the aspects of your psyche that you are intimately aware of. Your Ego will change over the course of your life as you learn and experience, and the events in which you learn and grow as a person contribute to how the Ego changes. The conditions for Ego growth are a recognition of parts of yourself that were previously unknown, and integrating them into your conscious awareness. Delusions, fantasies and possession by ideas or emotions are usually considered to be what happens when the force of the unconscious aspects of your psyche grip your Ego, and you are unable to shake free of their grasp until you become aware of them and integrate them safely into your Ego where you can properly regulate and watch them. When all aspects of your unconscious have been integrated into your Ego, that is when the process of individuation is finished and the Ego is considered to be the Self. For all intents and purposes, yes it's considered to be an endless quest, because the amount of suffering required to reach the Self is unfathomable. Think the amount of pain some people go through just to realize one important aspect of their childhood that shaped who they became as a person - an individual would have to go through that so many times you'd be at risk of having your psyche completely destroyed by the emotional damage that it would do to you. This is how I segue neatly into your last question, the important of the process being slow. You need to work through the aspects of your unconscious bit by bit because the process can be tremendously painful. All those times you might have gone on stage and been petrified of the audience or come to terms with childhood traumas (as an example) would just be one of an uncountable number of pieces to dig through, and to go through them all at once and supercharge the process of individuation? The pain would be enough to destroy anyone beyond hope of repair. We need time to rest between these trips into the unconscious because we need to heal and allow these new aspects of us that we've become aware of to integrate into our daily lives - rushing the process would be too much.
Back in my early college days, my friends considered this as a "Cursed anime" due to a certain scene that would cause uncomfortable feeling let alone the themes. Some where able to finish it but had a difficulty understanding it only to dig deep and become horrified while others either stop due to how scary it was or difficult to watch. I decided to watch and I almost fell in to that trap by overthinking the little details. In the end I decided to stop thinking and let it plays it course and thanks to a recap episode got the gist of the themes, message, and plot in my own understanding. By the last episode, it was rather comforting to understand the message. I suppose my friends where shocked on how I manage to watched it but it isn't cursed but I suppose "profound" to them. The anime isn't for everyone due to the presentation of the anime and it's pacing let alone trying to fool the view to start overthinking to have an edge. This video fleshes out some understanding let alone didn't think it was psychological. Great overall.
@@thefashionablephilosopher I forgot what episode but the imagery was disturbing. In some context relayed stuff my friends where part of CCSS and at the time was part of Educ
What do you think of the pacing? I think the pacing itself is very fast (it is only 12 episodes). What I think is the bigger problem is the complicated story that isn't based on typical stories
shit i kinda had some weird feelings about it at first aswell and didn't know how to take it in, infact i was kinda trying my best to dislike lain due to some biased comments i read but halfway through the show idk what happened but i just adored everything about the show and kinda took comfort in that weird vibe the show had and embraced it and it lead to serial experiments lain being my favourite show ever lmao
@@musicfriendly12 due to the heavy silence, the abstract to minimal background, and no music. Felt time just slowed down yet you check the time to see 5 mins has passed. Episode 12 was literally a wrap up before the finale which was good. Biggest problem is that this anime is not made for people looking to sit down and chill let alone lack of dialogue.
Considering that LAIN came out in the 90s, when the internet was so much more limited than what we have today... Lain was ahead of its time. The stuff that goes on twitter and social media has some hive-mind activities... and not in a good way.
I need, NEED, another person to analyze Naoki Urasawa's Monster. There's so much to it that I'd like to explore, but I've never had the fortune to meet another person who has seen it
I 2nd this. Monster is just a master piece. I still want someone to explain what the ending meant to them. I'm still trying to figure it out myself tbh
These types are my favorite genre of anime, makes you think about stuff you wouldn’t think about. The intro songs be sometimes so haunting and it’s like oooo
I'm rewatching Paranoia Agent at the moment. You would like it, it deals with a wide variety of psychological themes. With wanting to escape and become someone special, fears... All kinds of stuff, just watch it, it's weird and beautiful. :)
Paranoia Agent is fantastic, as with Kon's work in general. He was always one to explore themes of the collective vs. the private in his movies as well, first with Perfect Blue, where he explores public vs. private life through the concept of fame and everything related to it, then even more skillfully in Millennium Actress, where he delves more into the merging of the private and public spheres in the classic style of an actress retelling her life through her movies, and finally in his crowning achievement of Paprika, where he explores the ultimate schism between the private and public, namely that between waking and dreaming life, and how this most private of spheres bleeds over into one's public life and vice versa. *Paprika: **_«Don't you think dreams and the internet are similar? They're both areas where the repressed conscious mind vents.»_*
@@hoon_sol I see you're a man of culture as well. Satoshi Kon is one of my favourite directors period. Such a shame, his films and Paranoia Agent don't get the recognition they deserve.
A few things that I took away from the series years ago. I always doubted the claims of the Knights and the main villain. I think that the part about becoming God is also dependent on how you define God, which the show mentions at one point. And lastly, I always thought that the part about the multiple Lains was more about her being aware of the difference ways that people see her or think of her and that the important thing was to follow through with how you define yourself.
The instant the words “Lynchian, avant-garde style” were uttered, my interest skyrocketed. I’ve only seen a couple legitimately surreal anime series & films (Perfect Blue is the best example that comes to mind) & would love to see more. I’m dropping this comment & I’ll be back once I finish the series!
This show was so far ahead of its time. I watched it when I was younger, when it first released on VHS. It's great to watch it again as an adult with a much better understanding of everything. What a great analysis! You helped explain a lot of the ideas in a way that was easy to understand. Great editing, didn't feel long at all. Liked and subscribed, thank you for the hard work! 💜
Hey I just want to say how much of a inspiration your channel is. I love the way you carry yourself in these videos and how you present and I was just recently diagnosed with ASD as a adult and your channel was something I enjoyed before and definitely now. Just thank you for making the content you do
Ghost Hound is similar to Lain as well. Same writer, and themes of astral projection, meditation, the body versus the soul, and so on. Super underrated
Just finished watching it, I'm still digesting and elaborating on it, but the overall impression is that it is in an absolutely remarkable work that dealt with concepts and problems that were ahead of its time, before the social networks became integral part of our lives and more or less at the beginning of internet's mass diffusion. I feel it's message and themes are even more relevant today than they were back then.
When it comes to anime, I would like to recommend Ergo Proxy and Haibane Renmei. Both of these series have psychological and philosophical themes, such as raison d'être, self-reflection what it means to be and what is your place in life. Thanks for the great video, mind provoking to say the least. 👍
@@lucasw.4282 every fan of ergo proxy has to do research, where Haibane renmei has cocoon amish girls who have blacksmithed, superconducting-like levitating halos from the jump, and from there i don't know how i would even do research. its a beast. Haibane Renmei is also the light to Texhnolyze's darkness, which is the true underbelly of the world.
In addition to Texhnolyze (please, please, please!) and Haibane Renmei which have been suggested in the comments due to some of the same people working on them as on Lain, I'd add *Angel's Egg* to the list for the same reason. It's just about an hour long and also available here on RUclips. It leans much heavier into the religious themes than the other works and usually I'm not a fan of that. However, Angel's Egg does so in a very philosophical way, much like some of your content so there is a lot to take away even for me as an atheist.
I love this anime. It’s actually odd how it’s been showing up again these past few months and I’m kinda worried it’s going to be too well known. I like it the way it is. Niche. I love it so much, one of my kids was named Lain.
No offense, but if you're "worried it's going to be too well-known", as if it's some jewel that shouldn't be shared with humanity at large, it sounds like you've missed a big point of the anime itself. Someone who truly understands what it's about would wish for its contents to be permanently embedded into the collective psyche of all humanity.
