Webpages: Official Homepage, AniDB, Anime News Network, Wikipedia
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Seinen, Swordplay, Virtual Reality
Type: Series
Aired from: 06/04/2006 till 28/09/2006
License status: Bandai (source: animeondvd)
Trailer: http://www.dothackers.net/media.php
(I hate people who direct links to files, so instead here is the page)
Why I start watching
.Hack … A game, a manga, the series, the ova, the movie. .Hack becomes a common concept in the anime world. However I’m sure it won’t be as famous as Sailor Moon, Card Captor Sakura or Neon Genesis Evangelion. Urm, okay, let’s see. I started watching these series because .Hack was such a good series. I just loved .Hack//Dusk, also known as, .Hack//Legend of the Twilight . After I watched the trailer I found out this .Hack series is again about “The World”, a virtual reaility game in which .Hack plays. However the place totally differs. The review next, without spoilers.
The world of .Hack// Roots
.Hack//Roots is placed after a huge timespan of .Hack//Legend of the Twilight. The world still exists, however it’s dancing on the cliffside. Player killers makes it hard for beginners and moderated players can’t protect there wares. Haseo, our hero starts the game in this development. Playing for just a few hours I get struck be a few player killers. Mad Haseo wants to quite, but suddenly Ovan arrives. A mysterious guy who wants him to be strong. He revives Haseo and makes sure he remains in the world.
Storyline
Thus our hero Haseo remains within the dark world, once a beautiful place. … I didn’t really like the sound of that, but ok, I continued watching on. It didn’t get better and the story is quite lame. The total episodes of this series is 26, but I think they could better put it in a 12 episodes instead. Each time you hope something will happen, but it’s so slow and not satisfied. I tried watching on and on, hoping the end would be a giant climax. 
I don’t want to spoil, but don’t expect ‘massive’ fighting.
I must say, if you want to start watching, please do NOT continue if you don’t like the series up to episode 5,6. It does not get any better. That slowness you found in those previouse episodes, that’s the fact of Roots. There are also a lot of parts I really didn’t get. Sometimes the characters are that sad and mad, you just don’t understand why they play along. Above all, it’s just a game.
Not only the heroes, leading characters of the series but the towns people as well. In .Hack//Dusk the world was great, living and the dark matters was unknown for common public. Thus the people would remain and play the game as usual. However in .Hack//Roots the world is broken. Everyone knows the world is falling apart and you really can die playing the game. However still newbies signs up, get player killed and they go on! WTF! If you get into a game in which you get struck just in a few minutes and you know it’s dangerous you won’t play it do you? They world of .Hack//Roots isn’t made for children playing the game, but for man who wants to build an imperium and rule the world.
Graphics, Animations, Character
The storyline might be wicked up, but the graphics, outlining and animations are still .Hack worthy. You really simple recognizes everyone be face and voice. Even if they switches from player character (in the world). That was just beautiful, a switch of characters will be placed by random people and you still recognize them by handling and speaking of certain events. You are able to guess what the next action of a certain person is. For example, it’s easy to say that character X will not tolerate character Y actions and will act like he ignores it, but will backstab him anytime soon.
The environment, the surroundings in which the players take place are awesome. From broken tiles to modded paths the details are fixed. Looking around you do see the great potential of the .Hack series. Scary places, unholy places, impressing places, they all feels like to it. So when the camera moves to show you how great and beautiful the area is, you do feel like so. From shabby places, towns and fields to unholy cathedrals … They all feels different.
As seen as the screenshots above, the ambient in this .Hack series is carefully set. Their glance and aura makes “the world” a beautiful environment.
Music and Sound effects
Nearing the end of my review I have to say the music is great! If you want to buy the Original Soundtrack of this series, be my guest. The music grants you the immense area of the world. Finding yourself in a sheepherd quiet area or a town filled with people. Hope and desperation is titled in the songs and it all feels like to it.
My opinion
I didn’t like this series. In fact I’m really disappointed. As I said, I like the games and .Hack//Dusk is one of my favourite series! Having the boxset in the corner of my eyes right now is my proof. I had hoped Roots would be alike. Again exploring the world, traveling alongside a newbie whose purpose, above all, wants to play a great game and just have fun. But it didn’t make it.
.Hack//Roots is THE outcast of the .Hack series. Dark and shattered around the great series out there. If you liked .Hack//Sign, .Hack//Dusk, please leave it with those series. .Hack//Roots is nothing compared to them, it’s even a shame .Hack//Roots sequels them, or even wearing the name .Hack.
Again, the music, characters design, graphics and animations are great! Still, the story is SO lame and slow. It’s a real pity.
To summarize a bit.
Music, graphics, animations and even the characters are outstanding work. They plot would be an average 6 out of 10 if it was 10 – 12 series big. However, they stretched the series enormously, making the plot very thin and incomprehensible! The leading characters seems to hate eachother, but they still remain a … well you can’t name it a team but they still look eachother up to get scolded. There is really no understanding why the leading players like eachother.
They only whine, scold, mysterious speak to each other. This also applies for the baddies. The baddies team is scattered as well and you have no idea why these people teams up together. Personally I will betray the full scale of them and start a guild myself, ’cause they would do the same as they could.
At top, watching the end, the big mystery remains a big mystery and suddenly another mystery is lost. There are a number of events which starts to get important (so it seemed) and suddenly vanishes in the thin air, to be never spoke of :S.
I would vote this series 2, for having a stretched plot. Incomprehensible events, lost mysterious and not making clear why the certain characters teams up.
A review which suited me well is found at anidb.net
I truely shares my opinion, like the reviewer I really waited for this series. Lured for months hoping to find a glance of trailers and sneek peaks. At the end this series truely is the most disappointing anime of Spring/Summer season 2006! I suggest, avoid watching the series and never think about buying it for a moment!
Fansubbing
Yes this is being fansubbed. You can find the fansubs at Anime-Supreme. For people searching for a direct download url, please look at cyber12, it’s less quality and you don’t know which fansub. :S But in this case, it’s nothing to worry about, ’cause the lousy first episode you’ll will make you wish to disappear again. Cyber12 is indeed a bookmark item!
