“Present Day, Present Time!” Looking Back At ‘Serial Experiments Lain’ On Its 25th Anniversary!

(Featured Image Source: Funimation, Crunchyroll)

Media exploring the connection between the internet, technology, and humanity is prevalent now. Stories, shows, games, and more, exploring the strengths of digital connectivity and how it changed the idea of community & self. But 25 years ago, the anime series Serial Experiments Lain explored this topic with a surreal and captivating plot about a middle schooler who wanted to know the difference between the real and digital worlds.

“Present Day, heh…Present Time!”

Serial Experiments Lain is a psychological techno-horror series created by Yasuyuki Ueda, directed by Ryūtarō Nakamura, written by Chiaki J. Konaka (more on him later), with music by Reichi Nakaido, and animation by Triangle Staff. In a world where the rapid adoption of a developing, evolving virtual connective network called The Wired (basically the real-world Internet at the time with advanced VR elements) is taking place, junior high student Lain Iwakura finds herself isolated. An emotionally distant family and difficulty communicating with her classmates, her life changes after she receives an email from a classmate who recently died, claiming that they aren’t truly dead but instead now living in the Wired. Lain decides to explore The Wired, learning more about not just its secrets but her own origins.

AND IT WAS AMAZING!

A surreal and captivating story, it wasn’t always easy to understand as it mixed themes of identity, communication/community, reality, technology, and what it means to be human. But it always felt relatable. You feel for Lain, and while the subject matter is a bit cyberpunk in it depiction of technology, her loneliness, questions and escape into the world of The Wired feels emotionally real. Just think of any teenager who finds a discord or online space (the equivalent at the time being a forum or message board) that made them feel seen and understood. Lain lives a life where her mother is emotionally distant and uncaring for her children, her sister is apathetic to her, and Lain’s father is preoccupied with work. She is alone in her home and finds comfort in the possibilities of a digital community and power.

Oh! And speaking of digital community.

Let’s talk about Series Experiment Lain writer Chiaki J. Konaka. A prolific writer and novelist from Japan, he has worked on iconic series, including: The Big O, Hellsing, Princess Tutu, Ghost Hound, and Digimon Tamers. Konaka is a controversial figure, sharing harmful Covid-19 related conspiracy theories on his personal blog in the past and bizarrely including enemies themed around “political correctness” and “cancel culture” in his more recent work (which he later apologized for). It’s his time as the Digimon Tamers series writer being what I want to focus on for this bit. You see, while Series Experiment Lain was released in 1998, I would not see it until I was in high school in the 2000’s. But only a few year’s prior to that I would see Digimon Tamers, and it sparked my interest in Lain.

DIGIMON! DIGITAL MONSTERS! DIGIMON ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

Digimon Tamers is the third anime series in the Digimon franchise and established an completely new setting. It followed 3 children who, with the power of their D-Power Digivices, were able to partner with & power up digimon (digital monsters) so they could protect their city. And while that sounds like your typical setup for a fun Digimon series, don’t forget it was written by Chiaki J. Konaka. This season was a bit darker in tone and included themes of pain of social isolation, the merging of the digital and real, and questions about the nature of sentience. All ideas present in Serial Experiments Lain, and that blew my middle schooler mind.

Average themes for a children’s collectible digital pet franchise.

Digimon Tamers was one of the stepping stories to me falling in love with psychological storytelling. After I entered high school, it became simpler to understand an anime’s background with information about Japanese pop culture and creators being curated by fans on easily discoverable sites. And that’s when I discovered it, Serial Experiments Lain, a tech-themed story from the writer of my favorite Digimon series. I sought it out and was hooked.

What does it mean to be a Serial Experiments Lain fan in 2023?

25 years later and the Serial Experiments Lain fandom is going strong. Its opening theme Duvet by the British rock band Bôa is much loved, and iconic pictures of Lain covered in wires make the rounds in online spaces both as memes and art. And the most exciting news is that a new anime series titled Despera is in development from some of the team behind Serial Experiments Lain, with them noting it will be a spiritual successor to it. Serial Experiments Lain is now readily available to watch (unlike when I was a kid!) and new fans join the fandom everyday. The one thing I will say is don’t get any ideas about easily available merch. Some of the official collectibles from the series’ original run and 2012 rerelease is still around but hard to come by and will cost you quite a bit. But there are plenty of fan projects and collectibles to check out on the usual sites! And those who worked on other parts of the series still interact with regular online concerts based on the series taking place.

So…

Happy 25th Anniversary Serial Experiments Lain! I will always remember what you said: “No matter where you go, everyone’s connected.”

You can watch Serial Experiments Lain on Funimation.

Anime NYC 2025 has wrapped up, so make sure to check out our coverage to see what happened at NYC’s largest anime convention! And stay tuned! Anime NYC 2026 is set for August 20-23! We will keep you up to date as they announce their special guests, event lineup, and when badge sales go live!