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Serial Experiments Lain

1998 · Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama · 1 season · ★ 8.2

EndedTV Tokyo+13
▶ Watch TrailerWhere to WatchSeasons

Synopsis of Serial Experiments Lain

Lain Iwakura is a lonely teenager who lives in the suburbs of Tokyo, in Setagaya, with a middle-class family she isn't close to: her mother Miho, her father Yasuo, who is obsessed with computers, and her older sister Mika. Her quiet life is disrupted when students at her school start receiving posthumous emails from Chisa Yomoda, a classmate who took her own life. Chisa insists she isn't really dead, but has abandoned her body to exist in the Wired, a virtual network similar to the internet. Intrigued, Lain begins delving into that world in search of answers. The series, created by Chiaki Konaka and directed by Ryūtarō Nakamura, airs on TV Tokyo, and Lain is voiced by Kaori Shimizu.

«Close the world. txen eht nepO.»

1season
13episodes
24 minper episode
8.2audience scoreTMDB · 673 votes
8.0IMDb rating23,066 votes

Seasons of Serial Experiments Lain

Season 1Season 11998 · 13 ep. · ★ 8.2

Cast by Serial Experiments Lain

Kaori ShimizuKaori ShimizuLain Iwakura (voice)13 episodes
Yoko AsadaYoko AsadaArisu Mizuki - Lain's friend (voice)13 episodes
Ayako KawasumiAyako KawasumiMika Iwakura - Lain's older sister (voice)13 episodes
Ryusuke OhbayashiRyusuke OhbayashiYasuo Iwakura - Lain's father (voice)13 episodes
Rei IgarashiRei IgarashiMiho Iwakura - Lain's mother (voice)13 episodes
Sumi MutohSumi MutohChisa Yomoda (voice)13 episodes
Keito TakimotoTarō (voice)13 episodes
Chiharu TezukaChiharu TezukaReika Yamamoto (voice)13 episodes
Manabi MizunoManabi MizunoYūri Katō (voice)13 episodes
Yuki YamamotoMyū-Myū (voice)13 episodes
Sora FujimatsuMasayuki (voice)13 episodes
Show HayamiShow HayamiEiri Masami (voice)13 episodes
Shigeru ChibaShigeru ChibaOffice worker13 episodes
Jouji NakataJouji NakataKarl Haushoffer - Man in Black 1(voice)13 episodes
Takumi YamazakiTakumi YamazakiLin Sui-Xi - Man in black 2 (voice)13 episodes

Technical Details

Address
Ryutaro Nakamura, Yuichi Tanaka, Masahiko Murata, Akihiko Nishiyama, Johei Matsuura
Writing
Chiaki J. Konaka
Music
Reichi Nakaido
Photography
Takashi Azuhata
Production
Yasuyuki Ueda, Taro Maki
Production companies
Pioneer LDC, Triangle Staff
Network or Platform
TV Tokyo
Country
Japan
Original Language
Japanese
Original title
Serial Experiments Lain
Premiere
July 6, 1998
Last Episode
September 28, 1998 (1x13)
Status
Ended
Type
Fiction
Links
IMDb · TMDB · Official Website

Trivia about Serial Experiments Lain

Lain's left-side bangs were a demand from producer Yasuyuki Ueda, who wanted asymmetry to reflect the unstable and unsettling nature of the character.
Cyberia was initially a reference to Douglas Rushkoff's book and eventually gave its name to a nightclub full of hackers and techno-punk teenagers.
An iMac and the Apple advertising slogan "Think Different" appear briefly among a series of disconnected images, due to an unsolicited insert by the graphics team.
Each episode title is announced by Apple's PlainTalk speech synthesis program, using the "Whisper" voice, a nod to the production team's fondness for the brand's computers.
The opening song, "Duvet," was written and performed in English by the British rock band Bôa, which released it as a single and as part of the EP Tall Snake.
In 2025, "//signal." was announced, an authorized spin-off video game of "Serial Experiments Lain" described as an occult RPG for Windows and macOS.

Sources: Wikipedia (English)

Trailer for Serial Experiments Lain

Serial Experiments Lain Trailer

Where to Watch Serial Experiments Lain

It is currently not available on the major streaming platforms.

Cast of Serial Experiments Lain in other movies and series

Ayako KawasumiMika Iwakura - Lain's older sister (voice)
Violet Evergarden: The MovieMovieThe Misfit of Demon King AcademySeriesA Whisker AwayMovieThat Time I Got Reincarnated as a SlimeSeriesViolet EvergardenSeriesDeath ParadeSeriesAssassination ClassroomSeriesJoJo's Bizarre AdventureSeries

Top-Rated Episodes

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  5. 1x09 Layer:09 – PROTOCOL ★ 8.5

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many seasons does Serial Experiments Lain have?

Serial Experiments Lain has 1 season and 13 episodes in total.

Where to watch Serial Experiments Lain?

Ahora mismo Serial Experiments Lain no está en las principales plataformas de streaming por suscripción (la oferta puede variar según el país). Se emitió originalmente en TV Tokyo.

Has Serial Experiments Lain ended?

Yes. Serial Experiments Lain has ended, and its final episode aired on September 28, 1998.

Who is in Serial Experiments Lain?

The main cast includes Kaori Shimizu (Lain Iwakura (voice)), Yoko Asada (Arisu Mizuki - Lain's friend (voice)), Ayako Kawasumi (Mika Iwakura - Lain's older sister (voice)), and Ryusuke Ohbayashi (Yasuo Iwakura - Lain's father (voice)).

How long does it take to watch all of Serial Experiments Lain?

With episodes of about 24 minutes, watching all 13 episodes takes approximately 5 hours.

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