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Series · 1998 · Animation

Serial Experiments Lain

Close the world. txen eht nepO.

★8.2 1998 1 Season TV-MA

Lain—driven by the abrupt suicide of a classmate—logs on to the Wired and promptly loses herself in a twisted mass of hallucinations, memories, and interconnected-psyches.

Seasons & episodes

1 season · 13 episodes

Layer:01 – WEIRD

Episode 01

Layer:01 – WEIRD

Jul 6, 1998 · 24 min

Lain Iwakura, a shy, 13-year-old schoolgirl, receives an email from a schoolmate after her suicide. Is it a prank? Lain doesn't feel horror, but curiosity.

Layer:02 – GIRLS

Episode 02

Layer:02 – GIRLS

Jul 13, 1998 · 24 min

Classmates Alice, Julie, and Reika wonder if that was Lain they saw at the nightclub Cyberia. To find out, they invite Lain to go with them to the club.

Layer:03 – PSYCHE

Episode 03

Layer:03 – PSYCHE

Jul 20, 1998 · 24 min

Alice, Julie, and Reika are minor celebrities in their class after they witness a shooting at The Cyberia. Lain is given a black-market chip for her computer, but it seems she is also being followed.

Layer:04 – RELIGION

Episode 04

Layer:04 – RELIGION

Jul 27, 1998 · 24 min

Some players of a Wired game called PHANTOMa are dying suspicious deaths. Lain investigates, but her growing interest in the Wired worries her father, as well as classmates Mika and Alice.

Layer:05 – DISTORTION

Episode 05

Layer:05 – DISTORTION

Aug 3, 1998 · 24 min

Lain receives cryptic messages about existence, God, and a coming prophecy. Meanwhile, Mika's world changes in ways both surreal and hyperreal.

Layer:06 – KIDS

Episode 06

Layer:06 – KIDS

Aug 10, 1998 · 24 min

Young children are acting strangely, arms outstretched and silently staring at the sky. A shocking vision suddenly appears in the skies; it looks like Lain! Determined to get to the bottom of this, Lain's investigations finally bring her to the creator of KIDS -- but what she discovers is not what she hoped for.

Layer:07 – SOCIETY

Episode 07

Layer:07 – SOCIETY

Aug 17, 1998 · 24 min

As the Knights activities make the evening news, a strange man named Nazumi wanders the city with machines strapped to his body. People on the WIRED are asking: ""Who is Lain"". Meanwhile, the two MIB agents take Lain to the Techibana offices where Lain's identity is challenged by a man; how well does she know her parents, her sister, herself? Can Lain answer him?

Layer:08 – RUMORS

Episode 08

Layer:08 – RUMORS

Aug 24, 1998 · 24 min

Still shaken by the information she received from the Men In Black, Lain discovers that she is being blamed for spreading an ugly rumor in the WIRED. Is what the MIB said is true; is she another person in the WIRED? Or is she doing it herself? Lain must find out or risk losing the one true friend she has.

Layer:09 – PROTOCOL

Episode 09

Layer:09 – PROTOCOL

Aug 31, 1998 · 24 min

A documentary about Roswell gives Lain some valuable information about the pioneers of the WIRED. Later, at the Cyberia, J.J. tells Lain that she left something the day before and hands her an envelop with the Knight's logo on it. The envelop contains a chip. Believing this was the other 'Lain's' doing again, she decides to call Taro's bluff and go on a 'date'. Taking him to her room, Lain demands that he tell her what he knows. Together, with Taro's information and the mysterious chip, Lain finds out more then she expected.

Layer:10 – LOVE

Episode 10

Layer:10 – LOVE

Sep 7, 1998 · 24 min

Lain struggles with her identity. Is she a human being, or just a hologram? And are the Knights responsible for the Evil Lain? Lain decides to deal with the Knights once and for all.

Layer:11 – INFORNOGRAPHY

Episode 11

Layer:11 – INFORNOGRAPHY

Sep 14, 1998 · 24 min

Alone and frightened, Lain immerses herself in the WIRED, processing the events of the past few weeks and searching for the truth of who she is.

Layer:12 – LANDSCAPE

Episode 12

Layer:12 – LANDSCAPE

Sep 21, 1998 · 24 min

Troubled by what she saw, Alice decides to visit Lain at home and find out what is going on. Meanwhile, the two MIB agents receive a terrible shock and Eiri reveals his real motive for removing the barrier between the real world and the WIRED.

Layer:13 – EGO

Episode 13

Layer:13 – EGO

Sep 28, 1998 · 24 min

The world is crumbling, people are dying and Alice's sanity is threatened. To save humanity, there is only one thing Lain can do; she must make the ultimate personal sacrifice.

About the series

Serial Experiments Lain poster
Audience score
★ 8.2 /10

based on 673 votes

Synopsis

Lain—driven by the abrupt suicide of a classmate—logs on to the Wired and promptly loses herself in a twisted mass of hallucinations, memories, and interconnected-psyches.

AnimationDramaSci-Fi & FantasyMystery

Cast

8 principal cast

Kaori Shimizu

Kaori Shimizu

Lain Iwakura (voice)

Yoko Asada

Yoko Asada

Arisu Mizuki - Lain's friend (voice)

Ayako Kawasumi

Ayako Kawasumi

Mika Iwakura - Lain's older sister (voice)

Ryusuke Ohbayashi

Ryusuke Ohbayashi

Yasuo Iwakura - Lain's father (voice)

Rei Igarashi

Rei Igarashi

Miho Iwakura - Lain's mother (voice)

Sumi Mutoh

Sumi Mutoh

Chisa Yomoda (voice)

Keito Takimoto

Tarō (voice)

Chiharu Tezuka

Chiharu Tezuka

Reika Yamamoto (voice)

Where to watch Serial Experiments Lain

Serial Experiments Lain is available to stream on Flicksy via 6 verified sources, aggregated from publicly available embed providers. The animation has 1 season and 13 total episodes, rated 8.2/10 by 673 viewers.

Frequently asked

How many seasons does Serial Experiments Lain have?

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

Is Serial Experiments Lain still on the air?

Serial Experiments Lain has ended and is no longer in production.

What network airs Serial Experiments Lain?

Serial Experiments Lain airs on TV Tokyo.

When did Serial Experiments Lain first air?

Serial Experiments Lain first aired on July 6, 1998.

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