That stranger in the grocery store who recommended a random 1990s anime

Last month in Austin I was standing in the checkout line holding a bag of chips and this older guy behind me pointed at my phone where I had a streaming app open and said 'you look like you need something weird, try Serial Experiments Lain.' I laughed it off but gave it a shot that night and ended up binging all 13 episodes before sunrise. Has anyone else ever had a total stranger's offhand pick turn out to be one of the best shows you've watched?

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the_julia23d ago

I once read a piece about how random recommendations from strangers carry more weight than ones from friends because there's no social pressure involved. That checkout line story reminds me of the time I heard a podcast host talk about getting handed a burned CD of a 90s anime soundtrack at a bus stop, and it changed how they listened to music forever. There is something honest about a person who gains nothing from pushing you toward something they love. I tried Lain myself after reading about it in a forum thread about weird internet shows, and it definitely rewired my brain a bit. Funny how a ten second exchange can leave a bigger mark than years of curated suggestions from algorithms.