.hack: Legend of the Twilight is another spin-off from the dotHack Project. Like all other .hack anime titles out there, this is mostly based on the .hack series of video games. Assume that everything here happens within the MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) called The World. For those who have played the game, you will immediately recognize Kite and Black Rose. But they’re not the same people in Legend of the Twilight. The sprites are the same, but the gamers behind the sprites weren’t the ones who saved The World four years ago. The characters are now controlled by twins Shugo and Rena.

Now, if you have seen .hack//SIGN and played at least .hack//INFECTION, you might notice a pattern when it comes to conflicts. Another group of hackers have come to wreak havoc on The World, in an effort to control it. This isn’t anything new. This was the basic plot scenario that we’ve encountered in SIGN and the game.

It’s also a common occurence for CC Corporation to become a bit paranoid about situations, that they would make rash, baseless decisions. In Legend of the Twilight, CC Corporation actually goes overboard by deleting playable characters for something as trivial as editing the color of their clothes. Now if you worked for an MMORPG company, like I do in real life, you would know that being overly strict with your paying customers is suicide. You’d wonder how The World had gotten so popular if they didn’t have punishment levels depending on the severity of EULA* violations. But let’s just suspend our disbelief for the moment.

Besides dealing with some mentally stressed hackers and a company that seems to exhibit no concern over their concurrent users, Shugo and Rena have to deal with a third entity. Who it is, I’d best leave the viewers to discover for themselves.

I can’t imagine this being an anime that could be easily understood by non-gamers, although it can pretty much stand on its own. The characters, though not blessed with unique personalities, are fun to watch. I find myself particularly amused by the protagonist, Shugo, who starts off as a good-for-nothing leecher†. I’m also glad to see Balmung—a bishie I’ve had a crush on since .hack//INFECTION and .hack//SIGN—finally show that vulnerable part of him that he has always kept hidden underneath that cool, calm exterior. Let’s just say that in Legend of the Twilight, unlike the past .hack installations, you’d actually get to see some possible love angles. Unfortunately, Shugo and Rena’s rather frequent incestuous exchanges don’t sit quite well with me. I find myself cringing and shouting invectives everytime their sexual tension comes to the fore. I know they probably longed for each other’s presence, considering their parents have split and they live separately, but really. Their feelings seem to be bordering on the ecchi. That’s definitely one love angle I could live without.

What’s good about Twilight of the Spirits is that, despite the obvious plot holes, it’s still the most entertaining anime series that dotHack Project released. Perhaps this is because everyone here is just out to have fun, with or without the presence of antagonists. The events are no longer hack-and-slash anymore! Of course there are the usual stuff that happen in MMORPGs—i.e. people falling in love with sprites, and kids skipping class because of their addiction—that give Legend of the Twilight a realistic appeal. Rena and Shugo’s real-life situation, case in point, reminded me of the time I lived away from home and I communicated with my sister via the MMORPG Ragnarok Online.

Many of the characters are repeat visitors from either .hack the game or .hack//SIGN. With them partying up with the newer, wackier people, you’re bound to find them more adorable this time around. I nearly forgot to mention Ouka, one of the "legendary martial artists", who is actually a very sexy, bloodthirsty werewolf; and that lovable little Puchiguso/Grunty that the party takes under their wing. Sum this up with the fact that The World has added a lot of nifty patches, wherein you can actually wear bathing suits and play on a beach setting, you just know you have it! F.U.N.!

The sounds are great. Not as exceptional as the ones in SIGN and .hack//LIMINALITY, but they’re still worth listening to. Yuki Kajiura is still part of the music team after all. Artwork and animation are superb, though not nearly as exquisite as what we’ve seen in SIGN. Legend of the Twilight has an entirely different appeal, art-wise. The creators obviously wanted to go for the cheerful approach, which is why you will notice that the visuals are cutesy. What I appreciated most was the fact that even though Balmung of Legend of the Twilight isn’t as hot as Balmung of SIGN, they didn’t deform his character design. He is still hot.

If you’re a fan of .hack, this is a must-see. I’m sure you’d find yourself curious as to what has happened to The World after Kite and Black Rose made legends of themselves. But if you’re just a fan of anime in general, you will probably find this an average title. I just doubt you’d give this a high rating if you hadn’t experienced the game or at least played an MMORPG.

Individual Rating: Art/Animation 8; Story 7; Characters 9; Sounds 9

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* EULA - End User License Agreement
† Leecher - someone who just sits back to gain experience points from party members who actually work for their experience points.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 25th, 2005 at 8:13 am and is filed under .hack//Legend of the Twilight, Anime. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.