.hack question

[Elycien]

I've long been interested in the series, but I was wondering if it's possible to understand the plot without playing the games (because as fun as they look, I really don't have the time for them XD). And if it is, what order should I watch/read it in?

[ChristianKitsune]

I have never played the .hack series for a long period of time (my friend let me play it for a few hours once.) and I love the anime. (I have yet to see. .hack//roots though ^^; )

[everdred12a]

I've since fallen out of touch with the .hack series... but this is the order from what I'm familiar with:

1) .hack Sign
2) .hack Liminality DVD 1
3) .hack Infection
4) .hack Liminality DVD 2
5) .hack Mutation
6) .hack Liminality DVD 3
7) .hack Outbreak
8) .hack Liminality DVD 4
9) .hack Quarantine
10) (there may or may not be more here, but I'm not sure)
11) .hack Dusk (aka Legend of the Twilight Bracelet)

So, yes, you can watch the anime and have absolutely no knowledge of the games, since the games conitnue Sign's story. As a side note, you can watch the Liminality DVD's AFTER you play the game, if you want, but there is actually information in the DVD's that can be used in the games they come with (yes, the DVD is packaged with the game).

[KhakiBlueSocks]

[font="Trebuchet MS"][SIZE="4"][color="RoyalBlue"]The entire .hack series both intrigued and confused me to no freaking end. EVEN THE END!!! THe whole "Key of the Twilight" thing really threw me, and I wound up even more confused then when I missed a few episodes of Bleach...[/color][/SIZE][/font]

[desperado]

order is

.//hack sign

limanality/first set of games

.//hack lottb manga (the anime is horrible and is completly not cannon where the manga is)

i beleive it is a 7 year timejump

.//hack roots
.//hack g.u. games



The whole key of the twilight thing is really explained in the first set of games. But just know that the epitaph of twilight was a poem written by the worlds creator's (harold houwick (oh i dont know how to spell it)) love who died in a car accident. Harold based the game completly around that and the child he wished he could have had with the epitaphs author.

[KhakiBlueSocks]

The whole key of the twilight thing is really explained in the first set of games. But just know that the epitaph of twilight was a poem written by the worlds creator's (harold houwick (oh i dont know how to spell it)) love who died in a car accident. Harold based the game completly around that and the child he wished he could have had with the epitaphs author.

I'm just going to nod and act as though I understood that...

TO THE WIKI!!!!

[~darkelfgirl~]

Yeh, it is possible.

I don't play the games but I read and watch the anime (.hack//sign and .hack//roots) and graphic novels.
Right now I'm reading the last of the four graphic novels that deal with Akira's/BlackRose's (Rena in english?) side of the "Kite" story. They explain a lot--you should try them (".hack//another birth" series--that's Infection, Mutation, Outbreak, Quarantine). As for the order of anime, I dunno ^^'. All I know is that sign comes before roots.

[eva-boy7985]

There's also the AI buster novels that take place before SIGN (two volumes total. After Legend of the Twilight (Twilight Bracer, there's .hack Roots immediately followed up by the new video games, .hack GU

[termyt]

To answer the original poster's question, yes. You can enjoy .hack with out playing the games, although playing hte games enhances the whole ".hack experience" quite a bit.

Right now I'm reading the last of the four graphic novels that deal with Akira's/BlackRose's (Rena in english?) side of the "Kite" story.

Rena is the name of the character in the Twilight Braclet series who wins a contest so that she and her brother (Shugo) are allowed to play characters that look like BlackRose and Kite - character designs that had since been banned due to the events that took place during the video games that spawned hundreds of look-a-likes in the game world. So she isn't BlackRose, just a BlackRose look-a-like.

[EricTheFred]

My son keeps trying to convince me I can't possibly be 'getting' the whole series, because I never played the games, and I keep explaining to him that, regardless of what he thinks I ought to 'get', what I am getting seems to be a complete and very good story. Whatever I'm missing hasn't detracted, just intrigued.

I've watched Sign, read AI Buster 1&2, read Another Birth, and enjoyed Legend of the Twilight (the graphic novels).

[Blitzkrieg1701]

More and more often, I find myself wondering if it's possible to fully "get" .hack either way.

So... Much... Going... On!

[termyt]

My son keeps trying to convince me I can't possibly be 'getting' the whole series, because I never played the games, and I keep explaining to him that, regardless of what he thinks I ought to 'get', what I am getting seems to be a complete and very good story. Whatever I'm missing hasn't detracted, just intrigued.

I've watched Sign, read AI Buster 1&2, read Another Birth, and enjoyed Legend of the Twilight (the graphic novels).

Sign is a complete series. The video games and their related OVA's take place after the events of Sign and well before the events of Legend of the Twilght. The only thing you may be missing is an understanding of what Shugo, Rena and aaaa - the collecter girl, can't remember her name - are representations of. That would give deeper meaning to the characters, but not knowing wouldn't necessarily detract from the story.

[Kitsune]

Like everyone else has said, as long as you start with Sign you can get the series, however the games are extreamly enjoyable and fill in a lot of wholes that are left in the anime/novel series. Though it is a confusing series I recomend .hack//sign as it's one of my all time favorite anime.

[mitsuki lover]

I've only seen .hack//sign and .hack//legend of the twilight bracelet myself.But you can enjoy either one without having either read the
mangas or novels or played the games.
As far as Shugo and Rena go,they're actually twins which is made clear
in the opening episode and is why they're so close(that and the fact that
they're parents are seperated).Shugo is the older twin which is why
Rena always calls him 'Big Brother'.

[KhakiBlueSocks]

Honestly, the only thing I remember from .Hack is the weird cat-thing, the floating girl, and the insistant search for the "Key of the Twilight"...

Did I miss anything here?

[~darkelfgirl~]

Rena is the name of the character in the Twilight Braclet series who wins a contest so that she and her brother (Shugo) are allowed to play characters that look like BlackRose and Kite - character designs that had since been banned due to the events that took place during the video games that spawned hundreds of look-a-likes in the game world. So she isn't BlackRose, just a BlackRose look-a-like.

Oh...well, that cleared things up a bit. Thanks!