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.hack// Legend of the Twilight Volume 01: A New World (DVD)

It has been 4 years since the incident that has come to be known as the twilight. Many of those who witnessed it no longer come to “The World”. It’s a different place, a safer place.

Shugo and his twin sister Rena are two of the newest players to join “The World”. And they’ve won a very special prize in a contest – they get to use the character likenesses of the legendary Kite and Black Rose. Such a prize is very rare indeed, and it makes them the center of a lot of attention.

Among those watching are Mireille, a self-proclaimed “rare-hunter” who has an obsession for finding rare items. And then there’s the mysterious Ohka, a drop-dead gorgeous woman who is as fierce as she is beautiful. And also among the onlookers is a figure from the past, Balmung of the Azure Sky.

As Shugo and Rena begin to discover what “The World” holds for them, it becomes very clear that they are not ordinary players. Unusual things keep happening around them, but they’re too busy having fun to really worry. It’s probably nothing. Probably.

The original .hack// series was interesting for its non-traditional story and intricate character designs – both artistically and for the people that made them tick. However, the main weaknesses of the original series were the lack of action and sour tone of every character (except Sora perhaps). It made for some downright boring action at times… but .hack// Twilight appears to have taken the formula in a different direction.

Unlike the pseudo-realistic character designs of the predecessor, all of the characters are now chibi-style (cute… so cute, your teeth hurt… kawaii!!) and even brighter. More importantly, the characters are more personable and not as dour all the time. The simple 

addition of a little humor and character has made the show that much more accessible and interesting to watch.

Episode 01: The Legendary Hero

The separated twins Shugo and Rena are fortunate enough to win the characters of Kite and Black Rose (from the .hack// Playstation 2 RPG series – Infection, Mutation, Outbreak, and Quarantine). The newbies then enter “The World” and decide to start playing by entering 

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one of the beginner areas. The presence of two “legendary” characters draws some attention, and in this case, Mireille the Wavemaster decides to follow them. After a bit of tooling around, the pair come across an enemy that is too strong to belong in a training area and as a result Shugo is killed. While in the “afterworld”, Shugo is awakened by a young girl and given Kite’s bracelet; she tells him that he must use the data drain to defeat the enemy.

Meanwhile, Rena tries to run from the superior enemy but the enemy keeps coming and the legendary Balmung of the Azure Sky steps in to save her. Balmung tries to defeat the enemy, but it seems to be able to regenerate any damage received. Shugo returns to help and data drains the enemy, allowing it to be killed. Rena is swept up by the amazing Balmung (and like butter, she melts in his arms… which leaves Shugo a little miffed at the attention his sister is drawing).

Episode 02: Kite’s Bracelet

Another little piece is revealed about Shugo and Rena – apparently Shugo lives with their father (a workaholic) while Rena lives with their mother; either separated or divorced I suppose. Anyway, the siblings decide to enter an event being organized by Balmung and are joined by Mireille. The event’s goal is to get a grove of trees to blossom – and Mireille causes trouble when she unearths a skeleton warrior that cannot be defeated. Even Balmung is unable to defeat it, but thankfully Ohka arrives. This busty brawler quickly dispatches the enemy and starts getting cozy with Shugo (which consequently makes Rena upset).

Episode 03: The Phoenix Feather

The difference in powers between Shugo and his party-mates leads them to spend time training in one of the intermediate areas. Due to the nature of the experience system, Shugo and his friends – he doesn’t have to be directly involved in the fight to earn experience (which is a good thing considering how inept he is in a battle). After some progress at leveling, he is set back by a level-down trap which drops him back to level 1. Decidedly pissed off, he leaves the team and meets up with a young girl Hotaru. She has been asked to look after a young grunty, but when the grunty becomes sick, they ask for help from a trainer. The trainer tells them that they will need a Phoenix Feather, and sends them to the area where they can find one.

They check with their friends to see who can help, but no-one is on-line; so Shugo and Hotaru are going to have to get the feather by themselves. Shugo’s plan is to evade all battles and try to get the feather. When the pair get inevitably trapped, they are saved by Hotaru’s friend Sanjuro (yes, the character from the PS2 game) who leads them through the dungeon.

Episode 04: Tanabata Night

With the Tanabata Summer Festival arriving, the CC Corporation sponsors a version of the festival on-line. The highlight of the festival, besides all of the female characters in yukatas, is the competition. Rena is chosen to represent Orhime, and the first person to reach her will have their festival wish granted. The competition features some fierce (but comical) infighting but another unbeatable opponent shows up to ruin the party.

So far, I’m enjoying .hack// Legend of the Twilight much more than the original series because of the upbeat tone and bubbly characters. The funny activities and different tone make this series more entertaining than the original.

- Tazman

(June 9, 2004)

"Peter, you're bribing your daughter?"

"Lois, isn't bribe just another word for love?"

- Lois and Peter (The Family Guy)

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