Title: .hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet
Volume: 1 (of 3)
Creator: Tatsuya Hamazaki & Rei Izumi
Format: Unflipped
Original Publisher: KADOKAWA SHOTEN
US Publisher: Tokyopop
Release Date: 9/9/03
Pages: 192
ISBN: 1591824141
MSRP: $9.99
Genre: Fantasy
Rated: T (Teen Age 13+)
Description: Old-fashioned role-playing games have experienced a renaissance on the World Wide Web. Twins Rena and Shugo are two middle-school students who enter 'The World' as level one game characters. When Shugo's character dies, he is transported to another level where he is entrusted to bear the Twilight Bracelet by the mysterious Aura. Shugo must find out who Aura is and why she gave him this powerful weapon to protect his sister from the peculiar characters in 'The World'.
Contains Chapters 1-6:
- Login 0: Prologue
- Login 1: The Legendary .Hackers
- Login 2: Kite’s Bracelet
- Login 3: Midnight in the Garden
- Login 4: Cherry Blossom Mayhem
- Login 5: Get Well, Grunty!
- Login 6: Starlight Special
Cover: The Cover to the .hack manga is very simple, and yet it looks nice as well. We have the title at the top, and underneath that we have a nice pick of Shugo, the main male character of .hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet. To the left of Shugo we have a design that has a whole bunch of hexagons connected. In the top one we get the Volume Number. Random ones underneath contain images of some of the other characters from the series. The background is black, with a green streak on both sides of the cover.
The Spine is green. From the top to bottom we have the title, the Mangakas, a small pick of Shugo (a nice touch to this manga series), and the Volume Number. The Hexagons continue to run on the side, and even to the back cover.
The Back is simple; black background with the green strips on the sides. We have more hexagons with more pics of characters from the series in them. The top has the Manga Series Title, followed by a summary of what to find in the manga. Also the 100% Authentic Manga Stamp graces the cover, which is a given with most all Tokyopop Covers.
Artwork: As I had seen the Anime version of .hack before I read the manga, I came to think that the mangas Artwork would be somewhat close to the Anime. Boy was I wrong. The mangas Artwork is a lot simpler designed. Although there are a lot of detailed pictures, there are still a lot of pictures that look a little immature for the story and plot of the manga. I don’t think this is bad. It still has a lot of great Artwork, so it is still worth buying.
Translation: Since I have read .hack//DUSK in its original version, I can safely say that the US Versions translation is identical to the Original. A couple of the phrases may have been changed just to suit American Readers better, but other then that it was a completely perfect translation. Even the sound effects were untranslated.
Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): I never really got interested on Animes that try to pull a role as a Video Game Anime. Same thing goes with Manga. I can’t really stand series based on RPGs. But for .hack, the moment I saw it I was pulled in. Same thing goes for the Manga. To understand all of .hack, you need to Watch it, Play it, and Read it. For the Manga portion I am sure you all guessed you have to read it.
.hack//Legend of the Twilight takes place after the .hack Game Series and the LIMINALITY OVA. Rena wins the Legendary .Hacker Skins on the MMORPG called “The World.” She chooses the Skin of BlackRose and gives her brother, Shugo, the skin of Kite.
As soon as they hit the floor of their first game, they decide to explore the dungeons of the game. They choose an easy level to start out on, as they anticipated leveling up. When they got there however, they were forced into fighting a super powerful fiend, who beat them in an instant.
As Shugo began to lose continenceness, a girl went to his side and bestowed to him a Legendary Weapon, The Twilight Bracelet. The Bracelet is used to destroy super strong enemies, as well as monsters that have been infected.
There is a stranger however that is watching Shugo the whole time, Balmung. He is afraid of the same events happening that happened a few years back when “The World” was at its peak. So while Shugo does certain tasks and makes new friends, Balmung is always a few steps behind him, making sure chaos does not break out in the world again.
Most of the Chapters in this Volume are basic fillers, even though we are introduced to the characters throughout the Volume. Even though they are filler chapters, it is still a good way to get acquainted to such an amazing series. If you like the .hack series, then buy this manga series. It is what you have been waiting for. Just be warned, if you were hoping for a “Happily Ever After” ending, you won’t get one at the end. This series leaves the reader wanting more, and it is doubtful that the .hack Project and BANDAI will make a sequel to this manga.
Objectionable Content:
- Language: No
- Violence: Yes
- Nudity: No
- Sexual Situation: No
Overall Rating: 4 (Out of 5)
Original Review Date: 11/9/03
Reviewer: TheGodofJurai
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