.hack//Infection Vol.1 .hack//Liminality - In-depth review and recommended points

.hack//Infection Spread Vol.1 .hack//Liminality - Dot Hack Complete Collection Vol.1 Dot Hack Liminality

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

game

■ Release date

June 20, 2002

■Release and sales

Bandai Namco Games

■Frequencies

45 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Project .hack

■ Director

Koichi Mashimo

■ Production

Bee Train

■Works

©Project .hack

■ Story

What happened in that game at that time?

While playing "The World", several players suddenly collapsed and fell into a coma. In an attempt to find out the cause, Junichiro Tokuoka, a former employee of CC and the Japanese version director, visits Mai Minase, the only girl who survived the coma. With the help of Yuki Aihara and Kyoko Tono, the two of them pursue the mystery hidden in the program... the truth.

*Quoted from Bandai Channel

■Cast

・Mai Minase/Sanae Kobayashi/Yuki Aihara/Sako Chiba/Kyoko Tono/Aya Hisakawa/Junichiro Tokuoka/Masashi Ehara/Ichiro Sato/Toshihiko Seki/Masaya Makino/Soichiro Hoshi/Tomonari Kasumi/Takahiro Sakurai/Harold/Takumi Yamazaki

■ Main staff

・Original work: Project .hack
・Director, Sound Director / Koichi Mashimo・Series Composition, Scriptwriter / Kazunori Ito・Character Design / Toshiya Washida・Storyboard / Koji Sawai, Masayuki Yoshihara・Director / Masayuki Yoshihara, Koji Sawai, Hiroshi Morioka・Animation Director / Toshiya Washida, Yoshiaki Tsubata, Kenichiro Katsura・Mechanical Design / Kenji Teraoka・Art Director / Hachidai Takayama・Color Design / Setsuko Sato・Cinematography, Editing / Masayuki Kurosawa・Music / Yuki Kajiura・Music Production / Victor Entertainment・Sound Producer / Toru Nakano・Producers / Daisuke Uchiyama, Koji Egawa・Animation Production / Bee Train・Production / Bandai・Production Cooperation / Bandai Visual

■Subtitle

Episode 1: In the case of MINASE, Mai (2002/06/20)

■ Related works

・.hack//SIGN
・.hack//Malignant Mutation Vol.2 .hack//Liminality
・.hack//Erosion Contamination Vol.3 .hack//Liminality
・.hack//Absolute Siege Vol.4 .hack//Liminality
・.hack//Integration
・.hack//GIFT
・.hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet ・.hack//Roots
・.hack//GU Returner
・.hack//GU TRILOGY
・.hack//Quantum
・Let's go! Our Chim Chim!!
・Dot Hack Beyond the World

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・edge
・Song: See-Saw

・ED1
・Twilight Sea・Song: See-Saw

■Detailed evaluation and recommendation

.hack//Liminality is an OVA released by Bandai Namco Games in 2002, based on the Project .hack game series. The story depicts mysterious events that occur within the game and related real-world events, providing viewers with deep mystery and emotion.

Story and Themes

The story of this work revolves around people struggling to solve the mystery of players who suddenly fell into a coma in a virtual reality MMORPG called "The World". In particular, the four main characters are the only girl who recovered from the coma, Mai Minase, and Junichiro Tokuoka, Yuki Aihara, and Kyoko Tono, who act to help her.

The theme of this work is the boundary between virtual reality and reality, and touches on the depths of the human psyche. It depicts how events that occur in the game affect the real world, and vice versa, encouraging viewers to think deeply. In particular, through the character of Mai Minase, the process of trauma and recovery is depicted, and there are many moving scenes.

Characters and cast

Each character in this work is unique and deeply portrayed. Sanae Kobayashi's performance as Mai Minase is particularly impressive, and her delicate emotional expression enhances the story. Additionally, Saeko Chiba as Yuki Aihara, Aya Hisakawa as Kyoko Tono, and Masashi Ehara as Junichiro Tokuoka all perform brilliantly, bringing out the best in their characters.

The cast also includes other impressive actors such as Seki Toshihiko as Sato Ichiro, Hoshi Soichiro as Makino Masaya, Sakurai Takahiro as Kasumi Tomonari, and Yamazaki Takumi as Harold, and their performances add depth to the story.

Visuals and Music

Visually, the game features beautiful animation produced by Bee Train. Character designer Toshiya Washida's unique touch further enhances the atmosphere of the game. Mechanical designer Kenji Teraoka's designs are also superb, and realistically recreate the worldview of the game.

In terms of music, the beautiful soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura enhances the atmosphere of the work. In particular, the opening theme "edge" and the ending theme "Twilight Sea" by See-Saw are beautiful melodies that symbolize the theme of the work and resonate deeply with the viewers.

Related works and entire series

.hack//Infection Vol.1 .hack//Liminality is a part of the .hack series. This series includes many related works such as .hack//SIGN, .hack//Malignant Mutation, .hack//Erosion Contamination, .hack//Absolute Siege, .hack//Integration, .hack//GIFT, .hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet, .hack//Roots, .hack//GU Returner, .hack//GU TRILOGY, and .hack//Quantum. Each of these works depicts the world of "The World" from a different perspective, and you can enjoy a deep story throughout the series.

In addition, the .hack series' games and anime are closely related, and by playing the games you can gain a deeper understanding of the anime's story. In particular, the .hack//GU series is a must-see for fans, as the games and anime unify to develop a story.

Recommendations and ratings

.hack//Liminality is a work that draws viewers in with its profound theme of the boundary between virtual reality and reality, beautiful visuals, and a moving story. It is especially recommended for fans of the .hack series and those interested in MMORPGs. It is also recommended for those who enjoy Yuki Kajiura's music and See-Saw's theme song.

This work depicts a deep theme in a short 45-minute time frame, providing viewers with a lot of emotion and thought. By watching it together with other works in the .hack series, you will be able to gain a deeper understanding and be moved by it.

summary

.hack//Infection Vol.1 .hack//Liminality is a work that condenses the charm of the .hack series, featuring profound themes that depict the boundary between virtual reality and reality, beautiful visuals, and a moving story. It is a must-see for fans of the .hack series and those interested in MMORPGs, and you can also enjoy music by Yuki Kajiura and the theme song by See-Saw. Please watch this work and experience the world of .hack.