Serial Experiments Lain, the trippy, confusing, prescient techno-horror anime from the late 90s, is a milestone sort of series for my anime journey. I love the very audacity of the show—and I like talking about its ideas and concept as much as the anime itself! So you bet that I enjoyed joining our friend Melvin at Cinematic Doctrine to talk all things Lain!
Here are some of the topics we talk about (taken from the podcast post):
- I share our ministry’s thoughts on AI (LLMs & AGI)
- Serial Experiments Lain‘s intention confusion
- The changing landscape of anime (the lack of seinen, shoujo, and original series)
- Lain as predictive fiction and its “exploration [of] how impressionable minds engage the internet”
- The series’s exploration of love as part of evolution, and “how transhumanism is a delusion antithetical to the Gospel”
- And much more!
Listen to the episode on the Cinematic Doctrine site, or on Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms. And please give our friends a follow!
And if you’re up for a rewatch, I encourage you to let our episodic journey several years ago when we celebrated the 20th anniversary of Serial Experiments Lain be your guide!
Featured illustration by 852話 (reprinted w/permission)
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- Why We’re Bringing Something Genuine Back for Season Two - 05.25.2026
