.hack//Liminality

OVA seriesNovember 2012 February 2025 .hack//Liminality Logo dotHack.svg Logotype of the .hack franchise: a hexagon with use of bitstream vera sans bolded font (basic Microsoft Windows font). Work based on logotypes from officials web sites. ova Koichi Mashimo (general director) Masayuki Yoshihara (#1) Koji Sawai (#2) Hiroshi Morioka (#3) Bee Train June 20, 2002 April 12, 2003 45 minutes (#1) 27 minutes (#2) 30 minutes (#3–4) 132 minutes (total) 4 Related works .hack video games .hack//Sign .hack//GIFT .hack//Legend of the Twilight .hack//Liminality is an OVA series directly related to the .hack video game series for the PlayStation 2, with the perspective of Liminality focused on the real world as opposed to the games' MMORPG The World. Liminality was separated into four volumes; each volume was released with its corresponding game. The initial episode is 45 minutes long, while subsequent episodes are 30 minutes long. The video series was directed by Koichi Mashimo, written by Kazunori Itō with music by Yuki Kajiura. Primary Animation production was handled by Mashimo's studio Bee Train which collaborated for the four games as well as handled major production on .hack//Sign. Releases The games were packaged with DVDs featuring episodes of .hack//Liminality, an original video animation (OVA) series that depicts events that occur concurrently with the games.Smith, David December 12, 2002 .hack American Titles IGN http://ps2.ign.com/articles/380/380116p1.html June 29, 2010 June 29, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110629133824/http://ps2.ign.com/articles/380/380116p1.html dead The OVA series was meant to give perspective on fictional events happening in the "real world" outside the game.Conrad, Jeremy February 10, 2003 .hack // Liminality - Vol. 1 In the Case of Mai Minase IGN http://dvd.ign.com/articles/385/385585p1.html July 26, 2010 September 8, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100908154435/http://dvd.ign.com/articles/385/385585p1.html dead "Vol. 1: In the case of Mai Minase" (with .hack//Infection) "Vol. 2: In the case of Yuki Aihara" (with .hack//Mutation) "Vol. 3: In the case of Kyoko Tohno" (with .hack//Outbreak) "Vol. 4: Trismegistus" (with .hack//Quarantine) Plot In the case of Mai Minase Mai Minase and her boyfriend, Tomonari Kasumi, are taken to a hospital due to both of them collapsing while playing an MMORPG called The World at the G-study clubhouse. Despite Mai waking up shortly after arriving at the hospital, Tomonari remains in a coma. It is soon revealed that she heard a certain sound (which is also present at important points in .hack//Sign) shortly before collapsing. She meets Junichiro Tokuoka, a former employee of CC Corp, and they investigate Tomonari's coma. After examining Tomonari's The World account—Sieg—the investigation leads Mai and Tokuoka to break into G-study in order to attempt to recreate the same situation so that they can find out why Mai and Tomonari collapsed. The mysterious sound starts up again when they enter a field. When Tokuoka faints, Mai rushes them both outside. A splash of rainwater wakes Tokuoka. The two pledge to find out what CC Corp is hiding and what it will take to wake everyone up. In the case of Yuki Aihara Tokuoka and Mai are on their way to meet with Yuki Ahara in Yokohama. Tokuoka gets stuck in traffic, and Mai goes to the library in Tokyo to attempt to look up information, where she hears the mysterious sound. Meanwhile, Yuki is watching a movie when suddenly "THE WORLD" flashes on the screen, the power goes out, and employees attempt to evacuate the building. Yuki attempts to escape with an unnamed woman, but they both get stuck in an elevator shaft. At the same time, Mai comes across Harald Hoerwick (the creator of The World), and the Epitaph of Twilight. Later, she contacts Kyo, and finds out that fires have broken out all over Yokohama, and that there is no cell phone service. Yuki and the woman escape the building and discover that many cars have crashed outside. Finally, Tokuoka arrives in Yokohama to meet Yuki six hours late. Mai finally gets through to Tokuoka, and Kyo gets through to Yuki. It is discovered that Kyo knows quite a bit about the Epitaph of Twilight. In the case of Kyoko Tohno Tokuoka meets with Kyoko Tohno to discuss the mysteries in The World as well as the legends surrounding the Epitaph of Twilight. After receiving a phone call from a person working under the alias Bith the Black, Tokuoka and Kyoko realize that they have been watched by Helba's agentsfor an extended period based on emails sent to Mai and Yuki. The team begins to put together the puzzle behind Emma Wielant, the author of the Epitaph. After a chance run in with Kyoko's Father, they discover that he was contacted by Bith as well, working under another alias "Ichiro Sato." Ichiro explains that Harald Hoerwick had used the game Fragment, the precursor