i have finished serial experiments lain, which has made me think a lot. not of the series itself, but in how i consume and appreciate media in general

understanding the point and concept of the show, but still feeling like i've missed something. it feels like there's this supergenius going on with it that i cannot pinpoint, let alone acknowledge that it even exists (heh).

by itself, lain would get a 3.5/5 from me. it had a lot of cool stuff, like music, soundscapes, art direction, but after that, i felt lost. it knew what direction it went for, but every time it did something, it would take weird turns that only left me confused.

so if i understood the show completely and whatever i thought was deeper than what i've understood never existed, i wasn't impressed by it. however, i feel like i should be impressed anyways. this is where i started thinking a lot about how i appreciate art in general.

story and plotpoint are very important, obviously. the message a story conveys doesnt have to be slapped in front of you very blatantly, but if it's of a philosophical point, i could start imagining 5000 different meanings and how they could coincide.

much like a conspiracy boomer would. maybe. although that's a tangent too far to my main point.

if i'm to think of a thousand things from an art piece, i could get lost, trying to find deeper meaning into something that could be seen as plain and simple. i'm challenging myself to understand what doesn't need to be understood.

if i were to stick to simply enjoying serial experiments lain for its message on identity and media representation, would have called it a work of genius? i'd hate to realize that my thought processes hinder my ability to thoroughly enjoy anything i consume nowadays.

if anyone has anything to say about this thread, i beg you to do so. i'd like to know what you think of the show and how one should consume media so that they get to enjoy as many experiences as they can get.