Watched Lain and dont see the connection to trans people

[TinasBeenTaken]

Finished Lain and I gotta say. I don't get why trans community connects to it so much. It's about Seeking self betterment,God, family, friends, and you can try to forget the past but no matter what it always happened and is the truth. All the themes they embrace are what the devil used to try and take over the world.
The body is worthless
Becoming your own god
Rejecting those that supported you
Forgetting the past to forge a new identify
Really rejecting the truth.
The themes for the 12 out of 13 episodes made the world a fucked place causing death and chaos the false god that pushes those ideas is a demon clearly. When he leaves the wired to reality and he's a FUCKING DEMON Easy to miss though if you're retarded. This is a Christian anime that supports truth and God not for penis removing

 

[WALFTEAM]

View: https://twitter.com/KennyLauderdal3/status/1553829451120648192

 

[Jaede]

To be completely honest, the Matrix has a better connection to transgender people than Lain. In my honest opinion, I feel the trans community just decided to start interpreting Lain in the way that they did due to the fact that it has a certain aesthetic. Anyway, the core reason that transgender individuals interpret Lain the way they do is because Lain is an anime that if interpreted incorrectly seems to encourage escapism. That's an important thing to keep in mind, obviously, anyone can interpret the anime as they wish, but at its core Serial Experiments: Lain is a show that is intended to discourage escapism and if looked at deeply identifies that escapism can encourage false gods who should not be trusted.

tl;dr - The Transgender Community interprets Lain the way they do because they are interpreting it as an anime that encourages escapism, which is appealing to individuals who believe they were not born the way they should have been.

 

[WALFTEAM]

I saw Lain so long ago (we are talking not long after it aired on certain independent US TV stations like the one I just linked) that it didn't really fry my brain like it's allegedly doing to everyone now. I barely remember it - sort of filed it next to MGS2 under "japan getting 2ch-style anonymous boards in the 90s helped innoculate them from the skullfucking said boards would later give the western world". I should watch it again.

I also kind of want to go through the Matrix movies again, because they're pretty dopey and wear everything on their sleeve so adorably and it'd be fun to just comb through them again. The Wachowskis simply got to be millenials a full decade before anyone else. That and the own from Baudrillard himself.

 

[Jaede]

I saw Lain so long ago (we are talking not long after it aired on certain independent US TV stations like the one I just linked) that it didn't really fry my brain like it's allegedly doing to everyone now. I barely remember it - sort of filed it next to MGS2 under "japan getting 2ch-style anonymous boards in the 90s helped innoculate them from the skullfucking said boards would later give the western world". I should watch it again.

I also kind of want to go through the Matrix movies again, because they're pretty dopey and wear everything on their sleeve so adorably and it'd be fun to just comb through them again. The Wachowskis simply got to be millenials a full decade before anyone else. That and the own from Baudrillard himself.

I think most people saying Lain fries your brain is just honestly lying or larping or something LOL, honestly fucking Evangelion did more mental damage to me than Lain. Lain was just a little bit confusing, obviously delving into it lead to internal debate but like,,, I don't see how people are making some insane connections and stuff.

The Matrix movies are great, I highly recommend rewatching them.

 

[LostintheCycle]

Lain was a cool anime. I started watching it because of Agora Road, and I kept watching it because it was a unique visual-audio experience. But the plot? I don't even know what the plot was. Maybe I'm just slow or something, but can you blame me? Like, they did an episode where they just talked about those the dolphin experiments and preached some stuff about the invention of the Internet. I still don't get if the imagery was meant to be representative or literal. Is she literally in the

? Who the fuck were those guys??? Wait, there is a plot to all of this?
Maybe I need to rewatch it, but I'm with everyone else who thinks that it just wasn't earth-shattering. Cool yeah, but not my favourite thing ever. It's probably my favourite anime only because the only other anime I watched was horrible shit like Oreimo in my defense, everyone makes mistakes when they are fifteen

 

[Venomnik0]

I always disliked the interpretation that Lain was a god or some sort of entity to be idolized. I haven't watched the show in a while but wasn't the point of Masami. When you try to become "God", you will always end up a false idol that can just be erased by the changing of times. When you slap the "lain is a god" ideology, it runs counter to the whole point of the final fight in which false idols can never reach godhood. Even when Lain had achieved the power of a god when the wired and reality converged, she undid all that to fully reset reality. She committed a philosophical suicide. She didn't want to just become a god or anything like that. She merely just wanted everyone around her to be happy even without her.

 

[nakadashi]

I feel the trans community just decided to start interpreting Lain in the way that they did due to the fact that it has a certain aesthetic.

Every community that worships Lain does this tho.