@@hoon_sol probably just more of like a gate keeping mindset so that it feels intimate towards the person i mean i can't deny how many times i've wanted an artist of mine to be known by others, but not by everyone because it felt like they were my own personal joy
Are we all going to ignore the fact that this guy said "one of my kids was named Lain" ..... Hopefully you're not from Wolverhampton, since that may be challenging to pronounce in a brummy accent 😆😆
If you are willing to take recommendations, I have a few of to offer that are somewhat in tune with the psychological genre: - Angel's Egg (40 or so minutes movie) (Also pretty old, 1985 or so) - The Tatami Galaxy (11 episodes) (Warning: Might be difficult to keep up with speech / dialogue pace if you intend to binge-watch it) - The Night is Young, Walk on Girl (Movie) -Welcome to the NHK (24 episodes) - Le Portrait de Petit Cossette (3 episodes) -Shiki (26 episodes) -Perfect Blue (movie) -Paprika(Movie) -Paranoia Agent (12 episodes) -Ergo Proxy (26 episodes or so) - Shinsekai Yori / From the New World (26 episodes or so) - Jigoku Shoujo / Hell Girl (4 seasons, pretty long) Not in tune with the psychological genre but great: - Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju (2 seasons) - Millennium Actress (movie) I didn't write any short descriptions or place them further into subgenres because I feel it dilutes the discovery process of what makes them unique. Personally I think you'd be really into Angel's Egg.
I've been checking out many podcasts, lectures and essays on accelerationism and science fiction in relation to philosophy and postmodernism lately so beginning this series feels pretty relevant (still only on episode 1) Thanks for covering it, your content never disappoints
I am so glad you did a video on this. SEL is my most favorite anime ever and I knew you’d do a good video on it. This anime was dense and got pretty heavy around episode 7 or 8 that I actually had to take a break before finishing it.
This video started me down a journey I'll never forget. I remember seeing this in my recommended and not really paying much mind to it, till I got curious and decided to watch it. I was thoroughly intrigued and suitably interested. I sent the video to one of my friends and she watched it. Both of us are at the very least adept Occultists who specialize in topics like divinity and Qabalah. When she messaged me one day about the show and how I should watch it, I initially was uninterested, but she kept asking me and so eventually I obliged. The first few episodes I didn't pay much mind to, but close to the middle I got hooked into the show. When I finished the show, I started researching the themes, philosophies, etc of the show, and eventually found myself deeply immersed in theories and speculations about it. Lain is the most interesting character I've seen in anime. A perfect blend of nonsensical and surrealism mixed with a story you can almost grasp. As someone who is Schizophrenic, I feel the shows continuity perfectly encapsulates (at least my experience) with developing Schizophrenia If I had to boil it down, I'd say that everything starts out normal relatively speaking, and some event or perhaps just seemingly bad luck kicks it off. Lain starts out pretty normal. Very antisocial, but still stable and grounded in reality. As the show continues, and as her Schizophrenia develops (much like in my own experience) she starts becoming withdrawn from logical reality, preferring to focus on virtual spaces (for me it was fantasy games and religious teachings). Quickly she begins to spiral, and as her thoughts become more and more disjointed, and her reality progressively feels altered, the plot alters and becomes disjointed as well. Much like my own thoughts, what I say makes perfect sense to me, but to someone on the outside of my perception, it makes absolutely no sense at all. She hyperfixates on her virtual world, and is consumed by it, leaving her completely disconnected from reality, and soon nothing makes sense even to her. I'm writing this during a Schizophrenic episode, so do keep in mind that if my comment seems to jump all over the place, that's why.
Edit: Nice! I wrote this comment before reaching the 46 & 2 analysis segment. A lot of Tool's music is about ascending or evolving. You should listen to 46 and 2 and Lateralus by Tool. "I embrace my desire to I embrace my desire to Feel the rhythm, to feel connected Enough to step aside and weep like a widow To feel inspired To fathom the power To witness the beauty To bathe in the fountain To swing on the spiral To swing on the spiral to Swing on the spiral Of our divinity And still be a human With my feet upon the ground I lose myself Between the sounds and open wide to suck it in I feel it move across my skin I'm reaching up and reaching out I'm reaching for the random or what ever will bewilder me What ever will bewilder me And following our will and wind we may just go where no one's been We'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no one's been Spiral out, keep going Spiral out, keep going Spiral out, keep going Spiral out, keep going
Man I'm glad you made a video about this anime because I was completely lost when I watched it. When it wasn't trippy it was nightmare fuel for me. Freaky stuff.
Another vote for Texhnolize. It was just as visually immersive as Lain (understandably involving some common creative personnel). Themes aside, this visually-oriented disposition is what is lacking from the current adaptation cycle of LNs or Manga to Anime. Lain and Texhnolize are stories told with the primacy of motion picture in mind. I recall the episodes feeling so long despite their standard length because I was so used to dialogue-heavy content to carry the story progression. One truly has to visually immerse oneself in these shows.
Texhnolize is so horribly depressing; it's my favorite anime I can never recommend to anyone. Most people I know would drop it after two episodes out or boredom or find it too soul crushing to keep watching. I'm not even much into nihilism and I still love it.
this was such a good show back in the day. when this came out i didn't understand it much cause i was 7, but i watched it again in my early teems. shit really requires you to think and re-evaluate things in life.
Hope you had a nice vacation. It's nice to see you back! I'd love to see your take on the works of Satoshi Kon in the future (Perfect Blue, Paprika etc.)
Max, please look into a visual novel Remember 11. If you enjoyed the concepts in Lain, this VN explores these concepts such as the self, the shadow, identity, archetypes, and conscience better than anything I've encountered. It is almost litererally Jungian psychology allegorically represented in a visual novel Edit: I see a lot of other recommendations, but this one seems particularly pertinent.
She is listed among the most powerful beings in anime. Most of her anime opponents would not last that much, as long as they are mortals and not literal gods they risk being wiped out into oblivion, regardless of their strength and speed, she could render them irrelevant.
Crazy to think the fanwiki lists characters like Bill Cipher as "nigh omnipotent" (meaning they can get away with *almost* anything) but Lain is completely omnipotent. Let's all love Lain
i have beeing watching you max for a few years since and i find myself kind of dumb of watching your style of explaning and deep analysis could be perfect for anime, since anime is a black hole of analysis as any media can possible let be there to interpretation, i love this new´s media analysis you make, keep up the golden work!
I would love to see you tackle Monster if you love Jung, there is a lot to work with even though it takes a bit to get through the show. It's an exhaustive deep dive into the parameters of decisions and how they shape our concept of the self and how to be a moral and ethical being.
Have you watched Suckerpunch, exploring Freudian theory? I also recommend the 1969 series The Prisoner. It explores if individuality and obligation to society are incompatible, or do they need symbiosis?
This anime was really confusing and the first thing i wanted one year ago was to see if you had an analysis for it. And look what youtube notified me you have now. It was really good, you explaining the idea of the anime and if you may, try analysing Cacern's Sins, it's as dystopic and atmospheric as Lain, And also Hard to understand. it would be a big help and of great interest to watch this too from you, you know.
This is so crazy. Lain was the last anime I watched, a lot of months ago. I didn't understand anything tbh. Then, 2 months ago I heard about Jung's theory for the first time, and tho I still have a lot to learn and understand, I already have a big interest in it and to understand it. Then I come to this video recommended to me by RUclips, and both things are connected, in a way I would have never even suspect. I know this is your interpretation, but at least I can say now how Jung and Lain are connected, which is fuckin' cool, and I will watch it again in some time to understand it myself Thanks
I've been waiting for this for a long time. I'm super excited it finally out. This is the most confusing but profound anime I've ever had the pleasure of watching.
Wow it’s been such a long time since I’ve seen Lain, and i don’t think I understood it at the time LOL. But great video, I loved learning about the psychology behind this.
