“.Hack//Liminality” is a four-episode OVA that can be deemed the sequel to the popular series, “.Hack//Sign.” While .Hack//Sign took place within The World, .Hack//Liminality takes place outside. Each episode lasts for up to forty five minutes and can be considered a three-hour movie if you watch the series altogether. The characters in .Hack//Sign are not present in .Hack//Liminality.
.Hack//Liminality focuses on a group of new characters that have directly or indirectly have been affected by the events in The World that have caused players to fall into the mysterious coma. None of the episodes of .Hack//Liminality actually takes place within The World. However, the events of .Hack//Liminality does take place at the same time as the events in the .Hack// games such as .Hack//Infection, .Hack//Mutation, .Hack//Outbreak, and .Hack//Quarantine. But the characters of the anime and the games do not meet each other.
While the characters in the game are investigating from within, the characters of the anime are investigating from the outside. The main characters are three young girls with the first three episodes revolving around one girl. Episode 1 revolves around a girl named Mai Minase. Episode 2 revolves around a girl named Yuki Aihara. Episode 3 revolves around a girl named Kyoko Tohno.
Each one is charged with investigating the conspiracy of the CC Corporation as it is the company that is responsible for The World. The three girls are connected together by a man named Junichiro Tokuoka who was a former programmer and executive at the CC Corporation. In his case, he got fired for asking too many questions along with knowing too much.
Tokuoka is actively involved in the girls’ storylines. He investigates the circumstances that lead to Mai’s boyfriend Tomonari Kasumi who goes by “Sieg.” In the game, it’s revealed that Sieg is a high level player. Mai was also in a coma but managed to come out of it.
In Yuki’s case, it’s revealed that the computer virus called Pluto’s Kiss that caused havoc throughout the game can cause havoc from outside. As a result, the entire city that Yuki is in for her storyline is under chaos. With each episode, everyone involved comes closer to the truth.
This is a great series where they provide the outside perspective of things. If you’ve enjoyed watching .Hack//Sign, you may enjoy watching .Hack//Liminality.