Disclaimer: The following article is a non-profit fan-translation, all .hack title series, including .hack//Sekai no Mukou Ni is owned by CyberConnect 2 and Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Original date: January 16, 2012
Source: https://eiga.com/movie/57095/special/
Translated by Jikanet
The popular .hack series, which has expanded across games, animation, and numerous other forms of media, is making its first leap to the big screen with “Dot Hack: Beyond The World” (releasing on January 21). Completed as a “youth film” aimed not only at long-time fans but also at general moviegoers, the film takes the series in a fresh direction.
This special feature delves into the highlights of the work through a two-part structure: the “Youth Edition” and the “CG Animation Edition”, centered around a discussion between director Hiroshi Matsuyama and screenwriter Kazunori Itō.
[Youth Film Edition]
Director Hiroshi Matsuyama & Screenwriter Kazunori Itō reveal
“The essence of a youth film within Dot Hack: Beyond The World“
Special Discussion: An Up-and-Coming Creator × The Renowned Screenwriter of the Gamera Series
Set in Yanagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture, known for its picturesque canals, Dot Hack: Beyond The World follows three middle school students who, while experiencing tender, youthful interactions reminiscent of first love, become entangled in a crisis within the online world that also threatens the real world.
In this special discussion, director Hiroshi Matsuyama and screenwriter Kazunori Itō talk about the “coming-of-age” elements depicted in the film.
Why are the protagonists middle school students?
Matsuyama:
“What makes .hack different from ordinary works is that the protagonists are kids playing a fictional game called THE WORLD. A bug occurs in the game that affects the real world, and when the kids resolve the incident, it ultimately saves the world. After all, the ones who can truly get absorbed in games are kids, right?
Also, being in the second year of middle school—being 14 years old—is the most sensitive and formative period in life. There’s even the term chuunibyou (‘second-year syndrome’), and it’s always been a theme I think about.”
Itō:
“So that was the reason (laughs). In all the scripts I’ve written until now, I had never written characters of that exact age group. That made the hurdle feel higher, and I struggled with it. But around the time I was writing, my own son was in middle school, and when I observed him and his friends, I thought, ‘They’re not as complicated as I imagined.’
After I overcame that, I was determined to make sure every line felt real, asking myself until the very end, ‘Would a second-year middle schooler say this?’”
How did Yanagawa become the chosen setting?
Matsuyama:
“At first, we had planned to set the story in the Tokyo metropolitan area. But when it comes to depicting a digital hazard, that setting just felt too obvious. (After Itō suggested, ‘Why not do it in your hometown?’) We went on a location-scouting trip together in Fukuoka, and we both immediately agreed on Yanagawa.”
Itō:
“It’s well-known enough that people will recognize where it is at a glance.”
Matsuyama:
“Although the film is set in the near future, I don’t think Yanagawa will change much in the next 10 or 20 years. By using something unchanging as the backdrop, I felt we could highlight subtle differences from the present day—even if the story was set in the countryside.”
A complete, self-contained work. Even movie fans unfamiliar with the original can enjoy it.
Matsuyama:
“In the past ten years of the series, 90% of the focus was on depicting the game world. But for a film, you can’t draw viewers in emotionally unless you start from everyday life. That’s why we shifted the balance: 40% of the film depicts the game world, and 60% focuses on daily life.”
Itō:
“In the games, it’s assumed that all the characters are playing the game, but the movie starts with some kids who aren’t playing.”
Matsuyama:
“Because the original has a ten-year history, people might think they need to prepare or study beforehand. But that’s a misunderstanding. This film is a self-contained story. The protagonist, Sora Yuuki, and Nanami Sakuraba, the actress who plays her, both have no experience with the game. We were very conscious about making it easy for viewers to relate and synchronize with her.”
Itō:
“Even my wife, who doesn’t know the games at all, saw a preview screening and said, ‘It was great.’ So there’s no problem. Sora-chan is really cute. She’s the kind of girl who will be liked by other girls too, so please come and watch it.”
Matsuyama:
“You might feel a bit flushed from all the ‘youthful’ energy (laughs), but I think it’s a work that leaves you with a sweet, heartwarming feeling.”
■ A subtle freshness reminiscent of “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” and “The Transfer Student”
— A tender love and friendship that can’t quite be put into words, where will it lead?
As Director Matsuyama mentioned in the discussion, the three main characters—Sora Yuuki, Shō Tanaka, and Tomohiko Okano—are all 14-year-old second-year middle school students. While Dot Hack: Beyond The World deals with the theme of a digital hazard occurring within the game world, it also portrays the complex relationships of boys and girls in adolescence, the most sensitive period in life, when they are neither children nor adults.
While all her friends are obsessed with the global online game THE WORLD, Sora Yuuki alone can’t bring herself to be interested in it. Feeling somewhat left behind, one day she encounters her classmate Shō Tanaka, completely immersed in the game, by the canalside. That night, Sora makes up her mind and jumps into the game world. Through the game, she grows closer to her childhood friend Tomohiko Okano and to Tanaka, and begins to feel emotions for Tanaka that she has never experienced before…
First love, felt for the first time. Irreplaceable friendships. The freshness this film evokes brings back memories of emotions everyone has felt before. It truly carries the same essence found in masterpieces of coming-of-age cinema like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and The Transfer Student.
