The creators of lain: Protocol 7 have already raised 10,815,507 yen – approximately 68.5 thousand dollars – through crowdfunding. The initial goal was only 2 million yen. After reaching the 10 million mark, the team confirmed the creation of a 4K master and a new opening animation for the visual novel. The game itself was announced earlier, when collections exceeded 5 million yen.
Protocol 7 is a 60-minute fan OVA based on the anime "Serial Experiments Lain." The project is being created under the rules of the TTL 2019-2028 program, which allows fans to use the universe under certain conditions.
The creators want to transfer the themes of the original anime into the realities of the 2020s. According to the plot, Lain Iwakura receives a letter from a deceased schoolgirl and gradually tracks down the Protocol 7 experiment – a system that collects voice, search queries, draft messages, and health data to create a digital copy of a person. The main theme will be whether a model that knows more about its prototype than the person themselves can remember can be considered human.
Independent teams Studio Jiyu and Studio Kingyo-iro are working on the OVA. Maki Ito, who is also responsible for the visual direction of the project, serves as director and screenwriter. The film uses hand-drawn and digital animation, live-action footage, 3D models, and generative AI. The team uses Adobe Firefly for material systematization, composition selection, and the creation of individual elements. However, the direction, staging, editing, and final processing are performed by humans.
The next goal is 15 million yen. If the campaign reaches this mark, the team will create lain: Protocol 7 Complete Edition. The extended version will feature new editing and more than ten minutes of additional scenes.
The exact release date has not yet been announced. The digital version of the OVA is planned to be delivered to Japanese sponsors in April 2027.