Ranked #937

.hack//Quantum

I've been a fan of the .hack franchise for quite a long time. I came to it through .hack//Sign in high school and followed it into the games, exploring the other animes as they came out. So when I heard the announcement for .hack//Quantum I was very excited, but after the initial character design shots I was skeptical. Female characters of both Kite and Balmung, to me, screams unnecessary and pandering to fanboys; and adding a character whose literally Blackrose with a different hairstyle really annoyed me as it seemed extremely pointless and lazy. However I eventually downloaded them and sat down one evening to pound it out, and I'm pleased to say my skepticism was misplaced. Despite the strange choice in characters .hack//Quantum stands out as a very strong addition to the franchise, on the level of both Sign and Roots.

For more in depth analysis, continue reading below. To see an overview simply skip to the end.
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Story:
The story begins with our three main characters (Asuma/Sakuya (female Kite), Iori/Tobias (female Balmung), and Eri/Mary (different Blackrose)) who are questing in a rather high level dungeon and, through Sakuya's foolishness, cause the death of several guild members who were partaking in a boss fight. After that they retire for the night and we are treated to a bit of exposition where we learn that our three protagonists, and probably the whole of Japan if not the world, has a microchip implanted inside them (that can only lead to good things, right?). After that Sakuya logs in to meet a strange character named Hermit, who appears to be our token cat character for this installment, and through the bounty on her head the two are thrown into a series of events that leads them, as well as Tobias and Mary, into a strange area known as the Pariah Folder. It's here that they can experience the same pain that their avatars do and when Eri is PKed by a random attacker she is sent into a coma in real life. It's then that Sakuya and Tobias decide that they'll do whatever it takes to get their friend back, and they might just have some help along the way.

Characters:
With only 3 episodes, and with a decent amount of story to tell, there isn't as much character development as in the two high points of the franchise (Sign and Roots), but there's still several bright spots to be found when watching. Though I initially thought the main character Sakuya was rather annoying, after witnessing her friend getting PKed and put into a coma she truly grows up a bit more and becomes a more likeable character. Hermit is another bright spot in the show, introduced as the mysterious cat person he carries the most secrets of the show, rivaled only by one other character. Hermit's mysterious yet playful and childish personality make him one of the most enjoyable characters in the show. It's unfortunate that Tobias doesn't get as much screentime as her foolish friend Sakuya, but as the more mature and reliable of the two we don't get to see her as much, still she does make a decent appearance and is a nice presence in the finale episode. Mary, unfortunately, gets little screentime outside the first episode what with her being PKed at the end of it. There is one other character who I did not hear named, a mysterious character with a young girl for an avatar (the best character design in the show, by far), who is referred to as 'Shamrock' according to MAL (the leader of the guild Sakuya got killed). She possesses a skill longtime fans of the series will know right away and, it's highly possible she is Pi's avatar in this version of The World (especially since she's done by the same voice actress)

Art & Sound:
It's tempting to simply write 'amazing' and knock off early when talking about the art, but that is the best way to describe the art. As it is an OVA, and much shorter than most other .hack anime, there's a lot of quality in the art; to the point where it is probably the best animated and best flowing of all the others. For only having 3 episodes there's a surprising amount of action, kicking pretty much right from the get go, and it's here that you can really tell that they've brought the A game. The sound is perhaps the weakest area of the anime (though that isn't saying much), since there's not much time to create memorable scores or background music. However it still manages to piece together a very suitable soundtrack, as well as including several sounds from other parts of the franchise for long time fans.

Enjoyment:
While initially skeptical going into the series, the 3 episode OVA has proven to be another strong addition to the .hack franchise. With all the Easter Eggs thrown in for longtime fans of the series, paired with the great artwork, it was hard not to like .hack//Quantum.
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So overall was .hack//Quantum a worthy addition of such a good franchise? With only 3 episodes to tell it's story it feels as if there are a few bits left out (especially if this is your first foray into the .hack series), but overall it stands on it's own. Being set a few decades into the future gives it far more of a pass regarding the coma aspect than other installments to the series, and the technology used is actually something that might happen one day in our lifetimes. So to those wondering if this is the best place to jump into .hack, I would quickly tell you to check out both Sign and Roots before venturing here but it isn't a horrible jumping on point, you will be confused regarding several things though (such as what Data Drain actually is). But to fans of the series who have not yet watched .hack//Quantum, or to those skeptical about it's moe-esque appearance, don't let that fool you. Underneath lies a well told story, some interesting characters and the best animation you've ever seen in a .hack anime. Fans of the series, do yourself a favour and watch this as soon as you can. read more

As a fan of the entire .Hack series, who tried all PS 2 and PS 3 and PSP games? My rating is a bit harsh.
-Story(9/10)-The story follows the path of three best friends. They play the world's largest MMORPG, “The World Revision:X”. One day three best friends connected to the server and were on a quest, when they were caught in a strange circumstance.
-Animation(10/10)-As in most .hack series the main part of the story happens inside of the game. I am not a big expert of animation, but I think that animation is flawless.
-Sound(9/10)-.Hack has always been superb with the sound. Like .Hack Roots where we had an ending theme by Ali Project, Quantum is no exception. The whole soundtrack is masterpiece. Although when I watch anime, I don't pay too much attention to the Background music, but what I hear makes me want The World R:X to be a real MMORPG. Cos I am a real fan of good MMORPG.
-Charecters(7/10)-Not much to say about the characters, because this is a 3 episode OVA series, many of the characters are not developed enough, but for 3 OVA’s the only you have to know is that Mary, Tobias and Sakuya are the best friend who are ready to help their friends no matter when where and how.
-Enjoyment(10/10)-Hell I am a fan. Shut up and take my money. .Hack BANZAI!
-Overall(9/10)- Great addition to the .Hack series, I highly recommend that to watch this if you are a fan of the .Hack multimedia franchise. It won’t take much to see only 3 OVA’s even if you haven’t heard a single word about .hack I recommend you to find out a bit more about .Hack series, and hope that you will like it.
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