Serial Experiments Lain

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Background

Serial Experiments Lain is a Japanese anime series directed by Ryuutarou Nakamura, with character designs by Yoshitoshi ABe, a screenplay by Chiaki J. Konaka, and produced by Yasuyuki Ueda (credited as "production 2nd") for the animation studio Triangle Staff. The show aired on TV Tokyo between July and September 1998 and consists of 13 episodes. A companion PlayStation game, also titled Serial Experiments Lain, was released by Pioneer LDC in November of the same year.

The series touches on philosophical themes like the nature of reality, identity, and human communication. It centers on Lain Iwakura, a teenage girl living with her family in suburban Japan.

In North America, Serial Experiments Lain was first licensed by Geneon (formerly Pioneer Entertainment), which released the series on VHS, LaserDisc, and DVD. A high-definition Blu-ray version, with redone CG segments, was later released in Japan in 2009 and in the U.S. in 2012. Funimation acquired the license in 2010 and has continued to distribute the series. Outside of these regions, the anime was also made available in Singapore through Odex. The PlayStation game, which shares the same characters and some themes but takes a different approach to storytelling, was never officially released outside Japan.

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Lain initially comes across as quiet and withdrawn, keeping to herself most of the time. Her family includes her emotionally distant mother Miho, her tech-obsessed father Yasuo, and her disinterested older sister Mika. Lain’s routine life begins to shift when she hears that a girl from her school, Chisa Yomoda, has committed suicide. Afterward, several classmates claim to have received an e-mail from Chisa, apparently sent after her death. When Lain checks her own device at home, she finds the same message. In it, Chisa insists she isn’t really dead, but has simply left behind her physical form and found God within the Wired—a vast, internet-like network. This strange encounter becomes Lain’s first step into a world of hidden layers, where the boundary between digital and physical reality starts to break down.

The anime explores how technology and consciousness can overlap, with Lain gradually uncovering her unique role in the development of the Wired. As the show continues, it introduces ideas related to collective memory, artificial intelligence, and the impact of virtual spaces on personal identity. Lain’s increasing involvement in the Wired also brings her into conflict with secretive groups and other individuals who see her as more than just a regular girl.

The anime has drawn from a range of influences, including philosophy, cyberpunk fiction, computer history, and conspiracy theories. These topics have made it a subject of interest for academic discussion and analysis. While many English-speaking reviewers described the series as confusing or surreal, the general critical response has been positive. Producer Ueda originally hoped that Western and Japanese viewers would interpret the show differently, but later noted that their reactions ended up being surprisingly similar.

The opening theme of the series is Duvet by the British band Bôa, and the ending theme is Tooi Sakebi, which complements the show’s quiet and haunting tone.

Serial Experiments Lain is a video game for the PlayStation 1 that was released on November 26, 1998. It is based on the anime series of the same name. Unlike traditional video games, the gameplay focuses primarily on presenting fragmented pieces of information to the player. These bits of data are presented out of sequence, and the player must arrange them in the right order to uncover the story of Lain Iwakura. The game, designed as a sort of interactive experience, invites players to dive deeper into the complex narrative of the anime and understand its themes in a more participatory way. Along with the game, a companion guidebook was released in December 1998, offering additional insight into the game's world and mechanics.

Synopsis

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The player controls an avatar of Lain, navigating through a hierarchical system of computer files. The game follows the story of Lain Iwakura and her psychiatrist, Yonera Touko. Below is a rough summary of the events in the game, as explained by Keisuke Shindo:

• Lain (11) begins visiting Touko (27) due to hallucinations.
• Touko teaches Lain about psychopathology.
• Lain has a friend named Kyoko, but they fall out before entering junior high school.
• Lain starts junior high, makes a new friend named Misato, and develops an interest in computers and networks.
• Lain's father disappears under mysterious circumstances, prompting her to program an AI version of him into a robotic replacement.
• After three years of counseling, Touko believes Lain no longer has any issues.
• Touko reopens her diagnosis of Lain after learning from classmates that Misato doesn't actually exist.
• Lain programs her father into the Wired and destroys the robot version of him, then starts programming her own personality into the Wired.
• Touko faces frustration at work due to her lack of mobility. Her boss commits suicide.
• Touko struggles with relationship problems, being dumped by two men.
• Emotionally unstable, Touko becomes the subject of Lain's diagnosis.
• Lain meets her entity in the Wired and ends her physical life.
• Lain confronts Touko, kills her, and absorbs her personality into the Wired.