to The World, to create a tribute to Emma's Epitaph of Twilight. He goes on to say that the incidents involving the coma victims were created as a result of Harald attempting to bring the real world into the online world, creating a hazy barrier between the two worlds, a concept called "Liminality." Ichiro says that CC Corp intends to shut down the servers of The World, thereby destroying any possible clues to awakening the coma victims. Tokuoka and Kyoko agree to meet with him on Christmas Eve at Urayasu to help him. Trismegistus Tokuoka, Kyoko, Yuki, and Mai learn from Ichiro that Harald Hoerwick's game Fragment had actually been a program to create an "Ultimate A.I." The system to create this A.I. became self autonomous, delaying the birth of the A.I. to keep itself from finishing its purpose and ceasing to exist. Ichiro enlists Tokuoka and his team to ensure the A.I.'s creation. They sneak into a CC Corp data station at night. Ichiro hacks into the security system, allowing Tokuoka to begin collecting data. The security system is activated when Yuki buys a coffee from a vending machine, alerting security staff. Ichiro enlists the help of Yuki and Kyoko to buy Tokuoka and Mai some time. After the data is compiled, Tokuoka logs into The World using Tomonari Kasumi's account, Sieg. Suddenly, the server begins to malfunction and crash as CC Corp begins deleting their servers. Tokuoka realizes that if they complete this, everybody who is currently fighting will fall into a coma and the Ultimate A.I. will never be born. As he struggles to come up with a solution, Ichiro announces that they're out of time. Later, it is revealed that the Ultimate A.I. was born and that there is enough evidence against CC Corp to bring them to court. The group celebrates their victory. Music Theme songs The music and lyrics of all opening themes and the one ending theme were composed by Yuki Kajiura, and were performed by See-Saw. Openings Edge A Thousand and One Nights 千夜一夜 Sen'yaichiya The Tale You Were In 君がいた物語 Kimi ga Ita Monogatari Memory 記憶 Kioku Ending: Twilight Sea 黄昏の海 Tasogare no Umi CDs .hack//Liminality Original Soundtrack Plus Soundtrack Yuki Kajiura 2002 09 21 Anime soundtrack English, Japanese Victor Entertainment The .hack//Liminality Original Soundtrack Plus is a two disc set composed by Yuki Kajiura. The first disc is a 12 cm CD containing tracks of the OVA series and the second disc is an 8 cm CD titled .hack//Liminality Bonus Single and is the single for the opening themes: Thousand and One Nights and Edge.http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/-/Discography/A016061/VIZL-70.html Victor Entertainment: .hack // Liminality Original Soundtrack Japanese January 21, 2007 The third track, "Grandpa's Violin", is the violin piece that plays in the background when An Shouji and Mariko Misono meet for the first time at the end of episode 26 of .hack//Sign, Return. It was released on September 21, 2002, in Japan and in North America it was released with the third .hack//Sign Limited Edition DVD.http://www.bandai-ent.com/products/video_details.cfm?id=264 https://web.archive.org/web/20071113063553/http://www.bandai-ent.com/products/video_details.cfm?id=264 November 13, 2007 .hack // Sign — Limited Edition (Version 3.0) – Gestalt Bandai Entertainment December 29, 2008 http://www.jbook.co.jp/p/p.aspx/2011100/s/ ja:．hack//Liminality ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK PLUS Japanese June 18, 2012 May 8, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140508061234/http://www.jbook.co.jp/p/p.aspx/2011100/s/ dead A single by See-Saw titled Kimigaita monogatari/Emerald Green 君がいた物語/Emerald Green was a single for the OVA series and was released on January 22, 2003. http://www.jbook.co.jp/p/p.aspx/2071978/s/ ja:君がいた物語/Emerald Green Japanese July 20, 2012 Liminality Original Soundtrack Liminality #1 1:07 Sweet Memories 2:44 Grandpa's Violin 2:27 Suspicion 2:27 Comfort 1:48 Tokuoka 2:19 Liminality #2 1:42 Mai 3:29 Epitaph 3:00 Humiliation 2:13 School Days 2:36 Liminality #3 1:14 Talkin' About Mystery 2:22 Don't Know But it Was Love 1:51 Friendship 1:01 Unforgettable 2:22 Sweet Memories #2 1:54 Together 2:03 Illegal Entry 1:11 Liminality #full version 4:15 Bonus Single Thousand and One Nights 千夜一夜 Senya Ichiya 4:48 Thousand and One Nights (Karaoke) 千夜一夜 (Karaoke) Senya Ichiya (Karaoke) 4:48 Edge (TV-Edit) 1:30 The Sea of The Twilight (TV-Edit) 黄昏の海 TV-Edit Tasogare no Umi TV-Edit 1:32 References External links hack.channel.or.jp—Official Japanese website anime 709 0371501 .hack//Liminality Vol. 1: In the Case of Mai Minase 0371502 .hack//Liminality Vol. 2: In the Case of Yuki Aihara 0381839 .hack//Liminality Vol. 3: In the Case of Kyoko Tohno 0400064 .hack//Liminality Vol. 4: Trismegistus Category:2002 anime OVAs Category:Anime OVAs composed by Yuki Kajiura Category:Bee Train Production Liminality Category:OVAs based on video games