I just love this channel so much there's no real way I can express that level of gratitude in the form of text but here's my closest attempt. AhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhYyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
I loved your Half-Life analysis videos and wasnt expecting you to cover Lain! Both Half-Life and Lain are my favorite series of their mediums and I loved your analysis of each. Im very happy to see more and more people talking about Lain
I'd say that Lain is much more like Sofia (wisdom) and Erin like Yaweh. In Answer to Job Jung explains how Yaweh "while all powerful is unconscious", meaning he doesn't have volition, consciousness: humanity. And that's why the encounter with Job unadvertedly reveals the flaw of a perfect god: it lacks limitation. And that's when Yaweh begins to reflect and it becomes necessary for God to become human (or gain a body) in order to be complete (instead of be perfect). And in regards to Lain, she is Sofia, Wisdom, which also existed before everything and it's in everyone, but humans have Sofia because humans reflect. A perfect god has no need to reflect, and therefore what he seeks is to be united with Sofia on a conscious level (again, Erin wanting control over Lain)
ive watched lain so many times and ive never had it explained the way you did in this video. i think you nailed what the creators of the shows intended message was to the viewer. you're the only person ive seen who has explained the show in this way.
Really enjoyed this btw. This is at least the second time I have listened to this video, and it prompted me to go back and re-watch Lain. Always appreciate your thoughtful takes on deep and meaningful stories.
This is a great analysis! I am re-watching Lain for the third time and really trying to pay attention to understand it and not just watch it glazed over but after listening to this, it will really help me have a clear perspective on things and I’m gonna listen to this again after I complete it!
If you want to branch out from anime shows to western shows, may I suggest taking a look at the Sopranos? Ostensibly it's about the mafia, but like Evangelion it's deeper than it first presents itself. The show frequently delves into psychology through Tony's therapy sessions (albeit from a Freudian perspective). Tony would be a great charecter to use to analyze the shadow.
For videos like this one is why I love you dude. I needed this video a couple of months ago(When I watched Lain for the first time) but it's all good. You definitely helped me to understand even in a deeper level such a rare and wonderful anime.
Thank you Max! You made a lot of us happy to see one of our favorite shows life again after so many years in the dark. I also would love to see a vid on Kino’s journey, you would enjoy that too!
Hey, it's that Yellow Guy from the internet who talks about all the things I like most. Thanks again for being here. I Watched Serial Experiments Lain 19 Years ago. I think i'm ready to understand it Finally hahahaha
I had a crush on Lain when I was like 8 or 9 when the show was appearing on Anime Unleashed in the early 2000s. Then the show had me locked with the crazy plot. Last Exile and Boogiepop were also one of my favorites from the Anime Unleashed days.
4:30 hey the persona games basically use this for their entire gameplay. Personas are the beings you summon to overcome the Shadows within other people.
Darker than black had a deep overreaching theme about the spirit and how connections to other souls were important. It's what I vaguely remember but I think you might enjoy it :)
Awesome video Max i Knew this one would be great. The only problem for me was the first time that i saw this Anime series was when i was only 10 years and i didn t get the full anderstanding of this unique séries. Great job Max explaining it.
This is one of my favorite anime of all time but it’s not one that I can recommend to anyone. The first time I watched it, when I was 17, I was honestly so disturbed at how disorienting the anime’s “stillness” (if that makes sense) is. The way the show pauses in its moments really makes you grasp what it’s trying to convey and it’s very scary to think about when you’re trying to formulate your own perception of yourself. This anime is one of the reasons why I decided to minor in religious studies in college. Lain just carries a sense of quiet intensity that is incredible!
You should really look Texhnolyze and Haibane Renmei after this one. Texhnolyze alone is far, _far_ more nihilistic, dark and depressing than Serial Experiments Lain.
SEL, the PS1 game, is also very depressing. It takes a different route from the Anime, which in this case Eiri succeeds in his plan, and lain commits suicide at the end, with a lot of depressing stuff in the middle. I haven't played the game yet, but I've watched a great video on it multiple times, and planning to play the game soon.
'Ghost in the Shell' 1995 movie and the 'Stand Alone Complex' (SAC) series are superb, a personal top favorite. 'Devilman Crybaby' is a tragic story full of thought fodder about humanity. Mushishi is just a delight and kinda under the radar with it's message about a beings nature and perception. 'Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood' is just great all around, thematically, visually, and well, it's just great. For something a bit(way) out there but short and to the beautiful metaphorical point (or lack thereof arguably) if you only watch the 1st season, haven't seen the newest 2 since I have been so busy, but 'Fooly Cooly' still has me thinking about the absurdity of life and I had no clue when I first watched it. 'Akira' is a great choice for an anime movie. My sibling insists on 'Revolutionary Girl Utena' and 'Princess Tutu' as well, and from what I have seen analysis wise, I know they fit the bill. 'Guren Lagan' (pretty sure I am misspelling' is another one about humanity and progression, that anime is a borderline music video of the Tool song 46 and 2, if in a thematic metaphorical and a bit zany way. 'Trigun' is another great one involving the themes of humanity and it's just a fun classic. And just about any Studio Ghibli movie, seriously a series in itself worth.
I've a problem with this kind of achievement of the self, if people would try to be a God in a technological way this would be like matrix, living a lie, and A.I. normally needs a hardware, what would happen if the hardware which the humans are connected be destroyed?
This is one of the main differences I see between "systems" and "realities" - realities have infinite potential that is independent from their parent reality. Imagine a computer that wasn't bound by the halting problem, that could process to infinity in a single cycle; you'd be able to run a matrix-like program that _wouldn't_ end, at least from the perspective of the reality's inhabitants. We would see the computer get old and eventually become destroyed, but the matrix users wouldn't - their reality would be contained within that infinite singularity.
Good job letting computer OR technology fighting it’s biggest enemy as a whole = 2nd law of Thermodynamics =) Every material in existence would be made unto it’s primordial form = (2) And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
@@georgeneth1147 It might be possible with black hole technology, as it's one of the only phenomenon that seems able to approach infinity. Or even a white hole, assuming that they function as the opposite of a black hole (might be talking out of my arse here, lol). Given that an object past a black hole's event horizon appears suspended in time (while percieving itself descend to infinite density), an object inside a _white_ hole's EH will appear to be ejected - but will experience infinity before it does. Assuming no loss of data on the object due to the supposed finite nature of our reality, that may be a way to process infinites.
Yes ps1 game Ace combat ectoplasma or something the last boss made him self into machine (aka god by his definition) and connected him self into the network to pilot an advanced jet he end up using all of its power/ intellectual processes to defeat the main character but still failed and died after destroying the jet and the main computer
This season saw the release of Sonny boy, 12 episodes of really high quality anime about growing up it is full of symbolism and one of the best anime soundtracks around.
I remember when I watched Lain right after watching Eva, posted on a random forum like WTF and every commenter was like "looks like someone watched Lain and Eva back to back."
![[#2024MAMA] BIGBANG (빅뱅) - 뱅뱅뱅 (BANG BANG BANG) + FANTASTIC BABY | Mnet 241123 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EQsYfiPR9uM/mqdefault.jpg)
“Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the Weather.”
― Bill Hicks
triad by tool
L
,l,
,m,m. M .
L m,,
M .
M . L l l m,m
M
M . M l m . M
L
, , m m l, l,
M,n
@@xIcyStarzz What?? It's just a quote from a comedian mate. It's not meant to do anything for you except maybe make you laugh or give you peace of mind. There's no meaning. life is just a ride we all experience differently. The only gift is life and consciousness. And how do you know there's no upper level? Have you completed the game? I doubt it 🤷♂😂
@@28russ exactly
@@xIcyStarzz there is a reward, but you can only have it when you stop seeking it
If you'd like some more anime to consider, I'd recommend the loose (very loose) trilogy that's around lain: haibane renmei and texhnolize. They all have art by the same character designer, which is what mainly binds them together, but all have a push and pull amount of themes exploring religion, purpose hood, and free will. I hope these recommendations find you well.
