FUNimation Entertainment / 2011 / 75 mins / TV-14

THE SERIES:
The world of .hack (pronounced “dot-hack”) is a massive one that is primarily divided into two sections: a series of video games and a series of animes (there are also mangas, novels, card games and on an on but we are going to narrow it all down to what you need to know to follow this disc, which thankfully isn’t a whole lot!) .hack takes place in two worlds: the “real world” and a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) called “The World.” “The World” is kind of like “World of Warcraft” or “Dungeons and Dragons,” a near infinite virtual reality kingdom where one can create their own character (you could be anything from the super buff warrior to a cute and fluffy cat with killer powers,) join guilds and makes alliances and generally go off on quests, collect items for points and slay all sorts of giant hideous monsters. That’s pretty much all the background you need to follow this latest OVA (Original Video Animation) in the .hack series.

.hack//QUANTUM follows three girl gamers, the cute and easily distractible Sakuya, the strong and silent warrior-type Tobias and the quiet in the real world but wild in “The World” warrior Mary. Most of the action takes place in “The World” as the trio unintentionally causes several other players to become trapped, their bodies stranded in a sort of limbo that is spreading throughout the virtual kingdom. However, this limbo may not only be limited to the computer servers that house “The World” and a far more sinister plot may be unfolding in the real world.

Even though there are numerous animes and characters and stories in the .hack universe, .hack//QUANTUM really does not require knowing any of them. This is a great place to jump in and test the waters to see if .hack is you cup of anime tea. Our heroines and their mysterious companion, Hermit, are all immediately likeable and accessible. The story works on several levels, as a quest/adventure and as a more serious conspiracy mystery giving it a much more adult tone than it initially appears to have. Even though the story sometimes drifts off into seemingly inconsequential tangents, it never strays off the main plot for too long. After all, all three episodes only run for a total of 75 minutes; there isn’t time to stray from the main action for very long. At the end of the day, .hack//QUANTUM is an extremely enjoyable anime. I don’t know how it all fits into the overall world of .hack but on its own it is loads of fun. Jump on board and enjoy!

THE DISC:
We have only received a few items from FUNimation to review so far, but every single one has delivered a stunning presentation on the picture and sound front. .hack//QUANTUM is no exception; this is just a magnificent looking disc. Bright colors and extraordinarily well defined line detail seem to be the norm for this company and long may it continue! The subtle difference in color saturation between the “real” world and “The World” in .hack//QUANTUM (very similar to what the Wachowski Brothers did in THE MATRIX films) is very pleasing.

The soundtrack is available in the original Japanese and FUNimation’s English dub in a great Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix. Once again, I have to give the edge to the English dub track. It is loud, it is active, it is seriously immersive and it is loads of fun. While purists won’t have anything to complain about with the Japanese track (it is crystal clear and offers excellent fidelity) the English track is an explosively dynamic mix. Yet again, FUNimation gets top marks on an excellent Blu-ray presentation.

THE EXTRAS:
Okay, you know how I said you don’t really need to know anything about the world of .hack to understand and follow the OVAs? That doesn’t apply to the supplements here. I have no idea who these characters are or how they fit into .hack, but I can say these goodies are very enjoyable and well worth checking out.

“Go, Our Chim Chims 1, 2 and 3” are three short piece featuring three little animated purple creatures talking about psi waves and… stuff.

“Yui Ogura’s ‘Yui-Yui’” are three live action sections featuring a very amused (she laughs at everything) and enjoyable hostess: “Cooking” has her learning to make a charaben; “Club” has her and her friends playing around Ogikubo Station and “Cult Quiz” has her giving answers to a quiz that was on a previous DVD/Blu-ray release.

Promotional videos and trailers from both Japan and the US round out the supplements package.

MY SAY:
.hack//QUANTUM is a really enjoyable and more importantly self-contained anime. If you have never seen an anime before and have no idea what they are like, I highly recommend checking this one out as it is accessible and hugely entertaining.

Reviewed by Jeff Allen