Nobody talks about this one. Hard is a single-episode punch of pure 90s cyberpunk noir, gritty New York City streets rendered in cel animation that actually breathes, a revenge narrative that doesn't waste a second of its runtime, and a protagonist who moves like he was animated frame-by-frame by someone who understood action as weight and consequence. The dub casting elevates it past what the OVA format usually gets, turning a short story into something that feels complete. Forty-five minutes is all it needs to prove why this shouldn't have been forgotten.

Hard has worked as a bounty hunter in New York for years, and revenge drives him. Lately the job barely covers his alimony and the child support he pays for Momoko, whom he loves dearly. A case that looks easy quickly turns into chaos and murder, and a band of violent psychopaths sets out to kill him for meddling in their affairs. His survival is far from certain, but Hard intends to fight back in this one-episode action OVA.