Thumbs up for Texhnoloyze. My first impression was purely emotional, but as I grew older, I was also getting more and more attached to it's philosophy.
Texhnolyze is a great nihilistic exploration of the concept of an utopia amongst other themes, it's a bit slow at the start but it's one hell of an anime, it's in my top 3 easily.
Even more than just the art style, it's also the same writer.
@@HecmarJayam for some reason, my memory on that part was hazy.
Haibane Renmei is an amazing series and the ending just straight up wrecked me.
It also reminds me; I should rewatch Princess Tutu again.
Ergo Proxy and Lain together can tune you into some weird & painful reflection state yet it will promote your life experience to the highest level of reflection and understanding it, giving you space to remaster yourself and others. I literally am shaping my life however I want right now and it's beautiful, that's all I gotta say
Keep going for it!
Ergo proxy
Now that's an anime I thought no one would think about but I'm glad people are now.
@@edgelord8337 I think many who enjoyed SE:L around the turn of the century were drawn to ergo proxy when it came about.
Texhnolyze very much too (written by Chiaki J Konaka who also wrote lain)
I watched both after watching Loki and so I got fucked up even more.
I'm so happy people are discovering and rediscovering Lain. I'm one of the people who mentioned it on your SOMA video. Lain is one of my favorite anime of all time but it took me a while to actually understand it. It predicted so much about the path the internet would take integrating into everyday life as well.
The way I've always interpreted it is the company that set her up with a fake family sort of connected to a god-like being and pulled it out of the Wired, creating Lain.
I've had a SE:L wallpaper for over 20 years now. I wanted to become a software engineer because of this anime....ok I ended up becoming an electrician but still see this as this anime having a big impact on me. I still read psychology and philosophy books due to this show sparking such an interest back then.
I recently rewatched it with my niece and she seemed to have liked it, being a questioning curious teen now.
Personally I'm still hoping the Despera anime gets completed, the premise sounded like a very good "sequel" to SE:L.
Yeah can we get a link to the wallpaper my good man
Do you have some favourite psychology books?
@@sunnynova6 admittedly havent read a whole score of psychology book, more sociology themed like Beyond Good and Evil and Ordinary Men I guess. If you have any recommendation I've got free time coming up and reading new books sounds good.
My guess is the one with the MC sitting on the transformer.
She seemed to understand...
I imagine transcending like that would be incredibly intense and calming simultaneously.
Well, it does mean getting hit by all human good and evil, and the suffering of all mankind.
For me it is clear consciousness goes beyond space , beyond the body , and beyond time ..
Based on my experiences of out of body , and visions of future , as well as dreams of future and information which saved my life also for example..
We have won lottery scratch offs because felt a gut and energy pull towards one ticket , as heard number 12 and then lastly seen an confirmation of a bright orb white light flash as had hand on the ticket at number slot 12 ^^ .. we won 50$ that day lol ..
To many things as these and seeing the future .. or having random gods show up in dream time or in vision when still awake some say is third eye awareness/ third eye sight .. it layers over the normal eyes view .. and I see both running at same time like a double screen tv and one happens to be in center on top as the background is running is wider and larger in back of the screen in center laying over top of it ..
I also have experiences as causing and witnessing a black out happen just over mediation.. where a black obelisk with skulls appeared as I spun it by using my hands , by putting my hands up to interact with my closed eye that was seeing pitch black goo and this obelisk appear in middle of eye sight as if a touch screen lap top really ^^ .. and it would move as spun the way I tapped it to flip it around or spun it around so to see all it’s sides and the bottom of it or view from top of it .. as spun it faster and faster it caused a black out in my bedroom for a moment but clicked all power back on as snapped out of mediation from the shock of the room noise going silent all the sudden and dark on me ..
I had a brother pass on recently also who contracted .. as he spoke it was too a white orb .. many times I see grids of energy around life as yellow sparkles and light lines in air .. and in storm clouds it gets very active and around running water and in nature and so on .. I also see shadow people and yellow orbs .. flashes of all sorts of colors and other orbs lessen seen and experienced are red and blue for me personally ..
Humans or higher consciousness beings who feel pleasant often come as white orbs as my brother appeared as and has white flashing .. he spoke about he just wanted us to know he had passed away .. and mentioned he was proud of us and loved us and so on .. I haven’t seen my brother in years and days later his old friend msgs me on Facebook.. asking me to please speak privately about my brother soon as I can with him ..as shared the bad news on my brother passed on via ODing .. he wasn’t alone and believed in a higher power and seemed happy enough .. so I hope this means he was in a better place and states of being .. and those states would last as close could to eternity or at least a long of time to enjoy after such a hard go at life .. but who knows?
I don’t like to speculate I just know what’s true based off on what’s been proven before me through such experiences with the consciousness in this weird ass reality of ours ..
Some times I wonder about things they say as time isn’t real .. and think it’s possible there is nothing after death then and we maybe just as living capable to utilize our imagination to travel through folds of memory and time of the consciousness.. and talking to the subconsciously spiritual / soul part of the persons mind that is always in dream state yet rare to be aware of what’s going on in that background of the consciousnesses dream worlds .. or what’s that means if true ..
Maybe life does go one after death though and is more as a waking never ending dream that drifts between imagining and memories along with time frames of places in reality x shrug x aka maybe some form of consciousness and spiritual bodies able and capable are possible .. and maybe all those in religious cults do know some way to benefit more from certain practices which helps focus our consciousness after we lose our minds and bodies in a most gruesome mannerisms never pleasant to be mentioned or dwelled on x x .. death ..
Who knows ? I only know myself
Who has these experiences.. I haven’t met anyone else yet .. I hope I do or someone better at it all then I am capable of so can learn from them such ways to seek more answers for myself .. and always excited to hear from anyone who has knowledge and experiences of your own which gave you deeper questions or deep answers or funny unexpected moments that were just brilliant :)
So conclusion lol you never know do you ? Can you even know Any thing for sure here too ? Seems like just as valid questions and conclusions to draw here based on these whacky reality rules we go by here .. it’s all a bit mad , scary , a blast and magical all at once it seems to me is all I can say is certain for me today lol
That Lain soundtrack subtly in the background....just perfect, sent chills down my spine.
Regarding Serial Experiments, i think its also worth mentioning how it more or less approaches solipsism and the idea of what constitutes reality. You could perhaps say it suggests that truth and information are in a sense, one and the same. Some would say Lain is about the internet, and to a degree that is true, but mostly in that the internet is a way of connecting people via information. I would suggest this is why it is called "the wired" as it relates to things being connected together. If i was to suggest what exactly lain the character is (besides a "goddess") i think it would be an egregore. I dont think people were "tricked" into thinking she was there in the same way that her "sister" disappearing, or her reverting time at the end i dont think are illusions. The idea is that by manipulating information itself, you are also manipulating reality itself.
I would not become a god. Being an immortal being while having to deal with humanity's endless destruction and grief ain't noteworthy.
Knowing all human suffering doesn't sound very fun.
If I could become like the Cthulhu mythos gods (sans Nyarlathotep), I'd be cool with it. Sure, people might faint and go insane when they catch a glimpse of me, but ultimately, I would just mind my own business, while they mind theirs.
i gained multiple sclerosis and broken heart syndrome from immortality. it was 99999% awesome until death started following me everywhere and the shocks skyrocketed in pressure. i still like to think it'll balance itself out when roundtable discussions start occurring, but it seems like nobody got time for that for free. :(
I have Broken-Heart Syndrome, died once already, so... Yes. I'd accept immortality and deal with humanity on whatever universe as a whole. I already have been stuck in that surreal paradox for thirty years. It's endless stocism, melancholy and acceptance (up until something needs to clearly be changed -then there is a clear objective to switch from passive to active).