General Information

Official Date

• Anime: July 6, 1998
• Video Game: November 26, 1998
• Manga: May 1999
• //signal.: April 30, 2025

Company

• Anime: Triangle Staff
• Video Game: Pioneer LDC

Creator

• Anime: Yasuyuki Ueda
• Video Game: Pioneer LDC
• Manga: Yoshitoshi Abe
• //signal.: Team MJM

Genre: Cyberpunk, Psychological horror, Techno-horror

Cosmology: Multiverse (There is a border between the Wired and the real world which is eventually destroyed by Lain, where the Wired acts as another world being created separate from the real world)

Number of Series: 4 (The main anime, the PS1 video game, a short one-shot manga, and an upcoming game)

Number of

• Episodes: 13
• Games: 2
• Chapters: 1

Status: Ongoing (Lain is still receiving content even in current time, with an upcoming game called "//signal.")

Reception: Well Received (The anime is a cult classic that serves as an inspiration for many other authors series. It was awarded an Excellence Prize by the 1988 Japan Media Arts Festival for "its willingness to question the meaning of contemporary life" and the "extraordinarily philosophical and deep questions" it asks)

List of Misconceptions

Lain's friend being named "Arisu"

Some subs take names pronunciation of Alice's name as exactly how her name is spelled, calling her "Arisu", however this is just a Japanese-accent of saying the name "Alice" as r and l are the same in Japan.

The Wired is an Upper Layer of the Real World

This belief comes from Layer 05: Distortion where Masami Eiri in the form of Lain's mom, Miho Iwakura, explains to Lain that is is reasonable to see the Wired as an upper layer of the real world.

However Lain once having full control later in the series reveals the Wired is not an upper layer of the real world, reconfirming it to herself in Layer 13: "Ego".

Lain's effects only work under those put under Protocol Seven

This belief comes from the explanation given for how Masami Eiri created Protocol Seven, where all humans were plugged in at the unconscious level without the need for any device, encoding the Schumann Resonance Factor and inserting it into the 7th-gen Wired Protocol, however, this does not mean one that doesn't follow Schumann's Resonance Factor or isn't under Protocol Seven would be unaffected.

The Schumann Resonance is based off the idea that Earth has its own specific electromagnetic waves, between the ionosphere and the Earth's surface, there is constant resonance at a frequency of 8Hz in the ELF band, giving these "Earth Brain Waves" to humanity, attempting to awaken the consciousness of the Earth itself through networking all humans, so as long as one has any form of electromagnetic waves, they would be affected by this, though it extends even further. Lain's powers allow her to turn something that did happen into something that didn't, completely destroyed the boundary between the Wired and the real world, allowing her to completely undo events that occurred, events are abstract, non-physical pieces that would not be bound by electromagnetism, yet Lain is still completely able to influence them.

Furthermore, even after Lain reset the world and caused herself to never exist, she still existed within the Wired and could later manifest into the real world despite never existing, still having full control and being able to use her powers, this should be something impossible as Eiri Masami was made to have never made her or Protocol Seven, thus it shouldn't exist.

Power of the Verse

Lain mainly has regular human entities within the series, though it carries some supernatural elements such as programs like KIDS, which takes the latent psychic energy within children and tries to combine it.

Lain herself is a cosmic entity, being able to fully control reality as she sees fit. Eiri Masami to a lesser extent has some influence over the real world.

The verse has abilities such as: Reality Warping, Information Manipulation, Data Manipulation, Causality Manipulation, Memory Manipulation, Space-Time Manipulation, etcetera.

Explanations

File Systems

The game’s interface resembles a database known as "life instinct function" (LIF), hosted on a server at Tachibana General Laboratories. This database is divided into two sections: Site A and Site B. Site B is initially locked and can only be accessed by unlocking hidden updates in the files. Each file contains a version number that must match or exceed the version of the player's media player to be accessed. The player can find updates within the files to upgrade the media player.

