In the first episode of\u00c2\u00a0Serial Experiments Lain<\/i>, WHAT.\u00c2\u00a0What<\/i>. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Serial Experiments Lain<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trigger Warning: For discussion of suicide, dissociation.<\/b><\/p>\n
It’s time for a new series on Mark Watches, so if you’re new around here, you should read this.\u00c2\u00a0Everyone should read the 5th point!<\/strong><\/p>\n 1) Spoilers are not allowed in any form on Mark Watches<\/b>. Please refrain from ever posting (in normal text) any sort of spoiler or reference to future storylines or developments while commenting on this site. This rule is probably a lot more strict than you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re used to, so if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re warned about spoilers or if your comment is edited because of it, trust me. This is for a reason. Please visit the\u00c2\u00a0Spoiler Policy<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0for guidance.<\/p>\n 2) You may, however, post spoilers in rot13.\u00c2\u00a0<\/b>You will inevitably see what looks like gibberish in the comments. We use\u00c2\u00a0rot13<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0to cipher all possible spoilers so that y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all\u00c2\u00a0can<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0still have a conversation about each episode if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen the entire show. Please cipher all spoilers.<\/p>\n 3) Please read the Site Rules before commenting<\/b>. My group of moderators and I try to make Mark Watches an exception to the rule when it comes to online conversations. This means that moderation is more evident here than other places. Please review the rules, as this is your only warning.<\/p>\n 4) Mark Watches videos are attached as a link at the end of the post.<\/b>\u00c2\u00a0They are $0.99 each, and you can download each video 15 times, meaning you can send them to friends or anyone else for free. The system is built to handle free downloads, so download away. The lovely folks over at Mark Spoils run a place called the\u00c2\u00a0Black Market<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0where you can find extra downloads of videos in case you cannot afford them or don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to pay for them. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s totally sanctioned (and adored!) by me, so go ahead! Test them out. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s basically me sitting and yelling at my TV, and I cry a lot because reasons.<\/p>\n 5) I will do my best to update this daily.<\/strong> With the exception of tomorrow (since I’m still traveling from Oslo down to Brighton), my goal is to continue Double Features every day (including weekends!!!) to make up for lost time. The best way to get notified of new reviews as they are posted is to follow me on Twitter<\/a>. All Patreon contributors who pledge $25 or more per month<\/a> will get reviews three hours before others.<\/p>\n Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s get down to it because I need to. Frankly: I have no idea what I just watched. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m trying to think of anything I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen prior to this that was\u00c2\u00a0as<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0deliberately confusing and mysterious as this, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure I can come up with something. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen some strange shit in my day, but the impenetrable nature of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Weird\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (what an apt title!) is a challenge.<\/p>\n WHICH I AM ABSOLUTELY UP FOR. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an avant garde element to this show that I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t deny, especially since the animation and storytelling jumps from one image to the next. And I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d also argue that this show is\u00c2\u00a0extremely<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0visual. The visual narrative is a huge part to unraveling the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153mystery\u00e2\u20ac\u009d of the Wired, and I appreciate that. Essentially, the show does not spell out anything for me. The \u00e2\u20ac\u0153text\u00e2\u20ac\u009d cards that break up scenes might give me insight to someone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mental process or a clue to the context of the scene, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my job as the viewer to piece things together.<\/p>\n So what\u00c2\u00a0can<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0I piece together from \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Weird\u00e2\u20ac\u009d? This feels like a story about another world and another life. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Weird\u00e2\u20ac\u009d opens with the haunting suicide of Chisa Yomoda, but one that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only sad to those who survive her. The scene where she dies is animated with a visual flair, one that suggests joy instead of sorrow. Yet at school, students are distraught over Chisa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s death, but that emotion is coupled with anger. Someone has access to Chisa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s email and has sent out messages\u00c2\u00a0after<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0her death to all her friends and peers.<\/p>\n The show came out in 1998, so in that sense, I feel like this must have been visionary at the time. Now, I can recall at least a few films or stories dealing with the very idea of emails being sent from the account of a dead person. In 1998, who was even sending email? I sure wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t; I had just barely started high school, and my interaction on the Internet never went further than lurking and reading. I was not a participant, and I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get my first email account until the year 2001. So when another student urges Lain to check her account at least once a day, I flashed back to a time when that\u00c2\u00a0was<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0my behavior. Some days, I might have gone days without a single email that wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t an ad. (OH, TO RETURN TO THE DAYS WHERE I DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T GET 100 EMAILS IN 24 HOURS.) This is a glimpse of a culture that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been passed by, yes, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also a fascinating time period.<\/p>\n I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing that this snapshot of technology is intentional, since the Wired is introduced in the first episode. Which is\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 a thing. Or a place? That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also deliberately hidden from us as well, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m inclined to believe that Chisa is telling the truth. Somehow, she was able to live on in the Wired. Perhaps a digital consciousness? If that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the case, how is Chisa able to subliminally communicate through the blackboard??? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know the parameters of this kind of existence, so I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m still at a loss. WHICH IS OKAY, THIS IS A LOT OF FUN.<\/p>\n I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m also fascinated by the portrayal of Lain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s family. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a detachment to these people, one that we see in Lain herself. Her mother is uninterested in practically anything her daughters have to say. Her father, on the other hand, is\u00c2\u00a0over<\/i>-interested in something else: computers. The Internet. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only when Lain expresses an interest in updating her own computer that her father reaches out to connect with her. And yet, that interaction is still incredibly brief. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not long before he turns his attention back to something online.<\/p>\n So, what does this all mean? Is this entire show about people who are desperate for a connection? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ridiculous to suggest that Lain will seek out the Wired. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s often just as disinterested as many of the other characters, but this appears to have grabbed her. What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s next?<\/p>\n Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n – I am now on Patreon<\/a>! There are various levels of support, from $1 up to whatever you want! You’ll get to read a private blog, extra reviews, and other such rewards.<\/b>
\n– I\u00c2\u00a0will be at numerous conventions in 2016! Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page.<\/a>
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features for Mark Watches have been announced here.<\/a>
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!<\/p>\n