Most would not want to make the choice to wake up and become so untethered.
Lain didn't HAVE to deal with humanity's destruction and grief - she chose to. In fact, pre-series Lain pressed herself into physical reality to begin with because she loved and wanted to be with human kind, and cried when she had to leave us behind.
Becoming a God in this case is complete communion with the collective consciousness - Lain. There would be no destruction or grief, as we would be one.
I'm reminded of "The most profound moment in gaming history" where you discuss artificial intelligence and how it's directly affecting society as a whole. One subject I felt you missed was this anime basically predicted smartphones, social media and how always being connected can isolate us on a personal level. Or how they discuss people developing a separate personality while online, under the guise of anonymity people's true selves shine through for better or worse.
And all that while the internet was little more than Geocities pages with animated GIFs. Rewatching Lain a few years ago, I was absolutely amazed at how accurately it predicted so much about the modern internet.
That’s mad I didn’t even think about that
Just a note it didn't predict those things, as those things already existed. It was a mirror of a lot of things that were coming about around those times. For example, "social media"-like things were on the internet in the form of message boards, and I remember participating in several of them.
So I'd like to point out, and I have all sorts of mystical theories about the people of distant Nippon, that Japan is ahead of the adoption curve (for historical and cultural reasons) of the US by about 10~ years because of its place/roll in the military-industrial complex
So this is explaining some of the prescience. It literally happened there first, so what can appear like being ahead in time is really just a function of proximity of the countryside (again writ large) to the city (awl)
@@Kid_Ikaris doesn't end there either. Just look at the far right side of Japanese politics.
I honestly think the idea of finding our fully-realized “self” is one that is constantly up to being challenged, given how we, as human beings, are constantly growing and learning and adapting to new norms. That is one factor that I feel pervades the idea of plowing through to the end, and depriving oneself of the journey there: you miss so much vital information and lose sight of how you learned it in the first place, as well as how the process of learning it has shaped you into the person you are.
That's the point: growing and learning is part of the process to reach a fully-realized self. You experience that finality when you have learned all there is to know about yourself - so much so that there is nothing else to change you.
Lmao
Well, one thing I do not understand about this journey is that; well, I do know that to skip to the end would deprive you of some added knowledge since you haven’t added all of the thoughts from this inexistent lifespan into the (actually nigh-) infinite pool of the “Collective Unconscious”; but then, actually, the real object that we might lose from this premature transformation is smth tied to the human experience; and that makes the latter so crucial to have with us once we’ve fully translated the Unconscious (both Personal & Collective, the former of which I assume the villain of the story has neglected wrongfully), even thought its transference into the Conscious might need to take more time ?
Is that what was being meant ? Was that the lesson ?
@@timeforamazingchest5271
And what is “you” ? Does it change ? If so, does it ever stop changing ? How ? And under what condition ? Since otherwise, it’s an endless quest while it was implied in the sentence that you’re meant to actually reach such an end
And what _is_ this crucial difference between the transference of the Unconscious (i.e. unknown) part of your self (i.e. identity/nature) into your Conscious throughout your lifetime as opposed to doing it more quickly ?
@@nicholasleclerc1583 What "I" consider the Self to be and what Jung considers the Self are not the same thing. Asking me what the Self is will not illuminate you on what Jung's Self is, it will only tell you my second-hand opinion on something that's already being described by someone else. You may have to specify if you want my personal thoughts on what "I" am, otherwise I will assume that this is in relation to Jung's works, since Jung's works and their relation to Lain are the main crux of this video. I will do my best to explain my understanding of these ideas to you.
Jung's "you" is considered to be somewhat synonymous with the Freudian Ego, that is your rational consciousness that contains the aspects of your psyche that you are intimately aware of. Your Ego will change over the course of your life as you learn and experience, and the events in which you learn and grow as a person contribute to how the Ego changes. The conditions for Ego growth are a recognition of parts of yourself that were previously unknown, and integrating them into your conscious awareness. Delusions, fantasies and possession by ideas or emotions are usually considered to be what happens when the force of the unconscious aspects of your psyche grip your Ego, and you are unable to shake free of their grasp until you become aware of them and integrate them safely into your Ego where you can properly regulate and watch them. When all aspects of your unconscious have been integrated into your Ego, that is when the process of individuation is finished and the Ego is considered to be the Self.
For all intents and purposes, yes it's considered to be an endless quest, because the amount of suffering required to reach the Self is unfathomable. Think the amount of pain some people go through just to realize one important aspect of their childhood that shaped who they became as a person - an individual would have to go through that so many times you'd be at risk of having your psyche completely destroyed by the emotional damage that it would do to you.
This is how I segue neatly into your last question, the important of the process being slow. You need to work through the aspects of your unconscious bit by bit because the process can be tremendously painful. All those times you might have gone on stage and been petrified of the audience or come to terms with childhood traumas (as an example) would just be one of an uncountable number of pieces to dig through, and to go through them all at once and supercharge the process of individuation? The pain would be enough to destroy anyone beyond hope of repair. We need time to rest between these trips into the unconscious because we need to heal and allow these new aspects of us that we've become aware of to integrate into our daily lives - rushing the process would be too much.
Back in my early college days, my friends considered this as a "Cursed anime" due to a certain scene that would cause uncomfortable feeling let alone the themes. Some where able to finish it but had a difficulty understanding it only to dig deep and become horrified while others either stop due to how scary it was or difficult to watch. I decided to watch and I almost fell in to that trap by overthinking the little details. In the end I decided to stop thinking and let it plays it course and thanks to a recap episode got the gist of the themes, message, and plot in my own understanding. By the last episode, it was rather comforting to understand the message. I suppose my friends where shocked on how I manage to watched it but it isn't cursed but I suppose "profound" to them. The anime isn't for everyone due to the presentation of the anime and it's pacing let alone trying to fool the view to start overthinking to have an edge. This video fleshes out some understanding let alone didn't think it was psychological. Great overall.
I'm curious, what happens in the scene that makes so many people uncomfortable? 😯
@@thefashionablephilosopher I forgot what episode but the imagery was disturbing. In some context relayed stuff my friends where part of CCSS and at the time was part of Educ
What do you think of the pacing? I think the pacing itself is very fast (it is only 12 episodes). What I think is the bigger problem is the complicated story that isn't based on typical stories
shit i kinda had some weird feelings about it at first aswell and didn't know how to take it in, infact i was kinda trying my best to dislike lain due to some biased comments i read but halfway through the show idk what happened but i just adored everything about the show and kinda took comfort in that weird vibe the show had and embraced it and it lead to serial experiments lain being my favourite show ever lmao
@@musicfriendly12 due to the heavy silence, the abstract to minimal background, and no music. Felt time just slowed down yet you check the time to see 5 mins has passed. Episode 12 was literally a wrap up before the finale which was good. Biggest problem is that this anime is not made for people looking to sit down and chill let alone lack of dialogue.
This is why I love this anime it’s mysterious and psychological it’s so perfect
Considering that LAIN came out in the 90s, when the internet was so much more limited than what we have today... Lain was ahead of its time. The stuff that goes on twitter and social media has some hive-mind activities... and not in a good way.
I need, NEED, another person to analyze Naoki Urasawa's Monster. There's so much to it that I'd like to explore, but I've never had the fortune to meet another person who has seen it
Yes!
My brother just recommended it to me...
Yess i was going to comment about this
I 2nd this. Monster is just a master piece. I still want someone to explain what the ending meant to them. I'm still trying to figure it out myself tbh
Very interesting. I'm going to look this up
These types are my favorite genre of anime, makes you think about stuff you wouldn’t think about. The intro songs be sometimes so haunting and it’s like oooo
I'm rewatching Paranoia Agent at the moment. You would like it, it deals with a wide variety of psychological themes.