 

[Venomnik0]

Every community that worships Lain does this tho.

Its almost as if people didn't watch the anime.

 

[Regal]

Thanks for resurrecting this Agora times capsule when we couldn't stop talking about trans shit for months.

When he leaves the wired to reality and he's a FUCKING DEMON

OP didn't even watch Lain. Lain is a girl. This post reeks of bait.

Anyway, Lain is all about transcending your body. It isn't hard to figure out why this would be relatable for trans people.

 

[Ross_Я]

~snip~

I somehow watched Lain just several months before finding Agora, and I do not think it is anyhow groundbreaking either. It makes a solid point about the way internet shapes itself around the life of the people, but at the same time I find it quite naive at several points. Which, I guess, is kind of understandble: Lain tried to be ahead of its time, and fantasizing about technology pretty much guarantees to net a... good-hearted mistake or two. I also feel there's a point in the anime that in the end of the day, life before the internet is not that different from the life before it. Like, after all, memory is just data - if no one remembers it, it never happened or something like that... Yet another arguable point - and probably even naive as well.
If anything, as someone who doesn't watch anime too often, I guess I can give you a short list of animations that are actually worth your time. You know, from a... non-weeaboo perspective.

As for the topic of the thread, I guess the answer lies in the fact that every culture feels stronger if it can claim that its roots are actually not that new and can be found in history. That's why every second movement is quite obssessed to claim that what they do now was widespread in Ancient Greece or something along those lines. Deviants are definitely fond of that. LGBT, pedophiles, whoever else - you can easily meet one who will say "but it was normal 2000 years ago!", as if it somehow validates whatever they are doing. If anything, it only talks about insane level of stagnation in society, but somehow most people feel like these arguments actually add weight to the subject in question... logical error, or something, but that's how it works. Furries trying to claim that Tex Avery cartoons are totally part of their culture, black people and their "we were kings" stuff - all that jazz.

 

[punisheddead]

Watched Lain...

There's the difference, you (probably) did and they probably didn't. I don't think anything else is worth saying.

But I'll say it anyway, it's mostly aesthetic. They think lain is a quirky girl who sits at her computer and probably knows how to code (they're not sure they have only seen tiktok clips) and they also sit at their computer and probably know how to code. Also themes and elements of escapism, modifying reality and transcending the body. #RelateableAF she's literally me.

That being said SEL is pretty cool: trippy visuals and aesthetic, cool-ass music, predicted some stuff regarding the interwebz, etc. Could probably interpret some element of it being related to transgenderism and present an argument as some have but good luck getting there with most people as again that would require watching the show, and no dropping it at the second episode doesn't count. Nice multi layered bait btw, very cool

 

[Venomnik0]

trans shit for months.

Off topic but that was something I noticed while scrolling through the similar threads tab.

Lain is all about transcending your body.

I always found it more tragic considering she's completely forgotten by the end.

Lain tried to be ahead of its time, and fantasizing about technology pretty much guarantees to net a... good-hearted mistake or two.

Lain was ahead of it's time in terms of how people were incredibly addicted to technology and how the web and real life became entangled with each other. Otherwise, it couldn't predict everything because it was just a product of it's time. It came out in 1998 when the internet was fresh and new but even then there were some aspects that are honestly still correct (while exaggerated at the same time) there was no way some bozos back then could predict everything. It was an attempt rather than a failure and I say it did a fine job at that. It couldn't predict the current political climate we're in but hey.... we got MGS2 for that and I love MGS2.

it's mostly aesthetic.

Lain is cool aesthetic like as in wallpaper/testing mpv plugins etc but otherwise the show is good. The pacing though would be a difficult hurdle for anyone with a really low attention span.

 

[Jade]

There's the difference, you (probably) did and they probably didn't. I don't think anything else is worth saying.

But I'll say it anyway, it's mostly aesthetic. They think lain is a quirky girl who sits at her computer and probably knows how to code (they're not sure they have only seen tiktok clips) and they also sit at their computer and probably know how to code. Also themes and elements of escapism, modifying reality and transcending the body. #RelateableAF she's literally me.

That being said SEL is pretty cool: trippy visuals and aesthetic, cool-ass music, predicted some stuff regarding the interwebz, etc. Could probably interpret some element of it being related to transgenderism and present an argument as some have but good luck getting there with most people as again that would require watching the show, and no dropping it at the second episode doesn't count. Nice multi layered bait btw, very cool

Lain is my favorite anime for that reason, and probably the only time I've ever given a show or comic a boost because I find it #RelateableAF. Normally I actually dislike it when there's an attempt to make characters relatable, because I prefer seeing wildly different and creative perspectives and outlooks on life, but wow, Lain hit way too close to home for me.

