Serial Experiments Lain Episode 12 Discussion

This has to be the most intense episode of the anime so far, and honestly, the one that I enjoyed the most, mainly because THEY FINALLY EXPLAINED IT!

We still have 1 more episode, so I suppose they're explaining more next episode, but we can finally really understand what this anime has been about all along.
So the Lain we've been seeing is the manifestation in the real world of the Lain of the Wired, that is some kind of software, that would connect all of people, like it would connect many applications on a PC. For that, it was needed that Lain would also exist in the real world, so that she could break the barrier between the Wired and the Real World, so Eiri created the real world Lain. In opposition of the Wired Lain, the real world Lain wasn't affected by whoever was using the Wired at certain time, she had her own individuality. And with that, she didn't really broke the barrier. So Eiri started gaslighting her, making her believe that she would only be loved if everyone would connect with her through the Wired. We've seen in these last 12 episodes how the Knights tried really hard so that Lain would lose this sense of individuality. In the end, they were close to their objective, but THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP SAVED THE DAY!

Arisu was never connected to Lain through the Wired. Arisu was friends with real world Lain, because she liked her for what she was, for that individuality. Arisu even went to Lain's house, even if it seemed like a horror themed mansion. This abillity to "connect" emotionaly with someone, without the needed for a physical connection, is what makes us humans, in living bodies. Lain understood that she could be loved, even if people weren't directly connected to her. Arisu wasn't, and still, she made that sacrifice to stay by her side. Lain understood that she was getting used by Eiri, like Eiri was probably used by someone else. The masked guys also suffered from this, ending up getting killed, because the person behind this didn't need them any longer.

By the end of the episode, Eiri tries to create a real body for himself, in order to stop Lain, but he couldn't, he already gave up on that long ago, and Lain just wouldn't let that happen. It was him that said that physical bodies weren't necessary.

With that "fight", it seems like Lain's room is clean of all the machinery, which might point to the fact that Lain is no longer going to connect herself further into the Wired, and is going to live her life in the Real World now.

With all of this in mind, it seems the anime is clearly spreading a message how the Internet will never (and should never) replace the real world. No matter how much it evolves, being alive, in a living body, is what makes us humans, and nothing can replace that. Despite the anime being from 1998, it clearly predicted a lof of the toxic environment from the internet. Just look at the number of people that act on the internet in a way, but in real life they're completely different. This exactly because of the "living body" that this anime talks so much. Talking to people in person is completely different from talking from behind a computer screen. People can't just call a bunch of names to a person to their face, like they do on the Internet, exactly because the human nature is so much more complex than that.
The internet has for sure "deshumanized" society, and this anime shows the dangers of that.

Honestly, really excited for the next episode now. I was getting nervous, because by episode 11 I was still very lost on what the anime was trying to convey, and I was starting to think 2 episodes weren't going to be enough, but it seems like I was wrong.
There are a lot of stuff that I don't understand, mainly what's the thing with Lain's sister. Why was she on the house, wasn't she supposed to go with her parents? And I still don't really understand what happened to her. I hope they explain it in the next and FINAL episode of Serial Experiments Lain, along with other stuff that happened in the anime.

@PokefanPT

You are making the mistake of taking Eiri's words as the truth,, Lain has always been independt from Eiri , who got both impressed and threatened by Lain because he can't possibly control her, FYI, Lain has never been under Eiri'as control. And Knights wanted to control Lain so they created the "evil Lain" where we saw in Arisu's room, as a result they pissed Lain off and she exposed them.
Last but not least, Lain does not need to connect herself physically to the Wired as she is always connected. Ans all your deductions about he anime's message about the Internet is pretty much nonsense. I am not sure you have the intellectyual maturity to understand Lain at your current age.

This has to be the most intense episode of the anime so far, and honestly, the one that I enjoyed the most, mainly because THEY FINALLY EXPLAINED IT!