With wanting to escape and become someone special, fears...
All kinds of stuff, just watch it, it's weird and beautiful. :)
Paranoia Agent is fantastic, as with Kon's work in general. He was always one to explore themes of the collective vs. the private in his movies as well, first with Perfect Blue, where he explores public vs. private life through the concept of fame and everything related to it, then even more skillfully in Millennium Actress, where he delves more into the merging of the private and public spheres in the classic style of an actress retelling her life through her movies, and finally in his crowning achievement of Paprika, where he explores the ultimate schism between the private and public, namely that between waking and dreaming life, and how this most private of spheres bleeds over into one's public life and vice versa.
*Paprika: **_«Don't you think dreams and the internet are similar? They're both areas where the repressed conscious mind vents.»_*
@@hoon_sol I see you're a man of culture as well. Satoshi Kon is one of my favourite directors period. Such a shame, his films and Paranoia Agent don't get the recognition they deserve.
A few things that I took away from the series years ago. I always doubted the claims of the Knights and the main villain.
I think that the part about becoming God is also dependent on how you define God, which the show mentions at one point.
And lastly, I always thought that the part about the multiple Lains was more about her being aware of the difference ways that people see her or think of her and that the important thing was to follow through with how you define yourself.
I was expecting you to tackle Lain for years... thanks...
Lain is everywhere.
The instant the words “Lynchian, avant-garde style” were uttered, my interest skyrocketed. I’ve only seen a couple legitimately surreal anime series & films (Perfect Blue is the best example that comes to mind) & would love to see more. I’m dropping this comment & I’ll be back once I finish the series!
How did it go? Feeling enlightened? Disturbed? Godlike?
This show was so far ahead of its time. I watched it when I was younger, when it first released on VHS. It's great to watch it again as an adult with a much better understanding of everything.
What a great analysis! You helped explain a lot of the ideas in a way that was easy to understand. Great editing, didn't feel long at all. Liked and subscribed, thank you for the hard work! 💜
Hey I just want to say how much of a inspiration your channel is. I love the way you carry yourself in these videos and how you present and I was just recently diagnosed with ASD as a adult and your channel was something I enjoyed before and definitely now. Just thank you for making the content you do
Welcome to the club. I hope you enjoy yourself :)
Ghost Hound is similar to Lain as well. Same writer, and themes of astral projection, meditation, the body versus the soul, and so on. Super underrated
Even the idea of transcendece is comforting
Just finished watching it, I'm still digesting and elaborating on it, but the overall impression is that it is in an absolutely remarkable work that dealt with concepts and problems that were ahead of its time, before the social networks became integral part of our lives and more or less at the beginning of internet's mass diffusion. I feel it's message and themes are even more relevant today than they were back then.
When it comes to anime, I would like to recommend Ergo Proxy and Haibane Renmei. Both of these series have psychological and philosophical themes, such as raison d'être, self-reflection what it means to be and what is your place in life.
Thanks for the great video, mind provoking to say the least. 👍
Yeah I agree ergo proxy will stay with you for life it's a masterpiece
@@samlewis7952 So true, that melancholy vibe feels like home
@@lucasw.4282 every fan of ergo proxy has to do research, where Haibane renmei has cocoon amish girls who have blacksmithed, superconducting-like levitating halos from the jump, and from there i don't know how i would even do research. its a beast. Haibane Renmei is also the light to Texhnolyze's darkness, which is the true underbelly of the world.
Ooo thank u I love animes like that an anime movie with the full dub on yt I’d recommend is perfect blue it’s so confusing yet so good
Dont forget texhnolyze
Amazing as always.
You synchronistically end up making videos deep diving all of my fav stories.
I hope you never stop making videos
Ergo Proxy is right up your alley after you watched this gem Max
lain was way ahead of its time
In addition to Texhnolyze (please, please, please!) and Haibane Renmei which have been suggested in the comments due to some of the same people working on them as on Lain, I'd add *Angel's Egg* to the list for the same reason. It's just about an hour long and also available here on RUclips. It leans much heavier into the religious themes than the other works and usually I'm not a fan of that. However, Angel's Egg does so in a very philosophical way, much like some of your content so there is a lot to take away even for me as an atheist.
Haibane Renmei is very interesting and I feel way more open to interpretation.
:grimace: :thumb_down:
I love this anime. It’s actually odd how it’s been showing up again these past few months and I’m kinda worried it’s going to be too well known. I like it the way it is. Niche. I love it so much, one of my kids was named Lain.
No offense, but if you're "worried it's going to be too well-known", as if it's some jewel that shouldn't be shared with humanity at large, it sounds like you've missed a big point of the anime itself. Someone who truly understands what it's about would wish for its contents to be permanently embedded into the collective psyche of all humanity.
@@hoon_sol probably just more of like a gate keeping mindset so that it feels intimate towards the person
i mean i can't deny how many times i've wanted an artist of mine to be known by others, but not by everyone because it felt like they were my own personal joy
Are we all going to ignore the fact that this guy said "one of my kids was named Lain" ..... Hopefully you're not from Wolverhampton, since that may be challenging to pronounce in a brummy accent 😆😆
If you are willing to take recommendations, I have a few of to offer that are somewhat in tune with the psychological genre:
- Angel's Egg (40 or so minutes movie) (Also pretty old, 1985 or so)
- The Tatami Galaxy (11 episodes) (Warning: Might be difficult to keep up with speech / dialogue pace if you intend to binge-watch it)
- The Night is Young, Walk on Girl (Movie)
-Welcome to the NHK (24 episodes)
- Le Portrait de Petit Cossette (3 episodes)
-Shiki (26 episodes)
-Perfect Blue (movie)
-Paprika(Movie)
-Paranoia Agent (12 episodes)
-Ergo Proxy (26 episodes or so)
- Shinsekai Yori / From the New World (26 episodes or so)
- Jigoku Shoujo / Hell Girl (4 seasons, pretty long)
Not in tune with the psychological genre but great:
- Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju (2 seasons)
- Millennium Actress (movie)
I didn't write any short descriptions or place them further into subgenres because I feel it dilutes the discovery process of what makes them unique.
Personally I think you'd be really into Angel's Egg.
I've been checking out many podcasts, lectures and essays on accelerationism and science fiction in relation to philosophy and postmodernism lately so beginning this series feels pretty relevant (still only on episode 1)
Thanks for covering it, your content never disappoints
I am so glad you did a video on this. SEL is my most favorite anime ever and I knew you’d do a good video on it. This anime was dense and got pretty heavy around episode 7 or 8 that I actually had to take a break before finishing it.
This video started me down a journey I'll never forget.
I remember seeing this in my recommended and not really paying much mind to it, till I got curious and decided to watch it. I was thoroughly intrigued and suitably interested. I sent the video to one of my friends and she watched it. Both of us are at the very least adept Occultists who specialize in topics like divinity and Qabalah.
When she messaged me one day about the show and how I should watch it, I initially was uninterested, but she kept asking me and so eventually I obliged. The first few episodes I didn't pay much mind to, but close to the middle I got hooked into the show.
When I finished the show, I started researching the themes, philosophies, etc of the show, and eventually found myself deeply immersed in theories and speculations about it.
Lain is the most interesting character I've seen in anime. A perfect blend of nonsensical and surrealism mixed with a story you can almost grasp.
As someone who is Schizophrenic, I feel the shows continuity perfectly encapsulates (at least my experience) with developing Schizophrenia
If I had to boil it down, I'd say that everything starts out normal relatively speaking, and some event or perhaps just seemingly bad luck kicks it off. Lain starts out pretty normal. Very antisocial, but still stable and grounded in reality. As the show continues, and as her Schizophrenia develops (much like in my own experience) she starts becoming withdrawn from logical reality, preferring to focus on virtual spaces (for me it was fantasy games and religious teachings).