Various file types are stored within the database, including:

• Lda: A collection of 237 diary entries written by Lain over three years, detailing her personal feelings, given to her by Touko early in their counseling sessions.
• Tda: A series of 92 diary entries by Touko, spanning two years.
• Cou: A series of 53 counseling session recordings between Lain and Touko, with roles reversing as Touko becomes unstable.
• Dia: A set of 48 diagnoses by Lain and Touko regarding their patient's behavior and recommended actions. Lain's entries are labeled "CLN_00," while Touko’s are labeled "CLN_01."
• TaK: 181 random statements or questions recorded by Lain and Touko, presented in two parallel chronologies.
• Ekm: 6 recordings of conversations between Lain and her friend Kyoko, labeled "Extra Kyoko’s Memory" and only available on Site A.
• Ere: 10 interviews with Lain's classmates conducted by Touko, called "Extra Research" and found on Site B.
• Eda: A mix of 4 counseling sessions and a news report, labeled "Extra Data," and located on Site B.
• Sskn: 7 freeware upgrade apps for the media player, unlocking more content.
• P2-: Parts for a virtual bear model, Poly-tan, that unlock new files when completed.
• GaTE: 4 network applications needed to unlock Site B from Site A.
• Dc1: 57 animated video files, mostly of Lain, presented in random order across Site A and B. Some are unusual, like hidden camera footage or impossible shots, and are labeled "Dcl."
• Env: 12 corrupted files filled with static and voices, found on Site A’s Level 0.
• Xv0 and Xa': Extra unused video clips and audio files, mostly featuring Touko in distress, not part of the main game.

Terms

The following is an explanation of some of the terms in Serial Experiments Lain

ExpandTerms

Name Description Schumann Resonances The Schumann resonances are referenced in Layer 09 of Serial Experiments Lain. These are natural peaks in the Earth's electromagnetic spectrum. In the series, it's suggested that these frequencies can influence the human brain directly, enabling a connection to the Wired without the need for external hardware. This concept is tied to the operation of the Psyche chip. Masami Eiri altered Protocol 7 to enable human access to the Wired via the Schumann resonances. His actions led to his dismissal from Tachibana General Laboratories. It’s implied that Eiri, possibly through the Knights of the Eastern Calculus, helped spread the Psyche chip as part of his goal to link humanity together into a single, earthbound neural network.. Protocol Seven An Internet Protocol created by Masami Eiri. He modified it to enable direct access to the Wired through the Schumann resonances, removing the need for a NAVI device. This is achieved through the use of the Psyche chip. The Wired The Wired is a global communication network resembling the internet, widely used by the cast of Serial Experiments Lain. It exists alongside the physical world as a parallel space for digital interaction, where users can exchange thoughts, communicate, and participate in virtual experiences. "There is the world around us, a world of people, tactile sensation, and culture. There is the wired world, inside a computer, of images, personalities, virtual experiences, and a culture all of its own." Described as an advanced form of communication, the Wired has become essential to modern society. Many people treat it with extreme reverence, often prioritizing it over the real world, while some older individuals express concern over its influence and the risk of people losing their grasp on reality. The Wired primarily runs on IPv6, a protocol that allows users to manifest personalized avatars and interact more fully with the network. The Psyche chip is a NAVI accessory that unlocks these capabilities. Tachibana General Laboratories is responsible for the development of these protocols. A new version, IPv7, is introduced during the series. It was secretly altered by Masami Eiri to allow human consciousness to be uploaded into the Wired. With devices like the Psyche chip, users are able to visually project themselves into the Wired and communicate through digital personas. The Wired is usually depicted as a surreal black void, with users appearing in distorted or symbolic forms. On rare occasions, it presents as a near-exact digital replica of real-world locations. KIDS The KID System, also known as KIDS, is a psychotronic device designed to channel and amplify dormant psychic abilities in children. Developed by Professor Hodgeson for the Kensington Experiment roughly 15 years before the main events of Serial Experiments Lain, the system was dismantled after the experiment ended in failure. Hodgeson destroyed the machine and erased its blueprints, but the Knights of the Eastern Calculus later managed to recover the data. Unlike the original version, which relied on external components called Outer Receptors to gather psi energy, the Knights’ version of the system operates without them. The system plays a central role in Layer 06, where the collective psychic output of children conjures a massive projection of Lain in the sky. This event is framed by a discussion between Lain and Hodgeson, symbolizing her research into the KIDS system. According to a footnote in Scenario Experiments Lain, the Kensington Experiment was inspired by the Philadelphia Experiment. Psyche The Psyche is an enhancement chip designed to boost the capabilities of standard NAVI computers, particularly newer models. It is not commercially distributed and is thought to have originated in Taiwan, possibly through the Knights of the Eastern Calculus. With the Psyche chip installed, users can access the Wired without traditional input devices like keyboards, mice, or voice commands, enabling complete motion and range of interaction.

