Definition of pog, am i right? ( and if you came from my comment on AK, hey! welcome back! )
If you are deciding on watching the series, the following section is for you
If you already watched the show, scroll down a bit for your section
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FOR THOSE PLANNING ON WATCHING :
Oh boy, you are in for one hell of a ride. Let's start off with a general question; Have you watched either Neon Genisis Evangelion or Steins; Gate?
- If no, definitely check those two shows out they're amazing and the plotline runs very similar to this series.
- If yes, were you ever very confused while watching either of the two? Did NGE's characters annoy the fuck out of you? Did the first couple episodes of Steins;Gate make you want to bash ur head against a wall because you were confused? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you might not be the biggest fan of this series.
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NOW for the prospective watchers, you HAVE to give this show a try, regardless of your answers above. If you're new to anime, please put this show on your watch-list and come back to it as soon as you think you're ready for a really complex, physiological anime.
For the seasoned anime-watchers, regardless if you answered yes to the questions above, WATCH THE SHOW. I honestly wasn't the biggest fan of NGE or the first few episodes of Steins; Gate because I was confused out of my mind, but once would make it through the initial stages of the show, you'll be thoroughly impressed, I promise.
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FOR THOSE WHO ALREADY WATCHED :
If you already watched the series and you are a bit confused, or if you watched the series and care for my take on it, my explanation and analysis will be down below. Big warning on that though, I basically go through the entire show so there's going to be some spoilers, but I don't go into a lot of detail.
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Well, this show was an entire acid trip, but it actually came together really well. I never really cared for the physiological aspects of some shows ( such as Evangelion ), but this made me rethink everything. If you didn't like this series as much because you are confused, please read through this and hopefully you'll get a better understanding and maybe make your decision of whether you liked the series or not from there.
This show isn't just about a disconnected, shy girl finding her place in society. It also isn't just about the rise of technology and its impact on the world. And it also isn't just about the influence of religion and the delusions it creates for people. I mean sure, those three are vital to the plot of the show, but I think this series touches upon a concept of consciousness and individuality that I haven't seen before.
Through the series we see Lain's split personalities; The shy, oblivious Lain that we see in "real life", the all-controlling and powerful Lain that we see in the Wired, and Lain's problematic and hostile alter ego, which exists as an intersection between the first two. As the story develops, the lines become these three "Lains" become less clear, to both us and to Lain. As she navigates the reality that is falling apart before her eyes, she seeks refuge in the Wired and believes in the delusion that she is all-powerful in her Wired state.
Airu ( the guy who was playing God ), deludes Lain into thinking that the only reason Lain has power in the Wired was because of him, however, Lain realizes that her power comes from the ability to be everything and everyone at the same time. In her realization, we ( the viewer ) are presented with the same theory stated in the first episode, "We are all connected." This connection is subconscious and basically means that everyone on the face of the Earth is related to one another in some shape and form.
We all have the ability to see into each other's minds and control each other's actions. How do we do this? The series' answer to this is by conceptualizing it. The world as we know it is only the perception of what we think it is, the actual reality of the world is unknown because humans consistently create and maintain a delusion in which we can understand. This can be through religion, science, history, or societal norms --> all of which are put into place and supported by society because ... that is all we know. This would also explain the entire K.I.D.S program that was referenced a few episodes earlier, primarily because the realities of children are not completely made yet, and they have the ability to think in a more creative and free manner. We all know that a child's thinking and beliefs are only a product of their environment, so Airu and the Knights were able to exploit this in order to create and give power to another reality ( the Wired ) --> ( Im basically saying that adults would find it difficult to believe in an alternate reality such as the Wired because they are already familiarized with the "reality" of our world, whereas kids aren't as familiarized with "our world" and has the ability to believe in an alternate reality of the Wired. AND the creation of alternate realities solely depends on the number of people who believe in it, making the Wired a completely real state because of the children and Knights who believe in it ).
Lain breaks this mental barrier, resulting in her mental health deteriorating along with her sense of reality, as reality is completely undefined. As the show ends, we see Lain sacrifice herself in order to maintain a state of "normalcy" in the real world. This could be because of a number of things; Maybe Lain just doesn't want to go through the entire experience again, maybe because she's scared of what would happen, maybe she doesn't want people to go through the same thing she did, or maybe she just doesn't care and is isolating herself as she did in the first few episodes. Airu and Lain are more similar than they are different, even though they are drawn out to be against each other in the show's plot. Airu and Lain both experienced being disconnected from "Reality", and we both introduced to the Wired, however, Airu chose to manipulate others into believing in the power of the Wired whereas Lain chose to step back and let people live their lives in ( a maybe delusional ) reality.
Hopefully, these explanations help you guys understand the show a bit more, I absolutely loved it and it makes me kinda sad seeing that some people didn't get it and didn't enjoy it as much. The concepts of technology and religion might seem like the main focus of the show, but it's really just a tool for us viewers to visualize the nuances of the show in concepts that were already familiar with. If you made it this far, thanks for reading through!
