Anime Review: .hack//G.U. Trilogy

Plot Summary: The story is based off the 3 .hack//G.U. games. As the "Terror of Death", Haseo searches on for the mysterious PK "Tri-Edge" who defeated Shino and caused her to become comatose. After an 8-month disappearance, Ovan returns and told Haseo where to find Tri-Edge. In a fit of rage, Haseo went there, but was completely defeated by Tri-Edge. After being blasted by an unknown Skill, Haseo wakes up to realise that his level had fallen from Lvl. 133 to Lvl. 1. He was then told that he wielded a special power known as "Avatar", which only a selected few have. Now, he must learn to control this power and also, his own emotions, as he unravels the mysteries that now plague The World.

Storyline: 4/10. Good, but a little rushed. Scratch that. It was VERY rushed. You'd have to watch the whole movie 2-3 times just to get the story right. Sometimes, you're not even sure when one scene ends and another begins. IMO, I didn't like the fact that they changed most of the story. What happened to all the other characters, like Silabus, Gaspard, Alkaid, Endrance, Sakubo etc.?! What happened to the fight against Cubia to save, not only The World, but the entire world-wide web!? I guess 3 games are a little too long to squeeze into a 90-minute movie.

Music: 8/10. Once again, good job to the music composers of .hack. Although I still prefer the game OST better because the Lost Grounds had wonderful medieval and melancholic music.

Artwork: 10/10. Oh yeah! This is what it's all about! If you've read my posts from a few months ago, you would've seen the fight scenes from the movie. It was beautiful, fluent, creative and just plain scary! Imagine if a MMORPG could let you pull out stunts like that, I assure you that the company would make a hell lot more money than even WOW!!! And I'd like to add that the CG fights make FFVII: Advent Childen look mediocre.

Overall: 5/10. Why such a low rating? Because the animation and fighting were the only good things about it. Sure, the storyline was compelling, but it moved too fast for most people to even grasp an impression. I'd recommend just watching the fight scenes and screwing the story!

Anime Review: .hack//ROOTS

Plot Summary: The story takes place before the .hack//GU games. The anime tells the story of the relationship between Haseo and Shino, the relationship between Haseo and Ovan, and the events that caused Haseo to be known as the PKK, "The Terror of Death". It begins from when Haseo was saved from two PKs by Ovan. Following Haseo's meeting with Shino, Haseo joins the Twilight Brigade. The Brigade's main objective was to find the legendary item, the Key of the twilight, which was said to surpass even the system. However, many challenges await them along their quest. What's even worse is the appearance of a mysterious character known only as "Tri-Edge".

Storyline: 9/10. Wonderfully done!! The series reveals the answer to Haseo's past, Ovan's identity and Azure Kite's role in the story. The bad thing? Well, those who play the games weren't happy that most of the mysteries were revealed to them before they played the game. This made playing .hack//GU Vol. 2 quite uninteresting.

Music: 8.5/10. Besides the opening and ending (which were terrible IMO), the rest of the music used the OST of .hack//GU. Eternal City Mac Anu's background music is still as calming as ever. However, they occasionally put the wrong music at the wrong time.

Artwork: 5/10. Now, this.... THIS WAS TERRIBLE!! Compared with the previous two anime series, the 7 games and the movie, .hack//ROOTS had terrible artwork. Animation was also so bad, I couldn't believe the same guys made the games (the CG fights were thoroughly impressive)!

Overall: 7.5/10. If it weren't for the terrible art, it would've been a masterpiece. Pity... Maybe they should've used the CG from .hack//G.U. Trilogy. Haha!

Anime Review: .hack//Legend of Twilight

Plot Summary: The story takes place after the original four .hack games. Shugo and Rena won an online contest and was allowed to use the limited edition legendary characters, Kite and Black Rose. At the same time, invincible monsters have started to appear in The World. If anyone were to be killed by these monsters, the player would fall into a coma. After being killed once by one of these monsters, Shugo was revived by Aura and given a weaker version of the Twilight Bracelet. Later, Rena was also killed and became comatosed. Shugo must now learn to control this bracelet and unravel the mysteries behind these strange happenings in order to save Rena.

Storyline: 6/10. The comedy wasn't too bad, but it's .hack we're talking about. Comedy just isn't suitable for this series. I do applaud their efforts and also thank them for bringing back some of the dothackers (Balmung and Sanjuro)...even though they aren't Kite and BlackRose themselves.

Music: 8.5/10. It's cute... and somewhat annoying after you listen to it about 20-30 times, but after some time, you'll miss the wacky tunes. Travel in Mind was one of the best happy songs I've heard so far.

Artwork: 7/10. Chibi versions of Kite and BlackRose! How cute! Only the battle scenes need some extra touching-ups.

Overall: First, it's "save the online world"! Then, it's psychology. Now, it's comedy. And damn, do they do a good job in all of 'em! 7/10!

Anime Review: .hack//SIGN

Now, I'll start following the series in order.

Plot summary: The story takes place before the original .hack games. Tsukasa wakes up in The World (it's the name of the MMORPG they play in .hack) and finds himself unable to log out from the game. In fact, he is unable to make any contact with the outside world. Soon after, he hears a voice who gives him a companion. However, ever since that companion appeared, strange happenings occur around Tsukasa. This leads to the Crimson Knights (They stop hackers, defeat PKs and others) to start going after him. Meanwhile, Bear, Mimiru and BT seek to understand Tsukasa and help him return to the real world.

Storyline: 8/10. Unlike the games, where the main objective is to prevent the World Network Crisis by stopping a rogue AI, this anime focuses more on psychology, mainly Tsukasa's. However, the other characters also learn about themselves and their lives. A very impressive introduction to Harold Herwick, Morganna and Aura (the three key factors of the original games).

Music: Once again, Yuki Kajiura presents one of the best OSTs I've heard. Her melancholic songs are always so wonderful. Many people might find the opening song annoying, but I found it rather impressive. It's just a matter of taste. 9.5/10

Artwork: Wonderful artwork, which blends in very well with the storyline. Dark and mysterious, and that is what the World is and forever will be. 8/10

Overall: What can I say? I love the .hack series, be it the anime or the games. 8.5/10

Anime Review: .hack//4KOMA

Plot summary: There is no plot!

Details: OK, as the title states, it's a 4koma (a 4-box comic strip). Here, it's just 4 short clips. It's short, simple, and in my opinion, unimpressive. It was included in the video game .hack//GU Vol. 3: Redemption. That was where I found it. That was where my jaw fell off in shock of the lameness of the jokes, and that, as they say, was that.

Music: I doubt there was any, besides the "boing" that constantly pops up.

Artwork: 2/10. The artwork seriously did not fit with the mood. .hack//GU was drawn to be quite dark, but making dark things look bright will just give you a disgusted feeling in your stomach.

Overall: I'm just gonna give you the ratings. 2/10