Title: .hack//Legend of the Twilight
Alternate Title: .hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet
Based On: .hack//Sign and .hack Game series, later adapted into an anime
Story By: Hamazaki Tatsuya
Art By: Izumi Rei
Published By: Toykopop (United States) Madman Entertainment (Australia and New Zealand)
Release Date: A fair while back
Language: English
Pages: Varies per volume. Approx 200 per volume with Vol 3 being significantly bigger.
Cost: From a bookstore, approx $AUD 10-20 per volume. Box Set sold for approx $25-40
Classification: N/A
Blurb: A series that takes place several years after the original PS2 game series, this follows Shugo and Rena, siblings who have the Kite and Blackrose character designs. Whilst the story is pleasant, the storyline is weak and might not keep the interest of all fans. Design quality however is above average with some visual PG-rated fanservice.
I was looking at my bookcase today, and I realized that I have countless numbers of manga as well as some anime which I haven’t even thought of reviewing yet. So, going in semi-alphabetical order (As in, alphabetical when I feel like it), I will be reviewing the contents of my bookshelf. The first is the .hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet manga series, which many more of you would know from the unrelated spin-off anime under the same name. So what is this series about? Read on to find out!
Volume 1 Synopsis
Shugo thought he has given up on computer games when he entered Junior High. That is, until his twin sister Rena introduced him to “The World” – a massive online game with 20 million players to date. Gaining access to rare characters of the legendary .hackersm SHugo meets the mysterious character Aura, who hands him a bracelet that may hold the key in uncovering “THE WORLD’s” Last Mystery! But what is this Last Mystery about? And will a novice like Shugo ever live up to his predecessor’s reputation as The World’s next hero?
Volume 2 Synopsis
During one of their party’s expeditions, Shugo and his teammates run into Zelfi, a stray AI who bears a startling resemblance to the mysterious Aura! As they go about their search for more clues to uncover the Last Mystery, little do they realize that their every move is being tagged by the “Green Knights” – the game’s Debugging team – ad that they are treading ever so dangerously close to guarded secrets about the .hackers, Aura, the bracelet and the Twilight incident four years ago, secrets which the CC Corporation will see to that they remain as such… whatever the cost may be.
Volume 3 Synopsis
While Shugo, Rena and Zelfi await their fate in The World, Balmung of the Azure Sky returns to the game with a vengeance, rallying old allies to assist the bracelet heroes in their final quest. However, Kamui of the Green Knights is hot on their trails! Will Shugo and Rena find their way to Net Slum and Aura before she does? Will the Last Mystery remain a mystery forever? The time has come for old and new players of The World alike to rise up aainst the CC Corporation and the legendary .hacks to reshape The World!
The story overall isn’t as solid as I would have hoped. The good thing about the game series is that whilst there was a basic storyline, it managed to be solid and have enough plotline elements to keep it sustained over the four games with the people falling into comas plotline and so forth. So what about this manga series… comas? battles against unbeatable bosses? Nope! You don’t actually find out the purpose of the series until the middle of the second volume, and even then it is bitterly disappointing. The whole purpose of the storyline is for the team to deliver a stray AI to Aura…. and that is it.
The first volume I actually reviewed before, however as that review wasn’t the most detailed, I would like to rediscuss the storyline for all three volumes. The first volume is not a storyline volume, instead it sets the environment of The World and is more or less a compilation of stories involving the group meeting each other and them taking part in several events such as a Tanabata festival and a cherry blossoms festival. These are all enjoyable and most probably the most memorable chapters in the series. If the series were to ditch all the .hackers stuff and make it a compendium of events in The World, I think it would actually be a pretty enjoyable series.
The second and third volumes try to take a serious tone, with the group being hunted down by the CC Corp for illegal possession of a hack tool and harboring a rogue AI. I can understand the justification for the CC Corp staff hunting them down, but for a series, it feels they didn’t let the series reach its potential. The game had them battling against a wave of eight phases and an anti-hack tool and Sign had them up against a god of the game, so why have them cart around an AI for the third when they could have them doing so much more, given the initial plot setup. My only wish is that they would stop idolising Kite and Blackrose, as even in .hack//GU and .hack//Link, they still seem to like including the two of them, especially Kite, in somewhere.
In terms of design, I have always liked the work of Izumi Rei and this series is no exception to that. With the exception of the at times, very white backgrounds, the environment designs are pretty well designed. The design quality remains standard throughout all three volumes but do seem to rely on a lot of special effect backgrounds at times, which is really disappointing since what they do show is what I would have expected. In terms of character designs, top notch cutesy character designs with good facial expressions and a charm that is suitable for a manga based on an online game.
In terms of extra content, there is quite a bit spread out over the three volumes. These include:
- .hack//Pinup in Volume 1, which is a PG rated fanservice image of Mereille and Rena in a hot spring.
- Prologue Chapter
- At the end of each chapter, an email from a character regarding the events of the previous or next chapter.
- A small .hack//G.U preview manga in each volume.
- Messages from Izumi Rei and Hamazaki Tatsuya in the .MESSAGE@comic verison.
- Some assorted colour artwork throughout the three volumes
- .hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet Voilume 2 Comments Gallery
- .hack//AI Buster Preview Pages (Vol. 2)
- .hack//Rare Hunter Mireille’s Story
- Reflections of the Blue Sky Manga
- Bonus 4koma and story “Visit to CC2” by Izumi Rei
There is enough bonus content over the three volumes not to disappoint.
Personally, I really love the .hack series and I can claim .hack//Sign Vol 1 as the first ever anime DVD I bought! Twilight Bracelet the manga isn’t up to the same standard as the other stories in the series, however for those who are after a bit of light hearted reading might find this enjoyable. For the record however, the storyline IS more serious then the anime series of the same name.
Final Score
Storyline: C-
Character Development: C
Design: B+
Extras: A
Personal Opinion: C+
Overall Score: C+