Themes

Serial Experiments Lain follows many different themes throughout the series, all of these themes associate and relate with Lain Iwakura herself as everything and everyone is connected with her and through Protocol Seven.

Identity

A central theme throughout the Serial Experiments Lain franchise is the exploration of Lain Iwakura's identity. Throughout the anime, Lain demonstrates multiple personalities and often appears in two places at once, implying the existence of more than one version of herself.

• To Herself:

Lain repeatedly questions her own existence with phrases like "Who am I?" and tries to reassure herself with "I am myself!" as a way to assert her identity. However, given that she is a creation of the human collective unconscious, born from the Wired, it is only natural for her to take on different forms and identities as perceived by each individual who interacts with her. A particularly striking scene in Layer 08 depicts a multitude of chattering Lain mannequins, symbolizing all the versions of Lain as seen through the eyes of other people.

• Others:

Lain will usually hear other voices asking about her. An example is in Layer 03: Psyche, where she hears voices repeatedly saying "Who is Lain?".

Death

Death is another theme throughout the Serial Experiments Lain series, a lot of the series plot kickstarts from Layer 01: "Weird" where Yomoda Chisa committing suicide and sending emails to people despite being dead. Posing the question what exactly happens when one dies with Lain asking Chisa through speaking to her NAVI why did she die. Chisa communicating through Lain's Navi notes that she never died, she just abandoned her flesh.

Lain also sees a person jump in front of a train and kill themself, with them making both a happy and horrified face.

In Layer 02: Girls Lain goes to a night club where a boy shoots two of the patrons, and after seeing Lain starts having a mental breakdown with Lain simply saying "No matter where you are, everyone is always connected." setting him off enough to kill himself.

In Layer 03: Psyche, Lain hears an old women talk about how it didn't matter if she was there or not in the real world, and when she realized that she was no longer afraid of losing her body.

Memory

Memory plays a central role in Serial Experiments Lain. Lain Iwakura demonstrates the ability to alter reality by modifying people's memories, particularly in Layer 08 and most prominently during the reset.

A well-known quote from Lain that reflects this theme is:

A memory is only a record. You just have to rewrite that record.

This concept is further emphasized in the Visual Experiments Lain entry for Layer 07: Society. Presented as a journal entry by Lain, the passage highlights the fragmented and unreliable nature of her recollections. The text, preserved with its original grammatical mistakes, reads:

Last Sunday, I went out with my family.
We went to our relative's house in Fujisawa by train. All of us together.
We left at the time I usually leave for school.
On our way to the station, my mother noticed that she forgot something,
so we went back to the house.
It was the first time we went to their house in Fujisawa--No. I was mistaken.
We've been there several times. I just forget things sometime.
Meeting my uncle and aunt. I greeted them saying "Nice to meet you" by mistake,
and they laughed at me.
I don't remember what happened while I was in the train.
But I think I was hearing my father and mother talk quietly about the medicine
all the way.
I was hearing it absent-mindedly.
Then I began to feel as if I was at school and I felt sick.
I endured it all the way through. Meeting my uncle and aunt,
I said "Hello." No, I said "Nice to meet you." Was my father and mother there?
Last Sunday, I went out alone.
I went to relative's house in Fujisawa alone.

What begins as a straightforward recollection of a family trip becomes increasingly uncertain. Lain first questions whether she had visited the house before, then feels disoriented as if she were at school rather than on a train. She misremembers how she greeted her relatives and ultimately concludes that she went alone, casting doubt on the entire account.

The ambiguity of the event illustrates how unreliable memory can distort reality and challenge the perception of truth.

In the final episode, Yasuo Iwakura alludes to Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time by suggesting that he and Lain should enjoy tea with madeleines. This reference draws a connection to the novel’s exploration of voluntary and involuntary memory.

Digital World

The digital world and its impact on the adolescents is another factor to the series. Lain starts off having little knowledge about computers and the NAVI but as the series goes on she stays completely hooked to her computer.

Lain's personality becomes more open when she's within the digital world, likely in reference to how one's personality is more open and outgoing when they are speaking to others on the internet.

Communication

Communication serves as a major theme in Serial Experiments Lain, particularly within the anime. The Wired functions as a central medium of communication, leading many characters to believe that it renders in-person interaction obsolete.

