So after a lot of consideration, I've decided to make it a large point to complete any franchise I begin. That being said, to do so means completing more than 648 new titles, some of which are simple music videos, some of which include several hundred episodes of Gundam, and I haven't quite finished the complete list of every title. At first I was kind of watching whatever here and there to get things off of that list, but instead of keeping it this random, I'm going to create themes for each week to keep things interesting, and my goal is to make a blog entry for each week. Where do I start? How about the beginning of the alphabet? (In this case, the beginning of said alphabet happens to be punctuation)
Welcome to .hack//WEEK!
This is a real flashback for me. I had previously watched a bit of the anime way back when, and I used to be quite obsessed with it (I still have a stuffed Grunty stored away somewhere).
These days, anime about being stuck in video games are becoming rather normal. Sword Art Online and Log Horizon are both quite successful, and .hack// is rather dated in comparison. However, the thing I found fascinating about .hack// was the way it spanned four different mediums, and if you wanted to get the entire story, you had to consume all of it. The story that spawned the entire thing was about a game that caused people to go into a coma, with their mind still trapped in the game. in 2002, the first game, .hack//INFECTION was released, along with the anime .hack//SIGN, which served as a bit of a prequel to the game. With the game was released a 4-episode OVA that took place simultaneously in the real world, called .hack//Liminality. The original game was a 4-part series (INFECTION, MUTATION, OUTBREAK, and QUARANTINE) which could transfer your progress to eat subsequent game, but also gave the option of starting the game at a specified level with certain items (in other words, you could lose your memory card with INFECTION on it, but still play MUTATION without having to start over entirely). Also released were an online game, .hack//fragment, which has been shut down, the .hack//G.U. trilogy (PS2), .hack//Link (PSP), and .hack//Versus, a fighting game. There is also an associated cell phone came called Guilty Dragon, although it is only available in Japan.
On top of the games, there are three anime series and multiple specials and OVAs, as well as a movie. Then throw in the manga series and multiple novel series, very few of which tell the same story, and you have a massively detailed world full of characters interacting across multiple platforms.
One of the best parts for me about the original game series was the fact that you are role-playing in more ways than just the obvious one. You aren't simply pretending to be Kite, the character on the screen. You (sitting on your couch holding the PS2 controller) are role-playing as a boy who is logging into The World (the name of the video game world) for the first time. In a sense, you are pretending to be the boy who is pretending to be Kite.
Anyways, short history lesson aside, my goal for .hack//WEEK is to complete the entire .hack// anime franchise. To do so shouldn't be too difficult, but in between work and attempting to have a social life, it doesn't always work out. To finish the franchise, I must complete the following:
-.hack//Roots
-.hack//G.U. Returner
-.hack//G.U. Trilogy
-.hack//Quantum Specials
-.hack//The Movie: Sekai no Mukou Ni
For bonus points, I would like to keep with the theme and also complete:
-Sword Art Offline
-Sword Art Offline Extra Edition
-Sword Art Online Extra Edition
I'm not expecting to complete the entire Sword Art Online franchise this week, but it falls under the theme and makes me happy, so I'll do what I can.
Wish me luck! I'm starting the week a little early to get a head start, so hopefully I'll meet my goals and be able to move on to the next topic. Next week is Idol Week, where I will do my best to complete the iDOLM@STER franchise (with the exception of Cinderella Girls 2, which is currently airing). In the meantime, if anyone knows where I can get watch Puchimas!! Petit Petit iDOLM@STER= Fuyu -> Kotatsu <- Haru, as well as all six episodes of Puchimas! Petit iDOLM@STER- Takatsuki Gold Densetsu Special!! Haruka-san Matsuri, I would appreciate it. I'm having a hard time locating the two of them. Have a lovely week, and thanks for reading!
↧