This series started lookin’ like it was gonna go harem anime on me… then things finally picked up in episode 5 but only mildly.

I guess I didn’t notice it in earlier episodes but all the characters surrounding Shuugo have been female and their personalities have been fitting the mold of a harem anime mix… of all the things I wouldn’t expect in a .hack anime, that would’ve been it. Hell, they even had the obligatory beach scene at the start of episode 5 and if I think about it, Shuugo is a wuss, just like the MCs in nearly every harem anime. Thankfully, any remote themes of a harem anime didn’t linger too long.

So, the big bad bad guys are just a bunch of punk kids? That really squelches the mysterious atmosphere. Unlike .hack//SIGN, this anime hasn’t just focused on in-game scenes but it’s also jumped in and out of real life one’s. I suppose showing the “enemy” in real life is fine but why a bunch of punk kids? Granted, this could be a red herring and things will get even more fucked up later but as far as I’m suppose to think right now… it’s a bunch of punk kids.

The humor is still rampant and very funny. The last third of episode 4 was a riot. Episode 5 ended on a mediocre cliffhanger so I think I’ll save more of this for later. As funny as it is… that’s all it is so it gets a bit boring when it tries to tell a story. Hopefully it’ll pick up later and I can just marathon what’s left. I don’t wanna end up neglecting this series like I do so many shows since I wanna catch .hack//ROOTS when it comes out.

EDIT: So much for that, hahaha.

Yet another couple characters are introduced (not shown above, I just found Mireille’s expression funny).

The story is progressing really slowly. Throughout this whole episode, it wasn’t until the very last scene that something happened regarding the main story. Even then, it was just a brief mention of this “Twilight.” Can’t say what it is yet (and if it’s something from previous series’, I’ve long forgotten it).

This has very close ties to the game. Several characters, like Balmung and Sanjuro, are from it. Kinda makes me wish I stuck with playing them. Only reading a short summary of all the stories from the games isn’t that thorough. Of course, it’s not easy when I have no interest in playing them. If only the fighting was more exciting and it had less of a dungeon-crawl feel to it.

In three episodes, there’s already so many characters. The story may seem a bit slow right now but the characters are popping up like pimples on a teenager before his prom. Meh, it *is* suppose to be a MMORPG so that shouldn’t be unusual but it’s hard to really get into one or two characters when so many keep showing up.

Even with all that, it still continues to be funny and that’s still reason enough to watch more. I love being easily entertained.

Yep. This series is definitely funnier than all previous incarnations… I laughed out loud (literally) several times during this episode.

I can’t believe I lol’d during the scene where Mireille was being chased… it was such the Scooby-Doo moment and yet, I still laughed. Out loud.

It’s even got the silly music to go along with it.

Well, Shuugo and Rena have yet another ally as can be seen in the 2nd pic above. This “party” is getting buff. I’m not sure what direction the story is gonna head towards. So far, it’s the same shit from .hack//SIGN and .hack//RESURRECTION (first game). Guy enters The World, guy gets bracelet, shit gets screwy, guy Data Drains, everyone gets awed… well, at least this one has a lot of humor. I’d keep watching even if it was just for that.

Yes, I’m a lame dork with no sense of commitment and an easily bored nature… so yet again, I start a “new” series.

Technically, it’s a few years old but I haven’t seen it yet so it constitutes as “new.” I was saving this until I finished playing through the .hack games but seeing as how that’ll never happen… and since the next .hack sequel is due out this April… yepperz, I had to start this one up. I mean, c’mon! I don’t wanna fall behind in The World now, do I?

I enjoy the .hack stories. I first watched .hack//SIGN when it came out on fansubs but I lost patience in its storytelling. After a couple years or so, I went on a DVD buying craze and snatched up the limited edition .hack//SIGN volume one. Eventually, after grabbing the next few volumes as they came out, I restarted the series while collecting the rest and well, it turned out to be a great story and I’m glad I bought them.

Then came along the games. I played the first one then got into a bunch of other stuff when the second one came out. Time passed and the third one came out… close to when the fourth one was about to be released, I grabbed the second one and replayed the first to reacquaint myself with the story and once again, I got into other things and stopped playing. That was the end of that.

To get caught up, I spoiled myself by reading the story summaries for the games. The story in the game turned out interesting but I just couldn’t keep up with playing the game. It’s fun but not-so-much that I wanna play it, basically, FOUR times (4 game series, duh).

Aaaaanyway, on to the actual episode. This one was great. It had a good mix of seriousness and comedy. Already I can tell this series will be a lot funnier than .hack//SIGN. It still has that mysterious atmosphere about it but even during critical moments, they incorporate comedic elements. The characters are easily likable so it wasn’t hard enjoying this first episode. I originally thought Shuugo and Rena were Kite and Blackrose (from the games) until I read the game summaries. I guess they kinda are since it’s limited edition characters modeled to look just like them (except chibi-sized) but definitely not what I assumed.

If the story turns out well, I should definitely enjoy the rest of it. I can guarantee I’ll watch this one to the end since I plan on following .hack//ROOTS (the new .hack anime)…… but…. “guarantee” is such a loaded word……. let’s say….. NO! I will finish it!!

….probably.

EDIT: Hahaha, I never finished it. I guarantee never to say I guarantee anything ever again. And that’s guarantee.