| Title | Description |
|---|---|
| The Girl Who Leapt Through Time | Originally written by Yasutaka Tsutsui, this story has been adapted into film four times. The 2006 anime version (directed by Mamoru Hosoda) features a main character voiced by Riisa Naka, who also starred in the 2010 live-action version. |
| I Give My First Love to You | Based on the bestselling manga by Kotomi Aoki. A tear-jerking love story about a terminally ill boy, starring Mao Inoue and Masaki Okada. |
| Switching – Goodbye Me: A Transfer Student Story | A 1982 film that became a hot topic. A youth fantasy where a transfer student is actually an alien. Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi and starring Tomoyo Harada. |
| Hana & Alice | A coming-of-age story of two girls, told through director Shunji Iwai’s unique world-building. Starring Anne Suzuki and Yū Aoi. |
| Waterboys | A comedy depicting high school boys passionately engaging in synchronized swimming. Based on a real-life story. Directed by Shinobu Yaguchi and starring Satoshi Tsumabuki and Hiroshi Tamaki. |
| Kids Return | A 1982 film that became a hot topic. A youth fantasy where a transfer student is an alien. Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi and starring Tomoyo Harada. |
■ Nanami Sakuraba, Tōri Matsuzaka, and Kei Tanaka — Popular young actors passionately bring the characters to life!
The voices of Sora and the other characters were performed by a cast of actors who are both popular and highly acclaimed. Until now, Director Matsuyama had held the belief that “because animation is non-realistic, professional voice actors should craft the voices of the characters.” However, he shifted direction for this project, choosing to cast actors active in film and television because he wanted to “depict everyday drama with realism.”
Playing the heroine Sora is Nanami Sakuraba, who won numerous film awards for The Last Ronin. The role of Kakeru Tanaka is voiced by Tōri Matsuzaka, an actor who has gained attention for his performances in Antoki no Inochi and The Wings of the Kirin. Tomohiko Okano is voiced by Kei Tanaka, known for Runway Beat and Afro Tanaka.
The director himself praises their performances, stating, “It has a flavor you can’t get from traditional anime voice actors. The natural presence, atmosphere, and breathing of real middle school students are something the audience can feel close to.” Be sure to pay attention to the quality of the voice acting in the film.
[CG Animation Edition]
The .hack Project finally makes its leap to the big screen!
A new type of 3DCG animation that fuses teenage youth and an epic adventure
■ The familiar character “Kite” also plays a major role!
Check out the perfectly recreated game world in the trailer!
■ The original anime and game that depicted “avatars”
The multifaceted .hack Project finally makes its first film adaptation!
Dot Hack: Beyond The World is a standalone, self-contained movie, but it also serves as one piece of the larger hack Project, a multimedia franchise that has spanned ten years, beginning with a radio program in 2002 and expanding into games, TV anime, OVAs, comics, and more.
Set in the fictional global online game THE WORLD, the story—centered on boys and girls participating as “players” who must face a crisis that arises in-game—follows the same broad outline as other works in the series. Its “dual structure” of depicting both the in-game world and the real world in which the protagonists live captured audiences’ attention and continues to be popular today.
Notably, its depiction of “real-world players controlling characters” preceded the movie Avatar by five years. As an anime and game, it was a pioneer in portraying the concept of “avatar worlds.”
Now, the hack Project has reached its first theatrical film adaptation. Dot Hack: Beyond The World is a new type of visual experience that fuses teenage youth, a grand adventure, CG animation, and 3D imagery.
■ “Save the Real World and the Virtual World!”
Three middle schoolers face an unprecedented crisis spanning two realms
Encouraged by her friends, Sora Yuuki steps into the online game THE WORLD as a male character named “Kite.” As she grows closer to her childhood friend Tomohiko and the boy she’s begun to notice, Tanaka, strange disturbances gradually begin to occur within the game.
One incident, in which Kite is attacked by a black shadow-like entity and saved by a mysterious girl called Aura, sets off a chain of events. THE WORLD begins to experience repeated system crashes, and in the real world, players are falling unconscious in droves. The incidents are no longer confined to the game world—their effects start to creep into reality itself. And then, Tanaka also falls unconscious…
Sora, Tomohiko, and their friends resolve to confront the crisis in the game world to save the real world.
■ Hiroshi Matsuyama (Director) & Kazunori Itō (Screenwriter)
The creators behind the .hack series discuss the theatrical film
“Dot Hack” as one piece of the larger .hack series
Matsuyama:
“This film is a complete, standalone work, but it’s designed to connect with the series for those who have been following it. If you watch the previous OVA hack//Quantum, you’ll notice—‘Wait, this is connected!’ And after this film, we have a brand-new game series lined up, which will also tie in.”
Itō:
“I had a bit of a break from the series after working on the original TV anime, but when I heard those familiar sound effects from the series used in the film, I was instantly pulled back in.”
A Confident Work Aiming to Be a Benchmark for 3D Presentation
Matsuyama:
“To avoid confusing viewers, we differentiated the visuals: the real world has an illustration-like touch, while the game world is ‘pure CG.’ We also varied the parallax and depth effects in 3D.
While the technology to convert from 2D to 3D has advanced, it’s still in a developing stage. There are certain rules in stereoscopic 3D that you must not break. For instance, if you use ‘pop-out’ effects, when the shot changes, there’s a time lag before the human eye can refocus, and that’s what causes discomfort.
We’ve been researching 3D technology for games for about five years, so we set out to create a work that could become a ‘benchmark for 3D presentation.’ We even corrected bugs frame by frame by hand.”
Itō:
“I’ve always been bad with 3D films, but even I was fine with this one. That says a lot about Director Matsuyama’s confidence. It’s truly ‘comfortable 3D.’“
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