Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on February 2012

The dothack (spelled .hack) phenomenon is a multimedia franchise mainly active in online and video game production. CyberConnect2 created the project and they work with Bandai. It has been adapted to manga, anime and other visual formats and this is second major motion picture. Fundamentally all the stories are set in the same futuristic world.

In this animated film it’s 2024 and life is similar to the present. One major difference is an overarching computer network has a presence in everyone’s existence, controlling everyday appliances as well as new robotic helpers and information tablets. Kids like to play a virtual reality game known as “The World” on the net and they use headsets and special glasses to attain complete immersion. Fourteen-year-old Sora (Nanami Sakuraba) is uninterested in the fantasy play despite the proddings of her classmates Tanaka (Toori Matsuzaka) and Okano (Kei Tanaka), one of whom has a crush on her. After she picks it up on whim she discovers evil forces have infiltrated the game and are affecting networks and lives in the real world.

Shot wonderfully in 3-D with a flair for mixing the present age with the future, Sekai no mukou ni starts off as a truly exciting work. But the visuals fail to develop in any interesting way and the same thing can be said for the plot. In the end it devolves to a standard anime action mission. Despite this, it’s an enjoyable yarn and offers clues as to what 3-D animation will look like in the future.

(111 min)