Indie animation project Lain: Protocol 7 has announced that its crowdfunding campaign has exceeded the 5-million-yen mark, following its initial 2 million yen goal which was reached just 3 days prior. With the first stretch goal achieved, animation director Maki Ito revealed on the project’s Campfire post that a visual novel adaptation of Lain: Protocol 7 will be developed alongside the OVA.
Ito’s latest blog entry clarified that the visual novel will be based on an earlier version of the OVA’s script and will include exclusive storylines and ending paths, some derived from scenes omitted from the animation and discarded concepts from production. Ito further explained that “elements of the story that couldn’t be visualized in the animation will be expanded upon, providing an alternative perspective to the Protocol 7 narrative.”
Lain: Protocol 7 is an independent OVA project aiming to bridge the world of Serial Experiments Lain (1998) with the realities of the 2020s, exploring the question “what defines humanity in an era where records and AI can speak for us?” The recently shared project pitch delves deeper into the OVA’s creative approach, noting that “we employ every available technology, including hand-drawn animation, live-action segments, 3D layouts, digital photography, and AI-assisted production tools.” The announcement stressed that the project seeks not to rely solely on AI for visuals but to “capture the essence of the Wired from a 2020s perspective,” blending analog, digital, live-action, hand-drawn, and AI-assisted techniques.