Quickly she begins to spiral, and as her thoughts become more and more disjointed, and her reality progressively feels altered, the plot alters and becomes disjointed as well. Much like my own thoughts, what I say makes perfect sense to me, but to someone on the outside of my perception, it makes absolutely no sense at all.
She hyperfixates on her virtual world, and is consumed by it, leaving her completely disconnected from reality, and soon nothing makes sense even to her.
I'm writing this during a Schizophrenic episode, so do keep in mind that if my comment seems to jump all over the place, that's why.
Edit: Nice! I wrote this comment before reaching the 46 & 2 analysis segment. A lot of Tool's music is about ascending or evolving.
You should listen to 46 and 2 and Lateralus by Tool.
"I embrace my desire to
I embrace my desire to
Feel the rhythm, to feel connected
Enough to step aside and weep like a widow
To feel inspired
To fathom the power
To witness the beauty
To bathe in the fountain
To swing on the spiral
To swing on the spiral to
Swing on the spiral
Of our divinity
And still be a human
With my feet upon the ground I lose myself
Between the sounds and open wide to suck it in
I feel it move across my skin
I'm reaching up and reaching out
I'm reaching for the random or what ever will bewilder me
What ever will bewilder me
And following our will and wind we may just go where no one's been
We'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no one's been
Spiral out, keep going
Spiral out, keep going
Spiral out, keep going
Spiral out, keep going
Man, you essentially created a Serial Experiments Lain field guide that I had no clue I needed. 🤘🤘
Man I'm glad you made a video about this anime because I was completely lost when I watched it. When it wasn't trippy it was nightmare fuel for me. Freaky stuff.
The next is Ghost Hound, from the same creators of Serial Experiments Lain and very influencied by Jung too
Another vote for Texhnolize. It was just as visually immersive as Lain (understandably involving some common creative personnel). Themes aside, this visually-oriented disposition is what is lacking from the current adaptation cycle of LNs or Manga to Anime. Lain and Texhnolize are stories told with the primacy of motion picture in mind. I recall the episodes feeling so long despite their standard length because I was so used to dialogue-heavy content to carry the story progression. One truly has to visually immerse oneself in these shows.
texhnolize and monster plz!
Texhnolize is so horribly depressing; it's my favorite anime I can never recommend to anyone. Most people I know would drop it after two episodes out or boredom or find it too soul crushing to keep watching. I'm not even much into nihilism and I still love it.
this was such a good show back in the day. when this came out i didn't understand it much cause i was 7, but i watched it again in my early teems. shit really requires you to think and re-evaluate things in life.
1:29 As someone who had never heard of you -- I was just searching for Lain videos -- wow, Lain is the perfect show for you.
Oh man I've been waiting years for you to take a shot at Lain, this is my favorite show of all time.
Hope you had a nice vacation. It's nice to see you back! I'd love to see your take on the works of Satoshi Kon in the future (Perfect Blue, Paprika etc.)
Perfect blue is one that people have been recommending a lot. Maybe it'll be the next one I watch. :D
@@maxderrat YOU HAVE TO DO A VIDEO ABOUT THE ANIME MOSTER AND ESPECIALLY ON IOHAN!! I A. SURE YOU'LL LOVE IT.
@@maxderrat God = The Creator.
Do some 2001 by Kubrick.
Would love your take on it.
Max, please look into a visual novel Remember 11. If you enjoyed the concepts in Lain, this VN explores these concepts such as the self, the shadow, identity, archetypes, and conscience better than anything I've encountered. It is almost litererally Jungian psychology allegorically represented in a visual novel
Edit: I see a lot of other recommendations, but this one seems particularly pertinent.
Which of them do you mean there are dozens..I've read the age of infinity and so other one that I can't remember it's name now
Back when I binged the series on VHS. Lain is God.
She is listed among the most powerful beings in anime. Most of her anime opponents would not last that much, as long as they are mortals and not literal gods they risk being wiped out into oblivion, regardless of their strength and speed, she could render them irrelevant.
Crazy to think the fanwiki lists characters like Bill Cipher as "nigh omnipotent" (meaning they can get away with *almost* anything) but Lain is completely omnipotent. Let's all love Lain
Goku could take her
@@therrfuin7897 who is goku?
@@therrfuin7897 Goku would actually lose that one
@@therrfuin7897he can not actually, theres several charcters like sailor Moon, madokami, and lain who are stronger
i have beeing watching you max for a few years since and i find myself kind of dumb of watching your style of explaning and deep analysis could be perfect for anime, since anime is a black hole of analysis as any media can possible let be there to interpretation, i love this new´s media analysis you make, keep up the golden work!
I would love to see you tackle Monster if you love Jung, there is a lot to work with even though it takes a bit to get through the show. It's an exhaustive deep dive into the parameters of decisions and how they shape our concept of the self and how to be a moral and ethical being.
I intend to read the manga when I'm done reading Berserk. Recently started Berserk again so hopefully it won't take too long.
@@maxderrat Not that you need me to tell you, but take your time. I only recommend it because I thought you might really enjoy it.
Have you watched Suckerpunch, exploring Freudian theory? I also recommend the 1969 series The Prisoner. It explores if individuality and obligation to society are incompatible, or do they need symbiosis?
This anime was really confusing and the first thing i wanted one year ago was to see if you had an analysis for it. And look what youtube notified me you have now. It was really good, you explaining the idea of the anime and if you may, try analysing Cacern's Sins, it's as dystopic and atmospheric as Lain, And also Hard to understand. it would be a big help and of great interest to watch this too from you, you know.
This is so crazy. Lain was the last anime I watched, a lot of months ago. I didn't understand anything tbh. Then, 2 months ago I heard about Jung's theory for the first time, and tho I still have a lot to learn and understand, I already have a big interest in it and to understand it. Then I come to this video recommended to me by RUclips, and both things are connected, in a way I would have never even suspect. I know this is your interpretation, but at least I can say now how Jung and Lain are connected, which is fuckin' cool, and I will watch it again in some time to understand it myself
Thanks
I've been waiting for this for a long time. I'm super excited it finally out. This is the most confusing but profound anime I've ever had the pleasure of watching.
Wow it’s been such a long time since I’ve seen Lain, and i don’t think I understood it at the time LOL. But great video, I loved learning about the psychology behind this.
I just love this channel so much there's no real way I can express that level of gratitude in the form of text but here's my closest attempt. AhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhYyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
THAT INTRO INSTANTLY MADE ME HAPPY I LOVE THE END OF EVA JSSDF SCENE RAAAAÂAAAGHHH
Welcome back bro. Excellent elaboration btw.
I loved your Half-Life analysis videos and wasnt expecting you to cover Lain! Both Half-Life and Lain are my favorite series of their mediums and I loved your analysis of each. Im very happy to see more and more people talking about Lain
I'd say that Lain is much more like Sofia (wisdom) and Erin like Yaweh. In Answer to Job Jung explains how Yaweh "while all powerful is unconscious", meaning he doesn't have volition, consciousness: humanity. And that's why the encounter with Job unadvertedly reveals the flaw of a perfect god: it lacks limitation. And that's when Yaweh begins to reflect and it becomes necessary for God to become human (or gain a body) in order to be complete (instead of be perfect).
And in regards to Lain, she is Sofia, Wisdom, which also existed before everything and it's in everyone, but humans have Sofia because humans reflect. A perfect god has no need to reflect, and therefore what he seeks is to be united with Sofia on a conscious level (again, Erin wanting control over Lain)
Yaldabaoth
ive watched lain so many times and ive never had it explained the way you did in this video. i think you nailed what the creators of the shows intended message was to the viewer. you're the only person ive seen who has explained the show in this way.
