.hack//Alcor (2009)

Author: Kanami Amou | Illustrator: Rena Izumibara | Page Count: 176

“…do you have any quests where you don’t have to fight?”

The .hack// world can accommodate many kinds of stories within its virtual bordered structure. Alcor is just one of the possibilities. It’s a one-shot about Nanase, a young girl who wants to progress in life but is afraid of taking risks and of failure. She uses the game world as an escape, but brings into it her anxieties and failings, making her online world as complicated as her offline one.

Except it’s not complicated at all. The book could easily be summed up in one sentence. I won't do that, so don't worry.

It’s fair to say, though, hopefully without seeming too harsh that it's wishy-washy, angsty, early-teen drama. So if you're an irritating, self-absorbed, angsty teen with troubles of your own making, Alcor might just be for you.

Most everyone else will have trouble connecting because the other characters, of which there are many, are loosely written and two-dimensional. It’s only Nanase who provides any kind of solid gateway into the work. That may have been the author's plan from the outset, because it's clearly targeting a younger, less emotionally discerning demographic. If so. then the book successfully explores another aspect of the hack// versatility that I mentioned previously.

2 lucky animals out of 5

.hack//4Koma (2010)

Author: Koichi Sumimaru | Illustrator: Various |  Page Count: 192

“Your morals as a protagonist are being challenged, aren't they?”

A yonkoma, often shortened to 4koma, is a four-panel manga similar to the kind of thing you’d see in a Sunday newspaper, except that most yonkoma are read from top to bottom, not left to right horizontal.

The .hack yonkoma parodies Project .hack and .hack Conglomerate.  The comedy is derived mostly from non-canon meetings, rivalries, awkward social situations and typically friendly people being dicks to other characters.  As such, in-jokes are definitely the order of the day, so if you're not very familiar with each person's usual demeanour, or the .hack world, you'll miss most of the situational humour.

There are a lot of familiar faces, such as BlackRose, Balmung, Mistral, Shino and Atoli (even Lios the system admin gets some page time!), but it’s mostly about Kite and moody Haseo—both of whom are perfect targets for the kind of piss-takes and rebuttals that the format is best used for.  But Haseo’s troubles don’t stop with Kite's frequent slights.  He also has women to deal with, and that gives rise to an entirely different kind of anguish for the G.U hero.

2½ brands of crazy out of 5

.hack//Legend of the Twilight: Volume Three (2004)

Author: Tatsuya Hamazaki | Illustrator: Rei Izumi | Page Count: 278

"It's a black box no one should look into."

The events of four years ago are still felt by the system administrators; their fear of a reoccurrence forces them to halt Shugo and Rena’s progress, but in doing so they place themselves at the very centre of something far beyond their control.

Tatsuya Hamazaki didn't just hold the best for last, he held about ninety percent of everything for last.  The third volume is packed with story, shining so bright that it causes the previous volume to throw an even darker shadow of shame.  That extra depth required an extra page count, making it much longer.

Friendship and awakening are themes central to the coming of age story that's the backbone of the trilogy, and they come to the fore at last.  It also throws in commentary on ideals, nostalgia, duty, limitations, family and honour.  Some of them sit quietly in the subtext, but are there should you choose to look for them.
There's still occasional filler that’s clearly fan-service, but it’s forgivable given that it's structured as a further step along the path of realisation.

3½ legendary right hooks out of 5

.hack//Legend of the Twilight: Volume Two (2003)

Author: Tatsuya Hamazaki | Illustrator: Rei Izumi | Page Count: 177

“The only ones that can protect this world are the players that live in it…” 

If you go to THIS POST, read the first paragraph and then return here, it’ll save me from exhausting my word count a second time.  Although, I have very little to say about the second volume, so some filler would help me out; it certainly worked for the book’s author.  The trilogy was originally a two-part adventure, and it was decided during the writing process that it should be expanded beyond that.

Volume Two of Three has Shugo, Rena and their ramshackle party hunting for clues to a mystery that isn't very mysterious at all.  Nor do they have to hunt for very long, as all answers are conveniently sign-posted, which robs the mystery of any weight it would've had, and the journey of any drama it could've had.  I’d have accepted a lazy montage of dead ends and empty roads, but we got zip.
Along the way the twins get into a situation that briefly offers a glimpse of how much they care about each other, but it didn't develop into anything deep.

Thankfully, the latter half of the book throws up a surprise or two, so don’t toss it in the corner too quickly.  It ends on a pretty big cliff-hanger, so make sure you have Volume Three close to hand.

2½ instances of overwhelming chibi cuteness out of 5

.hack//Legend of the Twilight: Volume One (2003)

Author: Tatsuya Hamazaki | Illustrator: Rei Izumi | Page Count: 176

“I’d watch my back if I were you.  Your friend has returned.”

.hack//Legend of the Twilight is a manga trilogy that forms a part of the Project .hack series, the first generation of the .hack universe.  It’s set chronologically after the first four games (//Infection //Mutation //Outbreak //Quarantine) that appeared on the Playstation 2 console.  If you’re new to THE WORLD, you’ll lack the necessary background and will encounter minor spoilers of events that unfolded in the games.  It's not necessary to have played them first, but it's certainly recommended.  The book makes some allowances for new fans, but space is limited so the catch-up is brief.  If you've a working knowledge of what has gone before, then read on.  Otherwise, you might want to skip this review.

Shugo (male) and Rena (female) are fourteen-year-old twins.  Rena wins a contest that enables her and Shugo to play the long-running MMO with chibi versions of the avatars used originally by the fabled hackers, Kite and BlackRose.  Having prior knowledge of the game's history means Rena is naturally excited.  Shugo, a newbie, is understandably less enthusiastic.

When a low-level field breaks in-game protocols the twins are drawn in a dangerous direction for which they're completely unprepared.

The story benefits from having the two characters already familiar with each other’s mannerisms and failings in the offline world.  Actions performed in-game can then be used to reveal each sibling's inner-feelings, creating some hilariously awkward moments.  The comedy increases with each successive chapter, which was a pleasant surprise as the .hack world can sometimes be too serious.

3 rare items out of 5