The ambitious media tie-in event of the year continues to get bigger as the .hack Saga expands from anime to video games and now to the pages of TOKYOPOP manga.
This popular melding of the three media platforms has been nothing short of successful, getting people to try new things and explore the world of .hack with all new, original tales of an online RPG world in its grandest form.
Similar to the anime and video game, the story of .hack: the manga, takes place in The World, the most advanced online game ever created. The World provides users, via the Internet, the opportunity to be anyone they want to be, act out their adventure fantasies, become a hero and through teamwork with other users, make new lasting friendships.
The manga follows 14-year-old twins, Shugo and Rena, who have won a contest that allows them to play as our favorite legendary .hack avatars, Kite and Black Rose. Exploring the new worlds and adventures, the two must fight off creatures that are much more advanced than their level one status can handle. Either something is wrong in The World or the avatars have made the players as advanced as their online forefathers. Either way, the brother-sister team must forge new friendships, find rare items and beat whoever gets in their way if they want to win the game and discover the ultimate mystery.
So far, the story is a lot of fun. I think Shugo, (a young pervert, who reluctantly joins the World), is a great main character. His sister is a complimentary character, acting as his polar opposite, knowing the computer jargon that goes with The World and already having an idea of what to expect, pushing forward for the adventure of their lives.
I love the .hack series and this is the best of the group. Besides great lead characters, there are a bizarre group of supporting characters, some whom are familiar to those who enjoy the game and anime. Together, they really add to the fun. That's right-fun. From the beginning, the story is fun and engrossing, and unlike the anime; is not slow and prodding. The manga series has less of that lonely feeling, because of the brother-sister combo, which makes for more familiarity between the characters. They look like they joined the game to have fun, unlike Tsukasa, from the anime, who looks like he joined the game to escape.
The only thing I could have done without was the strange jealousy the twins had when either one would talk to members of the opposite sex. Maybe it is a twin thing, but either way, we could have done without the incestual feelings and had more of the witty dialogue and character interaction that makes this story work. That together with great artwork, featuring superb character designs, monsters and backgrounds that really bring an imaginary online world to life, and a complete understanding of the Internet medium, bring a sort of realism to a fantasy world.
Like the .hack adventures I have seen and played before, this account has a lot of mystery involved also allowing for great plot development. The players are not just exploring the online world and enjoying games; they are trying to discover a legend set forth by players before them, specifically the legend they have inherited by winning the avatars. The promise of new adventures along with new and familiar ideas, really build upon the World's environment without alienating people who have never seen the series or played the game.
.hack//Legend of the Twilight should be the best of the .hack offerings making it so that you don't need a computer to join this online RPG experience. All you need is this book and an imagination.
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