Really enjoyed this btw. This is at least the second time I have listened to this video, and it prompted me to go back and re-watch Lain. Always appreciate your thoughtful takes on deep and meaningful stories.
This is a great analysis! I am re-watching Lain for the third time and really trying to pay attention to understand it and not just watch it glazed over but after listening to this, it will really help me have a clear perspective on things and I’m gonna listen to this again after I complete it!
If you want to branch out from anime shows to western shows, may I suggest taking a look at the Sopranos? Ostensibly it's about the mafia, but like Evangelion it's deeper than it first presents itself. The show frequently delves into psychology through Tony's therapy sessions (albeit from a Freudian perspective). Tony would be a great charecter to use to analyze the shadow.
Brilliant analysis! I really appreciate when people put Lain into perspective using its philosophical influences! You were spot on!!
For videos like this one is why I love you dude. I needed this video a couple of months ago(When I watched Lain for the first time) but it's all good. You definitely helped me to understand even in a deeper level such a rare and wonderful anime.
Another excellent analysis. Much to ponder on, as usual!
Is incredible how accurately lain predicted how the internet would work in the future
Thank you Max! You made a lot of us happy to see one of our favorite shows life again after so many years in the dark. I also would love to see a vid on Kino’s journey, you would enjoy that too!
Love this anime. It's great that you got to analyze it. That intro tho. It takes back to that era of the late 90's, early 00's.
cant i just send lain a virtual hug
Hey, it's that Yellow Guy from the internet who talks about all the things I like most. Thanks again for being here. I Watched Serial Experiments Lain 19 Years ago. I think i'm ready to understand it Finally hahahaha
I had a crush on Lain when I was like 8 or 9 when the show was appearing on Anime Unleashed in the early 2000s. Then the show had me locked with the crazy plot.
Last Exile and Boogiepop were also one of my favorites from the Anime Unleashed days.
Thats kind of too young to watch the show lol
@@ocean6857 lmao. Sure is.
Lain is one of those shows where I find it much more compelling to watch people's thoughts on it than simply watching it myself
the weird thing is that this anime aired after 9/11
I just finished showing this anime to my friend. He didn't really like it but it's still one of my faves.
Great video. This was a formative show for me growing up and this was an excellent analysis.
Gotta say the comparison to Forty-Six and Two helped hella love me some Tool glad to see it's not forgotten
I think perfect blue would be a great movie for you it hits some notes on ego and self
4:30 hey the persona games basically use this for their entire gameplay. Personas are the beings you summon to overcome the Shadows within other people.
Darker than black had a deep overreaching theme about the spirit and how connections to other souls were important. It's what I vaguely remember but I think you might enjoy it :)
Think of this: I am communicating internationally without even opening my mouth. It's essentially telepathy. Mano-telepathy. Using fingers.
46 and 2 is one of my favorite tool songs.
Awesome video Max i Knew this one would be great.
The only problem for me was the first time that i saw this Anime series was when i was only 10 years and i didn t get the full anderstanding of this unique séries. Great job Max explaining it.
This is one of my favorite anime of all time but it’s not one that I can recommend to anyone. The first time I watched it, when I was 17, I was honestly so disturbed at how disorienting the anime’s “stillness” (if that makes sense) is. The way the show pauses in its moments really makes you grasp what it’s trying to convey and it’s very scary to think about when you’re trying to formulate your own perception of yourself. This anime is one of the reasons why I decided to minor in religious studies in college. Lain just carries a sense of quiet intensity that is incredible!
Who needs god when you have *Senator Armstrong*
love lain, the website based off this is pretty deep and creepy.
You should really look Texhnolyze and Haibane Renmei after this one.
Texhnolyze alone is far, _far_ more nihilistic, dark and depressing than Serial Experiments Lain.
Seconding the reccomendation of Texhnolyze.
i third
Why is nihilism considered an interesting trait?
@@Devilextremeful it's powerful
SEL, the PS1 game, is also very depressing. It takes a different route from the Anime, which in this case Eiri succeeds in his plan, and lain commits suicide at the end, with a lot of depressing stuff in the middle. I haven't played the game yet, but I've watched a great video on it multiple times, and planning to play the game soon.
'Ghost in the Shell' 1995 movie and the 'Stand Alone Complex' (SAC) series are superb, a personal top favorite. 'Devilman Crybaby' is a tragic story full of thought fodder about humanity. Mushishi is just a delight and kinda under the radar with it's message about a beings nature and perception. 'Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood' is just great all around, thematically, visually, and well, it's just great. For something a bit(way) out there but short and to the beautiful metaphorical point (or lack thereof arguably) if you only watch the 1st season, haven't seen the newest 2 since I have been so busy, but 'Fooly Cooly' still has me thinking about the absurdity of life and I had no clue when I first watched it. 'Akira' is a great choice for an anime movie. My sibling insists on 'Revolutionary Girl Utena' and 'Princess Tutu' as well, and from what I have seen analysis wise, I know they fit the bill. 'Guren Lagan' (pretty sure I am misspelling' is another one about humanity and progression, that anime is a borderline music video of the Tool song 46 and 2, if in a thematic metaphorical and a bit zany way. 'Trigun' is another great one involving the themes of humanity and it's just a fun classic. And just about any Studio Ghibli movie, seriously a series in itself worth.
So I have been listening to the soundtrack to this not even knowing it was from a show. I just assumed it was a killer techno album.
I've a problem with this kind of achievement of the self, if people would try to be a God in a technological way this would be like matrix, living a lie, and A.I. normally needs a hardware, what would happen if the hardware which the humans are connected be destroyed?
Exactly! How can you be a God if your existence relies on computers. In this case, the computer is God
This is one of the main differences I see between "systems" and "realities" - realities have infinite potential that is independent from their parent reality. Imagine a computer that wasn't bound by the halting problem, that could process to infinity in a single cycle; you'd be able to run a matrix-like program that _wouldn't_ end, at least from the perspective of the reality's inhabitants. We would see the computer get old and eventually become destroyed, but the matrix users wouldn't - their reality would be contained within that infinite singularity.
Good job letting computer OR technology fighting it’s biggest enemy as a whole = 2nd law of Thermodynamics =)
Every material in existence would be made unto it’s primordial form =
(2) And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
@@georgeneth1147 It might be possible with black hole technology, as it's one of the only phenomenon that seems able to approach infinity.
Or even a white hole, assuming that they function as the opposite of a black hole (might be talking out of my arse here, lol). Given that an object past a black hole's event horizon appears suspended in time (while percieving itself descend to infinite density), an object inside a _white_ hole's EH will appear to be ejected - but will experience infinity before it does. Assuming no loss of data on the object due to the supposed finite nature of our reality, that may be a way to process infinites.
Yes ps1 game Ace combat ectoplasma or something the last boss made him self into machine (aka god by his definition) and connected him self into the network to pilot an advanced jet he end up using all of its power/ intellectual processes to defeat the main character but still failed and died after destroying the jet and the main computer
amazingly insightful video, great work
I seen this series a few times already and I decided to download the series to watch it whenever I feel like I want to.
That Tool mention got me hyped
This season saw the release of Sonny boy, 12 episodes of really high quality anime about growing up it is full of symbolism and one of the best anime soundtracks around.
I'll go rewatch Lain and come back. See you in a week.
Always talking about Tool, Jung, and weird stuff
finding yourself means you need to be stress tested until you could survive on your own and have your own way and values
Nice analysis Max! I would recommend a lot of Satoshi Kon's movies/anime. Such as Perfect Blue or Paprika.
Let's all love Lain!
I remember when I watched Lain right after watching Eva, posted on a random forum like WTF and every commenter was like "looks like someone watched Lain and Eva back to back."