.hack//Legend of the Twilightby Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Studio
Credits Grade: 6 Rena and Shugo are twins who live separately -- one with each parent. To be closer to her brother, Rena enters a contest and wins! The prize is that they get the discontinued BlackRose and Kite avatars in the game known as The World. Rena spends almost the entirety of the show as a damsel, locked away in the proverbial tower, and it's up to her "big brother" to save her with the help of some friends and the original Kite's bracelet, gifted to Shugo by The World's spirit, Aura. Another "Twilight" is upon The World, and as things escalate, more and more gamers end up in real-world comas with the threat of "true death" hovering ever-nearer.I know this is based on a video game (and franchise) centered around a male protagonist, but having Rena damselled in order to provoke the actual plot into movement and then leaving her there for the whole show is a bit much. On top of that, the vast majority of her lines are either "big brother" or "Shugo." It's especially frustrating since she's actually good at the game and wants to play, whereas Shugo had no interest in video games and only signed in because she won the contest (and kept signing in to be with her). The story tries to make up for it somewhat by having Shugo assisted by three female characters (and two male characters -- gotta keep it balanced, right?). The enemy and the captain of the new (Cerulean Knights) are also female. The stand-out characters are Balmung (fight and voice of wisdom as well as a system admin), Ouka (a female, who is one of the game's strongest melee fighters and a werewolf!), Mireille (a rare item collector), and, to a lesser degree, Shugo (everything does center around him). Sadly, Shugo has a massive sister-complex, and even the players around them note that they don't act like siblings the way they embrace. It's amped up, but that's not the type of shipping I want hints of, especially with such young characters. The anime tries to pretend that it's more character driven than it really is, partially by having characters cry out and say each others' names a lot, but that underlying connection that the original .hack//Sign created is definitely missing. On the upside, there's a lot more action. This includes fights against monsters and modified monsters, many of which can't be killed except with Shugo's special bracelet (which he needs to be stronger to control, so he needs training and monster battles). The plot itself is more action-oriented, partially do the threat that hangs over everyone. The fact that it's children posing such a large threat is scary in and of itself, but makes sense since kids don't understand things like death very well, or, in our world of living through technology, that things done or said digitally can have very real and harsh consequences in the real world. It's a heavy theme that's glossed over by the way it ends. The music for this series oscillates between so uninteresting I don't even notice it, and distracting. The distracting moments contain beeps and other weird noises that made me look around to see if the sound was coming from something other than the show. The sub is good. The dub is well done but contains more high-pitched voices in an attempt to capture the young age of the players, and it makes it a bit grating to listen to for very long. Morti is the only character that's actually improved in the dub, as they give her voice an echo quality. The animation is solid and the character designs are nice. Ouka is my favorite with a nice mix of human and wolf-like traits (and the ability to shapeshift). Kite's avatar is easily the most memorable with that aqua hair and eyes and orange outfit. Overall, it was fun to watch, especially if you've seen previous .hack anime (or played the game). It can also be watched stand-alone, as just enough information is given about the BlackRose and Kite avatars and their original roles. I enjoyed it, but it didn't wow me. For those that found the original .hack//Sign too slow, give this a chance before you write off the series. Written: May 19, 2015
|
|
|
Home |
Features |
Columns |
Culture Vultures |
Report Card
Indicia | Contact | Archives © Sequential Tart, 1998 – 2021 |