And as for the transgender community, they will take pretty much anything that even hints toward a theme of escaping your own body and claim that it's a metaphor for their insane cult. When Total War Warhammer 3 came out there was a deluge of people celebrating that SLAANESH's aesthetic was all about transsexualism. Which, I guess that's not entirely untrue when you think about it...

 

[Regal]

Off topic but that was something I noticed while scrolling through the similar threads tab.

Not representative of Agora overall. It was just a weird moment in time. Several new people were stoking the flames with braindead takes on trans issues and I'm pretty convinced it was a small troll campaign. OP is a good example, especially since they were only active during that time period.

 

[punisheddead]

Lain is my favorite anime for that reason

Lain is one of my favorites too, even if it didn't really sound like that. I'd probably go so far to place it as my top anime.

I just think that many "head canons" and "connections" coming from the newer members of the community like the trans stuff and ships are a massive stretch unjustly justified by a very incomplete knowledge of the show consisting of "a few tiktok clips" or at best "dropping it at the second episode". I ultimately don't really care apart from being moderately annoyed when people try to push a very subjective interpretation of a show that's very open to interpretation and not even having the modicum of respect to at least sit through it once.

OP is a good example, especially since they were only active during that time period.

It's somewhat obvious bait. I'm surprised no one called it out.

 

[Yabba]

OP didn't even watch Lain. Lain is a girl. This post reeks of bait.

Anyway, Lain is all about transcending your body. It isn't hard to figure out why this would be relatable for trans people.

He was talking about the main villain (I forgot his name) who tried to enter the physical world to get lain.

It's still probably bait especially for the time period but so far the thread seems to have been turned around with some very high quality replies, so it's not that bad.

 

[Venomnik0]

Not representative of Agora overall. It was just a weird moment in time. Several new people were stoking the flames with braindead takes on trans issues and I'm pretty convinced it was a small troll campaign. OP is a good example, especially since they were only active during that time period.

Yeah just something odd I noticed. Besides they really cover from the actual interesting talking points like how do people view Lain even if they haven't watched the anime. etc etc.

Lain is one of my favorites too, even if it didn't really sound like that. I'd probably go so far to place it as my top anime.

I just think that many "head canons" and "connections" coming from the newer members of the community like the trans stuff and ships are a massive stretch unjustly justified by a very incomplete knowledge of the show consisting of "a few tiktok clips" or at best "dropping it at the second episode". I ultimately don't really care apart from being moderately annoyed when people try to push a very subjective interpretation of a show that's very open to interpretation and not even having the modicum of respect to at least sit through it once.



It's somewhat obvious bait. I'm surprised no one called it out.

It was shit tier bait but the subject was interesting (minus "haha trannies" shit). Its the manipulation of the original message of the anime and how alot of people in the modern world view something like Lain as more of an idol than anything. Anyways, ergo proxy better

 

[mesaprotector]

I watched Lain (twice!) because of Agora, and I thought it was excellent. Barely half understood it the first time, came up with an interpretation I liked the second time through. It's one of those series that every person takes a different message from, and assumes everybody else is just wrong.

I don't really see the connection to trans people, other than the aesthetic, but the aesthetic is important. I mean if someone is an Arch Linux femboy who loves retro technology, anime, and mental dissociation... would you expect them not to love SEL?

I don't interpret Lain as a god at all, myself; I feel taking anything about the show literally is missing the point. I see her as a lonely girl who plays around with her identity on the Internet, and decides to live in the real world at the end of the show, even though she's scared and anxious - "the terrifying ordeal of being known" and all that. My pet theory is that Lain and Arisu aren't the same age irl, and the only time you see them together "for real" is the scene at the end where Arisu doesn't recognize her.

 

[Venomnik0]

I watched Lain (twice!) because of Agora, and I thought it was excellent. Barely half understood it the first time, came up with an interpretation I liked the second time through. It's one of those series that every person takes a different message from, and assumes everybody else is just wrong.

I don't really see the connection to trans people, other than the aesthetic, but the aesthetic is important. I mean if someone is an Arch Linux femboy who loves retro technology, anime, and mental dissociation... would you expect them not to love SEL?

I don't interpret Lain as a god at all, myself; I feel taking anything about the show literally is missing the point. I see her as a lonely girl who plays around with her identity on the Internet, and decides to live in the real world at the end of the show, even though she's scared and anxious - "the terrifying ordeal of being known" and all that. My pet theory is that Lain and Arisu aren't the same age irl, and the only time you see them together "for real" is the scene at the end where Arisu doesn't recognize her.

Wait what about all the times they actually met each other? the club, school etc. Also the lain alien that showed up at her house?