I know this series came out ages ago but I recently re-watched it and couldn’t stop running a review in my head so I thought putting it into text might be worthwhile.
The greatest praise I can offer .Hack Quantum is at the same times my greatest mark against it. In that I simply wish there were more of it!
Let me back up and clarify.
Normally I would say that any series that leaves me wanting more is a good thing. However this can be a wavy line to walk at times and it can be easy to go from “I wish there were more” to “There simply wasn’t enough.”
Before anything else:
I do recommend .Hack Quantum, I’ve been a fan of the .Hack franchise since I was young (seriously .Hack Sign was my first box set) and I definitely rate Quantum as being above several other instalments within the overall canon and a grand watch even if you’re unfamiliar with the rest of the franchise, both in general and especially for the third episode.
Back to what I was saying:
As I said above, I feel there simply wasn’t nought, of the series, but more strictly speaking “time”. The first act feels a bit rushed, trying to get us familiar with and caring about the cast in short order, the scenes are good when they;re good, but it feels like it leans a bit much on “X has X trait and is likeable/has a good relationship because they said X”.
That’s not to say all the scenes feel like this, just that it does feel a bit exposition-ary at times. The middle act is somewhat ill-affect by how little time the cast got to spend together onscreen, overall the search for Mary and their relationship is established enough, but the friendship with Hermit feels like it either needed to be re-framed a bit or more time.
As I said above, but rephrased here, .Hack Quantum is good, but straining against its time limitations. Its trying to tell a story that either needed a longer movie or just plain twelve or more episodes to let everything get established, developed to empower the finale.
However I still found these episodes a joy to watch, don’t let my critique fool you there.
The characters all have distinct tones, voices and manners of speaking which make them distinct and engaging. (I do wish some of the other characters got more to do, again something more time could have allowed) The scenery and monsters, and magic are all, to put it simply, spellbindly awesome. Even no I’d say the 3D holds up very well.
And the final third act, while having some baggage, is such an incredibly intense spectacle. Honestly I could recommend this series on the final episode alone because it is just that good! I loved the expressions, the lighting and direction were on point, seeing so many different characters and scenes all responding to the chaos as it unfolded was great and led to some awesome moments.
Suffice to say the finale was an intense ride overall, though the MCs feel almost swept up and almost lost in some respects, but given the focus being given to the emotional payoff I think this was intentional and it still hit the action and feels buttons very well.
So overall, while the time limitations hinder its from achieving the true greatness I feel I witnesses, it is still very, very good and I highly recommend it.
