Serial Experiments Lain
Studio: Triangle Staff
Where to Watch: Hulu
What it’s About: While many of the anime we’re mentioning match the high-octane action of Cyberpunk 2077, no show challenges humanity’s growing co-dependence on technology like Serial Experiments Lain. The show follows Lain Iwakura, a hikikomori (shut-in) junior high schooler questioning the difference between the real world and the internet after receiving an email from a deceased classmate beckoning her to log into a strange website called The Wired. This cult show was so compelling that one viewer hacked MyAnimeList, a popular anime and manga database, and forcibly recommended folks watch it by changing every anime on the website to “Let’s All Love Lain.” Terminally online folks like myself may see more of themselves in this show than they’re comfortable with, so go with god.
