h- .hack//Legend of the Twilight (Vol. 1)

I didn't actually expect much from this series when I first dove into it. I had heard from friends who had seen subbed versions that it was a pointless series that was only made so Bandai and CC2 could milk .hack for all its worth. That may be true, however, I have to admit I don't think it deserves the beat down alot of people are giving it. But this is a review, and since people's taste in anime varies I always try to approach a series from multiple angles.

Yes .hack//LotT does have its faults. Let me make this clear from the very beginning: .hack//LotT is NOTHING like .hack//SIGN. I think alot of people watched this series thinking it would be, which ultimately led to their disappointment. I however, had a heads up on this matter. So I was able to enjoy it.

The story follows 15 yr. old Shugo Kunisaki and his sister Rena Kunisaki. Shugo and Rena's parents have split up, Rena now lives with her mom, and Shugo with his dad. Since Shugo lives miles away from Rena, she decides the best way for them to stay in contact with each other is by playing the MMORPG "The World" together. Not a bad idea at all really. So Rena takes the liberty of signing both her and Shugo up for a contest. The prize, limited edition character skins modeled after "The World's" legendary heroes... Kite and Blackrose. This is where episode one picks up. Of course, both Shugo and Rena win the contest. But is it just a coincidence that out of all The Worlds players this brother and sister pair won? Naturally Shugo is a total newbie when it comes to games and things get hairy when he and Rena visit a low level beginners area and are attacked by a super strong monster. In a valiant attempt to save his sister Shugo pushes her aside and takes a lethal blow which kills him. He finds himself falling into a void, he tries to log out but finds that to be impossible. Whats more, he can't even move his arms in the real world let alone take off his VR goggles. At this point Aura appears and revives him. "Data drain, you can defeat it using Data Drain." she tells him. The twilight bracelet suddenly materializes on Shugo's wrist, the legendary weapon of Kite has entered play, this changes everything.

Now, maybe that little piece of episode one has peaked your curiosity? Its not that the show doesn't have a good story, its just that two many episodes are spent going on adventures and stuff like that. There should be no need for "Filler" episodes in a 12 episode series. Episode 1 starts the story. Episodes 2 - 4 are pretty much there just to introduce new characters. Although they do contain a few story elements most of it could have been and should have been re-written into a standalone episode. But don't lose hope, Vol. 2 picks up the pace as far as the story goes.

.hack//LotT is a good show, its funny and entertaining. Just don't watch it expecting another .hack//SIGN because you will be dissappointed. Its a light hearted series that leans towards more towards comedy than the the intense drama that was //SIGN.

Voice acting is pretty good although I wish they would have gotten someone different to do Rena. But overall the sound department is exceptional.

Vol. 1 contains episodes 1 - 4. Extras include character art galleries, trailers, game promos, and textless openings/endings. IE: the usual stuff.

I would have given this 9 stars, however I was very dissappointed with the box set, which contains the series soundtrack and the limited edition art box. The box is great, nice and hard and really sturdy. But I didn't like the soundtrack at all. Mainly for two reasons, 1: The only version of the opening theme "New World" is the acoustic version, and I hate it. 2: They only have the short version of the ending theme "Emerald Green" on the disk. Also, the music doesn't come close to //SIGN, I couldn't help but make the comparison there. But if your like me you'll shell out the extra ten bucks just for the box.

So, If you like .hack you'll probally enjoy this. If you're new, this is a good place to start because the series also stands on its own pretty well. Of course, only the .hack Otaku like myself will get everything there is to know out of it.

I recommend it.

Added: August 25th 2004
Reviewer: XenoSabre
Score:
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Language: english