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Pojo's Anime: .hack Intro Written by Ace of Spades The .hack series is one of the most ambitious multimedia products in recent anime history. So it wouldn’t be surprising if newcomers found the whole thing rather confusing. That’s where this guide comes in. This overview will help explain just where your .hack series fits into the story and how to go about trying to find the other parts of the story. .hack//SIGN This series follows Tsukasa, a new player of The World as he begins his game. However, sinister forces have stopped him from logging out of the game, trapping him in this virtual world. He gains the help of the young BladeMaster Mimiru, the wise barbarian Bear and the leader of the Crimson Knights peace-keeping force, Subaru. Joining them are Krim, an experienced expert in the world, BT, a mysterious sorcerer who seems to know more than she lets on and Ginkan, second-in-command to Subaru. Releases:
.hack//SIGN
Vol. 1 – Login (Limited Edition artbox + extras) The standard editions retail for $29.98 MSRP and are still available at most Best Buys, Suncoasts, etc. If you want to spring for the Limited Editions, those are a bit harder to find. They didn’t call them “limited” for nothing. If you do a bit of hunting, you should uncover a few remaining, though.
.hack//INFECTION This is the first of the game + OVA sets. INFECTION follows the character of Kite as he attempts to help his friend, Orca who has fell into a coma after playing the game. Along his quest he is joined by the warrior BlackRose, and the counterpart to Orca, Balmung. Meanwhile, on the first volume of the OVA, packaged along with the game, the character of Mai Minase awakes from a coma, while her friend remains in his. Still shaken by her first experience in The World, she is contacted by a man called Tokuoka, who claims to have helped program The World. Releases: .hack//INFECTION + .hack//LIMINALITY Vol. 1 for the PlayStation 2. The game was released in February of 2003, so it is now rather elusive. Your best bet might be eBay or a software store that sells pre-owned games. Some video rental stores may still carry the title as well.
.hack//MUTATION The second part of the game series, MUTATION continues on the story right from where INFECTION left off. Kite is joined by several new characters and our heroes slowly begin to get an understanding of what their enemy truly is. On the second OVA volume, we are introduced to Yuki Aihara, who is caught in the chaos of a mass computer crash. However, Tokuoka and Mai believe that this crash may be connected with the comas as well as The World. The plot thickens. Releases: .hack//MUTATION + .hack//LIMINALITY Vol. 2 for the PlayStation 2 Just as elusive as the first game, the same strategies can help you find this game.
.hack//OUTBREAK In the third release of the game series, everything in The World is shot to heck and Kite and company are edging closer to the solution to the mystery. The World seems to be falling apart around them. Things aren’t getting any better in the real world as our third heroine, Tohno Kyoko is introduced as a good friend of Tokuoka. She may know something about the current state of The World. We also meet the mysterious Ichiro Tsatou whose only goal is to have revenge on the company behind The World. Releases: .hack//OUTBREAK + .hack//LIMINALITY Vol. 3 for the Playstation 2 Naturally, this part of the series will be easier to come by. Major video game stores might still have copies on the racks and I’m sure they’d be all to happy to look in the storeroom for you.
.hack//QUARANTINE I love the big words this series uses so much. ;) Obviously, this is the conclusion of the four-part videogame saga. The confrontation with the final enemy, the end of the plot and the tying of strings. Likewise, the final volume of LIMINALITY culminates in a daring heist on the CC Corporation headquarters, the company running The World. Releases: .hack//QUARANTINE + .hack//LIMINALITY Vol. 4 for the PlayStation 2 Released at the beginning of 2004, this part of the series shouldn’t be too hard to track down. Any random EB Games or Gamestop is likely to have copies laying around on the racks still. .hack//LEGEND OF THE TWILIGHT BRACELET Winning the award for the longest title, this series also goes by the names .hack//DUSK, .hack//Tasogare no Udewa Densetsu or .hack//udeden. Released as a three-part manga in the U.S., it takes place following the game, when two twins, Shugo and Rena win player models based on the now-legendary Kite and BlackRose. It appears that Aura has returned and the two children are stuck in the middle of the resulting chaos. Releases:
.hack//LEGEND OF THE TWILIGHT Vol. 1 These are all fairly recent, and any manga-selling bookstore or comic book store is likely to have them still on the shelves. The series was also adapted into a short twelve-episode anime series. This series is not considered canon, though it’s still a good watch. The light-hearted nature and bright visuals set this apart from SIGN and LIMINALITY. Releases:
.hack//LEGEND OF THE TWILIGHT Vol. 1 – A New World (w/
artbox + soundtrack) Released over the spring-summer season, all three discs should be readily available at your local Best Buy, Suncoast etc. .hack//EXTRAS There are various side stories and offshoots of the .hack universe, though the ones listed above are the central stories so far. Releases:
.hack//INTERMEZZO (extra episode on .hack//SIGN Vol. 6)
.hack//UNISON (extra disc for .hack//SIGN Vol. 6 Limited
Edition)
.hack//GIFT
(extra episode on .hack//LIMINALITY Vol.4)
.hack//AI
BUSTER
.hack//ZERO .hack//ENEMY While not part of the .hack universe, it still deserves special mention. ENEMY is an entertaining card game produced by Decipher (Star Trek, Star Wars) putting you in control of a set of characters as well as various traps and monsters designed to stop your opponent’s characters. While not the hit Decipher had been hoping for, it’s still a fun pastime worth checking out next time you’re at the local card shop. Releases:
.hack//ENEMY – “Contagion Set” Booster Packs The booster packs should prove simple enough to find, though you might have to check online for the starter sets. Or you could simply ask your local card shop to see about ordering some for you. Now you don’t necessarily need to watch the entire story in order to completely understand the story. Pieces can be viewed in any order at any time, though the effect is much greater if watched in an order. |
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