We still have 1 more episode, so I suppose they're explaining more next episode, but we can finally really understand what this anime has been about all along.
So the Lain we've been seeing is the manifestation in the real world of the Lain of the Wired, that is some kind of software, that would connect all of people, like it would connect many applications on a PC. For that, it was needed that Lain would also exist in the real world, so that she could break the barrier between the Wired and the Real World, so Eiri created the real world Lain. In opposition of the Wired Lain, the real world Lain wasn't affected by whoever was using the Wired at certain time, she had her own individuality. And with that, she didn't really broke the barrier. So Eiri started gaslighting her, making her believe that she would only be loved if everyone would connect with her through the Wired. We've seen in these last 12 episodes how the Knights tried really hard so that Lain would lose this sense of individuality. In the end, they were close to their objective, but THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP SAVED THE DAY!

Arisu was never connected to Lain through the Wired. Arisu was friends with real world Lain, because she liked her for what she was, for that individuality. Arisu even went to Lain's house, even if it seemed like a horror themed mansion. This abillity to "connect" emotionaly with someone, without the needed for a physical connection, is what makes us humans, in living bodies. Lain understood that she could be loved, even if people weren't directly connected to her. Arisu wasn't, and still, she made that sacrifice to stay by her side. Lain understood that she was getting used by Eiri, like Eiri was probably used by someone else. The masked guys also suffered from this, ending up getting killed, because the person behind this didn't need them any longer.

By the end of the episode, Eiri tries to create a real body for himself, in order to stop Lain, but he couldn't, he already gave up on that long ago, and Lain just wouldn't let that happen. It was him that said that physical bodies weren't necessary.

With that "fight", it seems like Lain's room is clean of all the machinery, which might point to the fact that Lain is no longer going to connect herself further into the Wired, and is going to live her life in the Real World now.

With all of this in mind, it seems the anime is clearly spreading a message how the Internet will never (and should never) replace the real world. No matter how much it evolves, being alive, in a living body, is what makes us humans, and nothing can replace that. Despite the anime being from 1998, it clearly predicted a lof of the toxic environment from the internet. Just look at the number of people that act on the internet in a way, but in real life they're completely different. This exactly because of the "living body" that this anime talks so much. Talking to people in person is completely different from talking from behind a computer screen. People can't just call a bunch of names to a person to their face, like they do on the Internet, exactly because the human nature is so much more complex than that.
The internet has for sure "deshumanized" society, and this anime shows the dangers of that.

Honestly, really excited for the next episode now. I was getting nervous, because by episode 11 I was still very lost on what the anime was trying to convey, and I was starting to think 2 episodes weren't going to be enough, but it seems like I was wrong.
There are a lot of stuff that I don't understand, mainly what's the thing with Lain's sister. Why was she on the house, wasn't she supposed to go with her parents? And I still don't really understand what happened to her. I hope they explain it in the next and FINAL episode of Serial Experiments Lain, along with other stuff that happened in the anime.

What a defining episode! Lain finally realizes that she, not Eiri, is "God." She allowed him to create her and let him think he was in control, maybe not consciously, but she did. Now, she finally understands that she is the power, and exists beyond physical or digital form. She's been part of everything, even her own creation.

I think that's why we see Karl and his partner get got at the beginning of the episode. Although we don't see them get killed per se, it's like they're being "taken care of" because their role until now (monitoring Lain) can't be fulfilled anymore: she has become too strong and can't be contained by such trivial tools.

The vision of Eiri's grotesque final form, a crumpled mishmash of computer parts and manifested flesh is a beautiful, ironic image to end on. The death of a demigod, and the ego check of disembodied, cold logic. Despite his claims that the physical form was useless, he was never able to let go of the need to be worshiped in the physical world.

Eiri's narration is not reliable, what he says is not meant to be taken as the ultimate truth. Anime never makes it clear what Lain really is or how she came to be, it's open to interpretation. It's much more likely Lain existed way before Eiri came into consciousness and only took a physical form after Eiri's meddling with the Wire.