.hack//ROOTS - First Impressions
I recently started to download and watch the new .hack show which ended last month. Just like .hack//SIGN, the show has 26 episodes and the events occur after the original .hack series.
This show tries to introduce a breath of fresh air into .hack and steers it away from it’s original look and feel. Though it still focuses on the portraying human intellect and emotions, “the world”, in which the events of the show occur, seems to have become a darker place, and closer to reality compared to what our online multi-player games are.
It is a world filled with players who have fun grieving others. Various bugs (and those which abuse them), and exploits. However, it does have one particularity that our modern multi-player RPGs don’t have: the game is evolving beyond the control of it’s admins; and that puts an interesting twist to the story.
So far I’ve watched 11 episodes, and even though the ambient is a bit different I’m glad that the show doesn’t focus on action much, unlike many other anime shows do. It’s too early to tell whether I prefer this .hack over the others, but it’s safe to say that I’m enjoying it just as much.
As soon as I finish watching it I’ll post a full review.