At the start of the anime, game, and manga, Lain Iwakura is portrayed as deeply isolated. However, over the course of the anime, she begins to form connections—most notably with Alice Mizuki—and gradually opens up to others through the Wired. Despite Masami Eiri’s efforts to convince her that physical reality holds no value, Lain comes to understand—through Alice and her father Yasuo Iwakura—that having a physical presence and the ability to speak face-to-face remains essential.

This understanding gives deeper meaning to the series’ conclusion. The reset becomes Lain’s ultimate sacrifice, made by someone who only briefly understood what it meant to live with a body, yet chose to give that up for the sake of others.

Crosstalk

Crosstalk is the term Chiaki J. Konaka uses to describe the phenomenon where several voices overlap in conversation. It features prominently in the Serial Experiments Lain anime, first appearing in Layer 03. These scenes typically signify Lain’s presence within the Wired, reflecting moments when she conducts research or listens in on conversations.

A subtle instance of crosstalk may appear earlier in Layer 01. While riding the train, Lain hears garbled voices, even though no one nearby seems to be speaking. This suggests that Lain has an innate sensitivity to the Wired’s signals—an ability that becomes fully realized after she installs the Psyche chip in Layer 03. In the scenario notes for Layer 01, Konaka likens this moment to the early experiences of the protagonist in the 1981 film *Scanners*, who hears intrusive voices before learning to control his telepathy.

Crosstalk scenes in the anime are often paired with stylized typography.

In the game, this ability is more overt. Lain can hear voices transmitted through phone lines and electromagnetic signals, with the first clear instance occurring in Cou020. When left idle, the game sometimes shifts to audio clips of crosstalk layered over imagery of telephone poles and power lines.

Family

Family holds significant thematic weight in Serial Experiments Lain, particularly in the anime.

Lain Iwakura's interactions with her family are noticeably strained. She speaks with them in a detached, uneasy manner, and even their conversations with each other feel stilted and unnatural. This discomfort signals that her family may not be what they seem—a truth confirmed in Layer 10, when it is revealed that Lain’s family is artificial. Despite this, her "father" Yasuo Iwakura shows genuine care for her before leaving, providing one of the few moments of warmth.

The anime also briefly explores another family, the Masatsugu household, made up of Shoko Masatsugu and her son Shou. Unlike Lain’s family, they appear close, bonding over a shared interest in video games. Their story ends tragically in Layer 10, after the collapse of the Knights of the Eastern Calculus leads to Shoko's death.

Throughout the series, the idea of family is presented not as a safe haven but as another uncertain construct. This subversion reinforces the anime’s broader themes of instability in reality and the fragility of human connections.

God

In Serial Experiments Lain, the concept of God is explored through varying definitions—ranging from a being who is simply omnipresent and acknowledged by at least one believer, to a fully omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent entity. These perspectives are embodied by characters like Masami Eiri, who claims to be the God of the Wired, and Lain Iwakura, who eventually attains a godlike state herself.

A key moment regarding the idea of God is found in Visual Experiments Lain, on the Layer 04 Religion page. In an interview with Lain, she hesitantly acknowledges the existence of a God in the Wired:

[...God.] --What god? [The God of Wired.] --There's a God of Wired? You believe that? [(silence)] --Answer me. [...There is if I believe there is...] --That answer isn't good enough. [...There is...a God...] --All right, fine. The God of Wired is the god of the top level of the real world hierarchy--in other words, a being that controls the entire world. Is that right? [...Who are you?]

The interviewer is implied to be Eiri in disguise, mirroring the method he uses in Layer 05 to manipulate Lain via the likenesses of her parents and other figures.

Lain’s statement—"There is if I believe there is"—is not just avoidance, but a deeper commentary on the nature of belief within the Wired. This becomes especially significant in Layer 10, when Eiri claims he is no longer God because all his followers have died. Lain counters this, saying there is still one believer left: herself. This implies that Eiri’s divinity is entirely dependent on her belief, highlighting the subjective and constructed nature of divinity in the world of the Wired.

Knowledgeable Members

• GiverOfThePeace
• Xero Null

Characters

Lain Iwakura Masami Eiri

Locations

The Wired

Trivia

• In .flow, Sabitsuki entering the alternate world from a computer rather then a bed was noted by the author to probably be drawn from Serial Experiments Lain.